For longtime Sacramento residents, the name Richard Trenton Chase may ring a bell, although it's likely a name they would like to forget.
In the late 1970s, Chase, who was dubbed "The Vampire Killer", went on a killing spree in Sacramento that left six people dead. His nickname came from his practice of drinking the blood of his victims and cannibalizing their remains. Chase committed suicide in his prison cell in 1980.
Chase name resurfaced when Dr. Paul Mattiuzzi, a criminal forensic psychologist, heard of the recent spree of animal mutilations in Sacramento. Mattiuzzi spent a lot of time studying the Chase killings, and interviewed him in person before Chase died.
"[What was] not well known before he was caught killing humans, he was caught by a game warden in the desert of Nevada covered in blood and he had been eating animals," Mattiuzzi said. "There was an animal sacrifice that was a precursor to his later crimes."
Sacramento has seen at least nine cases of animal mutilations in the last three months, but Mattiuzzi says that doesn't necessarily signal a serial killer in the making.
"In this case, I don't think it's something that we should speculate about or assume that might be the case. There is simply not enough information at this point," he said.
In some of the Sacramento cases, tea candles and bloody dollar bills have been found near the animal remains.
"I think the tea candles, the dollar bill, and the way the bodies and materials were positioned suggests this is not someone just hacking away at an animal for the satisfaction or stimulation or excitement of it." Mattiuzzi said.
He says there is always the possibility that the killings could be ritualistic in nature and may be at the hands of several individuals, rather than just one person.
"The other possibility is someone with a severe mental illness has been engaging in this practice for some odd and peculiar reasoning of their own, some type of compulsion, some type of obsession," Mattiuzzi said.
The staff at Animal Care Services in Sacramento has been busy working the tips that have poured in throughout the week since news of the animal mutilations were pubicized. The hope is that at least one of those tips will lead to an arrest.
"Yes, I think people should be concerned," Mattiuzzi said. "They should be on the lookout and pay attention to this, but I don't think it's time to panic or start imagining other possibilities yet."
The Humane Society of the United States has doubled its reward for information on the Sacramento animal mutilations to now $5,000. Tipsters were encouraged to call (916) 808-8333.
