Thursday, March 2, 2017

Andrei Chikatilo- Citizen X


Andrei Chikatilo, a school teacher in Rostov, Russia was responsible for 53 murders. Called the "Ripper Of Rostov" or "Citizen X," Andrei was not only a psychopath, he was thought to be the worst serial killer in all of history.  Chikatilo often found his victims at railroads in Rostov. It was thought that Chikatilo had a memorizing  quality and was strangely able to lure his victims with a single stare. He claimed they came willingly before he cannibalized and mutilated them. Most were young children and women which Chikatilo would leave dead in an open wooded area. Andrei was finally caught by police in 1992. An interesting fact revealed in the case was a detail police were most curious about. Chikatilo was asked what had happened to the uterus' of his female victims. Chikatilo  vehemently denied eating them, exclaiming that he was not so sick as to do something that horrible. Chikatilo was locked in a cage during his trial, mainly to keep the mobs from swarming and killing him. Video footage shows him drooling profusely and rocking back and forth, talking and yelling and laughing. This was believed to be a desperate ploy to get an insanity plea. Chikatilo was also quoted to have said about his victims, "The eating of my victim is the ultimate sacrifice they can make for me. They are literally giving themselves to me." He was executed by gun shot to the back of the head in 1994. His last words were, "Don't give my brain to the Chinese!"

Jeffery Dahmer


Jeffrey Dahmer, killer of 17 young men, began murdering at the tender age of 18. Dahmer was one of the few serial killers thought to have a childhood with no head trauma or other issues, though it has been disputed whether or not he was molested as a young child by a neighbor. Dahmer was widely known as a brutalizer of small animals which he doused in acid to view the anatomy of the animal.  What could have turned into a healthy interest in taxidermy, Dahmer used his pleasure in torturing animals to turn himself into a murderer of people instead. Contrary to popular belief, Dahmer did not eat all of his victims. Dahmer claimed he cannibalized some victims to briefly solve his agonizing depression and lonlieness. His thought was to make "living zombies" so that his victims could not leave him. He was most known for drilling a hole in the head of some of his victims as well. Perhaps the scariest moment in victim Konerak Sinthasomphone's life was when Dahmer used his drill on the young man who actually escaped Dahmer's apartment. After police found the 14-year-old naked young man bleeding and stumbling down the street, Dahmer rushed to the boy's side, telling police that the boy was his lover and was only drunk. The police then let Dahmer and the boy go. The boy died later that night at the hands of Jeffrey Dahmer. In 1991, Dahmer was sentenced to life in prison at Portage Wisconsin. He was beaten to death with a mop handle by another prisoner in late 1994.

Richard Ramirez


Richard Ramirez, also known as the night stalker, was a satan worshiper and sociopath, killing at least 16 people between 1984 and 1989. After breaking into homes, his method of killing was shooting, strangulation, and rape. Police were able to help capture Ramirez after discovering a rare sneaker print outside of a victim's home. Ramirez was sentenced to death in 1989 and married one of his groupies. Perhaps the most memorable thing Ramirez did in court was hold up a pentagram inked on his palm, all the while smiling at the press, "See you in Disneyland," he said. Ramirez died of lymphoma in 2013 after spending 24 years in San Quentin.

Ted Bundy


Ted Bundy, who frightened America in the mid 70's, was charming, witty, and above all believable. His notorious pick-up line was simply, "Hi, I'm Ted." His distinctive yellow VW bug later would terrify college co-eds and other young women. Bundy was thought to have killed nearly 30, but notoriously told police "Add one number to that figure and there you have the real number." His modus operandi was mostly faking injuries to gain the sympathy and help of women. After luring the women away, he would strangle and beat the women while raping his victims. Bundy escaped jail twice and was responsible for the Chi Omega murders while his four victims slept peacefully in their beds. Bundy was executed in 1989 by the electric chair, costing taxpayers over 5 million dollars. Jonathan Davis of Korn now owns the notorious yellow VW bug.

