The Ypsilanti Ripper Pt. 2

0:00 [SPEAKER_00]: Warning check the locks podcast is a true crime podcast and may contain graphic descriptions of violence, murder, sexual assault, and more. [SPEAKER_00]: Check the locks podcast is not appropriate for all listeners. [SPEAKER_00]: Listener discretion is strongly advised. [SPEAKER_01]: After two years of fear and six young women lost, investigators finally have a suspect. [SPEAKER_01]: but the question is no longer who did it, but whether investigators can prove it before the case falls apart. [SPEAKER_01]: Join me, John Connor, as I discuss part two of the Ipsil-Anny Ripper.

0:42 [SPEAKER_01]: This is Check The Locks Podcast. [SPEAKER_01]: Hello, and thank you for joining me as I dive into part two of a truly terrifying true crime case. [SPEAKER_01]: Before we get started, as always, I hope you're doing well. [SPEAKER_01]: Hope you're having a great week. [SPEAKER_01]: And I just wanted to say thank you for letting me spend a little time with you today. [SPEAKER_01]: While you're knocking out whatever it is you got going on. [SPEAKER_01]: I also hope that you are ready for an amazing Halloween. [SPEAKER_01]: We just got back from a trip to Michigan. [SPEAKER_01]: We took the kid out to see Disney's descendants and zombies in Camp Rock, World's Collide.

1:23 [SPEAKER_01]: Millie had an amazing time for her birthday. [SPEAKER_01]: We sang, we danced, and we listened to about 20,000 teenage girls lose their mind screaming. [SPEAKER_01]: They just loved the cast of this show. [SPEAKER_01]: So it was a great time, she had a blast. [SPEAKER_01]: Then we hit the pumpkin patch for the full fall experience. [SPEAKER_01]: So hopefully you and your family are geared up and ready for that spooky season. [SPEAKER_01]: If you've listened to this podcast for a while, you know this is my favorite time of the year, the costumes, the candy, the scary movies, the decorations, it is absolutely the best. [SPEAKER_01]: And I hope that you're feeling the same way. [SPEAKER_01]: I actually just put a post up in the Facebook group [SPEAKER_01]: Ask and hey, let's see those costumes. [SPEAKER_01]: Let's see those pumpkins.

2:04 [SPEAKER_01]: Let's see your spooky decorations. [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm really excited to see what the listeners, the locksmiths, to see how y'all are getting ready for the season as well. [SPEAKER_01]: We only got a couple days left. [SPEAKER_01]: So again, really, really excited for the holiday. [SPEAKER_01]: With that being said, I'll go ahead and jump into business. [SPEAKER_01]: And again, just to heads up, this episode is part two of a two-part episode. [SPEAKER_01]: So if you haven't listened to last week's episode, pause right here, go back, and then come on back and listen to this one. [SPEAKER_01]: That way you are all caught up. [SPEAKER_01]: So again, hope you're having a great week. [SPEAKER_01]: But I think I've been talking enough. [SPEAKER_01]: So I'm going to quit the Gabby Gabby. [SPEAKER_01]: And like, carbon upon Ken, let's get to the stabby stabby. [SPEAKER_01]: In 1969, a serial killer was terrorizing two college towns in Michigan.

2:50 [SPEAKER_01]: Six young women have been violently murdered over two years span. [SPEAKER_01]: 19-year-old Mary Fleser, 20-year-old Joan Shell, 16-year-old Marilyn Skeleton, 13-year-old Don Bassam, 23-year-old Alice Callum, and 18-year-old Karen Bynamen. [SPEAKER_01]: Investigators chased every lead but nothing paned out. [SPEAKER_01]: Until Larry Matthewson, a rookie campus police officer at Eastern Michigan University, remembered seeing Karen Bynaman except a motorcycle ride from another student. [SPEAKER_01]: That man was named John Norman Collins.

