In March of 1972, Robert Hansen went to trial for his Assault with a Deadly Weapon charge against the real estate secretary. In the vagaries of the criminal justice system, the kidnapping, rape and assault with a deadly weapon charges brought against him in the Patty Roberts case were dropped in return for a no contest plea in the other case.
At his trial, Hansen’s minister — his wife Darla was extremely religous — testified on his behalf, portraying him as a good Christian man who provided an excellent Christian environment for his wife and family. Much was also made of the fact that Robert was a hardworking soul who worked two jobs to provide for his family. The good reverend recommended leniency in the charges against his lost little sheep.
Robert Hansen at his 1972 arrest (courtesy Alaska State Troopers)
Hansen was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment on the charges involving the real estate secretary, but the judge granted him a Suspended Imposition of Sentence (SIS). By June of 1972, Hansen had been transferred to a halfway house.
“Hansen was back on the prowl, driving the Avenue, whetting his appetite for excitement while still in the Half Way house.” Sgt. Glenn Flothe
Walter Gilmour was having none of it — for all the good it did him. The following excerpt is taken from an early draft of Butcher, Baker.
“I had not been persuaded by the goody two-shoes bullshit of the defense. I could care less that Hansen was a world class bow hunter who owned the record for a Dall’s sheep, even if it did have a fresh bullet mark in the horns. To me, he was just an ugly, pockmarked man who wore glasses and stuttered. To me, he was a clumsy, and therefore dangerous, kidnapper and rapist, who might very well have killed Beth van Zanten. Still, there was a general feeling among the Troopers at the time that Hansen was not our man. He was, so the feeling went, just too wimpy to fit the profile of a killer.
“I can usually take or leave the opinions of psychiatrists, and I only have confidence in their diagnosis when it happens to agree with mine. But after his arrest for the abduction of Sandra (Robyn) Patterson, Hansen was given a psychiatric evaluation by Dr. J. Ray Langdon, and I still find his thoughts illuminating. Dr. Langdon found that Hansen ‘exhibited a compulsive personality structure with thought disorder, perhaps with periodic episodes during which he dissociated in a psychotic rather than neurotic fashion.’ The good doctor concluded that, assuming his diagnosis was correct, Hansen’s mental illness ‘would be very difficult to treat successfully.’
“Langdon also included his evaluation the finding that Hansen ‘in his teens used to fantasize doing all sorts of harmful things to girls.’
“When all the psychiatric gobbledygook was cleared away, it was evident that Dr. Langdon didn’t think much more of Robert Hansen than I did. I thought he was a creepy little shit who was not a prime candidate for redemption. As far as I was concerned, Hansen’s fantasies as a teenager were becoming all too real as an adult. Unfortunately, mine was the minority viewpoint.”
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