US EditionTeens Carry Out Gruesome ‘Vampire Murder’ Inspired by Blockbuster Movie
The murder involved a blood ritual inspired by the movie and led to life imprisonment for one teen; the victim died after about 90 minutes of assault, court documents show.
- Donald Wayne Gall was murdered in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1988 in a crime known as the vampire murder.
- The murder followed influence from the horror movie The Lost Boys, which the teens had obtained about a month earlier.
- Timothy Michael Erickson slit Gall's throat after Gall lost consciousness, and the body was pushed into the Mississippi River.
- Timothy admitted to committing the murder and was sentenced to life in prison, while Mark pleaded guilty to felony charges related to tampering with the death scene and assisting an offender in evading arrest.
- The case highlighted disturbed youths imitating violent behavior seen in films, raising concerns about media influence on crime.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Pine Journal
Teens carry out gruesome "vampire murder" inspired by blockbuster movie
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Mark Lee Erickson hoped his brother was joking. Talking about becoming a vampire cult after watching the new blockbuster movie “The Lost Boys” was one thing, but killing someone for their blood was something entirely different. It was murder. While searching for branches to burn along with runaways Andrew Thielen, 17, and a never-before-named 13-year-old early on March 22, 1988, Mark tried to convince himself everything was ok…
Duluth News Tribune
Teens carry out gruesome ‘vampire murder’ inspired by blockbuster movie
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Mark Lee Erickson hoped his brother was joking. Talking about becoming a vampire cult after watching the new blockbuster movie “The Lost Boys” was one thing, but killing someone for their blood was something entirely different. It was murder. While searching for branches to burn along with runaways Andrew Thielen, 17, and a never-before-named 13-year-old early on March 22, 1988, Mark tried to convince himself everything was OK…
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