'Terror in Ypsilanti' author to sign books about slayings that terrorized city in 1960s this weekend
YPSILANTI, Mich. (FOX 2) - An author who penned a book about the Ypsi Ripper, a man believed to have murdered numerous teens and young women in the 1960s, will be in Ypsilanti to sign copies of the book Saturday.
Greg Fournier wrote "Terror in Ypsilanti" about the Michigan Murders and convicted killer John Norman Collins. Fournier will be doing signings at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum. Copies of the book will also be for sale.
Between 1967 and 1969, seven females between the ages of 13 and 21 were found dead in the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor area, gripping residents with fear as the Co-Ed Killer remained on the loose.
MORE: Behind Ypsilanti's Michigan Murders
Collins was sentenced to life in prison after he was found guilty of the final murder, the slaying of Eastern Michigan University student Karen Sue Beineman in the summer of 1969.
While Collins was only ever tried for one of the murders, investigators believe he was responsible for more deaths, including a murder in California.
Fournier was attending Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti during the Michigan Murders and lived near Collins. He used firsthand knowledge and people associated with some of the cases to write "Terror in Ypsilanti."
Meet Fournier in the Archives at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum from 2-4 p.m. Saturday. He will also be signing copies of his book "The Elusive Purple Gang," about Detroit's 1930s mob.
Fournier has also authored other Michigan-centric books, including a book about Richard Streicher Jr., a young boy found dead in an Ypsilanti park during the Great Depression.