Thomas Earl Grettenberg (1951–52 — 1989) was an American

serial rapist A serial rapist is someone who commits multiple rapes, whether with multiple victims or a single victim repeatedly over a period of time. Some serial rapists target children. The terms ''sexual predator'', ''repeat rape'' and ''multiple offending' ...

from

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

who attacked and

sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexua ...

at least 10 and possibly as many as 24 women in 1977. He was known as the "Austin Choker". Grettenberg's victims were predominantly young

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish women studying at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

at Austin. His ''

modus operandi A (often shortened to M.O. or MO) is an individual's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as . Term The term is often used in ...

'' included: nocturnal attacks; entry of the domicile while victim was asleep, strangulation with an electrical cord to the point of unconsciousness, followed by rape and

sodomy Sodomy (), also called buggery in British English, principally refers to either anal sex (but occasionally also oral sex) between people, or any Human sexual activity, sexual activity between a human and another animal (Zoophilia, bestiality). I ...

. Identified via police sketches, Grettenberg, an aircraft refueler, was arrested at his apartment in the fall of 1977. In December, he was found guilty of three counts of aggravated sexual assault and two of

burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal offence. Usually ...

of a habitation. He was sentenced to 123 years in the Texas Department of Corrections but served only nine. Less than six months into his 1986

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 ...

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Grettenberg attacked two teenage girls in separate incidents. Convicted of burglary and theft, a Harris county court this time sentenced Grettenberg to a term of

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

with no eligibility for parole for 20 years. In 1989, one of his

victims, a former teen

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contestant named Lisa Kilgore, filed a

negligence Negligence ( Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate care expected to be exercised in similar circumstances. Within the scope of tort law, negligence pertains to harm caused by the violation of a duty of care through a neg ...

suit against the Texas State Pardons and Parole Board for his 1986 early release. In September of the following year, in what is believed to be an unprecedented action, the Board admitted to error (but declined explanation) and settled out of court with Kilgore in the amount of $125,000. Grettenberg died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

in prison a few weeks later.

Sources

*Melissa Tarkington, "State Says It Will Pay Rape Victim", ''Austin American Statesman'', 09-17-1990, p. A1 *Unknown, "Austin Serial Rapists," ''Austin American Statesman'', 08-04-1991, p.B8 *Ron Lubke, "Police See Pattern in Nine Rapes", ''Austin American Statesman'' 07-12-1995, p. B1 {{DEFAULTSORT:Grettenberg, Thomas Criminals from Texas 1989 deaths American people who died in prison custody American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Texas Prisoners who died in Texas detention Deaths from cancer in Texas Year of birth uncertain American people convicted of sexual assault American people convicted of rape Violence against women in Texas