Modus Operandi - Stabbing

Richard “Rick” Church was 19 when he attacked the Ritter family home in Woodstock, Illinois, on August 21, 1988. Church had previously dated 17-year-old Colleen Ritter, but their relationship had deteriorated after he left for college. During the attack, Church stabbed Colleen and her younger brother Matthew and fatally stabbed Colleen's parents, Raymond and Ruth Ann Ritter. Church fled Illinois and became one of the country's most wanted fugitives, living under aliases and moving between several states for more than three years. His case was featured on America's Most Wanted as authorities attempted to locate him. In November 1991, a Utah police detective recognized Church while he was working at a restaurant. Church was arrested, returned to Illinois, pleaded guilty to the murders and attempted murders, and was sentenced to life in prison.

Bradford James Gille attacked 11 people with a folding knife inside a Walmart in Garfield Township, near Traverse City, Michigan, on July 26, 2025. The victims, five women and six men, ranged in age from 29 to 84, and one was a Walmart employee. Gille was arrested after bystanders intervened and prevented him from continuing the attack. He was initially charged with 11 counts of assault with intent to murder and one count of terrorism. A judge later found him incompetent to stand trial. In September 2026, following forensic psychiatric evaluations, Gille pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The court accepted the plea, ending the criminal case and ordering his commitment to a state psychiatric facility.

Liam McAtasney was convicted of murdering 19-year-old Sarah Stern in Neptune City, New Jersey, in December 2016. McAtasney lured Stern to the Route 35 bridge, strangled her with a belt and stole approximately $20,000 she had inherited from her mother. He then dumped her body from the bridge into the Shark River and attempted to conceal the crime with the help of his friend Preston Taylor. McAtasney was convicted of murder and related charges in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Brandon Christopher Risner was convicted of murdering his longtime friend, 21-year-old Aaron William Davis, in Rome, Georgia, on November 11, 2022. Davis had travelled to Risner's home while on his way to visit his girlfriend in Alabama. Risner stabbed Davis repeatedly before dismembering his body and attempting to conceal the killing. He pleaded guilty to 12 charges, including malice murder, and was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in July 2024.

James “Jimmy” Rackover was convicted of murdering 26-year-old Joseph “Joey” Comunale following an after-party at Rackover’s Manhattan apartment on November 13, 2016. Prosecutors said Rackover, Lawrence “Larry” Dilione and Max Gemma were involved in the events surrounding Comunale’s death and the subsequent attempt to conceal his body. Comunale was beaten and stabbed inside Apartment 4C before his body was transported to New Jersey, burned and buried in a shallow grave. Rackover was convicted of second-degree murder, concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to 28⅔ years to life in prison.

Lawrence “Larry” Dilione was involved in the killing of 26-year-old Joseph “Joey” Comunale after an after-party at James Rackover’s Apartment 4C on East 59th Street in Manhattan on November 13, 2016. Comunale was repeatedly stabbed during a violent confrontation involving Dilione and Rackover. Afterward, the men attempted to conceal the killing by moving, burning and burying Comunale’s body in a shallow grave in Oceanport, New Jersey. Dilione was originally charged with murder but pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in January 2019 and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Brendan Banfield was convicted of the aggravated murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, and Joseph Ryan in Fairfax County, Virginia, on February 24, 2023. Prosecutors said Banfield and the family's au pair, Juliana Peres Magalhães, were having an affair and devised a scheme to lure Ryan to the Banfield home and make it appear that he had killed Christine before being killed himself. Banfield was convicted in February 2026 of two counts of aggravated murder, firearm use and child endangerment. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole in June 2026 and has since filed notice of an appeal.

Steven Arthur Rios was a Columbia, Missouri, police officer who was convicted of murdering 23-year-old University of Missouri student Jesse Valencia in June 2004. Rios had been involved in a secret sexual relationship with Valencia, who was reportedly threatening to reveal the relationship to Rios's police chief. Valencia was found with his throat slashed near his apartment. Rios was initially convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole, but the conviction was overturned because of evidentiary errors. At his 2008 retrial, he was convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action and sentenced to life imprisonment plus 23 years, with the convictions subsequently upheld on appeal.