List of convicted killers who were married while in prison. While many people are fascinated with killers and what makes them tick, not many people ever go that extra mile to get to know them. A person who reads about a killer as if it were an interesting novel is not necessarily going out of their way to meet them. That’s what makes prison wives so captivating. What makes an ordinary woman, with thousands of potential suitors not behind bars, decide to marry a convicted killer? Why do they want a relationship with a man who has killed? What do they get out of the relationship?
Some psychologists believe that women who marry convicted killers do so because of low self-esteem and a desire to be loved by somebody dangerous. The reasons may also include a need to nurture somebody who’s damaged. Whatever the reason, prison wives don’t often follow the same logic as the rest of us. For some of these women, they’re convinced that their husband was framed. Others just think they can turn a vicious killer into someone to take home to your mother.
This list includes killers that managed to get married while in prison. Some are still married, while other wives figured out that marrying a known killer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
15 Convicted Killers Who Married in Prison,
Charles "Tex" Watson
Tex Watson was a member of the Manson Family, who helped murder 5 people, including Sharon Tate. He became a born-again Christian in 1975 and married Kristian Joan Svege. They had 4 children while he was in prison. They divorced in 2003.
Phillip Carl Jablonski
Philip Carl Jablonski killed 5 women from 1978-1991. While Jablonski was in prison for his first murder, he married Carol Spadoni. He later murdered her and her mother.
Richard Ramirez
Richard Ramirez broke into homes to rape and murder 13 women in 1984-1985. He was sentenced to death. In 1985, Doreen Lioy wrote over 70 letters to Ramirez. They were married in 1996. They separated before he died of cancer and by then, he was already engaged to somebody else.
Susan Atkins
Susan Atkins was a member of the Manson Family, having helped commit 8 murders for the notorious Charles Manson. Atkins married twice while in prison. First to Donald Lee Laisure in 1981 and then James Whitehouse in 1987. She stayed married to Whitehouse until her death in 2009.
Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy was responsible for the deaths of at least 30 women. While in prison, Bundy married Carole Ann Boone, who was a former co-worker. She gave birth to Bundy's child, despite the fact that no conjugal visits were allowed in his prison.
Erik Menendez
Erik Menendez helped murder his parents with the help of his brother Lyle. He married Tammi Ruth Saccoman over the telephone. Their wedding cake was a Twinkie.
Lyle Menendez
Lyle Menendez and his brother Erik murdered their parents for their money. While in prison, he married Anna Eriksson who was his penpal for many years. They divorced after Eriksson discovered that Lyle was writing to another woman. He then married that other woman, Rebecca Sneed, in 2003.
Bobby Lee Harris
Bobby Lee Harris killed his boss with a knife in 1991. Dagmar Polzin, a German waitress, saw his picture in an advertisement and fell in love. She moved to the U.S. to be near him.
Oscar Ray Bolin
Oscar Ray Bolin murdered and raped at least 3 women. He was sentenced to life in prison. Rosalie Martinez left her lawyer husband for Bolin showing that sometimes crime does pay.
Zayd Rashid
Zayd Rashid killed a woman while trying to rob her. He met Asha Bandele, a former Essence Magazine editor, while in prison. They married and she wrote a book called "A Prisoner's Wife."