Born Evil on ID is investigating the horrifying crimes of Hadden Clark, who murdered schoolgirl Michele Dorr and Laura Houghteling in Maryland. He claims to have killed many more.
Clark cannibalized at least one of his victims, and the police claimed that the killer wanted to literally turn into his victims, which he believed would happen if he actually consumed them. He also enjoyed dressing up in women’s clothing, which earned him the nickname The Cross Dressing Cannibal.
After his incarceration, Clark claimed that he had killed up to 12 people starting when he was a teenager. However, the police have been unable to confirm this gruesome claim.
On May 31, 1986, six-year-old Michele was last seen playing outside her home in Silver Spring, MD. The police believe she went to a friend’s house, where she encountered her friend’s uncle, Clark.
Clark took the girl to a room where he slashed her before attempting to have sex with her corpse. He then drank her blood and ate part of her flesh before burying her in a wood near Baltimore. Michele’s body was not located until 14 years later when Clark showed detectives where he had buried the girl.
The killer was actually interviewed by investigators shortly after the murder. When asked about Michele, he allegedly vomited and told officers, “I may have done something. I don’t remember. Sometimes, I black out and do things I can’t remember.” However, he appeared to have a solid alibi, so he was released.
Hadden Clark killed Laura Houghteling after murdering Michele Dorr
In 1992, Clark began working for the Houghteling family as a gardener in Bethesda, MD. He became obsessed with Penny Houghteling and began stealing and wearing her clothes.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelWhen Penny’s 23-year-old daughter Laura Houghteling came home from Harvard College, Clark became jealous of her. He broke into her bedroom, where he suffocated her and slashed her throat. The twisted killer forced Laura to undress and take a bath before killing her.
The cops caught Clark because he left a fingerprint and hair fibers on Laura’s bloody pillow.
In 1993, Clark pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of Laura Houghteling, and he received a 30-year sentence. In 1999, he was convicted of killing Michele Dorr and received another 30 years.
Hadden Clark claimed to have killed many more women
Between January and April 2000, Clark took the police to another site to supposedly recover the remains of other victims. But none were found.
Later that year, the killer led detectives to a stash of about 200 pieces of women’s jewelry. Several of the pieces belonged to Laura Houhteling, and he claimed the rest were from his other murder victims.
Gruesome killing seems to run in the Clark family; his older brother, Bradfield Clark, was imprisoned in California in 1985 after he was convicted of killing coworker Trish Mak. He grilled some of Mak’s body parts on a barbecue and consumed them.
Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior airs Wednesday at 7/6c on Investigation Discovery.