50 Cases: #7 - Connecticut - William Devin Howell

This post is part of our 50 Cases of America series. View more cases in this series here.

Quick Facts

Nicknames or Aliases: Sick Ripper

Offender Status: Alive

MO: strangulation, body dismemberment, sexual assault

Timespan of Crimes: 2003

Date Apprehended: May 2005

Sentence: 6 counts of murder, 1 count of first-degree manslaughter. Sentenced to 360 years imprisonment.

Case Status: Closed

Number of Victims: 7

Victims: Melanie Ruth Camilin, Janice Roberts, Diane Cusack, Nilsa Arizmendi, Marilyn Gonzalez, Joyvaline Martinez and Mary Jane Menard.

Location of Crimes: Connecticut

Summary of William Devin Howell’s Crimes

In November 2017, Howell was already incarcerated for the first-degree manslaughter of Nilsa Arizmendi when he was then sentenced to six consecutive life sentences, which equals 360 years in Connecticut, for the murder of 6 other women. He is currently serving at Cheshire Correctional Institution.

Howell disposed of the bodies behind a shopping center in New Britain, Connecticut, where the remains were discovered by a hunter looking for a good hunting spot for the season.