Earl Kenneth Shriner

Earl Kenneth Shriner (born 1950) is an American criminal who in 1990 was convicted of attempted first degree murder, first degree rape and first degree assault of seven-year-old Ryan Alan Hade and sentenced to 131 years' imprisonment.

Criminal record

Shriner, who was described by criminologist Michael Petrunik as "a slightly retarded man with a bizarre physical appearance", had a long history of sadistic sexual assaults but only one conviction. Petrunik explained, "Shriner was in the community without supervision because his sentence had expired and a judge had ruled that he did not meet the stringent 'imminent danger' criteria necessary for commitment under the State's mental health laws." A pivotal part of the state's 1990 Community Protection Act, this legislation was adopted by many other U.S. states.