Killer Comparisons: Benjamin ("Tony") Atkins and John Cannan
They both claimed to have been sexually assaulted at a young age by an adult at school -- one of them at an inner-city home for boys, the other at a higher-end private school. For both boys, it was an event that influenced a future life of crime. Along with that, the latter boy was from an affluent background, while the former was just the opposite, raised poor and disadvantaged. They are Benjamin ("Tony") Atkins of the U.S. -- specifically, Detroit and Highland Park, Michigan -- and John Cannan of the UK. Both of these men were violent sexual predators, both were done-in by DNA evidence, and both died in prison, Cannon only recently, in late 2024, while Atkins died with HIV in 1997. But how they worked their crimes, how they approached the women they targeted, and who they targeted, could not be more different. While Cannan was well-spoken and well-dressed, presenting himself quite well to reflect his more privileged background, Atkins was down-and-out, homeless most of the...
