Joseph Connelly, 51, was shot and killed outside a Philadelphia neighborhood bar on December 4, 1983, after an argument inside the establishment escalated and moved outdoors. Witnesses saw the confrontation and gave information to police, and officers located the suspected shooter soon after in another bar, where he was reportedly sitting calmly, eating a club sandwich and drinking beer.

The man arrested that day identified himself as Jeffrey Shrader, and the Philadelphia prosecution initially proceeded under that name. A jury convicted Shrader of Connelly’s murder; the conviction carried a mandatory life sentence. After the trial, investigators established that the defendant was actually William Dean Christensen, a fugitive with an extensive criminal history who had been using aliases while moving through the eastern United States. His identification linked the Philadelphia killing to a wider investigation into violent crimes in multiple jurisdictions.

Connelly’s death resulted in a conviction and life imprisonment for the man later identified as Christensen.