3:31 [SPEAKER_01]: Collins was born in Windsor, Canada on June 17, 1947, the third of three children, growing up with an older brother and sister. [SPEAKER_01]: Collins' father Richard would abandon the family after the birth of his youngest son. [SPEAKER_01]: His mother, Loretta, would remarry shortly after. [SPEAKER_01]: But Collins' stepfather was abusive, and like Loretta's first marriage, it wouldn't last long, with a couple divorcing only a year later. [SPEAKER_01]: Then in 1951, the family would move from Canada to Centerline, Michigan, a suburb just outside of Detroit. [SPEAKER_01]: The Reddit would marry for a third time. [SPEAKER_01]: This time to a man named William Collins, who would go on to adopt all three of her children.

4:14 [SPEAKER_01]: But like the Reddit's husbands before, William was an abuse of alcoholic, and the marriage would only last until 1956. [SPEAKER_01]: At this time, John Norman Collins was only nine years old, and his life had been a revolving door of violent men. [SPEAKER_01]: But, Loretta worked to support her family, waiting tables at a restaurant and Detroit. [SPEAKER_01]: As Collins grew older, he seemed to present as a handsome, all-American boy. [SPEAKER_01]: He would attend St. Clement High, a Catholic school in center line. [SPEAKER_01]: And while there, Collins was an honor student who excelled in sports, becoming try captain of the football team, and the star pitcher of the baseball team.

4:56 [SPEAKER_01]: After graduation, Collins would enroll at Central Michigan University before transferring to Eastern Michigan to study education in 1965. [SPEAKER_01]: Once enrolled, Collins would join the Theta Chive fraternity, but he would later be kicked out after being accused of stealing. [SPEAKER_01]: By 1966, John Norman Collins was in a sophomore year of college and his grades began to drop, with one of his professors accusing him of cheating. [SPEAKER_01]: And it was around this time that Collins began committing petty crimes like theft, often just for the thrill of it. [SPEAKER_01]: In fact, the motorcycle that he would ride was largely comprised of stolen parts. [SPEAKER_01]: And only a year later, Mary Fleser, the first victim, would be reported missing.

5:40 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, Officer Matthewson couldn't be sure just yet, but he believed that he was onto something. [SPEAKER_01]: So we began looking into Collins, and while hanging around his residence, Matthewson found Collins switching out the license plate on his motorcycle. [SPEAKER_01]: He also realized that Collins rented a room on the second floor of an Episolani building on Emmett Street, directly across the road from where Joan Shell had lived. [SPEAKER_01]: So the rookie got an idea. [SPEAKER_01]: He decided to speak with one of the other girls that he had seen Collins flirting with. [SPEAKER_01]: And the young woman asked of her potential suitor wasn't any trouble. [SPEAKER_01]: Matthews and told her that he didn't believe so, but if she had a picture of him, it may help to clear him.

6:22 [SPEAKER_01]: The girl agreed and provided a photo. [SPEAKER_01]: And the officer used that picture to create a lineup. [SPEAKER_01]: And while the owner of the wig shop hadn't gotten a good look at the man on the motorcycle and employee at the chocolate shop next door had. [SPEAKER_01]: And when shown the lineup, she positively identified Collins as the man who was last seen with Karen Bynaman. [SPEAKER_01]: So officer Matthewson took what he had found to the Michigan State Police and the Washington County Sheriff. [SPEAKER_01]: And they decided to take a closer look at Collins. [SPEAKER_01]: Now, aside from being the last person to be seen with Karen Bynamen and living directly across the street from Joan Shell, there's suspect seemed to have more connections to the victims.

7:03 [SPEAKER_01]: The first to marry Flesor was last seen by a neighbor, who told police that as she walked down the street, she was being cat called by a man in a car. [SPEAKER_01]: Investigators learned that not only was she walking just the block away from Collins' room, the description of the car matched a vehicle registered to his mother. [SPEAKER_01]: Collins had also worked a student job and Mary worked directly across the hall from him. [SPEAKER_01]: The text was also found that Collins had a connection to the youngest victim, 13-year-old Don Basson. [SPEAKER_01]: Collins had several former fraternity brothers who had rented an apartment near the Young Girls' Home, and when officers visited the residents, they found that it had a perfect view of Don's house.