Richard Kluklinski - The Ice Man


Richard Kluklinski was a mob hit man whose reign of terror lasted from 1948 to 1986. Claiming to have murdered over 250 people, he was remorseless and uncaring for his actions. Kluklinski was famous for his words, "I would never kill a child or a woman." Kluklinski was indifferent about his crimes except for one instant. When given a hit to kill, his victim pleaded for God to save him to which Kluklinski replied, "I will give you one half hour for God to save you and if he doesn't come, it's the end of you." God never came. Kluklinski also once tied a victim up in a deserted rat-infested cave and videotaped this victim's death as he was savagely eaten alive by the rats. Kluklinski spent the last years of his life in prison in Trenton, New Jersey. He was thought to have died from poisoning from a rival gang, but his real autopsy revealed heart troubles common to people of his six foot five 300 pound stature.

Adolf Hitler


Perhaps the most well known murderer of the twentieth century was Adolf Hitler. As Fuhrer in Germany, Hitler was in power from 1933 to 1945. His marriage to Eva Braun lasted only hours before they reportedly crushed cyanide tablets in their mouths and shot each other in the head. To prevent the public from viewing and possibly displaying their dead bodies, they were also doused in gasoline and burned outside their secret bunker. It has been said that Hitler's brain resides in a museum in a undisclosed basement. Hitler killed at least 11 million innocent victims before his death. Fritz Lang's movie "M" was used as a nazi propaganda film in the early 1940's. Soldiers were told that Peter Lorre's character was thought to be the face of a "typical Jew".

Andrew Cunanan


In 1997, Andrew Cunanan killed at least five people including the fashion designer Gianni Versace, whom he may have had a sexual relationship with previously. Cunanan believed he had contracted the AIDS virus and became unstable with revenge. He wanted to kill any lover that may have given it to him. Shooting himself in the head on a house boat, Cunanan died at the age of 27 and was named one of the FBI's Most Wanted criminals before his death. An unknown fact shown in the picture above is that serial killers are often able to change their faces and demeanor based on avoiding getting caught. Ted Bundy was well known for this tactic, changing his looks based on how close the police were to catching him. After Cunanan's suicide on a houseboat in Miami, reports soon proved Andrew Cunanan was not infected with the AIDS virus.

Albert Fish


Albert Fish was a kindly and frail old man when he committed his monstrous crimes. He claimed to have killed over 100 victims, though the actual number is unclear. A masochist, Fish enjoyed swatting himself with a nail embedded paddle and stuck pins in his rectum for pleasure. What would eventually send Albert Fish to prison was his letter to the family of his victim Grace Budd, who he happily ate and buried in an unknown grave. The particular envelope was recognized by police and Fish was apprehended. He was executed by the electric chair in January 1936. Popular lore has said that the electricity failed to end his life after an X-Ray technician noted dozens of pins in Fish's rectum shorting out the circuits.The photo of the pins in his rectum: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/1928-murder-grace-budd-albert-fish-gallery-1.1277430?pmSlide=1.1277421

Ian Brady and Myra Hindley- The Moors Murderers


Ian Brady and his girlfriend Myra Hindley were responsible for the infamous Moors Murders, which took place in Greater Manchester England between 1963 and 1965. The couple murdered four children, and perhaps the worst fact was that they were also sexually assaulted. Burying the children in the moors, much like a marsh, Brandy and Hindley then quickly searched for their next victims. Some sources have said that, like Karla Holmoka, Myra Hindley was also involved in the sexual assault of the small children. After their arrest, Hindley spent the rest of her life in prison as a reformed citizen but was never released. Brady was branded as criminally insane and spent his life in a psychiatric hospital. He repeatedly pleaded that he never wanted to be discharged and voiced his wish to die.

Ed Gein


Reportedly labeled as the real life version of Buffalo Bill from Silence Of The Lambs, Norman Bates from Psycho, and Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Ed Gein was known to wear the skin of his victims in an effort to possibly change his body image. Noted as an eccentric, Gein not only wore his victims, but used their skins to cover lamp shades, various kitchen utensils and other home furnishings. As a small child, Gein fell madly in love with his mother and after her death, was deeply depressed and distraught at the thought of never loving another woman again. Among other strange incidents, Gein was an avid grave robber and killed two local women in 1957. After his arrest, Gein was charged with only one murder and spent his remaining years in a mental health facility due to his guilty but insane plea. He died in 1986 of respiratory complications.

