John David Torgerson was a white male child, born April 5, 1972 in Olmsted County, Minnesota, who died June 30, 1973 in Rochester. He was one of six people strangled in the family’s Rochester home by David James Torgerson, who was married to John David’s mother, Lana Alice Torgerson, but was not the child’s biological father. Victims that day included Lana, her daughter Sylvia Ann, 1-year-old John David, and a 14-year-old babysitter, Rebecca Rathbun.

David James Torgerson had a documented history of violent behavior and mental health treatment, including multiple stays at Rochester State Hospital between 1959 and 1967 and a 1970 sentence for breaking and entering and assault; he was later returned to custody, evaluated as mentally competent, and while jailed confessed to additional killings. He died by suicide in his jail cell on November 6, 1973.

Anyone with memories of the victims, the family, or the Rochester community around 1973 who can shed light on John David’s life or the events leading up to the killings is asked to come forward.