Michael Hubert Kenyon, (born c. 1944Baumann, Edward (June 5, 1975). Bond set for enema suspect. ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' in

Elgin, Illinois Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Kane County, Illinois, Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located northwest of Chicago along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River. As of the 2020 United Stat ...

) also known as the "Illinois Enema Bandit", is an American criminal. He pleaded guilty to a decade-long series of

armed robberies Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

of female victims, some of which involved

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

s in which he would give them

enema An enema, also known as a clyster, is the rectal administration of a fluid by injection into the Large intestine, lower bowel via the anus.Cullingworth, ''A Manual of Nursing, Medical and Surgical'':155 The word ''enema'' can also refer to the ...

s. He is also known as the "Champaign Enema Bandit", the "Ski Masked Bandit", and/or simply the "Enema Bandit".Kacich, Tom (2002)
The Enema Bandit.
''Hot Type: 150 Years of the Best Local Stories from the News-Gazette.'' Sports Publishing LLC

Attacks and convictions

The earliest attacks Kenyon was accused of having committed were on two teenage sisters in March 1966 in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...

.'' Champaign-Urbana Courier,'' April 30, 1966 Kenyon graduated from the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

in 1967 and subsequently left the state. The attacks thus ended in Champaign but started anew in

Manhattan, Kansas Manhattan is a city in and the county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County, Kansas, Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big ...

;

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

; and

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Kenyon returned to Champaign, and the attacks resumed, in 1972.Staff report (April 20, 1972). Enema Bandit Assaults Two More U. I. Coeds. ''

'' In May 1975, Kenyon took a job as an auditor for the

Illinois Department of Revenue Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash and Ohio rivers to its south. Of the fifty U.S. states, Illinois has the fifth-la ...

Lincolnwood, Illinois Lincolnwood (formerly Tessville) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 13,463. An inner suburb of Chicago, it shares its southern, eastern, and a small section of its western boundary with ...

.Staff report (September 10, 1975). Bandit trial moved. ''

'' He then committed additional attacks, including those on three

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

flight attendants.Staff report (December 2, 1975). 'Enema bandit' is guilty. ''

'' He also attacked four women in an Urbana sorority house, one of whom was administered an enema.Judith Gardiner (1975). Gail Godwin and feminist fiction. ''

The North American Review The ''North American Review'' (''NAR'') was the first literary magazine in the United States. It was founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others. It was published continuously until 1940, after which it was inactive until reviv ...

Elaine Showalter Elaine Showalter (born January 21, 1941) is an American literary critic, feminist, and writer on cultural and social issues. She influenced feminist literary criticism in the United States academia, developing the concept and practice of gynocr ...

(1981). Rethinking the seventies: Women writers and violence. ''

The Antioch Review ''The Antioch Review'' is an American literary magazine established in 1941 at Antioch College in Ohio. The magazine was published on a quarterly basis. One of the oldest continuously published literary magazines in the United States prior to it ...

'' He was involved in a minor traffic accident later that night, but was not arrested. Kenyon was eventually apprehended in suburban Chicago a few weeks later in connection with a number of robberies there.Staff report (June 5, 1975). 'Enema bandit' suspect to face trial in Champaign. ''

'' During questioning he began to talk about the enema bandit. After his arrest he was judged to be legally sane; in December 1975, he pleaded guilty to six counts of

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

'' Champaign-Urbana Courier,'' December 23, 1975 and was sentenced to six to twelve years in prison for each count, but was never charged for the enema assaults.Staff report (Dec 24, 1975). Bandit sentenced/ ''

'' He was

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

d in 1981 after serving six years.''

Fortean Times ''Fortean Times'' is a British monthly magazine devoted to the anomalous phenomena popularised by Charles Fort. Previously published by John Brown Publishing (from 1991 to 2001), I Feel Good Publishing (from 2001 to 2005), Dennis Publishing (from ...

'' (1996) ''Strange days #1: the year in weirdness,'' p. 29. Cader Books,

In popular culture

* In the 1974 novel ''The Odd Woman,'' written by

Gail Godwin Gail Godwin (born June 18, 1937) is an American novelist and short story writer. Godwin has written 14 novels, two short story collections, three non-fiction books, and ten libretti. Her primary literary accomplishments are her novels, which hav ...

, the protagonist, Jane Clifford, a professor in a Midwestern university town, fears the Enema Bandit, who represents her fears of losing control of her life. * The crimes of which Kenyon was accused were the inspiration for the 1976 adult film ''

Water Power Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kin ...

,'' starring

Jamie Gillis Jamie Gillis (born Jamey Ira Gurman; April 20, 1943 – February 19, 2010) was an American pornographic actor, director and member of the AVN Hall of Fame. He was married to the porn actress Serena. Early life Gillis was born Jamey Ira Gurm ...

, which was later reissued under the title ''Enema Bandit.''Hunter, Jack (2002). ''The bad mirror.'' Creation cinema collection, Vol. 10. The term "enema bandit" came into wider use following the incidents.Murray, Thomas Edward, and Thomas R. Murrell (2002). ''The language of sadomasochism: a glossary and linguistic analysis.'' Greenwood Press, * Kenyon became the subject of

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

's song "The Illinois Enema Bandit", that he and his group played live from September 1975, recorded live in December 1976 and first released on '' Zappa in New York (1978).''Staff report (December 11, 1993). Absolutely free: Frank Zappa bituary ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'' After the song's first live performance, Zappa made it part of the set list of every tour, including the final tour in 1988. * Jazz composer

Henry Threadgill Henry Threadgill (born February 15, 1944) is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. He came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles rooted in jazz but with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating other genres of music. He h ...

recorded "Salute to the Enema Bandit" on the 1986 album ''

Air Show No. 1 ''Air Show No. 1'' is an album recorded for the Italian Black Saint label by the improvisational collective New Air featuring Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins and Pheeroan akLaff with Cassandra Wilson providing vocals on three selections.Backstro ...

.''Chinen, Nate (September 24, 2010)
Whether Jazz, Rock Or War Anthems, A Vintage Harvest.
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' * British metal band,

Lawnmower Deth Lawnmower Deth are an English thrash metal band, who parodied the genre and recorded four albums. Initially active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they reformed in 2008. Biography Main career (1987–1993) Lawnmower Deth were formed in Rav ...

, recorded a song titled "The Illinois Enema Bandit" on their album "Return of the Fabulous Metal Bozo Clowns"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenyon, Michael H. Year of birth missing (living people) American robbers Living people People from Champaign, Illinois People from Elgin, Illinois