Terror In Kansas--Part II

Less than one week after Terry Maness was murdered another young woman was living her own nightmare in Kansas City, Kansas. Her name was Michelle Katf.

Michelle had bid her boyfriend good night, took a shower, and went to bed. But, before going to bed, she made sure her apartment was secure, she even double-checked her deadbolt to make sure it was locked. The time was just after midnight when Michelle went to bed. About two hours later, she woke up to find her bedroom light on and a strange man in her bedroom! Michelle had no clue who this stranger was or what he was doing in her bedroom. However, she was about to find out exactly what he had planned for her.

He jumped on Michelle who at first struggled with him. However, he told her he had a gun, so Michelle decided not to struggle with him. She relaxed and thought about how she could get away from him. He loosened his hold on her after she relaxed and she caught her breath and tried to escape him again. But, she couldn't get away from him, plus she was nude. They fell to the floor, where Michelle's assailant told her to put some clothes on because they were leaving her apartment. He also told Michelle NOT to get in her closet to get her clothes, but to put something on that was on the floor. Michelle felt a bit better, she felt like he wasn't planning to rape her, if he was allowing her to put some clothes on. Her assailant told her to hurry. Michelle's only thought was if she left with him, she wouldn't make it back alive. She frantically thought of a way to get free of him.

As they were walking out of Michelle's apartment, she noticed her attacker did NOT unlock the deadbolt, it was already unlocked. Michelle knew she locked the deadbolt before going to bed. After shutting the door, he assailant told her to come along quietly, because he had a gun. As they were going down the last flight of stairs, Michelle knew this was her last chance to get away from him. She decided to take a huge risk. Michelle started screaming!

As Michelle was screaming, her attacker started yelling at her to be quiet, but Michelle wasn't about to be quiet. She kept screaming. Finally, her attacker told her he was going to shoot her. He pointed the gun at her, pulled the trigger, but Michelle didn't feel anything. In fact, the gun sounded like a plastic pellet gun. He pulled the trigger again, and when that didn't phase Michelle, he hit her over the head repeatedly. The gun broke and Michelle started bleeding. Her assailant walked away, and then came back and picked the plastic pieces of the gun up off the stairs, and calmly walked to the parking lot. He walked to a car that was parked next to a dumpster and got in, and drove away.

Michelle got up and watched him leave. She then noticed she was bleeding. She went back up the stairs to her apartment, where she put on some jeans and a shirt and called the police for help. She also wondered if anyone in the apartment complex heard her scream.

When the police came, they didn't seem to take her seriously, despite her wounds. She showed the officer the flashlight her assailant left behind and told him that the flashlight didn't belong to her. The officer reluctantly took the flashlight, not seeming to care if it might have valuable fingerprints on it. Michelle also explained to the officer that she made sure her deadbolt was locked before she went to bed, but when her assailant opened the door for them to leave, the deadbolt was already unlocked. She could not understand the officer's indifferent attitude. She barely escaped with her life, and he didn't seem to care or even believe her. Michelle made the decision that she would NOT spend another night in her apartment.

Michelle had her boyfriend come and get her and she left her apartment never to return, except to get her belongings. The next day, while picking up her blankets and sheets off of the floor where they fell when she was struggling with her assailant, she discovered a knife. She knew the knife didn't belong to her, so she called the police again. Their response was to tell her to bring the knife by when she had the chance. By now, Michelle was thoroughly frustrated by the police department's indifference and their lack of understanding for her situation. She was beaten by a strange man, whom she didn't know, who broke into her apartment, and the police didn't seem to care.

Early Sunday morning, June 18, 1989, Michelle's attacker struck again. His name was Richard Grissom JR. He had a lengthy adult criminal record, as well as a conviction for murder as a juvenile. If the police would have done their jobs properly when Michelle's attack happened, maybe three innocent lives would have been saved. Maybe, if the police would have tried to take fingerprints off of the knife and flashlight, the next two attacks and three murders could have been prevented.

Who were the three final victims of Richard Grissom? What other crimes did he commit during this time? Is he really just another misunderstood killer who had a terrible childhood? Come back tomorrow for Part III. It will be worth your time!

Thanks for reading. All comments (bad or good) are welcome.

(Source material: "Suddenly Gone" by Dan Mitrione, 1995)