William Woratzeck was executed by the State of Arizona for the murder of Linda Leslie
According to court documents Linda Leslie was renting a small room from William Woratzeck. Woratzeck would break into the room, sexually assault her and then beat her to death with a hammer before setting a shed on fire in which he had placed Linda Leslie body
William Woratzeck would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
William Woratzeck would be executed by lethal injection on June 25 1997
William Woratzeck Photos
William Woratzeck Case
Linda Louise Leslie was a 36-year-old woman who was physically and mentally disabled due to Huntington’s disease. She lived in Casa Grande, Arizona, in a trailer located in a small trailer park being purchased by Woratzeck from Leslie’s aunt, Medina, and Medina’s brother. Although Leslie received day-to-day assistance from several friends, Medina made the monthly rental payments to Woratzeck for Leslie’s trailer. In February 1980, Woratzeck fell over $2,000 behind in his payments to the Medinas for the trailer park property, and Medina therefore withheld payment of the February rent on Leslie’s trailer.
On March 6, 1980, Leslie was killed inside her trailer and approximately $107 was taken from her. The medical examiner testified that the assailant stabbed Leslie three times in the chest and abdomen, strangled her, and delivered two devastating blows to her head. Her trailer was then lit on fire.
Woratzeck was indicted by the Pinal County Grand Jury for armed robbery, burglary, arson, and first-degree felony-murder. He was convicted by a jury of first-degree felony-murder, armed robbery, and burglary, but was acquitted on the arson count. The sentencing judge found two aggravating circumstances and no mitigating ones and sentenced Woratzeck to death.
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-9th-circuit/1020074.html
