The 7 Most Depraved Washington State Serial Killers (And...Convicted killer to face charges in '74 Clark County case)

Westley Allan Dodd was an American convicted serial killer.He murdered three young boys in Washington in 1989.He was arrested after attempting to abduct a six-year-old boy from a movie theater.

The diary Dodd wrote about his murders was found by police.He received the death penalty after pleading guilty.His hanging on January 5, 1993 was the first legal hanging in the United States since 1965, after he refused an automatic appeal.

Westley Allan Dodd was the oldest of Jim and Carol Dodd's three children.Dodd claimed he was never mistreated as a child.He claimed that the words "I love you" were never said to him as a child.Gregory was arrested in 2016 for the attempted sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl.[4][5]

Dodd wrote in his diary that his father was emotionally and physically abusive, that he was neglected in favor of his younger siblings, and that Dodd witnessed violent fights between his parents.Dodd was not welcomed into any social groups at school.Dodd discovered at the age of 9 that he was attracted to other boys.Dodd's father attempted suicide on July 3, 1976, after an argument with his wife.[7]

Dodd began exposing himself to children when he was 13 years old.His father told an Oregon newspaper that he was aware of the behavior but largely ignored it, since he felt his son was a well-behaved child who never had problems with drugs, drinking, or smoking.Dodd began molesting his younger cousins when he entered high school and then offered to babysit the children of a woman he was dating.At the age of 15, Dodd was arrested for indecent exposure, but police released him with a recommendation of juvenile counseling.10

Dodd tried to abduct two girls at the age of 20.No action was taken.He enlisted in the US Navy and was assigned to the submarine base in Bangor, Washington, where he began abusing children.[2]

Dodd once offered a group of boys $50 to accompany him to a motel room for a game of strip poker.He was arrested again.He was released despite admitting to police that he was going to molest the boys.He was discharged from the Navy after being arrested for exposing himself to a boy.Dodd went to court-ordered counseling after spending 19 days in jail.He was sentenced to a suspended sentence in 1984 for molesting a 10-year-old boy.

As he referred to children, Dodd planned his entire life around easy access to targets.He moved into an apartment block that housed families with children and worked at fast food restaurants as a charity truck driver.The woman declined to press charges because the experience would be too traumatic for her children.

Dodd tried to lure a young boy into a vacant building in 1987, but the boy refused to go with him.Dodd had a history of sexual offenses and prosecutors recommended five years in prison.Dodd received minimal punishment because he didn't expose himself or touch the boy.He was ordered to seek treatment for his mental health issues.He stopped going to treatment after finishing his sentence and went to work as a shipping clerk.

Dodd decided that David Douglas Park, a large, heavily wooded park with several secluded trails, would be a good place to find potential victims.He served short jail sentences and was given court-mandated therapy after being arrested several times for child molesting.All of his victims were under the age of 12 and most of them boys.

Dodd said, "The more I thought about it, the more exciting the idea of murder sounded."I had a plan to kill a boy.Dodd was found to fit the legal criteria for a "sexual psychopath".[7]

On September 4, 1989, Dodd went to David Douglas Park and sought out young boys to kill.He lured two brothers, Cole and William Neer, to a secluded area and forced them to undress and perform sex on each other.He stabbed them multiple times with a knife and fled the scene.The boys were found in the park.Cole and William died at the scene.[2]

Dodd started a scrapbook after the murders of the two brothers.On October 29, Dodd drove to Portland, Oregon, and he encountered four-year-old Lee Iseli and his nine- year old brother, who were at a local park.Dodd persuaded the younger boy to come with him when he was alone on the slide.Dodd told Lee that he would drive him back to his house.The boy was ordered to undress by the man who took him to his apartment.Dodd took photographs of the abuse and tied Lee to his bed.Dodd kept Lee overnight while he continued to molest him.He killed Lee with a rope and hung his body in the closet as a trophy.[13]

He confessed to police that he had originally intended to kill the boy, but decided that it was necessary to keep him from telling anyone.Dodd dumped Lee's nude body in some bushes near the lake.The boy's underwear was a souvenir of the crime and was burned in a trash barrel.A search was launched for the killer after Lee's body was discovered.Dodd kept a low profile and mostly stayed in his apartment, writing down future plans for child abduction and constructing a homemade torture rack for the next victim.It was [13].

