Westley Allan Dodd

Westley Allan Dodd began sexually abusing children when he was 13 years old, starting with [Page 131]exposing himself to young girls and boys around his neighborhood. Dodd claims he was unhappy as a child because his parents fought constantly and did not provide him with any emotional support. When his parents divorced, Dodd's behaviors escalated to the molestation of children. He sought out children he knew who were close to him. At the age of 14, he molested his 8- and 6-year-old cousins. Dodd also placed himself in situations in which he would have access to children, such as babysitting for neighborhood kids and working as a camp counselor. At the age of 18, he began to seek out children that were not known to him.

Dodd eventually joined the navy and was stationed in Bangor, Washington. He preyed on children who lived on the naval base; made trips to Seattle, where he approached children in movie theater restrooms; and started using money to lure children to secluded places where he would order them to take down their pants. Dodd was eventually arrested and discharged from the navy. He was again arrested after he tried to accost a young boy and served 19 days in jail. Throughout the next few years, Dodd continued to be arrested but spent no significant time in jail.

By 1986, Dodd had sexually assaulted at least 30 children. Despite court-ordered counseling, he made no attempt to control his behavior, and in fact began to have fantasies of murdering his victims. In 1987, Dodd chose his first victim. He approached an 8-year-old boy he had met while working as a security guard and asked him for help in finding a “lost boy.” The boy, sensing danger, told Dodd that he was going home and would be right back. When the boy went home, he told his mother of the incident, and she called the police. Dodd was charged but spent only 118 days in jail.

Dodd moved to Vancouver in 1989. He familiarized himself with the area and found David Douglas Park a good place to prey on new victims. On September 4, Dodd accosted two brothers, molested them, and stabbed them to death. He found more satisfaction in killing than molesting. On October 29, 1989, Dodd abducted his third murder victim. He lured the child away from a schoolyard and took him to his apartment, where he tied the boy up, molested him, and eventually strangled him while he was sleeping. Afterward, Dodd moved him to his closet and photographed him, eventually discarding of the body near Vancouver Lake.

Not long after the boy's body was found, Dodd was arrested after trying to abduct another boy from a movie theater restroom. Dodd eventually confessed to the three murders and was charged with 3 cases of first-degree murder, in addition to attempted kidnapping for the boy he'd tried to abduct from the theater. He pled guilty to all charges and was sentenced to death by hanging. Dodd was executed on January 5th, 1993.

...