Paul Runge (serial killer)

Little is known about Runge's early life. He was born in Oak Forest, and since childhood has exhibited sexual sadism. This only worsened upon his mother's death, which occurred when he was 17.^[3]

Later that year, Runge kidnapped, raped and tortured a 14-year-old girl in Oak Forest, only to later turn himself in to the authorities. He was given a 14-year sentence for this crime, but was paroled in May 1994.^[5] During that time, he married a woman named Charlene, got a job as a shoe salesman and later a truck driver, and resettled in three different cities prior to his eventual rearrest in May 1997^[2] for violating the conditions of the parole.^[5]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

When searching for a victim, Runge would cruise around the area and look for ways to acquaint himself with the potential victim. For some victims, he achieved this by pretending to be interested in a property that they were selling or renting and would ask if he could check the inside of the building. When he earned her trust, he would proceed to rape the victim before either strangling, slashing or beating her to death. In some instances, he disposed of the body by dismembering and dumping it in garbage cans, and in four cases, he burned the victim's home down.^[5]

The first victim was an acquaintance of Runge's wife: 25-year-old Carol Stream, Illinois resident Stacy Frobel. On either January 3 or 4, 1995, Frobel had gone to visit Charlene in the couple's Streamwood home, but was never seen alive after that.^[5] Approximately two weeks later, on January 16, a German Shepherd named Friendly brought a severed leg to its owner's home, which it had found in a field near the border with southern Wisconsin. Five days later, the dog also found the other leg. DNA tests concluded that it was indeed Stacy Frobel, who was last seen entering the Runge household.^[2]

When she was inside the house, Runge had struck her with a dumbbell, killing Frobel on the spot. He then proceeded to place the body in the bathtub, where he dismembered her using a saw,^[5] before scattering the remains around northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. For days after the murder, he called in sick at his job at Foot Locker, before eventually quitting.^[2]

The Pašanbegović sisters (22 and 20, respectively) were Bosnian refugees who had come to live in the US with their uncle in Hanover Park, six months prior to their murders.^[5] They were last seen on July 11, 1995, when they were offered a house cleaning job by the Runges through a mutual acquaintance. At the time, the couple had moved to Glendale Heights, where Runge had begun work for a Honey Baked Ham store in the mall, while Charlene was planning to start a cleaning business.^[2]

It is presumed that they were enticed by Charlene into the house, where they were subsequently handcuffed, bludgeoned, raped, tortured, and strangled to death by Runge.^[6] In order to get rid of their bodies, he dismembered both sisters' corpses, placed the remains in plastic bags and discarded them in garbage bins. The day after he killed the sisters, Runge again called in sick, before quitting this job as well.^[2]

In January 1997, the 30-year-old Dziubak was raped and subsequently strangled in Chicago's Northwest Side. Runge came across her after responding to an ad for selling a house. Her burned body was later located by firefighters extinguishing a fire in her home.^[3]

On February 3, 1997, Runge entered 35-year-old Gutierrez's Northwest Side apartment in response to a for-sale sign for some sport equipment. Inside, he bound both her and her 10-year-old daughter Jessica, raping and torturing them for hours on a bed.^[4] Eventually, Runge cut their throats and set their home on fire before escaping.^[3]

Similarly to Dziubak, the 43-year-old Kazimiera Paruch encountered Runge when he expressed interest in buying her condominium in March 1997. She was also raped and strangled, with her burned body also found by firefighters after they extinguished a fire in her home.^[3]