Charles H. Schmid Jr. may have been spared the death penalty by the Arizona Supreme Court, but other prisoners did not spare him.
On March 20, 1975, Schmid was attacked in his prison dormitory and stabbed and slashed repeatedly.
From the Arizona Daily Star, Saturday, March 22, 1975:
Killer Schmid Fights For Life After Stabbing
By KEN BURTON
Star Staff Writer
Triple-killer Charles H. schmid Jr., stabbed and slashed between 14 and 20 times in a Thursday attack at his Arizona State Prison dormitory, remained in critical condition at Maricopa County Hospital yesterday.
"I don't think you would be overstating the case if you say he's fighting for his life," said Arthur Paxton, an assistant to the hospital administrator. "Any time a patient is in critical condition, he is fighting for his life."
The 32-year-old Schmid was attacked Thursday afternoon, according to prison superintendent Harold Cardwell, in one of the eight-man trusty dormitories located outside the prison wall, but inside the prison chain-link fence.
Schmid was stabbed in one eye, in one lung, was severely slashed in the abdomen and intestines and sustained a severed ureter and numerous other, lesser wounds, all in the face, chest and front torso.
Cardwell said three knives, two of them homemade and fashioned from a putty knife and a piece of steel, were confiscated immediately after the attack.
Schmid died 10 days after he was attacked. From the Star, Monday, March 31, 1975:
Schmid Dies From Wounds
Charles H. Schmid Jr., who gained international notoriety for the slaying of three teenage girls in Tucson 10 years ago, died at 12:30 a.m. yesterday.
Schmid had been hospitalized at Maricopa County Hospital since March 20, when he was stabbed and slashed between 14 and 20 times at the Arizona State Prison in Florence.
As a result of the assault, doctors removed Schmid's badly cut right eye and sutured a damaged lung. Schmid did not respond well to treatment, however. He developed a blood infection, a tracheotomy had to be performed to aid his breathing and his kidneys failed.
Arizona State Prison superintendent Harold Cardwell said yesterday he expects Pinal County authorities to file charges Wednesday against two inmates in connection with Schmid's death. He said the names of the suspects will be released when they are charged.
Schmid's mother, Katharine Lab, said that Schmid said on his deathbed that he was stabbed by friends. She said he kept asking "Why did they do it? Why did they do it?"
Lab said she never believed her son was guilty of the murder for which he was in prison, and she remained convinced of his innocence at the time of his death.
Schmid was buried in the prison cemetery.
On April 4, two inmates were arrested at the prison for Schmid's murder. Jimmy L. Ferra, 26, of Apache County, was serving sentences of 10 years to life for second degree murder and 1-2 years for assault with a deadly weapon. Dennis R. Eversole, 22, of Phoenix, was serving 5-10 years for five counts of armed robbery.
The two pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Ferra was senteced to 10-20 years and Eversole to 10 years. The new sentences were to be served concurrently with the existing ones.
Capt. Dale Davis, chief of prison security, said he believed Schmid was attacked because he backed out of a prison escape plot.
Dotting the I's
Barry W. Headricks, the Tucson Police officer who captured Schmid when he escaped, was killed in a gun battle during a narcotics raid Oct. 28, 1974. He had received six commendations during the five years he was with the Tucson Police Department, one of them for his capture of Schmid.
Like Schmid, Headricks had been a gymnast in high school. That was likely his only similarity to Schmid. Headricks graduated from Catalina High School in 1965, and went on to letter in gymnastics at the University of Arizona. He graduated from UA with a degree in public administration.
John Saunders had been sentenced to life in prison, which could mean as little as 10 years. A John R. Saunders whose age, sentence, crime and date he began serving his sentence match those of the John Saunders in question, was released from the state prison in Florence in 1990. However, the Morgue Lady can't be sure she has the same man.
Mary French served her sentence and was released in December, 1968. She planned to return to Texas where her parents lived.
And so ends the sad, strange tale of the Pied Piper of Tucson.
