The Charismatic Killer of Tucson | Toronto News

Toronto News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 4, 2026 · 1m

In the late 1950s, Charles Schmid, a 5’3” charmer in Tucson, built a mythic persona—stuffed boots, makeup, wild tales of car theft and seduction—to lure teens and women into his orbit. But his charm masked a monstrous streak: on May 31, 1964, he murdered 15-year-old Alleen Rowe after she rejected him. His reign of terror continued when he killed two more teens—Gretchen Fritz and her 13-year-old sister Wendy—after Gretchen uncovered his diary confessing to multiple murders. Caught after a confession, Schmid was sentenced to 50 years, but his sentence ended tragically in 1975 when he was…