Harvey Carignan

Harvey Louis Carignan (May 18, 1927 – March 6, 2023) was an American serial killer who was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of two women in the early 1970s. He had been previously convicted of a 1949 rape and murder he committed while stationed in the U.S. Army in Anchorage, Alaska. He was imprisoned at the Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights, Stillwater, MN, until his death in 2023.

Biography Carignan was born to an unmarried 20-year-old mother in North Dakota on May 18, 1927. At the age of 10, Carignan returned to live with his mother after spending time with his aunt and uncle in North Dakota and Minnesota. On September 16, 1949, he tried to rape another woman, Christine Norton, and was arrested the next day. Later that year, Carignan was convicted of first degree murder and assault with intent to commit rape and sentenced to death by hanging. However, in 1951, Carignan won a new trial for his murder conviction on the grounds that his confession had been improperly obtained. An officer interrogating Carignan had told him he would not be executed if he confessed to the murder. He continued to serve a 15-year sentence for the attempted rape of Christine Norton. In 1952, Carignan was transferred to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, before being paroled in 1960.

Later crimes Just months after his parole, Harvey and his brother, Clinton, who was also a parolee from Alcatraz, were arrested for burglary in Minnesota. They were convicted of attempted third degree burglary, and Harvey was returned to prison for four years, serving his time at USP Leavenworth. He was paroled on March 2, 1964.

On September 14, 1974, Carignan picked up Gwen Burton from a Sears parking lot. He ripped off her clothing, choked her until she was nearly unconscious and sexually assaulted her with a hammer. Afterwards, Carignan dumped Burton in a field. She survived, however, and was able to find help. Months later, he was found guilty of indecent liberties, sodomy upon a child and two additional counts of aggravated sodomy. Carignan was sentenced to a total of 60 years in prison. Afterwards, he was indicted on murder charges for killing Schultz and Hunley. Carignan pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing Schultz and received a 40-year sentence. He was convicted of first-degree murder for killing Hunley and received a life sentence.

Death Carignan died at Minnesota Correctional Facility – Oak Park Heights on March 6, 2023, at the age of 95.