The Dark Chronicles of Stanley Rice: A Tale of Terror

Early Life and Troubled Beginnings

Stanley Everett Rice was born on August 7, 1942, in Concord, Massachusetts, into a family that was anything but nurturing. As the younger of two children, he grew up in a home marred by dysfunction and abuse, yet he maintained a close bond with his elder sister. Those who knew him as a child described Rice as a nervous and quiet boy, polite yet prone to stuttering when anxious or excited.

His troubling behaviors began as early as age five, when he set newspapers ablaze in the family cellar. Not long after, he boldly set fire beneath an oil tank in the same cellar. His penchant for mischief extended to theft, often stealing from his own family. In a bizarre attempt to cure Stanley's fear of loud noises, his father began firing guns in his presence. While this did help desensitize him, it also ignited a fascination with firearms. He started pilfering ammunition from local shops, leading to his first run-in with the law at age 11 for stealing ammunition, which resulted in probation.

Rice's early life was a catalog of escalating delinquency. By February 1955, he was expelled from a private school in Staatsburg, New York, for vandalism. Four years later, he was convicted of auto theft and spent six months in a juvenile correctional facility.

The roots of his deviant behavior were further revealed during interviews in later years. Rice disclosed that his first sexual encounter was at age nine when he was molested by an older man near a railroad crossing. During his time at the Lyman School for Boys in 1955, he documented in his diary forced sexual encounters with other boys. His diary became a repository for his growing sexual fascination with blood and young boys, although he claimed to have refrained from acting on these urges.

In March 1957, the Rice family relocated to Nichol Township, near the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario, Canada. There, Stanley attended the Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School. His fascination with destructive devices grew, leading to more legal troubles. In one stint in prison, he reportedly convinced a fellow inmate to commit suicide by falsely claiming another inmate planned to kill him. After his release on November 28, 1961, Stanley mostly avoided police attention but began sexually abusing young boys.

The Murders Begin

The Disappearance of Keith Henry

On July 12, 1963, nine-year-old Keith Henry vanished from his home in Waterloo, Ontario. His disappearance triggered a massive search by local authorities and volunteers, but they found no trace of him. Despite offering a $1,000 reward, his mother resorting to clairvoyants, and persistent searches, Keith's body was never discovered.

Rice, in chilling diary entries, later confessed to encountering Keith while fishing. He described stabbing the boy to death with a hunting knife, fixated by the sight of blood. He buried the body on the riverbank of the Grand River but could not recall the exact location. That September, after abducting a young boy and driving him to Swansea, Illinois, Rice was arrested. However, Canadian authorities dropped the charges on the condition that his family leave the country. He then moved to Sandusky, Ohio, securing work at an amusement park.

Incarceration and Release

Rice's life took another turn after working at the amusement park. He saved enough money to buy a car for a cross-country trip, eventually returning to his family's new home in Auburndale, Massachusetts. Merely eleven days later, on September 29, he was arrested for possessing unlicensed weapons and detained at the Metropolitan State Hospital. There, he was diagnosed as a schizophrenic with a sociopathic personality. Despite this, he was a cooperative inmate and served a six-month sentence at the Billerica House of Corrections before resuming his travels.

The Murder of Tim Trask

On June 10, 1966, eight-year-old Tim "Timmy" Trask left his Findlay, Ohio home, planning to fish at the Blanchard River. He encountered Rice, who offered to accompany him. Alone together, Rice brutally beat, raped, and ultimately murdered Tim by stabbing him twice and shooting him in the chest. He concealed the body under a pile of wood.

Tim's body was discovered the next day, shocking the community. Shortly after, searchers found a tackle box near the site, which was analyzed for fingerprints. The Courier and WFIN offered an $11,000 reward for information leading to the killer's arrest. Though authorities questioned Rice, they found no evidence linking him to the crime. Rice left Ohio for Concord soon after.

In January 1968, Rice was arrested for forcing two young boys to undress at gunpoint and abusing them. Authorities, alarmed by these actions, confined him to the Metropolitan State Hospital for evaluation. However, he escaped on February 16, fleeing to Hollywood, Florida.

The Death of Nelson Williams

In Florida, Rice befriended Leslie Dean, a salvage yard owner, and took up residence in an ice cream truck. Dean, unaware of Rice's fugitive status, believed him to be honest and intelligent. On May 12, 1968, Rice visited a pond in Broward County where he encountered 11-year-old Lowell "Nelson" Williams and 10-year-old Kevin Polittle. After a brief conversation, the boys refused his offer to go elsewhere. Enraged, Rice shot both with a sawed-off shotgun and stabbed Nelson to death. Two teenagers witnessed the aftermath and alerted authorities, noting Rice's distinctive stutter.

Arrest, Trial, and Imprisonment

Rice's run from the law ended on May 25, when he was arrested in Broward County for speeding. Deputies noticed his resemblance to the suspect in Nelson’s murder and his stutter. A search of his car revealed the murder weapon and incriminating photographs of underage boys. Witnesses confirmed Rice's presence at the crime scene, and during questioning, he confessed to Nelson’s murder and four others in Ontario and Ohio. He also led police to a hidden stash of weapons and pornographic material in Concord, verifying his claims.

Rice was initially charged with murder in all three cases, but Florida prosecutors tried him first. His defense attempted to declare him incompetent due to schizophrenia, but three psychiatrists affirmed his competence. Rice pleaded guilty and received a life sentence. He never stood trial for Henry’s or Trask's murders, though he admitted responsibility. The identities of his other alleged victims remain unknown.

Death and Aftermath

Stanley Rice served his life sentence at Florida State Prison in Raiford, where he died on November 3, 2007. In an interview a year post-conviction, he candidly discussed his life, crimes, and unfulfilled desire to cure his pedophilia.

See Also

• List of serial rapists
• List of serial killers in the United States

Sources

For further reading, visit the Wikipedia article on Stanley Rice.