Paul Harrington

Serial Killer

Paul Harrington: The Detroit Officer Who Killed Two Families

Background

Paul L. Harrington was a Detroit police officer and Vietnam War veteran whose case became notorious because he killed members of two separate families nearly twenty-four years apart. Although he is sometimes described as a serial killer, his crimes more closely resembled two separate family massacres: the first occurred in Detroit in December 1975, and the second occurred in October 1999. In total, five members of his immediate family were killed. Harrington joined the Detroit Police Department in 1972. By 1975, however, his personal life and mental condition had deteriorated. Harrington and his first wife, Becky, had recently separated, and he had been receiving psychiatric treatment connected in part to psychological problems attributed to his experiences during the Vietnam War. According to accounts later presented by his defense, Harrington had described disturbing memories from Vietnam and had expressed fears about harming himself or his family.

The 1975 Murders

On December 19, 1975, Harrington killed his estranged wife and their two young daughters. Becky Harrington and the children were staying at the home of Becky's nephew in northwest Detroit following the couple's separation. Harrington was armed with his police service revolver. All three victims were shot in the head. The killings were committed within the domestic setting where Becky and the girls had been staying, transforming what should have been a temporary refuge during the separation into the scene of a triple homicide. Harrington subsequently reported what had happened and led authorities to the location of the bodies.

• Becky Harrington, 28 killed on December 19, 1975, at her nephew's home in northwest Detroit, Michigan. She was shot in the head by her estranged husband, Paul Harrington.
• Pamela Harrington, 9 killed on December 19, 1975, at the same northwest Detroit residence. Pamela was Paul and Becky's daughter and was shot in the head.
• Cassandra Harrington, 4 killed on December 19, 1975, at the same northwest Detroit residence. Cassandra was the couple's younger daughter and was also shot in the head.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

Becky Harrington Age: (28), Date of Death: 1975

National News Briefs; Killer of His First Family Is Guilty of Killing Anew