Lester Harrison: The Grant Park Serial Killer
Lester Harrison was an American serial killer and repeat violent offender whose known crimes stretched from a 1951 prison murder to a series of sexual killings in Chicago during the early 1970s. He became particularly associated with Grant Park, where several women were assaulted and murdered between 1970 and 1973.
Harrison confessed to murdering four women in Chicago: Agnes Lehmann, Judith Bettelley, Lee Alexis Wilson and Judith Elaine Ott. He had also previously admitted killing fellow prisoner Norman E. Kimme. Police investigated Harrison in connection with at least two additional women, Irene Koutros and Elizabeth Dawson, although Harrison denied killing them and was never convicted of their deaths.
Despite his confessions, Harrison never faced a conventional murder trial. Courts repeatedly found that his severe mental illness prevented him from being held criminally responsible or from competently participating in legal proceedings. He was ultimately committed to a secure psychiatric institution.
Early Life and Criminal History
Lester Harrison was born on June 7, 1922, in Mississippi. Reliable information about his childhood is limited. By the late 1930s, however, he was reportedly displaying signs of mental illness and becoming involved in criminal activity.
In 1945, Harrison was arrested and convicted of robbery. He received a prison sentence of five to ten years and was incarcerated at the Southern Illinois Penitentiary in Chester, Illinois, an institution later known as Menard Correctional Center.
His imprisonment did not prevent his violence from escalating. In August 1951, Harrison attacked and killed another inmate inside the prison.
The Murder of Norman E. Kimme
On August 10, 1951, 28-year-old prisoner Norman E. Kimme was found fatally injured in the engine room of a prison building at the Southern Illinois Penitentiary. Kimme had been struck repeatedly in the head with an iron rod.
Kimme was a United States Navy veteran who was serving a 14-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend. Harrison admitted that he had beaten Kimme to death and was charged with murder.
Before the case could proceed normally, Harrison underwent psychiatric evaluation. He was found legally insane and unable to stand trial. In January 1952, a judge ordered him confined for psychiatric treatment at the prison's secure hospital.
After spending an unknown period in psychiatric custody, Harrison was declared sufficiently recovered and was eventually released. The decision would later attract intense criticism because Harrison continued to commit violent and sexually motivated crimes.
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