About James Dale Ritchie
James Dale Ritchie (November 4, 1976 – November 12, 2016) was an American serial killer who, throughout 2016, murdered five individuals in and around Anchorage, Alaska, most of whom were in parks or along bike paths. He always committed his murders at night, often around midnight or a short time after. Ritchie was killed during a shootout with police officers in downtown Anchorage on November 12, 2016. Following his death, a Colt Python handgun on his person connected him to the string of murders he committed over the course of two months. == Personal history == James Dale Ritchie was born on November 4, 1976. He grew up in Anchorage's Wonder Park neighborhood and attended East Anchorage High School, where – standing at 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) – he was a standout athlete, having played on the 1994 state championship football and basketball teams alongside future professional athletes Trajan Langdon and Mao Tosi. Ritchie was a close friend of Quincy and Bobby Thompson, whose family hosted him often throughout his teenage years. Ritchie scored 1200 on his SAT and was recruited by the West Virginia University (WVU) football team in 1994, one day following the death of Quincy. He subsequently fell out of contact with the Thompson family. After a semester at WVU, Ritchie dropped out and returned to Alaska, and became involved in drug dealing and dog fighting in 1995.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.