Police estimate that hundreds of thousands of dead people have their Social Security numbers and other aspects of their identities stolen every year, mostly for purposes of fraud. But a few identity thieves take their crime to the ultimate point: killing people just to steal their lives. Murdering someone AND stealing their ID is rare, but when it happens, it often is the result of a long and involved con.
Killers who became their victims include a woman who murdered her sister after pretending her house was firebombed by drug dealers; a career fraudster who sent his victim off to another country, then killed him when he came back; a convicted rapist who killed a homeless man in order to fake his own death; and a lesbian serial killer known as the most wanted woman in America.
Here are some of the stories of people who killed others to assume their identities.
People Who Killed Their Victims to Assume Their Identities,
The Husband and Wife Team Who Killed Three People for Their Identities
Julie and Dimitry Yakovlev were found guilty of a scheme wherein Dimitry murdered three people to obtain their identities, which they then used to pilfer bank accounts and open credit cards. Julie pleaded guilty to a slew of fraud charges, but wasn't a suspect in the murders. Dimitry was the main suspect in the disappearances of Michael Klein, Irina Malezhik and Viktor Alekseyev - two of whom have never been found, and the other was found dead in New Jersey.
All three had had their identities stolen after their death, netting the husband and wife over half a million dollars, which had to be forfeited. Dimitry was given 30 years in prison, while Julie pleaded guilty and got three years.
George Kalomeris, Who Killed Two People to Get Control of Their Million Dollar Estates
Kalomeris resided in multiple states, and therefore had no problem killing people in two different states and assuming their identities to get his hands on their money. The first person Kalomeris killed was Gary Wayne Thomas, a man who lived in his apartment complex and who had a million-dollar trust. The two got high together, whereby Kalomeris shot and killed Thomas, and over the next eight months, assumed the man's identity. He called Thomas's bank and told him he was moving to Maryland - and established an address there.
He blew through most of the money, the zeroed in on another man, Thomas Wayne Jones, a wealthy paraplegic. Kalomeris shot Jones in the neck, buried him, and took control of his estate, including a stash of rare gold coins. However, Jones was actually alive, and eventually able to testify against Kalomeris, who was sent to prison. While in prison, Kalomeris put out a hit on Jones, using money he was continuing to steal from Gary Wayne Thomas's estate. The inmate Kalomeris approached ratted on him, and while he was under investigation, Jones died of his injuries from the shooting. Kalomeris was sentenced to nearly 400 years in prison.
The Freeloader Who Murdered Her Sister and Bombed Her Own House
Stevie Allman became a minor celebrity in Oakland after she was rescued from her house, which had apparently been firebombed by drug dealers out to get revenge on her because of her anti-drug efforts. Money was raised to help treat her injuries, she spoke out against the arsonists, and even the state's governor got in on it, offering a reward for the capture of those who bombed Allman's house.
It sounded like good-old American heroism, except that Stevie Allman had set the fire herself, and wasn't Stevie at all, but her sister Sarah, who had murdered Stevie and stuffed her in a freezer. Sarah and Stevie lived together in the house, and while Stevie was known as an anti-drug crusader, Sarah was an unemployed freeloader who routinely stole from her sister - even forging her name to cash an inheritance check. Police speculated that Sarah killed Stevie and assumed her identity to gain access to the deed to the house, as well as Stevie's finances. Other family members noted that two women lived in the house, and when confronted, Sarah readily admitted what she did.
The Man Who Murdered a Mother and Child So His Girlfriend Could Take Her Identity
The 2010 double murder that gripped Australia, the case of the deaths of 22-year-old Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and her two-year-old daughter, took almost five years to finally unravel. Karie's bones were found in October 2010 in a forest in New South Wales, while her daughter's remains were found in a suitcase in July 2015, almost 700 miles away. Both of their identities had been exploited for fraud, theft, and to send fake messages implying Karlie was still alive.