7:46 [SPEAKER_01]: As for Alice Callum, who disappeared after a party in Ann Arbor, she was last seen climbing on the back of a motorcycle, and the description of the man driving it match Collins to [SPEAKER_01]: But it would be evidence found inside of the home of a Michigan state trooper that would prove to be the most damning. [SPEAKER_01]: You see shortly before Karen Bynamon was murdered, Corporal David Leic had taken his family on vacation. [SPEAKER_01]: And when he arrived home, he noticed something odd. [SPEAKER_01]: Before they left, his wife had given their three boys haircuts in the basement, and afterward, she swept the hair into neat little piles. [SPEAKER_01]: But when they got home from their trip, Horpel liked found the hair all over the basement floor, along with something else.

8:31 [SPEAKER_01]: Blood. [SPEAKER_01]: The officer was immediately concerned. [SPEAKER_01]: He and his family had been out of town, but their home had not been empty. [SPEAKER_01]: His nephew stayed over to house it. [SPEAKER_01]: Corporal like reported the findings to the Michigan State Police, and they would investigate the scene for additional evidence. [SPEAKER_01]: Blood splatter was found, but it was the children's hair that stood out. [SPEAKER_01]: You see the Corporal's kids had whitish blonde hair, and when Karim Bineman was found, similar hair was found inside of her underwear. [SPEAKER_01]: With that, John Norman Collins would be arrested on July 31, 1969.

9:14 [SPEAKER_01]: But, more death was still to come. [SPEAKER_01]: You see why the prosecution worked to build their case, Michigan police received a phone call from thousands of miles away from investigators in California, and they believed that Collins was responsible for a murder in Salinas. [SPEAKER_01]: You see shortly after the 1969 murder of Alice Calum, Collins and a friend took a road trip to the West Coast. [SPEAKER_01]: And during the few days that he was in Southern California, 17-year-old Roxy Phillips disappeared. [SPEAKER_01]: Roxy had been walking down the street to mail a letter, and on her way back, witnesses told police that she was approached by a man in a nice car with Michigan Plates.

9:59 [SPEAKER_01]: The description of the vehicle matched the car that was registered to Collin's mother. [SPEAKER_01]: Just a few days later, Roxie's body would be found in the Pecadero Canyon. [SPEAKER_01]: She had been beaten and strangled before being dumped in a patch of poison oak. [SPEAKER_01]: And when investigators in California learned that Collin had been seen by a doctor for a case of poison oak before leaving the state, they made the connection. [SPEAKER_01]: The car would be impounded, and when searched, a piece of floral fabric would be found under the seat. [SPEAKER_01]: The same fabric is the dress that Roxy was wearing on the day that she disappeared. [SPEAKER_01]: Now, when questioned, Collins would claim that he had never killed anyone, and he even agreed to take a polygraph test.

10:44 [SPEAKER_01]: But just before the test was scheduled, Collins met with an attorney. [SPEAKER_01]: Afterwards, he declined the polygraph and asked to be taken back to his cell. [SPEAKER_01]: And with that, the trial would begin on June 2nd, 1970. [SPEAKER_01]: And though John Norman Collins was now suspected of seven murders, there was only enough hard evidence to charge him for the murder of Karen Beineman. [SPEAKER_01]: Originally, the defense would argue for a change of venue, claiming that they believe their client wouldn't get a fair trial. [SPEAKER_01]: But that request was denied, and a jury would end up being selected. [SPEAKER_01]: Now during the proceedings, Collins seemed relaxed, smiling at his attorneys and his mother Loretta, who attended the trial every day, wearing mini skirts and tall boots with long dangling earrings.

11:34 [SPEAKER_01]: The prosecution would call several witnesses, including the owner of the wig shop, as well as a man named Arnold Davis, a friend of Collins. [SPEAKER_01]: From the stand, Davis told the court that he had witnessed Collins remove a blanket and a box of women's apparel from the trunk of his car before disposing of them. [SPEAKER_01]: Davis also testified that Collins had given him a knife to hold on to for safe keeping, [SPEAKER_01]: Davis also claimed that Collins had tried to use him as an alibi for the day that Karen had gone missing. [SPEAKER_01]: Saying, don't forget, we went motorcycle riding in the afternoon on July 23rd.

