Lullacide

Richard was afraid of everything. He was afraid that his blood was turning to powder. He was afraid that his organs were shrinking. He was afraid that someone had stolen his pulmonary artery. Richard's brain told him many things, and none of them were good.

Chase suffered from severe paranoid schizophrenia and hypochondria, believing his blood was turning to powder and his organs were disappearing.

Richard decided the solution to his problems was blood. Other people's blood. He started with animals, which was bad enough. Then he moved on to people, which was worse. The newspapers called him the Vampire of Sacramento. Richard did not think this was unfair.

Chase killed and drank the blood of animals before escalating to humans. He murdered six people in Sacramento in January 1978.

Richard had a very simple method for choosing his victims. He walked down the street and tried door handles. If the door was locked, he moved on. If the door was unlocked, he took it as an invitation. 'An unlocked door means you're welcome,' Richard explained. Locksmiths across Sacramento suddenly got very busy.

Chase later told investigators that he interpreted locked doors as meaning he wasn't wanted, and unlocked doors as invitations.

A neighbor gave the police Richard's description. When the detectives found him, Richard was wearing two shirts, both completely soaked in blood. 'That's not mine,' he said about the blood. It was not a convincing defense. His apartment looked like a horror movie set, except horror movies usually have better lighting.

Chase was identified through a tip from a former acquaintance. His apartment contained extensive evidence of his crimes.

Richard was found guilty and sent to prison, where he collected his medication for weeks and took it all at once. He died on December 26, 1980. Christmas was never his favorite holiday. The lesson of this story is very simple, children: lock your doors. Not because of vampires. Because of people who think they are vampires.

Chase was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder. He died of an overdose of prescribed medication in prison in 1980.