Johnson County serial killer found ‘unduly familiar’ with prison guard loses appeal

A man in prison for the 1989 deaths of three Johnson County women whose bodies were never found has lost his appeal of a prison disciplinary action.

Richard Grissom Jr. was disciplined by Kansas Department of Corrections officials for passing a sexually explicit note to a female corrections officer.

Grissom, who is a prisoner at the El Dorado Correctional Facility, admitted to writing the note, but said the officer had asked him to write it.

She denied having done that, and Grissom was sentenced to serve 30 days in segregation and fined $20.

On Friday, a three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals, denied Grissom’s appeal of the disciplinary action.

Grissom, now 56, was convicted of killing three young women who disappeared in June 1989.

The bodies of Joan Butler, Christine Rusch and Theresa Brown have never been found.

Based on circumstantial evidence, he was tried and convicted by a Johnson County District Court jury.

His first chance for parole is October 2093, according to department of corrections records.

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 8:53 AM with the headline "Johnson County serial killer found ‘unduly familiar’ with prison guard loses appeal."