Weepy-Voiced Killer: Paul Michael Stephani

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by tpksstories

Paul Michael Stephani (September8, 1944 – June 12, 1998) was an American serial killer. He was alsoknown as the Weepy-Voiced Killer due to a series of telephonecalls he made to police, anonymously reporting his crimes in aremorseful and high-pitched voice. Stephani killed three women in theMinneapolis–Saint Paul area.

Killings

On December 31, 1980, Stephani beatKaren Potack in Saint Paul, Minnesota, inflicting severewounds and brain injury. Stephani himself called police at 3 a.m. toreport the attack, directing police to a location where "Thereis a girl hurt there."

His next victim was KimberlyCompton, an 18-year-old student from Wisconsin on June 3, 1981 inneighboring Minneapolis. After killing her, he again contacted policepleading: "God damn, will you find me? I just stabbedsomebody with an ice pick. I can't stop myself. I keep killingsomebody." Two days later he called police to say he wassorry for stabbing Compton and would turn himself in, but did not. OnJune 6 he called to say newspaper accounts of some of the murderswere inaccurate. His next call came June 11. In a whimpering, barelycoherent voice he cried: "I'm sorry for what I did toCompton."

His next victim was KathleenGreening, who was found dead at her home just outside St. Paul.Stephani later confessed to drowning her in her bathtub at herRoseville residence. His fourth victim (and last murder victim) wasBarbara Simons, a 40-year-old nurse on the Minneapolis side of theMississippi River. The two met at the Hexagon Bar, after Simons gaveStephani an extra cigarette.

After spending the night at the barwith Stephani, Simons told a waitress, "He's cute. I hopehe's nice, since he's giving me a ride home." Simons wasfound stabbed to death the next day. There were no calls afterGreening's death, but the "Weepy-Voiced Killer"contacted police after the murder of Simons: "Pleasedon't talk, just listen... I'm sorry I killed that girl. I stabbedher 40 times. Kimberly Compton was the first one over in St. Paul."

Capture

Stephani picked up a 19-year-old sexworker named Denise Williams on August 21, 1982, inMinneapolis. Williams sensed something was wrong when Stephani begandriving through a dark, suburban area, rather than returning her backto the city where he originally picked her up. After turning onto adead-end road, he stabbed her fifteen times with a screwdriver.During the attack, Williams was able to hit Stephani on the head witha glass bottle, causing cuts to his head and face.

Her screams drew the attention of a manwho lived nearby and upon seeing Stephani trying to stab Williamsagain began to wrestle with him, causing Stephani to flee the scene.The man was able to call for an ambulance and later help identifyStephani. However, when Stephani returned home to his apartment, henoticed he was bleeding badly and sought medical help. It was thiscall that confirmed Stephani was the "Weepy-Voiced Killer"and linked him to the Williams attack. Further in-depthinvestigative work later connected Stephani to the murder of Simons.

Trial

During Stephani's trial in the Simonsmurder case, Stephani's ex-wife, sister, and a woman who lived withhim testified that they believed the hysterical caller revealing theattacks was Stephani. Those observations alone were not enough toidentify Stephani as the Weepy-Voiced Killer since the hystericalcrying distorted the voice. Stephani was convicted of the Simonsmurder and of the attempted murder of Williams and was sentenced to40 years. He died in prison in 1998 from cancer.

Subsequent confessions

In 1997 Stephani was diagnosed withskin cancer and had less than a year to live. He decided to confessto the murders of Kim Compton, Barbara Simons, and KathyGreening. He had not been a suspect in the Greening death, as hehad not even made a phone call to police as he had done in the othercases. In all, he confessed to (1) a beating attack in 1980, (2)stabbing Kimberly Compton to death in 1981, (3) drowning KathleenGreening in 1982, (4) stabbing Barbara Simons to death in 1982, and(5) stabbing Denise Williams in 1982.

Media

The case was covered by Casefile TrueCrime Podcast on 16 April 2016 and in an episode ("SeeingRed") of Murder Calls on 15 January 2017. Stephani's crimeswere then reported during episode 102 (titled "QuantumMadness and an Abundance of Icicles") of the podcast "AndThat's Why We Drink" on January 13, 2019. This case was alsocovered in an episode ("Rough Winds & High Waters")on the podcast "My Favorite Murder" on May 23, 2019.