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The Frankford Slasher: Philadelphia’s Forgotten Serial Killer and the Wrongful Conviction of Leonard Christopher

🔪 The Frankford Slasher: Philadelphia’s Enduring Mystery

The Sassy Gazette proudly presents

Dicking Around With Richie: A True Crime Feed




🕯️ Executive Summary: The Enduring Shadow of the Slasher

Between 1985 and 1990, the neighborhood of Frankford in Northeast Philadelphia lived under the haunting grip of a brutal serial killer. Known only as the Frankford Slasher, this phantom predator murdered at least eight women with disturbing precision through sexual assault, stabbing, and manipulation.

In 1990, the city secured a conviction Leonard Christopher, a quiet fish market employee, was sentenced for the murder of one victim: Carol Dowd.

But here’s the problem: he didn’t match the Slasher’s profile. He didn’t match the witness descriptions. And he was in prison when another woman was killed the same way.

So why did they close the book on him? Because they wanted to. Because they needed someone anyone to take the fall.

🕵️‍♂️ Chapter One: A Pattern of Terror

Between 1985 and 1990, nine women were found stabbed and sexually assaulted, their bodies dumped in alleys, apartments, train yards, and beneath cars. The horror was consistent:

  • Overkill stabbings, sometimes more than 70 wounds
  • Targeting women in local bars
  • A man posing as a counselor to earn trust
  • Prime suspect: a middle-aged white man seen with victims before they died

Frankford Slasher Victims (1985–1990)

VictimAgeDateDetailsChristopher Connection
Helen Patent52Aug 1985Stabbed, assaulted❌ None
Anna Carroll68Jan 1986Assaulted, stabbed❌ None
Suzanna Olszef64Dec 1986Assaulted, stabbed❌ None
Jeanne Durkin28Jan 1987Assaulted, stabbed❌ None
Catherine Jones29Jan 1987Assaulted, stabbed❓ Disputed
Margaret Vaughan66Nov 1988Assaulted, stabbed❌ None
Theresa Sciortino30Jan 1989Stabbed 25 times❌ None
Carol Dowd46Apr 1990Beaten, stabbed, mutilated✅ Christopher convicted
Michelle Dehner30Sep 1990Stabbed—Slasher-style❌ Christopher was in prison

🧠 Chapter Two: A Mismatch from the Start

Witnesses were clear: the man last seen with multiple victims was a polite, middle-aged white man, often posing as a counselor. Leonard Christopher? A young Black man.

This wasn’t a minor inconsistency it was a fundamental mismatch.

So why did police zero in on Christopher? He worked at the fish market behind which Carol Dowd’s body was found. He admitted to cleaning blood off the ground. That was all they needed.

There was no forensic link. He didn’t match the sketch. He had no motive. He was described as “polite and nonviolent.”

Leonard Christopher was railroaded by the Philadelphia Police Department.

💣 Chapter Three: A System Built on Racism and Corruption

From 1980 to 1995, the Philadelphia Police Department was riddled with racism, brutality, and systemic corruption.

The MOVE bombing in 1985 when police dropped a bomb on a rowhouse killed 11 people and incinerated 61 homes. The fire was allowed to burn.

Then came the 39th District scandal, where officers planted evidence, framed suspects, and beat confessions out of residents mostly Black and Latino. One of the largest mass exonerations in U.S. history followed.

In this environment, Leonard Christopher a working-class Black man became the scapegoat. And the real killer slipped away.

🔎 Chapter Four: The Murder That Shattered the Lie

Michelle Dehner was murdered in identical fashion to the others after Christopher had been arrested.

Police labeled it a "copycat." Why? Because it was easier than admitting they'd convicted the wrong man.

The original suspect, a middle-aged white man who posed as a counselor, vanished shortly after the killings stopped. He later died of natural causes. A DNA sample was taken and is reportedly being tested today.

🧬 Chapter Five: DNA, Denial, and Delayed Justice

Police are now re-examining DNA evidence from the Slasher victims comparing it to that suspect.

It’s too late for prosecution. But not too late for the truth.

If it matches, it clears Leonard Christopher. It confirms what he maintained until his death from cancer in prison:

“I didn’t do it.”

🕯️ Final Chapter: The Forgotten Killer

Why don’t people talk about this case?

  • Because they think it was solved.
  • Because the real killer died unnamed.
  • Because one Black man’s conviction was enough to make everyone look away.

The public got closure. The victims didn’t get justice.

🗣️ The Sassy Gazette’s Verdict

Leonard Christopher didn’t kill those women. He was the fall guy. The real Slasher is a ghost in the record books.

Philadelphia’s police didn’t fail this case they silenced it.

🔜 COMING NEXT ON THE FEED:

🎭 Dicking Around With Richie: The Kids for Cash Scandal

Corrupt judges. Ruined lives. And a juvenile justice system auctioned to the highest bidder.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025 on The Sassy Gazette.

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