Stewart Weldon

Stewart Rudolph Weldon (born June 24, 1977) is an American serial killer, serial rapist, and kidnapper who murdered three women and hid their bodies on his property in Springfield, Massachusetts, from 2017 to 2018. After an arrest for kidnapping a would-be fourth victim, police searched his home and discovered his victims' remains. He pleaded guilty to the murders in 2021 and was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without parole.

Early life Stewart Weldon was born in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, New York City, In his early childhood, he and his family moved from New York to Montclair, New Jersey, a wealthier area.

Crimes In 1996, at age 19, Weldon and a friend, Dwight Pottinger, visited a nearby mall, where they encountered three young women. After some time, the two drove the three girls home. Two of the girls got out of the car when they arrived, but Weldon and Pottinger forced the third to stay at gunpoint. According to the then-18-year-old woman, Pottinger sexually assaulted her before driving her to her parents' house and fleeing the area. He was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. The woman exclaimed loudly that he had kidnapped her. Weldon was then quickly arrested and taken into custody. The woman was later interviewed by police, and she told them that Weldon had held her captive for over a month, continually hitting her with a hammer and raping her. During the search, police located the origins of the smell—the decomposing bodies of three women. The victims were identified as follows:

America Lyden, 34, was a Springfield native. She was reported missing on December 1, 2017.

It was also found that Weldon's arrest coincided with the end of a series of rapes that began in June 2017. By the time of his arrest, eight women had been raped in Springfield. Weldon is believed to have been the perpetrator.

Legal proceedings Weldon was charged with 52 crimes, including three counts of first-degree murder, eight counts of strangulation, nine counts of aggravated rape, two counts of rape, five counts of aggravated kidnapping and four counts of kidnapping. He pleaded not guilty. His bail was set at $2,000,000.

In October 2020, a judge ordered Weldon to undergo mental health evaluations to see if he was in fact competent to stand trial. Jury selection was due to begin on October 6, with the trial scheduled to start on October 12.

On September 30, 2021, Weldon was sentenced to three life terms, which were to run consecutively.