Freddie Glenn

Freddie Lee Glenn (born January 6, 1957) is an American spree killer and rapist. Along with his accomplice, Michael Corbett, Glenn was found guilty of murdering three people in 1975. Glenn and Corbett were responsible for up to five deaths in and around Colorado Springs, Colorado. One of Glenn's victims was Karen Grammer, the younger sister of actor Kelsey Grammer.

Freddie Lee Glenn
Born (1957-01-06) January 6, 1957
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Conviction(s)First-degree murder (3 counts)
Criminal penaltyDeath; commuted to life imprisonment
Details
VictimsDaniel Van Lone, 29
Winfred Proffitt, 19
Karen Grammer, 18
DateJune 19 – July 1, 1975
CountryUnited States
State(s)Colorado
Location(s)Colorado Springs
Killed3–5
WeaponsGun, knife

Early life

Glenn was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. His father was in the military, and the family lived in Fort Lewis in Washington. Glenn claimed that his father was abusive.[1]

Murders

The murders started on June 19, 1975, when Glenn, a civilian employee at Fort Carson, Corbett, a soldier, and another soldier kidnapped Daniel Van Lone, a 29-year-old cook who was leaving his job at the Four Seasons hotel, intending to rob him. They drove Van Lone to a remote area, made him lie on the ground, and shot him in the head. They stole 50 cents from him. Eight days later, Glenn and Corbett met Winfred Proffitt, 19, another Fort Carson soldier, at Prospect Lake, intending to sell him some marijuana. Having been trained in the use of bayonets, Corbett stabbed Proffitt with one of them to see what it was like.

Glenn and Corbett committed their final and most publicized murder on July 1, 1975. Glenn, Corbett, and two other men decided to rob the Red Lobster restaurant on South Academy Boulevard. They left without any money. An employee of the restaurant, 18 year-old Karen Grammar, was waiting for her boyfriend to finish work. Thinking she may be able to identify them, the four men kidnapped her. After robbing a convenience store, the men took Grammar to the apartment they shared, where they raped her repeatedly. They promised to take Grammar home, then sat her in the car, put a cloth over her head and let her out in a mobile home park on South Wahsatch Avenue. Glenn, who according to court testimony had taken LSD, stabbed Grammar in the throat, back and hand, and left her to die. In an attempt to save herself, she ran toward the back porch of a nearby home where there was a light on however the homeowners were out. She died at the property leaving bloody hand and fingerprints where she tried to reach the doorbell.[2] Police photographs show a bloody hand print on the wall, near the doorbell. Police were unable to determine who she was until her brother, Kelsey, arrived and identified the body.[3]

Trial and conviction

Glenn was convicted in 1976 for the murders of Van Lone, Profitt, and Karen Grammer. Judge Hunter Hardeman, noting "there was no rhyme or reason for what happened," sentenced Glenn to the gas chamber for Karen Grammer's murder. Two years later, the Colorado Supreme Court overturned the state's death penalty. When Glenn was sentenced, the law allowed parole after he served 10 years. Because he was sentenced to three consecutive life terms, he became eligible for parole in 2006. Corbett remained in prison until his death in 2019.[4]

Parole denial

In 2006, as recommended by his case manager, Matt Sylvia, Glenn waived his first parole hearing so he could enroll in several programs at the prison that may improve the likelihood of him being paroled.

In 2009, Glenn was denied parole after the Colorado Parole Board received a letter from actor Kelsey Grammer, who described Glenn as a "butcher" and a "monster". The Board also heard from other relatives of the victims and from detectives before deciding not to release Glenn. Grammer had originally planned to attend the hearing at the state's Limon Correctional Facility, but a rain delay at New York City's JFK International Airport caused him to miss a connecting flight to Denver. Instead, Grammer sent a letter to Robert Russel, the retired El Paso County, Colorado, District Attorney who successfully prosecuted Glenn. During the hearing, Glenn told the board: "I apologize for my participation in something so terrible. I am sincerely and truly remorseful."[5] In Grammer's letter to Russel he explained that his sister had graduated from high school and later decided to take a year off after attending a semester of college. He indicated that his sister may have moved to Colorado Springs because of a boy that she liked. He wrote, "She was so smart and good and decent. She wrote poetry ... We could laugh for hours together ... I was supposed to protect her—I could not. I have never gotten over it. I was supposed to save her. I could not. It very nearly destroyed me ... When we heard this man might be paroled, the suffering began anew".[6]

Glenn was eligible for parole in 2014, but was denied twice and his request was deferred for three years. At the parole board hear, Kelsey Grammer, gave an emotional testimony via video conference. He offered forgiveness after being convinced that Glenn was remorseful for killing his sister but said that Glenn should serve out the remainder of his life sentence.[7][8] In 2017, when Glenn became eligible for parole again, Grammer repeated his position stating that Glenn did not deserve freedom.[9]

References

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