When a young woman was found found staggering down an unpaved road in Malabar, Florida, in 1985, bound, pale, and nearly naked, the passerby who rescued her could barely believe her horrifying story of kidnapping, rape, and sadistic bloodletting. When law enforcement confirmed the veracity of her story, John Brennan Crutchley's neighbors and coworkers were shocked to learn that a criminal who was eventually dubbed the "Vampire Rapist" had been living and working next to them for years.
Eventually, officials discovered evidence that caused them to believe Crutchley had murdered a number of women over the course of several years, but they were never able to find enough evidence to charge him with a single killing. Consequently, the Vampire Rapist was released from prison after a disturbingly short time, giving him the opportunity to continue his sadistic crimes of rape, torture, and possibly even murder.
The Life And Death Of John Brennan Crutchley, AKA The Vampire Rapist,
He Drank A Massive Amount Of His Victim's Blood
After he raped the young woman, John Brennan Crutchley used medical tubing and needles to drain blood from the teenager's veins into a container. As he took the blood from the woman's body, Crutchley told her he was a vampire and he was going to drink her blood.
Over the course of more than 20 hours, Crutchley alternated between raping the teenager and draining her blood, leaving her incredibly weak and traumatized. Medical experts later determined Crutchley had removed nearly half of the young woman's blood, leaving her very close to death.
He Was Caught When His Victim Escaped
After repeatedly raping the young woman and draining approximately 45% of her blood, John Brennan Crutchley left his captive locked in a bathroom while he went to work. Despite being near death, the teenager was able to summon the strength to push the bathroom window open and climb outside.
Wrapped only in a towel and with handcuffs around her wrists and ankles, a passing motorist discovered the young woman staggering down the road not far from Crutchley's home. After showing her rescuer the house where she'd been raped and held captive for nearly an entire day, the young woman was taken to the hospital for urgent medical attention.
He Abducted And Raped A Teenage Hitckhiker
On November 21, 1985, John Brennan Crutchley's wife and young son were visiting family in Maryland for Thanksgiving, leaving the 39-year-old husband and father with the house all to himself. While driving near his home, Crutchley picked up a hitchhiker and offered to take the 19-year-old California woman to the nearby city of Melbourne, but not before stopping at his house.
Once in his driveway, instead of running into his home to pick up the notebook he claimed he needed for work, Crutchley tied a ligature around the teenager's neck, choked her into unconsciousness, and dragged her into his house. Then, he removed all of the young woman's clothing and strapped her to the counter in his kitchen.
He Videotaped Himself Committing Rape And Torture
When the young woman regained consciousness, she discovered John Brennan Crutchley had tied her to the top of the kitchen island in his family home, and he'd also set up lights and a video camera. Crutchley used the video camera and lights to film himself as he brutally raped the teenager, presumably so that he could watch the footage later to relive the horrifying sexual assault.
However, the young woman didn't realize that in addition to raping her, Crutchley intended to document himself subjecting her to even more disturbing and horrifying acts straight out of a horror movie.
He Was Made To Dress As A Girl Until He Was Six Years Old
Born on October 1, 1946, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, John Brennan Crutchley did not have an easy childhood. According to Crutchley, his mother was distraught over the loss of her eldest child, Donna. Donna had died during surgery the year before John was born, and his mother had hoped to have another daughter to replace the child she'd lost. Consequently, she wished John had been born a girl.
When John was born, she was disappointed by his sex, but according to Crutchley, it didn't stop his mother from dressing him as a girl for the first six years of his life. In addition to being forced to wear a dress, Crutchley also claimed his parents subjected him to severe child abuse, which included beating him until he lost consciousness and burning his fingers.
He Kept Trophies From His Victims
Following the allegations made against John Brennan Crutchley by the young woman he abducted and raped, police searched his home, and they discovered the video camera he'd used to document his crimes. However, when law enforcement reviewed the tape in the camera, they found Crutchley had erased the footage he'd taken of himself raping the teenager and drawing her blood.
