Leslie Burchart

Leslie Leon Burchart (August 3, 1949 – August 1, 2002) was an American serial killer who killed three homeless men and wounded a fourth in Richmond, Virginia, from 1994 to 1996. He was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for these crimes, but not long after, he confessed to killing four women as part of the so-called Golden Years Murders.

He later recanted his confessions and denied responsibility, and since there has been no physical evidence linking him to the murders, Burchart's involvement in the serial murders remains questionable. He died behind bars for his original convictions in 2002.

Early life Leslie Leon Burchart was born on August 3, 1949, in Richmond's Southside, into a family with two other children. In the mid-1950s, his mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia, as a result of which his father divorced her and remarried. Subsequently, Burchart and his siblings were raised by their father and stepmother, in what was described as a mostly happy environment. According to neighbors, however, Burchart's stepmother resented him and his siblings and would act heartlessly towards them – one example given was that she locked them out of the house during thunderstorms.

Later that year, Burchart was put on trial for the crimes, swiftly convicted and sentenced to 105 years imprisonment. Three years into his sentence, he contacted the Richmond Police Department and claimed responsibility for the murders of four elderly women: 55-year-old Jane Foster; 69-year-old Elizabeth Seibert; 84-year-old Mamie Verlander and 75-year-old Lucille Boyd, all of whom had been killed between January 1 and April 23, 1996. During interrogations, Burchart described details that authorities alleged only the killer would know and claimed to have frequented the same shops and restaurants as some of the victims. He later pleaded guilty to the four murders and was given an additional five life terms to be served consecutively with his 105-year sentence. In addition, he was given an additional 20-year sentence for burglary.

Aftermath In November 2013, retired police detective Ron Reed, who had been involved in Burchart's arrest and conducted interviews with him, stated his belief that Burchart had likely killed many more people than those he was convicted of. Among those he named as likely victims were 81-year-old Rachel Henshaw, who died at a nursing home in Richmond on June 20, 1996, and 47-year-old William R. Merrill, a homeless man whom Burchart had supposedly strangled with his own shirt on the street on June 18. Reed also claimed that his supervisor had forced him to classify Burchart's testimony, as the higher-ups feared that even more negative publicity would ruin the department entirely. According to them, however, there was no sign of foul play in either death, as forensic analysis had determined that Henshaw had died of natural causes while Merrill died from alcohol poisoning.