John Patrick St. John, known as "Jigsaw John," is a renowned police officer who made a name for himself as a skilled investigator and detective.

Over the course of his career, St. John worked on a number of high-profile cases and gained a reputation for his unconventional methods and his ability to piece together complex puzzles.

Early Life and Career

John Patrick St. John was born in 1939 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in a working-class family and attended local schools before enlisting in the U.S. Army.

After serving in the military, St. John returned to Los Angeles and joined the LAPD in 1963. He quickly rose through the ranks, earning a promotion to detective in just four years.

St. John's early career was marked by his tenacity and his attention to detail. He was known for his ability to gather evidence and build a case, and he quickly became a go-to investigator for difficult cases.

St. John also had a talent for working with informants and getting them to talk, which helped him solve many cases.

Rise to Prominence

In the late 1970s, St. John began to work on some of the most notorious cases of the time. He was a key member of the task force that investigated the Hillside Strangler, a serial killer who terrorized Los Angeles between 1977 and 1978.

St. John's investigation ultimately led to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

St. John's work on the Hillside Strangler case earned him a reputation as a master puzzle solver, and he was given the nickname "Jigsaw John."

He went on to work on other high-profile cases, including the Alphabet Murders, which involved the killings of three young girls in Rochester, New York. St. John's work on this case helped lead to the conviction of the killer.

St. John's success on these cases was due in large part to his unconventional methods. He was known for his ability to think outside the box and his willingness to take risks. St. John was also a skilled interrogator and was able to get suspects to talk and provide crucial information.

Hillside Strangler

The Hillside Strangler is the nickname given to two American serial killers who terrorized Los Angeles in the late 1970s. The killers were later identified as cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr. They were responsible for the murders of at least ten young women between October 1977 and February 1978.

The Hillside Strangler case was one of the most notorious and complex investigations in the history of the LAPD. The victims were all young women, many of whom were prostitutes or runaways. Their bodies were found in various locations around Los Angeles, including hillsides, ditches, and vacant lots.

The investigation was led by a task force that included some of the LAPD's most skilled detectives, including John Patrick St. John, known as "Jigsaw John." The investigation involved a massive manhunt, with detectives interviewing thousands of potential witnesses and suspects.

The breakthrough in the case came when Bianchi was arrested in Bellingham, Washington, in January 1979 for raping and murdering two young women. Detectives from the Hillside Strangler task force flew to Washington to interview Bianchi and quickly realized that he was one of the Hillside Stranglers.

Bianchi eventually confessed to the murders and implicated Buono as his accomplice. The two men were charged with 10 counts of murder, and the trial was one of the most high-profile in the history of Los Angeles. Both men were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

The Hillside Strangler case remains one of the most infamous serial killer cases in American history. The investigation was marked by its complexity and the tenacity of the detectives who worked on it, including John Patrick St. John. The case has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and movies, and it continues to fascinate and haunt people to this day.

Alphabet Murders

The Alphabet Murders were a series of killings that took place in the early 1970s in Rochester, New York. The victims were three young girls, each with the same first and last initial as their name. The murders became known as the "Alphabet Murders" due to this similarity.

The first victim was Carmen Colon, a 10-year-old girl who disappeared on November 16, 1971. Her body was found two days later in a gully near a highway. The second victim was Wanda Walkowicz, an 11-year-old girl who disappeared on April 2, 1973. Her body was found 10 days later in a similar location. The third victim was Michelle Maenza, an 11-year-old girl who disappeared on November 26, 1973. Her body was found a month later in a different location.

The Alphabet Murders case became a major investigation for the Rochester Police Department, and it was eventually taken over by the New York State Police. The investigation was complicated by the fact that there were no witnesses and no clear suspects.

The case was eventually solved by a combination of forensic evidence and investigative work. One of the key breakthroughs came when a Rochester police officer named Richard Chenoweth discovered a partial fingerprint on a piece of evidence that had been collected from one of the crime scenes. The fingerprint was eventually matched to a man named Joseph Naso, who had been living in Rochester at the time of the murders.

Naso was eventually arrested and charged with the Alphabet Murders, as well as several other murders in California. He was found guilty in 2013 and sentenced to death.

The Alphabet Murders case remains one of the most notorious unsolved cases in American history. The investigation was marked by its complexity and the tenacity of the detectives who worked on it, including John Patrick St. John, known as "Jigsaw John." St. John's innovative methods and ability to piece together complex puzzles played a key role in the investigation and helped lead to the eventual conviction of Joseph Naso.

Legacy and Impact

John Patrick St. John retired from the LAPD in 1993 after 30 years of service. However, his legacy lives on in the field of law enforcement. St. John's ability to solve complex cases and his innovative methods have inspired generations of investigators and detectives.

St. John's impact can be seen in the way that police departments approach investigations today.

He emphasized the importance of gathering as much evidence as possible and using that evidence to build a case. St. John also believed in the value of community policing and working with the community to solve crimes.

Jigsaw John was a skilled and innovative police officer who made a significant impact on law enforcement. His ability to solve complex cases and his unconventional methods have inspired generations of investigators and detectives.

St. John's legacy lives on in the field of law enforcement, and his work will continue to influence and shape the way that police departments approach investigations for years to come.