Dodd tried to abduct James Kirk II from the restroom of the New Liberty Theatre in Camas, Washington, but the child fought and cried as Dodd left the theater through the lobby.Dodd tried to calm the boy, but theater employees became suspicious and followed Dodd out of the theater.Dodd got into his car after releasing his victim.There are no comments at this time.

William "Ray" Graves, the boyfriend of the boy's mother, went to the theater lobby and was told that he had almost been kidnapped.Graves went to the theater where Dodd was last seen.Dodd's car broke down a short distance from the theater and he was trying to start it.Graves offered to help Dodd in order to not raise his suspicion.Dodd was put into a headlock and brought back to the theater, where employees called the police.There are no comments at this time.

The local police contacted the Portland Police task force to investigate the murder of Lee Iseli.Dodd was taken to the Camas Police station.Dave and Jensen talked to him.He was taken to the Clark County jail where he was held for three days.Dodd confessed to the murders.The search warrant was served at Dodd's home.

During the search of Dodd's home, police found a homemade torture rack, along with newspaper clippings about his crimes, a briefcase with underwear of Lee Iseli, and photographs of children in newspaper and store catalog underwear advertisements.Dodd wrote about the murders in his diary.

Dodd was charged with first degree murder in the deaths of the Neer brothers and Lee Iseli, as well as attempted kidnapping of another child.He changed his plea to guilty after initially pleading not guilty.

The prosecution read excerpts of Dodd's diary and displayed photographs of Lee Iseli during his trial.The defense only suggested that Dodd must be legally insane.The jury decided on the death penalty.Dodd claimed that speaking in his own defense was pointless and that the system had failed repeatedly.He said he would be willing to die if it brought peace to the victims' families.

Dodd was sentenced to death in 1990 for the murders of the Neer brothers and Lee Iseli.

Dodd was executed less than four years after the murders.He didn't want to appeal his case or the death sentence.He stated in a court brief that he needed to be executed before he could escape or kill someone else.I will kill and rape you again if I escape.He said that death would give him some relief from guilt over the murders.He wrote a pamphlet for parents on how to protect their children from child molesters.[16]

Dodd was given the choice of lethal injection or hanging.He stated in interviews that he preferred hanging because of how Lee Iseli died.His execution by hanging was the first in the United States in 50 years.12 members of local and regional media and 18 prison officials witnessed Dodd's execution.Dodd's last meal was broiled salmon and fried potatoes.His last words, spoken from the second floor of the indoor gallows, were recorded by the media witnesses.

I don't remember who asked if there was a way to stop sex offenders.I said no.I was wrong.I was wrong when I said there was no hope.There is hope.There is peace.I found Jesus Christ.You will find peace if you look to the Lord.[19]

Dodd was executed on January 5, 1993 at Washington State Penitentiary.His body was taken to Seattle for an autopsy after he died in prison.Dodd died within two to three minutes, though not from a broken neck, which is the usual cause of death from hanging.Dodd's death probably wasn't very painful according to Reay.Dodd's ashes were turned over to his family after he was cremated.[21]

Dodd chose to be executed by hanging, which caused some controversy.The 8th Amendment of the United States Constitution is the subject of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union.The lawsuit made it all the way to the Washington Supreme Court, but was unsuccessful in blocking Dodd's execution because he chose to hang.[23]

Many people gathered outside the prison on the day of the execution.There was a lot of attention given to the history of hanging, as well as the sound of the trap door and the type of rope that was going to be used.[25]

Dodd's profile was featured along with another convicted sexual predator in a 1992 Frontline episode.[26]