12:15 [SPEAKER_01]: Now, throughout the trial, Colin seemed very confident, but for the jury, the evidence was overwhelming, and he would be found guilty on August 17, 1970, sentenced to life and prison without the possibility of parole. [SPEAKER_01]: Now, why Colin's claim that he was innocent, both before and after the sentencing, one thing was for sure. [SPEAKER_01]: The murder stopped, but the people who live through the events still remember. [SPEAKER_01]: The House where 13-year-old Don Bassam once lived is now a college rental. [SPEAKER_01]: Build with students who likely have no idea about what happens to that young girl all those years ago. [SPEAKER_01]: Collins former residents is now a home for sorority girls.

12:56 [SPEAKER_01]: In the isolated roads in Washington County, where his victims were discarded, will always be haunting. [SPEAKER_01]: both to the investigators who work to find justice and the families who lost their loved ones. [SPEAKER_01]: Today, John Norman Collins is 79 years old, residing in the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. [SPEAKER_01]: And while he has been behind bars for decades, Collins has got to live. [SPEAKER_01]: Something that he robbed from Mary Fleser, Joan Shell, Don Basin, Alice Callum, Marilyn Skeleton, [SPEAKER_01]: So that's this week's case.

13:51 [SPEAKER_01]: And as always, I just wanted to share some final thoughts to wrap everything up. [SPEAKER_01]: So first, as I mentioned last week, I grew up very close to Ipsilani and Ann Arbor and Washington County in general. [SPEAKER_01]: It was only about 10 to 15 minutes away from the house that I grew up in. [SPEAKER_01]: And I spent a lot of time there and my late teens and into my early 20s. [SPEAKER_01]: In fact, I totally forgot to mention this last week, but I delivered pizzas for years and I would frequently have to drop food off in Ipsilani or Ipsi as we would call it. [SPEAKER_01]: I've always known it to be a fairly safe place. [SPEAKER_01]: In fact, I actually looked it up and between 2020 and 2024, the county only averaged about 12 homicides per year.

14:31 [SPEAKER_01]: So for six women to be murdered in the area within a two-year period, if you lived in that county at the time, it must have been terribly alarming. [SPEAKER_01]: And I just found myself thinking about how terrified the community must have been. [SPEAKER_01]: You know, I know it talked about it a little bit last week, you know, college students carrying pepper spray and switch blades, but as I was going through everything today, I was thinking about Dawn Bassam, you know, she was only 13 years old and Marilyn skeleton was just 16. [SPEAKER_01]: So I can only imagine how scared the parents in the area must have been, you know, you don't want to let your kids outside. [SPEAKER_01]: You don't want them wander enough away from where they can see you. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure that it really felt like nobody was safe.

15:14 [SPEAKER_01]: And yeah, again, I know that police work was much different back then, but the fact that so many young women had to lose their lives before Collins was caught is just heartbreaking. [SPEAKER_01]: And to that end, I found myself understanding how someone like Collins was created. [SPEAKER_01]: And that is in no way using his crimes at all. [SPEAKER_01]: But when you go through and you learn about his childhood, it does become understandable how someone could grow up to be so violent. [SPEAKER_01]: You just think about the abuse that he must have experienced at the hands of his multiple step-fathers. [SPEAKER_01]: And again, I'm in no way saying that this and the excuse, but I think it really does show the fact that we have to teach our children love.

15:56 [SPEAKER_01]: We have to set the example, you know, how to be good to people to demonstrate what empathy looks like. [SPEAKER_01]: And if John Norman Collins could have had more of that growing up, maybe he doesn't end up becoming the monster. [SPEAKER_01]: The last thing I'll touch on is what felt like the lack of justice. [SPEAKER_01]: You know, in the end, Collins can only be tried for Karen Bineman's murder, and from the research, it felt like the police truly believed that he was responsible for the others, but you have to have the evidence. [SPEAKER_01]: The case has to be strong enough, and I'm sure the prosecution just wanted what conviction that they could get to get a killer off the street and behind bars where he belonged.

