• Born - 1st January 1940

• Died - 30th September 2011

• Death - Natural causes 

• Country - Canada 

• Classification - Serial killer

• Characteristics - Rape and Murder 

• Bodycount - 11 known, between 1980 - 1981 

• Method - Strangulation, stabbing, bludgeoning,  

• Victims profile - Mainly Children and teenagers. 

• Sentence - Life in prison 

Clifford Olson was a Canadian serial killer who confessed to the murders three boys and eight girls, aged between 9 and 18, Their bodies had been found in secluded areas within a 90-kilometre radius of Vancouver. Some of the victims had been raped and sodomized, some were stabbed and others were bludgeoned, and one was strangled. All had been drugged and killed in a murderous spree lasting only nine months, from November, 1980, through July, 1981, while Olson was out of prison on mandatory supervision.

victims

His 1st victim was 12 year old Christine Weller from British Columbia. Her body was discovered on Christmas Day She was Strangled and stabbed to death on November 19th 1980. Weller was biking back to her Motel when she was picked up by Olson and driven to a secluded area of Richmond where Olson preceded to strangle her with a belt before stabbing her multiple times in the chest and abdomen. She suffered 10 stab wounds along with superficial slashes to her neck. She had four penetrations to her liver and a double perforation to the right ventricle of her heart. 

Olson’s 2nd victim was Colleen Daignault, 13. Her body was discovered 5 months after she disappeared. Daigault was murdered on April 15, 1981 near 144th Street and 26th Avenue in south Surrey. She was returning from a friend's home when Olson picked her up. She was driven to a remote area of South Surrey where she was bludgeoned to death with a hammer. She suffered a number of blows to the head. Cause of death was two depressed fractures of the occipital region of the skull. The RCMP initially treated this as a runaway case, until her remains were later found after Olson was arrested.

Olson’s 3rd victim was Daryn Johnsrude 16. Johnnsrude was murdered on April  21st 1981 in Deroche. He was picked up in New Westminster and driven to Deroche where he was bludgeoned the death. Cause of death was comminuted skull fracture with right subdural hemorrhage.

Olson’s 4th victim was Sandra Wolfstenier. She was 16 years old and murdered on May 19, 1981 in the Chilliwack Lake area. Wolfstenier was picked up by Olson at a bus stop while trying to hitch a ride home from her boyfriend's home. She was driven to Chilliwack Lake Road where she bludgeoned to death with a hammer to the head. Although few skeletal remains were found, the cause of death was determined to be head injuries.

Olson’s 5th victim was Ada Court 13. She was murdered on June 21, 1981 at Weaver Lake Road. Court was picked up on North Road in Coquitlam and driven to a remote area near Weaver Lake where she was also bludgeoned to death with a hammer. Her skeletal remains with several depressed skull fractures were found.

Olson’s 6th Victim was Simon Partington. Partington was 9 years old when he was murdered on July 2nd, 1981 on River Road-Nelson Avenue in Richmond. Partington was picked up two blocks from his home while riding to his friends house on his bike and given a ride. During the ride he was taken to a remote area of Richmond, given a couple bottles of beer and then raped and strangled. Partington was Olson’s youngest know victim. 

Olson’s 7th victim was Judy Kozma 14 years. Kozma was murdered on July 9th, 1981 near Weaver Lake. She was picked up in New Westminster and driven to a remote area near Weaver Lake where she was stabbed to death. 

Olson’s 8th victim was Raymond King Jr. King was 15 when he was murdered on July 23, 1981 near Weaver Lake. He was picked up at the bus depot after leaving the manpower office in New Westminster and driven to a remote area near Weaver Lake. He was thrown down an embankment and bludgeoned to death while unconscious by a large rock to the head.

Olson’s 9th victim was Sigrun Arnd. Arnd was 18 when she was murdered on July 24, 1981 at a remote area North of River Road in Richmond.She was picked up in Coquitlam and driven to a remote area of Richmond where she was bludgeoned by hammer to the head and then thrown into a watery ditch. The cause of death was massive head injuries.

Terry Carson. Carson was 15 when she was murdered on July 27, 1981 in a remote area east of Chilliwack. She was picked up on 108th Avenue bus stop and driven to a remote area past Chilliwack where she was murdered by strangulation.

Louise Chartrand. Chartrand was 17 when she was murdered on July 30, 1981 near Whistler B.C. She was picked up walking to work in Maple Ridge B.C. and driven to the Whistler area where she was bludgeoned to death by a hammer to the head. Her decomposed body was found with evidence of massive skull fractures.  

Early Life

Clifford Robert Olson was born in Vancouver B.C. and was one of four children but grew up in nearby Richmond. As a school boy Olsen was a notorious bully and a thief, who tormented cats and dogs. ''He was always getting into fights at school and getting beaten up, one day he said to me, 'Dad, I'm going to learn to be a boxer.' As soon as he did, he began making the rounds of the boys who had beaten him up and evening the score. Maybe that's his trouble – that chip on his shoulder.” his father said in an interview. Olson dropped out of school after completing Grade 8. He lived with his parents until he was sent to jail for break and enter when at was 17. 

Over the next 25 years, he spent about four years behind bars, racking up more than 90 convictions. He escaped  several times from custody. He a con artist with a charming manipulative manner, Olson sometimes got early release for good behaviours, and other times had his sentence extended after attempting to escape. He met his future wife Joan Hale in February, 1980. A month after their son Stephen was born, they were married on May 15, 1981, in the People's Full Gospel Chapel in Surrey. Unbeknownst to his new wife, Olson had already murdered three children: Christine Weller, Colleen Daignault and Daryn Johnsrude. Within days of his wedding, Olson had abducted and killed Sandra Wolfsteiner. A month later he murdered Ada Court. In July, he killed Simon Partington, Terri Carson, Judy Kozma, Raymond King, Sigrun Arnd, and Marie Chartrand. Olson’s technique in all eleven murders was to entice the victims into his car with the spurious offer of work at ten dollars an hour, and included the use of alcohol and a drug called chloral hydrate which when mixed confused and overcame his victims. Meanwhile, Olson was a regular church goer, telling anybody who would listen to him that he had found God .

Arrest and cash for bodies deal

The police prioritized finding the rest of Olson’s victims and getting a confession out of him. The police had agreed to pay Olson $30,000 for evidence on the four bodies they had recovered before his arrest, with an additional $10,000 for each murder site he identified or body he helped locate. Olson was so ecstatic about the deal and he provided details about one murder free of charge, “a freebie," as he coldly boasted. Olson insisted that the money was to be paid to his wife Joan, for security for her and his son. Joan had been the devoted trusting wife until she was called as a witness in a lawsuit brought by the families of seven of the victims.  The group sued in the Supreme Court of B.C.  to have the $100,000 "cash for bodies" trust fund declared fraudulent and the remaining money given to them as compensation for the murder of their children.  The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled against the families in 1986, arguing that the RCMP payment "was not made as compensation for the deaths of the children." Rather, it "was authorized ... to obtain evidence to convict Olson of the murders.” Joan testified that her husband was an alcoholic who frequently beat her and threatened to kill her by slashing her throat. She said he had confessed the murders to her after his trial. "What can I say, honey? "I did it. It was the booze and the pills." He said to her. She divorced him in 1985.

In January 1982, Olson pleaded guilty to 11 counts of murder and was given as many concurrent life sentences to be served in Canada's super-maximum security Special Handling Unit in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec, which houses many of the country's most dangerous criminals. 

Death

In September 2011, media reports indicated that Olson had terminal cancer and had been transferred to a hospital in Laval, Quebec. He died on September 30, 2011, at the age of 71.