Elisabeth Bathory


Elisabeth Bathory, the "Blood Countess" of Hungary in the sixteenth century, was widely known as one of the worst female serial killers of all time. Torturing and bathing in the blood of her possible 600 victims, Elisabeth was convinced that the virgin blood of her slain subjects would make her younger and more virile. Although never tried for her crimes, she was imprisoned in 1610 in a small brick cell for four years. In 1614, she was found dead with no apparent cause of death. It is thought she died from acute insanity or possible loneliness.

Jim Jones


Kool-Aid is what immediately comes to mind when Jim Jones is mentioned. However, there is a myriad of facts that go along with Jim Jones legacy of terror. Jones was born into a poor and racist family in Indiana in 1831. Like many budding serial killers, Jim Jones enjoyed killing small animals and then performing funerals for them. As a teenager, Jim Jones joined evangelical churches and became a pastor himself. He created the People's Temple in the 1950's and gained much recognition with hundreds of followers. Moving his church to Guyana, South America, he set up strict rules for his people and refused to let them leave. Democratic congressman Leo Ryan visited the commune in 1978, finding several frantic cult members that begged him to take them with him. Leo Ryan intended to take these members with him to his private plane that day. However, when the congressman reached the plane, a number of Jones' minions arrived on the tarmac with guns. Leo Ryan was killed along with four of his assistants. Soon after the blood shed, Jones began giving out cyanide laced Kool-Aid to his members. In the frenzy that ensued, Jones' recorded voice streamed,"People, don't be this way. Don't be this way. Let us die with dignity." 909 innocent followers died of cyanide poisoning and bodies were stacked one atop the other in an astonishing mountain that covered nearly all of the pavillion. Jones was found with a gun shot wound to the left temple with a pillow cradling his head.
For more information, there is an excellent documentary about Jones called The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. (PBS)

John Wayne Gacy


Twenty-six young men and teenagers were found decomposing in John Wayne Gacy's basement crawl space in 1978. A closet homosexual and serial killer, Gacy saw no reason to cease his actions, believing that he could not and would not be stopped. A model citizen and friend of political associates, Gacy was thought to be the perfect father and resident of Chicago, Illinois. A photo of Gacy shaking hands with prominent political figure Rosalynn Carter can be found readily on the internet and in books. Pogo the Clown was the name Gacy gave his alter ego when dressing up for children's birthdays. In 1978, Gacy was arrested after investigators noticed the putrid smell of rotting bodies emanating from his home. After confessing to 33 murders, Gacy was sentenced to death. "Kiss my ass" were the last words uttered by Gacy before he was given the lethal injection. Tens of thousands of dollars were paid for Gacy's childlike paintings in prison. Other psychotic memorabilia was sold before Gacy's death, showing how enthralled the public was with his crimes.

Leopold and Loeb


Nathan Leopold (front) and Richard Loeb (back) were two teenage boys who murdered young Bobby Franks in the backseat of a car with the blunt end of a chisel. Lovers Leopold and Loeb, believed the crime would bind them together forever. Thinking they could never be caught with an combined IQ of 360, they carelessly suffocated and beat Franks over the head, stuffing his lifeless body in a drainage culvert. They were caught was because Leopold dropped his glasses near the body, which had a unique hinge that only 3 people had purchased in one year. Leopold and Loeb both implicated one another for the killing of the young boy. Even in death, neither would admit to the crime. Loeb was killed in prison by a fellow inmate, while Leopold died 15 years after his imprisonment still "madly in love with Richard Loeb."

