Westley Allan Dodd
Westley Allan Dodd | |
|---|---|
Dodd's WADOC photo after being sentenced to death (July 1990) | |
| Born | July 3, 1961 Toppenish, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 1993 (aged 31) Washington State Penitentiary, Washington, U.S. |
| Other names | The Vancouver Child Killer, Shellie "Lee" Brooks |
| Criminal status | Executed by hanging |
| Convictions | Aggravated first degree murder (3 counts) Attempted first degree murder First degree kidnapping Child molestation (175+ counts) |
| Criminal penalty | Death (July 1990) |
| Details | |
| Victims | 3 |
Span of crimes | September 4 – November 13, 1989 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
Date apprehended | November 13, 1989 |
Westley Allan Dodd (July 3, 1961 – January 5, 1993) was an American convicted serial killer and sex offender who sexually assaulted and murdered three young boys in Vancouver, Washington, in 1989. He was arrested later that year after a failed attempt to abduct a six-year-old boy at a movie theatre in Camas, Washington.
Dodd wrote detailed accounts of his murders in a diary that was found by police. He pleaded guilty to the murders and was sentenced to death after taking the stand and telling the judge and jury that he would do everything possible to kill again, including trying to escape and killing prison guards, unless he was put to death. After refusing an automatic appeal, Dodd was executed by hanging on January 5, 1993, the first legal hanging in the United States since 1965.
In response to the cases of Dodd and Earl Kenneth Shriner, the Washington State Legislature authorized the indefinite civil commitment of a convict who has been deemed to be a "sexually violent predator."