Philip Jablonski: California man wooed woman with jail letters, married and then brutally killed wife and her mom
Philip Carl Jablonski murdered five women between 1978 and 1991 across California and Utah. He served 12 years in prison for the murder of his first wife Linda Kimball in 1978. Following his release in 1990, he went on to take the lives of four more innocent women, namely Carol Spadoni, Eva Petersen, Fathyma Vann, and Margie Rogers.
While Jablonski was apprehended in April 1991 and sentenced to death for his cold-blooded crimes, he would eventually die of natural causes in 2019. At the time, he was on death row and awaiting execution by the state of California. That said, of all his murders, the most gruesome was probably the double-homicide of Burlingame mother and daughter duo Peterson and Spadoni in 1991 — a year after his parole for murdering his first wife Linda.
Jablonski's case is being portrayed in an Investigation Discovery special 'The Serial Killer Among Us: Phillip Jablonski'.
Pen pals to lovers
Spadoni and Peterson were dependent on each other and mostly kept to themselves, distanced from society. However, it later emerged that they were part of a church group that was trying to encourage its parishioners to talk to prisoners in a bid to convert them to Christianity. The pair thus began an epistolary relationship with Jablonski and assumed it would be harmless considering he was locked up in San Quentin prison. The killer's letters were described as "charming" and "happy-go-lucky" by former Detective Eric Haseleu in the latest ID special.
Spadoni's cousin, who wasn't identified, is heard in investigative journalist Barry Bortnick's research tapes, recalling how Spadoni "wrote constantly." "I think she almost wrote every day. And he'd write back a lot," she said. "I would say they wrote to each other two to three times a week at least." The relationship continued for two years before Spadoni agreed to marry Jablonski — despite knowing he's in prison for killing his first wife.
"I guess she thought she could save him, or that she could be of benefit to him, you know, and that he's a changed man..." the cousin added.
Unmasking the monster
Jablonski is said to have manipulated Spadoni and preyed on her inexperience with people. As time went on, Spadoni became concerned as Jablonski's letters became more and more sexually charged and violent in nature. According to Bortnick, the killer sometimes made references to Spadoni's mother Peterson as well, fantasizing about what he'd do to her.
Spadoni eventually stops visiting her husband in prison. In fact, she misses 13 conjugal visits set up by Jablonski. According to the anonymous cousin, Spadoni was being pressured into these visits and she always "took her mother" along to feel safe. She says Spadoni even cut her hair short due to his behavior during the visits. "She said he used to put his hands around her throat and say 'you have such long beautiful hair I feel like strangling you with it,' or something to that effect," the grieving relative said. "And after that, she cut it."
In 1985, Jablonski sets up a "family gathering" in prison — inviting his parents and expecting Spadoni to bring hers along as well. However, she declines the invitation, sending the killer into a fit of rage. Jablonski proceeds to attack his own mother and almost kills her before his father intervenes, resulting in an additional five-year sentence.
The murderer was paroled in 1990, but not allowed to enter San Mateo County per terms of his agreement. Spadoni was already afraid that he was out of prison, and tragically, her worst fears came true shortly after his release. "Jablonski was definitely a wolf in sheep's clothing. Waiting to prey on these women as soon as he got out of prison," Det. Haseleu remarked.
Double homicide
On April 26, 1991, officers arrived at Spadoni's Burlingame residence. They rescued two dogs who were barking running around inside the property. Authorities first discovered Peterson's nude lifeless body on the floor. Det. Haseleu recalled graphic details including how her face was covered with a towel and pushed into her mouth with a bullet hole. Further inside the house, officers located the partially naked body of Spadoni. The victim reportedly had several stab wounds in the chest area and had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. Spadoni had duct tape completely covering her head and mouth, indicating she was brutalized before her death.
To know more about the rest of Philip Carl Jablonski's mind-numbing homicides in dramatic detail, we recommend you watch the riveting ID documentary in its entirety.
The Serial Killer Among Us: Phillip Jablonski premieres Thursday, September 3 at 9 pm ET/PT on Investigation Discovery.