Thomas Creech – America's Most Charming Maniac, Who Hasn't Been Executed for 40 Years (9 photos)

Could you be friends with a guy who killed dozens of people? Don't rush to answer, because you don't know Thomas Eugene Creech, an American serial killer who has been awaiting execution on death row for 40 years. During this time, he has become friends with many prison staff, who call him "Old Tom."





On February 28, 2024, an attempt was made to execute 73-year-old Thomas Creech at the Idaho State Penitentiary. The sentence handed down many years ago couldn't be carried out. An IV line couldn't be installed. Dozens of people in the prison breathed a sigh of relief, as they didn't want Thomas to die. Now the elderly killer, responsible for several deaths, will once again have to await his fate indefinitely.



Thomas Eugene Creech is considered by many to be the most mysterious serial killer in the United States. The fact is, he himself doesn't know how many people he killed. Creech's execution was supposed to be the first in Idaho in 12 years. Prison officials and human rights activists fought for years to keep him alive. He has been on death row longer than anyone in the state's history. In total, Thomas spent 50 years behind bars, 40 of them awaiting death.

To the guards and other inmates, he had long since become simply Tom. The quiet, elderly inmate never caused any trouble for his guards and always treated them kindly. In prison, Creech began writing poetry, many of which he dedicated to the staff. The guards came to work and retired, but the silent killer remained in his solitary confinement cell.





Even the former warden of the penitentiary institution is in favor of abolishing the death penalty for Krich. He was Tom's friend for many years and spent hours talking with him about this and that. The criminal's lawyers insisted on commuting the sentence to life imprisonment. They cited the fact that the drugs used for lethal injections were obtained from an unknown source and may not meet strict standards.

A Troubled Teen

You might think this is about an unfortunate individual who fell victim to a fatal mistake and is paying for the crimes of others. But no—in 1981, Thomas Creech brutally murdered another inmate, having previously confessed to 40 murders. Investigators only proved his involvement in five of them, but even that is enough to warrant a death sentence. It's worth noting that Thomas's "proven" crimes are highly questionable.



Thomas Eugene Creech was born on September 9, 1950, in Hamilton, Ohio. His family was not well-off—his parents drank heavily and fought constantly. They eventually divorced, and Tom stayed with his father. A few years later, the man fell seriously ill and died in the arms of his young son.

Critch himself says that on the day of his father's death, he committed his first serious offense. The teenager severely beat a nurse who was supposed to be caring for the sick man. After that, the boy began to wander. Naturally, he fell in with a bad crowd. In 1969, Thomas received his first prison sentence for robbery without a weapon. Two years later, he was released early for good behavior.

Death after Death

In 1973, Creech married 17-year-old Thomasina Lauren White. The girl was also no match for him and became an accomplice to at least one of her husband's crimes. After the wedding, the young family moved from Ohio to Portland, Oregon. There, Creech took a job as a church caretaker. Some time later, the body of 22-year-old William Joseph Dean was found in the couple's rented apartment. Thomas was later convicted of murder, and his wife escaped punishment.

But Thomasina still met a tragic end. In a 2019 interview with reporters, Creech recounted her fate. According to Thomas, his wife was raped by 11 men. She was then thrown out of a fourth-story window. She survived, but was left disabled and confined to a wheelchair. She lost her mind and committed suicide in a psychiatric hospital in Salem, Oregon.



Thomas Creech (right) is led out of the courtroom. 1975

In 1974, while still a suspect in a murder, Creech committed another crime. He killed Paul Schroeder in Tucson, Arizona. That same year, he and his new girlfriend, 17-year-old Carol Spaulding, killed two more people. The couple was hitchhiking in Idaho. They got into a car with Thomas Arnold and John Bradford. An argument ensued, and Thomas shot them both with the rifle he was carrying.

Later, the killer long denied the double murder. But then he wrote a confession. In it, Creech stated that the men had harassed his companion and they had been forced to defend themselves. In 1975, the criminal suddenly began confessing to one murder after another. He described dozens of deaths in various US states.

Confessions in a Drug-Drunk State

Thomas Creech recounted details of 26 murders and revealed the locations where he hid the remains of 11 victims. Most of them were found in an abandoned mine shaft in a remote area of ​​California. The killer talked a lot, and soon his persona became surrounded by legends. It was said that Thomas had been a member of a Satanist cult since 1965. Rumors also circulated that he was associated with the Hell's Angels, a criminal biker gang. The press even reported that the bikers planned to attack the courthouse and free Creech.



Later, the criminal's lawyers proved that his chatter was the result of a truth serum. Nowadays, such testimony cannot be added to the case. In fact, some believe that Thomas made up most of the crimes while under the influence of a drug administered by investigators.

In 1975, a police detective proved that Creech had borrowed the story of one murder entirely from Playboy magazine, a fan of which he had been for many years. Thomas's testimony caused the police a great deal of unnecessary trouble. In one of the places where Creech claimed to have hidden dozens of bodies, only the remains of a cow were found. Investigators believe he was involved in only nine murders, and personally implicated in only five.

The Sock Murder

In 1975, the serial killer was sentenced to hang in the Arnold-Bradford case. In 1979, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Inmate Creech behaved well and was even assigned to work as a janitor, with free rein throughout the cellblock. The murder of another inmate was linked specifically to Thomas's professional activities.



Inmate David Dale Jensen, killed with a sock

22-year-old David Dale Jensen, convicted of car theft, was partially paralyzed. Because he was always dropping things, he was always making a mess. Creech initially patiently cleaned up after the cripple, then began to argue with him. The unstable Jensen tried to hit the janitor with a sock containing batteries. Creech easily grabbed the homemade flail and beat him to death with it.

However, there is also an unofficial version of the massacre. It claims that Jensen Creech was hired by influential criminals who were irritated by the loud and unkempt disabled man. They gave him the ill-fated sock, provoking a conflict so Thomas could claim self-defense. Interestingly, both versions were authored by the killer himself. He told investigators both versions at different times.

The Friendly Maniac

To date, no one knows how many murders Thomas Creech committed. Over the years, he confessed to between 26 and 42 murders. Therefore, so far, there are only five more or less credible and evidence-supported incidents in his case. After receiving the death sentence, Creech began to keep a low profile. A few years later, he was jokingly referred to as "the living mascot of the Idaho Maximum Security Prison."



Crich has proven himself a gentle and kind inmate and has no enemies in prison. He is always ready to help in any matter and loves to tell stories. Many guards consider him a friend. Retired prison staff also maintain contact with Thomas through correspondence. Sometimes they even visit the prisoner, who has no family or friends on the outside. Before his botched execution in February 2024, Idaho Department of Corrections Director Josh Tewalt said this about him:

"I don't want to minimize his actions or the number of people who suffered because of them." But we can't ignore the impact this event will have on those who were close to him. Tom will be gone on Thursday. He won't be returning to his block. It's impossible not to feel some emotion about this."



Thomas Crich's Solitary Confinement Cell

To the relief of many, the execution never took place. Contrary to Tewalt's expectations, he returned to his cellblock for an indefinite period. While the numerous formalities associated with the second execution are being carried out, Krich will live. His friends are anxiously anticipating the success of the next attempt to kill the serial killer. They are not sitting idle and are writing petitions to various authorities for Thomas's pardon.