16:37 [SPEAKER_01]: But to think about the families of the other girls, to never get that guilty verdict, or to have some kind of official closure, it must have been so hard for them to know, hey, this is what happened, but then they also know that Collins would never be held truly accountable. [SPEAKER_01]: So in my personal opinion, there should have been seven consecutive life sentences handed down, six from the state of Michigan and one from the state of California for the murder of Roxie Phillips. [SPEAKER_01]: Sadly, we didn't get that, but, you know, again, in the end, I think it is good that he is off the streets. [SPEAKER_01]: still alive, which is crazy, but is behind bars exactly where he should be.

17:20 [SPEAKER_01]: But if we're talking debt bull tests, this one is definitely going to be a high one for me. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to go ahead and put this in a nine. [SPEAKER_01]: And the only reason I would say it's not a 10 is because I would not have been one of Collins targets. [SPEAKER_01]: But as a dad and a husband and a father, I find this case to be terrifying. [SPEAKER_01]: You know, your child isn't rolled in a good school and a safe community or for Don Bassam or Marilyn Skeleton, you're just trying to grow up and a predator is not only hunting and killing these girls, but mutilating the bodies in such a horrific way. [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it just it really gets under your skin. [SPEAKER_01]: So for me, I'm putting this at a nine, but as always, I want to hear from you, the listeners, the locksmiths.

18:03 [SPEAKER_01]: Where does the Ipsilani Ripper fall on your debble test? [SPEAKER_01]: You can let me know, retats me on Instagram, a check-alox pod, find me on Twitter, check the locks. [SPEAKER_01]: And if you're not in our Facebook group, what the heck are you doing? [SPEAKER_01]: I would love to have you get to know you better and have you be part of the most amazing community on the internet. [SPEAKER_01]: So if you are interested in joining, there is a link in the description of the episode that you're listening to now. [SPEAKER_01]: Click that link, answer a few questions, boom, you're in. [SPEAKER_01]: And again, show me what kind of cool Halloween decorations [SPEAKER_01]: I would love to see those. [SPEAKER_01]: So please, hit up the Facebook group. [SPEAKER_01]: We would love to have you. [SPEAKER_01]: And as always, if you like, check the locks. [SPEAKER_01]: You want to help financially support the show. [SPEAKER_01]: You can do so by becoming a patron. [SPEAKER_01]: Head over to patreon.com for slash check the locks.

18:44 [SPEAKER_01]: Get signed up today. [SPEAKER_01]: Got a lot of great tears. [SPEAKER_01]: It's loose to benefit, stickers, coffee, mugs, stuff like that. [SPEAKER_01]: But you also get the episodes add free. [SPEAKER_01]: And I do try to get them out early whenever possible. [SPEAKER_01]: So again, if you love check the locks, but you hate commercials, [SPEAKER_01]: Patreon.com forward slash check the last get signed up today. [SPEAKER_01]: And if you can't find an employee support, the show I definitely understand, just listen and hang it out with me, sharing the show with your friends, your family, the people who are important to you, that means just as much if not more. [SPEAKER_01]: Again, I say it every week, but this is an independent podcast run entirely by one person. [SPEAKER_01]: So when you let people know that the podcast exists, when you're telling your friends to check it out, it really does help to grow our community and bring in new listeners.

19:30 [SPEAKER_01]: Again, if you were sharing this show in any way shape or form, just know that I appreciate it more that I could ever tell you. [SPEAKER_01]: That is all that I have for you for this week's case, but please make sure that you're subscribed to check the locks on your favorite podcast app so that you never miss an episode. [SPEAKER_01]: I will see you again next time with another truly terrifying true crime case, but until then, remember, monsters are real, so stay safe, stay ready, and don't forget to check the locks.