“Hey, come on, babe, follow me
I’m the Pied Piper, follow me
I’m the Pied Piper
And I’ll show you where it’s at.”
“The Pied Piper,” Crispian St. Peters, 1965
Alleen Rowe should’ve been fast asleep. But something compelled her out of bed and into the night with Tucson’s very own Pied Piper.
In 1965, Tucson, Arizona was a mix of the wild west and suburbia. The teenagers were bored and looking for excitement.
Speedway Boulevard or “The Speedway” was the place to gather for the local kids. The cool guys with hot cars would slowly cruise up and down the street while the girls would hang around deciding who would be lucky enough for their attention that night.
Smoking, booze, and sex were all anyone cared about. And they got plenty of that at The Speedway.
Who was Charles Schmid?
Charles “Smitty” Schmid, Jr. was the leader of this rebellious teenage society. He was born on July 8, 1942, and adopted by Charles and Katherine Schmid. They were a very well-to-do couple who owned and operated a local nursing home.
As a teenager, Smitty was good-looking, intelligent and an accomplished gymnast. But he always had a rebellious streak. Just before graduation, Smitty was caught stealing tools from his high school’s machine shop. He was suspended from school but never returned.
By the time he was 23, Smitty was living in a small house on his parents’ property. He lived rent-free, had a new car and received an allowance from his parents.
Smitty spent most of his time at The Speedway with his best friends Paul Graff, John Saunders and Richie Bruns. Smitty also had a girlfriend, 19-year-old Mary French, although he continued to have his fun with other girls.
Mary was extremely loyal to Smitty. And while she hated that he stepped out on her, she would put up with anything just to be his girlfriend.
Although Smitty was conventionally attractive and popular with the ladies, he wanted more attention. At only 5’3, he worked at appearing taller by stuffing his cowboy boots with newspaper and flattened cans.
Inspired by Elvis, Smitty began dying his hair black, wearing pancake makeup to darken his skin and applied white lip balm to his lips. He would also draw in a fake mole on his cheek.
As bizarre as this new appearance sounds, it didn’t detract from his female followers. Smitty hosted parties almost every weekend.
Young Charles Schmid
Photo Credit: Murderpedia.comGretchen Fritz
Gretchen Fritz
Photo Credit: WikipediaGretchen Fritz was a regular at Smitty’s parties. She was 16 years old, beautiful and popular, and thrived on drama.
Gretchen caught Smitty’s attention and they soon began dating. The relationship was volatile from the start.
Unlike Mary, Gretchen was demanding and possessive.
She had little patience for Smitty’s wondering eyes and would call him five or six times a day. Not one to be controlled, Smitty began distancing himself from Gretchen.
But Gretchen was not one to be rejected so she threatened to tell a secret about Smitty that he would kill to keep quiet.
She knew all about Alleen Rowe.
Charles Schmid and his signature look
Photo Credit: Arizona Daily StarThe Murder of Alleen Rowe
Alleen Rowe
Photo Credit: WikipediaAlleen Rowe was 15 years old and lived with her recently divorced mother. They had moved to Tucson for a fresh start. Alleen never got herself into trouble. She was respectful and sweet—and did well in school.
Being new and not having many friends, Alleen began to hang out with her neighbor, Mary French. Alleen’s mother immediately disapproved of the friendship. It was clear that Mary was “trouble”.
But Alleen was lonely in a new town and Mary was her only friend.
On the night of May 31, 1964, Norma left for her nursing shift. Alleen was showered and headed to bed.
Not long after Norma left, Alleen heard knocking on her bedroom window. It was her friend, Mary. She was with Smitty and his friend John Saunders.
Mary was able to convince Alleen to hang out for a bit. With her hair still in curlers, she threw on a robe and climbed out of her bedroom window.
The four drove out past the city limits of Tucson and into the quiet desert. After parking, Smitty told Alleen he wanted to show her a small creek not far from the car.
Mary stayed in the car while Smitty and John walked with Alleen. Once they were far enough away from the car, Smitty and John attacked Alleen.
After binding and sexually assaulting her, Smitty bludgeoned Alleen to death with a rock. He then buried her in a shallow grave.
Back at the car, Mary heard her young friend’s terrified screams. But she only turned up the car radio to drown out the sounds.
The Murders of the Fritz Sisters
Wendy Fritz
Photo Credit: WikipediaOn August 16, 1965, Gretchen and her 13-year-old sister, Wendy, had just parked at the drive-in movies when one of Gretchen’s friends stopped by and informed her of a party that Smitty was having that very night.
A party that she hadn’t been invited to. Livid, she started the car and headed to the party.
Gretchen and Wendy arrived at Smitty’s house where the party was in full swing. She stormed over to Smitty and began screaming at him. Very quickly, everyone left the party until it was just Smitty, Gretchen, and Wendy.
Gretchen suddenly got very quiet and with a smirk, told Smitty that she knew all about Alleen Rowe. And she was going to tell everyone about it.
In that moment, Smitty decided to get rid of Gretchen. Permanently.
Smitty strangled both sisters and loaded their bodies into the trunk of his car. He drove out to the desert and left them partially buried.
The Arrest & Conviction of Charles Schmid
Charles Schmid in custody
Photo Credit: Murderpedia.comIn October of 1965, Charles Schmid, John Saunders, and Mary French were arrested for the murders of Gretchen Fritz, Wendy Fritz, and Alleen Rowe.
John Saunders pled guilty to first-degree murder and Mary was found guilty of accessory to murder in the death of Alleen Rowe. Charles Schmid was found guilty of the murders of Gretchen Fritz, Wendy Fritz, and Alleen Howe and sentenced to death.
Smitty briefly escaped prison in 1972. After holding four people hostage and trying to disguise himself with a blonde wig, Smitty was recaptured and returned to prison.
Charles Schmid after recapture
Photo Credit: Investigation DiscoveryOn March 10, 1975, Smitty was stabbed 47 times by two inmates. He lost an eye and most of the stab wounds were to his face and upper body.
On March 30, 1975, the Pied Piper of Tucson was pronounced dead, and the strange hypnotizing hold he had over the teenagers in this desert town faded away into the sunset.