When the infant's remains were linked to Karlie's, police went public, imploring the people of Australia for tips as to the culprits. Within a few days, they had a suspect, Karlie's former lover Daniel Holdom - whose current girlfriend was using Karlie's identity to open bank accounts and defraud credit card companies. Holdom was arrested on double murder charges.
The Evil Twin Who Tried to Become Her Good Twin
A bizarre southern California attempted murder trial involved Jeena and Sunny Han, literally characterized by police as a good twin and an evil twin. In this case, the evil twin was Jeena, who was arrested on a slew of charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, and false imprisonment. All of them stemmed from an attempt to kill her "good twin" Sunny, and assume her identity.
Jeena was apparently mad at Sunny for assisting police in a prior credit card fraud scheme that she'd been busted for. Jeena hired two guys and went over to Sunny's apartment, planning to kill her and take her identity, including her good credit score and clean arrest record. The plot got botched when Sunny (who didn't realize that her sister was in her apartment) called the police, and Jeena made a run for it. She was eventually arrested at San Diego Airport. Jeena was found guilty and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
Albert Johnson Walker, Who Took a TV Repairman's Identity, Then Killed Him
Canadian con artist Albert Johnson Walker had already been part of a number of failed fraud schemes when he met TV repairman Ronald Platt. He was living in England while fleeing over a dozen charges of fraud, money laundering, and theft when he changed his name to "David Davis" and started a business with fellow expat Platt. When Platt wanted to go back to Canada, Walker claimed he needed Platt's birth certificate and ID to hold up his end of the business. After Platt left, Walker assumed his identity.
A few years later, Platt was broke and came back to England. Realizing his fraud was about to be exposed, Walker took Platt fishing, then murdered him with an anchor and dumped the body at sea. However, when the body washed up, it was wearing a Rolex registered to Platt. Walker was arrested soon after, and is serving life in prison.
The Lesbian Serial Killer Who Seduced Women and Took Their Names
A 12-year manhunt for "Chameleon Killer" Elaine Parent came to a head in 2002 in Florida, after police in two countries tracked her down. Parent was accused of stalking single women, taking them as lovers, then killing them and stealing their identities. The first killing attributed to Parent was a woman who washed up on a Florida canal having been hacked apart, but with a tattoo that police identified and tracked back to Parent, the victim's roommate. Parent had used a false ID to trick the victim into handing over her Social Security number, driver's license number, and credit card number for a "numerology analysis," then killing her.
Over the next decade plus, Parent took authorities in the US and UK (where she'd lived for a long time) on a chase involving dozens of identities, several other murders, multiple countries, and countless leads. Parent was finally tracked back to Florida, and shot herself while waiting to be arrested.
William Morse, Who Killed a Contractor, Spent His Money, and Became Him
Simple greed appeared to be the motive behind the murder of Richard Bellittieri, a contractor hired by William Morse to do some work on the duplex he was building. According to Maine prosecutors, Morse shot the man, dragged him into a nearby woods, buried him, and chopped a tree down on him. He then pilfered his finances to the tune of $175,000, and even introduced himself to people as Bellitteri.
He kept the ruse up for a year, before being pulled over for DUI with Beillitteri's ID and credit cards. Maine put him on trial for murder and identity theft, and he was found guilty. Morse will spend a minimum of 60 years in prison.
The Rapist Who Killed a Homeless Man and Stole His Identity to Fake His Own Death
Michael Henderson was already a serial sexual offender, who had served a multi-year prison sentence for child sexual abuse. After being accused again of sexually assaulting a minor, in this case, a 16-year-old relative, Henderson decided it was time to create a new life for himself. To do that, he shot and killed homeless man Gary Ali, then put Ali's body in a car with his own ID, and set it on fire.
The burned car was traced back to Henderson, who was arrested in 2011 for both the murder and the rape. It took a jury just 20 minutes to find him guilty, and he was given life in prison.