Richard Allen Davis is an American convicted murderer and child molester whose criminal record fueled support for the passage of California's “three-strikes law” for repeat offenders and the involuntary civil commitment act for sex offenders and predators. He was convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder with special circumstances (burglary, robbery, kidnapping, and an attempted lewd act upon a child under the age of 14) of a 12-year-old girl named Polly Klaas. As of March 2022, he remains on California's death row in the Adjustment Center at San Quentin State Prison.
Davis: Hell no. I didn't kidnap that little fucking broad man, get real.
I would also like to state for the record that the main reason I know that I did not attempt any lewd act that night was because of a statement the young girl made to me while walking her up the embankment:
"Just don't do me like my Dad".
Richard Davis. Lot of two ADS (1 ALetterS, 1 ACardS) : (1) #10 Commercial (4.125" x 9.5") ALS/envelope. Pmk: October 17, 2006. SEALED. Content unknown. Pristine; and (2) #9 (4" x 9") ACS/envelope. Pmk: (n.d.). SEALED. Content unknown. Pristine.
Richard Allen Davis (born June 2, 1954 | age 69) is a convicted murderer, whose criminal record fueled support for passage of California's "Three strikes law" for repeat offenders. He is currently on death row in San Quentin State Prison, California. He was convicted in 1996 of first-degree murder and four special circumstances (robbery, burglary, kidnapping, and a lewd act on a child) of 12-year-old Polly Klaas. Klaas was abducted October 1, 1993, from her Petaluma, California, home.
A San Jose, California, Superior Court jury recommended the death sentence for Davis on August 5, 1996. After the verdict was read, Davis stood and flipped the bird at the courtroom with both hands. Later, at his formal sentencing, Davis read a statement claiming that Klaas had said to Davis, "Just don’t do me like my dad," just before Davis killed her, implying that Klaas' father was a child molester. Klaas' father reacted angrily and left the courtroom to avoid causing further commotion. Judge Thomas C. Hastings proceeded with the formality of the death sentence, saying "Mr. Davis, this is always a traumatic and emotional decision for a judge. You made it very easy today by your conduct.”
Notes
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics: Kidnapping - Rape
Number of victims: 1 - 2
Date of murders: October 12, 1973 / October 1, 1993
Date of arrest: November 30, 1993
Date of birth: June 2, 1954
Victims profile: Marlene Voris, 18 (his girlfriend) / Polly Klaas, 12
Method of murder: Shooting / Strangulation
Location: Sonoma County, California, USA
Status: Sentenced to death on August 5, 1996
The three girls played in Polly‟s bedroom. As Halloween was a few weeks away, Kate, who was dressed as a “hippie,” and Gillian applied makeup to Polly‟s face to make her look “dead.”
At one point, Rick opened a can of beer and began drinking it, but Deputy Rankin told him to pour out the beer.
Deputy Sheriff Mike McManus arrived at Jaffe’s property to inspect the scene. He and Jaffe found an unrolled condom one to two 10 feet away from the clothes, a torn Rough Rider condom wrapper, two pieces of strapping tape, a beer bottle, an empty plastic six-pack holder, and a book of matches.
Rick realized he had to kill Polly to avoid returning to prison, so he strangled her with a piece of knotted cloth. He later cinched a piece of cord tight around Polly‟s neck “just to make sure,” then dragged her to some bushes and covered her body with a piece of plywood and chunks of wood that he found in the area.
… the nightgown was pulled up and inverted under her arms, which were folded across her lap. Her pink blouse was untied and her white mini-skirt had been pulled up to her chest, but she was still wearing her bra and panties. Her legs were spread outwards, bent at the knees and hips, which suggested that the body had not been haphazardly thrown into the brush or that rigor mortis had previously set the legs in that position.
Rick again described how he had strangled Polly with a piece of cloth. He added that when he eased up on the cloth, he thought he heard her groan, so he tightened up the cloth again and tied a knot. He then tied a cord around her neck and waited for Polly‟s movements to stop, which he described as taking “forever.”
Sergeant Mike Meese told Rick that they found semen during an examination of Polly‟s remains. When Rick asked where the semen was found, Meese responded, “on the body,” to which Rick replied, “not in her though.” Rick denied sexually assaulting Polly. When asked how semen could have wound up on Polly‟s body, Rick replied, “Look I told you at least it wasn’t in her.” He added: “What I'm trying to tell you is that in my mind, at least I didn’t try to stick my dick in the fucking little girl.” When pressed again about the semen, Rick responded, “that’s something that I’m going to have to live with and run through my mind over and over and over and over again.” He also claimed it was a “load off” his mind and he was “glad” when FBI Agent Taylor told him that semen was found on Polly but not necessarily in her because he did not want that “hanging over” him. Rick expressed concern that he would be mistreated in prison if other inmates considered him a child killer and molester. At the end of the interview, Rick said: “I have to see what comes out of forensic – hope nothing comes up. Hope nothing’s in there.”
Rick told a court-appointed psychiatrist that he masturbates twice daily while thinking of the female victims of his past crimes, and that he imagines tying them up.
In Dr. Park Dietz’s view, Rick’s statement that he masturbated twice a day while fantasizing about tied-up crime victims was strong evidence that he was a paraphiliac.
Polly Klaas was born January 3, 1981. She was described as funny, intelligent, and beautiful, “an absolutely extraordinary child” who was warmhearted with a sunny disposition and an infectious laugh. She played the piano and the clarinet, and had a particular love for acting on stage. She was afraid of being alone in the dark, often sleeping with her lights on and fearful that “a bad man would come and take her in the night.”
At the close of his statement, Rick set off a commotion in the courtroom when he claimed he knew he did not commit a lewd act upon Polly “because of a statement the young girl made to me when walking her up the embankment: ‘Just don't do me like my dad.’”
“Mr. Davis, this is always a traumatic and emotional decision for a judge. You’ve made it very easy today by your conduct.”i
VIDEO: The Story of Richard Allen Davis | https://youtu.be/kD131dmCB-U
VIDEO: American Justice: Career Criminal Abducts and Murders 12-Year-Old (S5, E26) - Full Episode | https://youtu.be/xnrp89oVwzk
VIDEO: Polly Klaas: Kidnapped - FULL EPISODE - The FBI Files | https://youtu.be/9G9oWPowwMA
VIDEO: Richard Allen Davis sentenced to death (1996 raw video) | https://youtu.be/JCYu2GUkR5c
VIDEO: Interview with Richard Allen Davis (part 1) | https://youtu.be/AikZ0rD2E-k
VIDEO: Interview with Richard Allen Davis (part 2) | https://youtu.be/UpuezNRlFX8
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i (2023) Murderpedia.org. Available at: https://murderpedia.org/male.D/images/davis_richard_allen/s056425.pdf (Accessed: 12 March 2023).