The search also uncovered the 19-year-old's ID card, as well as identification belonging to a number of other women, and multiple locks of hair and several necklaces, leading the authorities to suspect they were trophies Crutchley had kept from other crimes he'd committed against other victims. When they searched the engineer's office, they found a number of sexually explicit photographs of a woman tied up and gagged, and some of the images depicted Crutchley choking the woman with his hands.
He Was A Math Genius Who Worked For NASA And Held Top-Level Security Clearances
Despite his troubled upbringing, John Brennan Crutchley was extremely intelligent and he excelled at school, particularly in math and science. After graduating from high school, Crutchley earned a degree in physics at Defiance College in Ohio and married his first wife in 1969. Then he got a master's degree in engineering from George Washington University, but he and his wife divorced shortly after he finished school.
Over the next several years, Crutchley got remarried and worked as an engineer at several different companies all over the United States. In 1983, Crutchley moved to Malabar, Florida, with his wife and young son, and he got a job at the Harris Corporation as a NASA contractor. Due to the nature of his work, Crutchley had top-secret security clearance at the Pentagon that gave him access to classified documents.
Experts Think He May Have Murdered Several Women
In addition to the ID cards, hair, photos, and necklaces the police found in John Brennan Crutchley's home and office, they discovered a box of index cards the middle-aged husband and father had used to keep track of his various sexual partners. One of the cards referenced Deborah Fitzjohn, Crutchley's former girlfriend who disappeared in 1978 while they were both living in Washington, D.C. Several months later, her naked body was found in the woods, and while Crutchley was the only suspect in her murder, DC authorities were never able to gather enough evidence to charge him with a crime.
Florida officials also linked one of the ID cards found in Crutchley's house with a hitchhiker who went missing in 1985 but has never been found. Plus, they discovered that during the time Crutchley was living in Florida, a number of skeletal remains belonging to unidentified women were found within miles of his home, and after he was incarcerated, these ghastly discoveries ceased.
According to Crutchley's cell mate, the Vampire Rapist admitted to killing several women, including his ex-girlfriend, but law enforcement officials weren't able to collect enough evidence to charge him with any murders. After Crutchley was convicted of kidnapping and sexual battery, Robert Ressler, a renowned criminal profiler, testified that while there was nothing concrete to prove that the admitted rapist was a serial killer, he exhibited the traits of someone who had murdered several people.
His Wife Downplayed The Severity Of His Crimes
After John Brennan Crutchley's wife learned that her husband had been arrested and charged with kidnapping, sexual battery, aggravated battery, and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, she wasn't exceptionally upset by what her husband had been accused of doing while she and her young son were out of town for Thanksgiving.
When asked about the serious accusations made again her husband, Mrs. Crutchley said he was "a kinky sort of guy", but she refused to believe he was guilty of the charges against him. Eventually, Crutchley pleaded guilty to rape and kidnapping, so his wife was no longer able to deny the charges made him. However, instead of admitting that her husband had subjected his young victim to horrifying and depraved acts, Mrs. Crutchley claimed he had committed "a gentle rape, devoid of any overt brutality."
The Woman He Abducted And Raped Was Initially Too Traumatized To Press Charges
After escaping from John Brennan Crutchley's home, the 19-year-old received the medical treatment she desperately needed, and a hematologist later stated the teenager would have died of blood loss within 12 hours if she hadn't been able to get help. Once law enforcement learned about the horrific rape and torture the teenager had been subjected to, they got a warrant to search Crutchley's home, and they uncovered enough evidence to corroborate her story and place him under arrest.
However, the young woman had been so traumatized by the terrifying ordeal, she didn't want to press charges against the man who had kidnapped her, raped her repeatedly, and drained nearly half of the blood from her body. Eventually, a rape counselor was able to convince the teenager to press charges, telling the young woman that convicting Crutchley would prevent him from being able to harm additional victims.