Clifford Robert Olson was born Jan. 1, 1940, in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was arrested 83 times from the time he was 17 until his final arrest at age 41 in connection with the murders. Neither his mother nor his father, who worked as a milk truck driver, nor his two sisters and a brother “could explain why Olson was the way he was,” Mr. Mulgrew wrote in his book.

Indignation over what was widely seen as a botched investigation and a $100,000 deal with the devil led many of the parents of Mr. Olson’s victims to form a victims’ rights lobby that became instrumental in the adoption of federal crime-victim laws in the 1980s. The new laws gave victims a voice in the criminal court process for the first time and added victims’ services units to the rosters of most of the nation’s police departments.

Ray King, whose 15-year-old son, Ray King Jr., was killed by Mr. Olson on July 23, 1981, was among the parents who lobbied. His son had been looking for a part-time job when Mr. Olson lured him with a job offer, drove him to a secluded place, killed him with a rock and dumped his body from a cliff, the police said.

“My son wanted to help out because I’d been out of work six months, having two cancer surgeries,” said Mr. King, of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, in a telephone interview. Mr. King was back at work by then — his six-month sick leave was the year before — but money was tight.

“He was the kind of kid who wanted to help, and he had a lot of talent — played soccer, football. Good skier. Very artistic. He could have made a living as an artist,” Mr. King said.

In the 30 years after the murder rampage, Mr. Olson had been a frequent subject of news reports, some of which he initiated by sending letters to victims’ families, or calling reporters.

“He was in the news, it seemed sometimes, like every three months,” Mr. King said. “Hopefully, that’s the end of that,” he added. “Hopefully, I can deal with this now on my own terms.”