Advert for murder
Katherine Olson was lured to her death by a fake job ad...
Katherine Olson, 24, was a university graduate with her whole life ahead of her.
She had a natural way with children and decided to work as a nanny after completing her degree.
So, when she spotted an advert on Craigslist for a childminder, she applied.
Katherine had often used the website to get babysitting jobs and had never had any problems.
After exchanging e-mails with Amy – the person who’d apparently posted the ad – she was told she had the position.
So, on 25 October 2007, Katherine was invited to an address in Scott County, Minnesota, to look after a child from 10.30am to 5pm.
Before setting off, she mentioned to her roommate that her new boss seemed a bit odd… But trusting Katherine always saw the best in people, so thought no more of it.
However, her initial gut feeling was about to be proved right in the worst possible way. Because, instead of being met at the address by a mum, she was confronted by 19-year-old Michael John Anderson, a high-school dropout known for being shy around women.
Once inside the house, Katherine quickly realised there was no ‘Amy’, and no child.
But it was too late. Her fate was sealed.
Michael managed to lure Katherine to his bedroom. And, when she tried to escape, he pulled out his handgun and shot her in the back of the head, killing her instantly.
He then dragged her lifeless body back downstairs and tied her ankles together with red twine to make it easier to stuff her into a sleeping bag.
Anderson dumped Katherine’s body in the boot of her own car, and drove it to a nature reserve a few miles away.
He found a quiet spot, then simply abandoned the vehicle and returned home.
There, he made a desperate but ineffective attempt to clean up the blood that was all over his bedroom and splattered down the stairs. Meanwhile, Katherine’s family and friends began to get worried after she didn’t return home that evening.
Her purse was found in a bin and handed in to police.
Initially, officers assumed it
Katherine realised there was no ‘Amy’ and no child
had been stolen, until they tried to return it…
Katherine’s roommate told officers she hadn’t been seen since the previous day, and an investigation was launched.
In a bin near Michael’s house, police found Katherine’s smashed up mobile phone, wrapped in a towel soaked with her blood – and with Michael John Anderson’s name written on it in black marker.
At his home, they discovered blood on the stairs and on his bedroom walls and mattress.
They also found the gun used to murder Katherine, and the shell casing.
When Katherine’s car was spotted shortly afterwards, and her body was discovered in the boot, there was little doubt Michael John Anderson was her cold-blooded killer.
Anderson was arrested at work the same day, and charged with murder – but he insisted that he wasn’t responsible, even trying to convince officers a friend had killed Katherine because they ‘thought it would be funny’. But the cold, hard facts pointed to Anderson alone. At his trial, prosecutors argued he was motivated by a desire to experience what it felt like to kill. In response, Anderson’s defence team said the shooting was accidental, but that their client had the ‘deepest regret’.
It didn’t wash with Judge Mary Theisen. As Anderson was convicted of first-degree murder, she claimed he was a ‘coward’ who shot Katherine as she tried to get away.
‘Why did you do this? You are the only one who knows, and I won’t pretend to understand it,’ she said, adding, ‘You have shown no remorse and I have no empathy for you.’
Michael John Anderson was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He was also ordered to pay $6,500 (around £5,000) to reimburse Katherine’s family for her funeral costs.
He declined the opportunity to make any comment in court during his trial or at sentencing.
Anderson was dubbed the ‘Craigslist Killer’, prompting the site to issue a warning to its users to take extra care when responding to ads.