Between 1977 and 1984, Cameron and Janice Hooker kept Colleen Stan inside a wooden box under their bed, only taking her out to torture her.
As a teenager, Cameron Hooker became increasingly withdrawn, worrying his family. They had no idea he would become a monster. In 1988, a California judge called Cameron Hooker “the worst psychopath I have ever dealt with” during his trial for kidnapping, raping, and torturing Colleen Stan, known as “The Girl in the Box.” Hooker kept her prisoner under his bed in Red Bluff, California, from 1977 to 1984.
Together with his wife Janice, Cameron invented a fictional agency called the Company to threaten Stan into submission. They told her that if she tried to escape, the Company would come for her. However, in 1984, Janice Hooker turned her husband over to the police because she could no longer bear his crimes.
Janice And Cameron Hooker’s Marriage Before The Atrocities Began
Cameron Hooker’s early life didn’t hint at the monster he would become. Born in 1953 in Alturas, California, he was described by former classmates as a “happy kid” who loved making others laugh. However, when he met Janice, his future wife, a darker side emerged.
Janice was just 15 when she met the 19-year-old Hooker, who was working at a lumber mill. Insecure and yearning for love, Janice quickly latched onto him. Despite Hooker’s request to suspend her from a tree using leather handcuffs, she complied, hoping to secure his affections. As their relationship progressed, so did the violence Hooker inflicted on Janice.
Cameron and Janice married in 1975. Their sadomasochistic acts escalated, including whippings, chokings, and underwater submersions that nearly killed Janice. They made an agreement: they could have a child if Cameron could have a “slave girl” to act out his painful fantasies. Janice agreed, with the condition that he would never have intercourse with the girl.
The Kidnapping Of Colleen Stan, “The Girl In The Box”
In 1976, Janice gave birth to a daughter. Then, in May 1977, they found their victim – 20-year-old Colleen Stan, who was hitchhiking. Stan accepted their offer for a ride, reassured by Janice and the baby. However, as soon as they were off the highway, Cameron threatened Stan with a knife and locked her in a wooden “head box” he had designed and kept in the car.
Back at their home, Hooker subjected Stan to unimaginable tortures, including whippings, electrocution, and rape. While Cameron was away at work, Stan was kept chained up in a coffin-like box under their bed. Cameron had Janice create a “slave contract” for Stan to sign, referring to herself as “K” and Cameron and Janice as “Master” and “Ma’am.” Although Stan was eventually granted more freedom, she still spent most of her days locked in the box.
In 1984, Cameron Hooker told Janice he would take Stan as a second wife, which pushed Janice to her breaking point. She confided in her pastor, who urged her to escape. Janice then revealed the truth about Cameron to Stan, and together, they fled. Stan called Cameron to let him know she was gone, to which he allegedly cried. A few months later, Janice reported Cameron to the police.
Cameron Hooker Finally Faces Justice For His Crimes
Both Janice and Stan testified at the trial, delivering emotional accounts of the abuses they had suffered. Janice even confessed that Cameron had tortured and killed another girl, Marie Elizabeth Spannhake, in 1976. Cameron’s defense argued that the sexual acts were consensual and should not be considered criminal, highlighting Stan’s compliance. However, the jury found Hooker guilty on seven of eight counts, including kidnapping and rape. He received a sentence of 104 years in prison.
The judge, in a remarkable statement, thanked the jury for rejecting the defense psychiatrist’s claims and described Cameron Hooker as “the most dangerous psychopath I have ever dealt with.” Hooker tried to appeal the verdict but was denied. He has been imprisoned since 1985.
In 2015, at age 61, Hooker applied for parole but was denied once again. He continues to serve his century-long sentence.
After reading about the monstrous crimes of Cameron Hooker, consider exploring the terrifying murder of Kelly Anne Bates by her boyfriend, and the haunting story of Sylvia Likens.