People Who Went Too FarSometimes, finding out who did it just as shocking as the details of the deed itself, and everyone is like "This guy? THIS guy?" (but some are like, "Yeah, I totally believe that guy did it").
Police estimate that hundreds of thousands of dead people have their Social Security numbers and other aspects of their identities stolen every year, mostly for purposes of fraud. But a few identity thieves take their crime to the ultimate level: killing people just to steal their lives. Murdering someone and stealing their ID is rare, but when it happens, it is often the result of a long and involved con.
Killers who became their victims include a woman who murdered her sister after pretending her house was firebombed by drug dealers; a career fraudster who sent his victim off to another country, then killed him when he came back; a convicted rapist who killed a homeless man in order to fake his own death; and a serial killer known as the most-wanted woman in America.
Here are some of the stories of people who killed others to assume their identities.
Photo: Hancock County Jail
The Woman Who Murdered Her Sister And Bombed Her Own House
Stevie Allman became a minor celebrity in Oakland after she was rescued from her house, which had apparently been firebombed by drug dealers out to get revenge on her because of her anti-drug efforts. Money was raised to help treat her injuries, she spoke out against the arsonists, and even the state's governor got in on it, offering a reward for the capture of those who bombed Allman's house.
It sounded like good-old American heroism, except that Stevie Allman had set the fire herself, and wasn't Stevie at all, but her sister Sarah, who had murdered Stevie and stuffed her in a freezer. Sarah and Stevie lived together in the house, and while Stevie was known as an anti-drug crusader, Sarah was unemployed and routinely stole from her sister - even forging her name to cash an inheritance check. Police speculated that Sarah killed Stevie and assumed her identity to gain access to the deed to the house, as well as Stevie's finances. Other family members noted that two women lived in the house, and when confronted, Sarah readily admitted what she did.
The Serial Killer Who Seduced Women And Took Their Names
A 12-year manhunt for "Chameleon Killer" Elaine Parent came to a head in 2002 in Florida, after police in two countries tracked her down. Parent was accused of stalking single women, taking them as lovers, then killing them and stealing their identities. The first killing attributed to Parent was a woman who washed up on a Florida canal mutilated and headless, but with a tattoo that police identified and tracked back to Parent, the victim's roommate. Parent had used a false ID to trick the victim into handing over her Social Security number, driver's license number, and credit card number for a "numerology analysis," and then killed her.
Over the next decade plus, Parent took authorities in the US and UK on a chase involving dozens of identities, several other murders, multiple countries, and countless leads. Parent was finally tracked back to Florida, and she shot herself while waiting to be arrested.
A bizarre southern California attempted murder trial involved Jeena and Sunny Han, characterized by police as a good twin and an evil twin. In this case, the evil twin was Jeena, who was arrested on a slew of charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, robbery, and false imprisonment. All of them stemmed from an attempt to kill her "good twin," Sunny, and assume her identity.
Jeena was upset with Sunny for assisting police in a prior credit card fraud scheme that she'd been involved in. She hired two guys and went over to Sunny's apartment, planning to kill her and take her identity, including her good credit score and clean arrest record. The plot was foiled when Sunny (who didn't realize that her sister was in her apartment) called the police, and Jeena made a run for it. She was eventually arrested at a San Diego Airport. Jeena was found guilty and sentenced to 26 years to life in prison.
The Man Who Murdered A Mother And Child So His Girlfriend Could Take Her Identity
The 2010 double murder that gripped Australia - the case of the deaths of 22-year-old Karlie Pearce-Stevenson and her two-year-old daughter - took almost five years to finally unravel. Karlie's bones were found in October 2010 in a forest in New South Wales, while her daughter's remains were found in a suitcase in July 2015, almost 700 miles away. Both of their identities had been exploited for fraud, theft, and to send fake messages suggesting that Karlie was still alive.
When the infant's remains were linked to Karlie's, police went public, imploring the people of Australia for tips as to the culprits. Within a few days they had a suspect, Karlie's former lover Daniel Holdom - whose girlfriend was using Karlie's identity to open bank accounts and defraud credit card companies. Holdom was arrested on double murder charges.
George Kalomeris, Who Killed Two People To Get Control Of Their Million-Dollar Estates
George Kalomeris resided in multiple states, and had no problem killing people in two different states and assuming their identities to get his hands on their money. The first person Kalomeris killed was Gary Wayne Thomas, a man who lived in his apartment complex and who had a million-dollar trust. The two got high together, whereby Kalomeris shot and killed Thomas, and over the next eight months, assumed the man's identity. He called Thomas's bank and told him he was moving to Maryland - and established an address there.
He blew through most of the money, then zeroed in on another man, Thomas Wayne Jones, a wealthy paraplegic. Kalomeris shot Jones in the neck, buried him, and took control of his estate, including a stash of rare gold coins. However, Jones survived, and was eventually able to testify against Kalomeris, who was sent to prison. While in prison, Kalomeris put out a hit on Jones, using money he was continuing to steal from Gary Wayne Thomas's estate. The inmate Kalomeris approached ratted on him, and while he was under investigation, Jones died of his injuries from the shooting. Kalomeris was sentenced to nearly 400 years in prison.
The Rapist Who Killed A Homeless Man And Stole His Identity To Fake His Own Death
Michael Henderson was already a serial sexual offender, who had served a multi-year prison sentence for child sexual abuse. After being accused again of sexually assaulting a minor, in this case, a 16-year-old relative, Henderson decided it was time to create a new life for himself. To do that, he shot and killed homeless man Gary Ali, then put Ali's body in a car with his own ID and set it on fire.
The burned car was traced back to Henderson, who was arrested in 2011 for both the murder and the rape. It took a jury just 20 minutes to find him guilty, and he was given life in prison.