Diazen Hossencofft


A supposedly brilliant and terminally ill medical doctor, Diazien Hossencofft, from my home town, Albuquerque New Mexico, was thought to be the conspirator in his wife Girly Hossencofft's disappearance. More a promise than a threat, Diazien repeatedly terrified his wife that he would kill her and would make sure her body would never be found, which it never was. The day before Girly's disappearance, a strange man wearing black face makeup and green fatigues sped up to the Hossencofft residence. Neighbors at once recognized the driver as Diazien. The next day, bloody clothing was found on the side of the road, thought to belong to Girly. Several months before her eerie disappearance, Girly was surprised at home when Diazien showed up with a baby who he claimed to be adopting. His fashion being deceitful, the baby was actually his own son who Diazien was giving up for adoption, not adopting. Diazien also planted drugs in Girly's suitcase before her trip to Malaysia in order to have her severely penalized in a foreign country. It is unclear what the status of Diazien Hossencofft's fate is until more evidence is uncovered.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Lizzie Borden


Lizzie Borden was born in 1860 in the northeast United States with her father and stepmother. Pining to live a privileged and wealthy life, Lizzie was sorely disappointed in her own lifestyle which was far from her aspirations. A possible kleptomaniac, Lizzie stole trinkets and jewelry from local stores to make up for her destitute home life. In August 1892, Lizzie Borden was home alone with her maid. That early afternoon, Lizzie's father came home complaining of a severe headache. He laid down on the love seat and dozed off before being struck in the head with a hatchet eleven times. Such rage was imparted, that Lizzie's father's eye was split in half. Upstairs was the corpse of Lizzie's stepmother,  hacked to death 19 times with the same hatchet. It has been stated that two blows would have killed the Borden parents, but the murderer could not be satisfied without slamming the hatchet down at least a dozen times.Lizzie's innocence was compromised by the fact that she burned her dress which would have been soaked in blood and the hatchet was hidden in the basement with the handle broken off in an effort to disguise the blood that would not wash off. It has been suggested that Lizzie may have suffered from a pre-menstral syndrome called petit mal, which would cause her to act in a dreamlike state unknowingly murdering her parents. Lizzie was acquitted in her trial, although the public and media still accuse her of the murders to this day.

Henry Lee Lucas & Ottis Toole


Confessing to 3,000 murders, Henry Lee Lucas (left) was more likely to have killed at least 350 people with the help of his homosexual lover Ottis Toole (right). By all accounts, Henry Lee Lucas was not pretty by any standard with a glass eye and missing teeth. By age 24, Lucas had already murdered his mother and fled home to become a drifter. After meeting Toole, Lucas became romantically involved with Toole's 12-year-old niece Becky. Abandoning Becky for a life of crime, Lucas and Toole traveled the United States killing innocent victims. When Lucas was finally arrested, he was convicted of 11 murders and was sentenced to death. Lucas died of heart failure at the age of 64, while Toole, serving 6 life sentences, died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 49.

"M"


*spoiler

"M" was the German film that startled an entire nation. Peter Lorre bravely portrayed the murderer and pedophile of small children during the height of his career. Whistling gravely "In The Hall Of The Mountain King", Peter Lorre's character, Hans Beckert, was identified even before he was in the shot of the film. Not only did police search for the killer, but mobsters and the homeless were also involved in catching Hans Beckert. The German word morder was the name given to the killer, meaning murderer. When a blind homeless man overheard the dreadful whistling, he called another drifter over to follow Beckert. To mark Beckert as the killer, the drifter drew a large white "M" (meaning Morder; murderer) on his palm and slapped Beckert on the back. Unknowingly, Beckert walked the streets with his next female victim in hand until he caught the "M" posted on his back in a shop window. Running to a deserted office building, he was followed by mobsters who found him hiding in a closet. Beckert was then treated to an informal trial by the mob in which he cowered underneath the stairs crying out "It's inside me! I cannot help myself!" Police were soon at the scene where Beckert was arrested for his crimes. The film ends with a mother tearfully telling the audience,"The only way we can prevent these things from happening, is to watch our children."

David Koresh


David Koresh, born Vernon Hall in 1959, had a lonely and rough childhood. Raised by a 14-year-old mother, David was depressed and once claimed to be raped by a gang of neighborhood boys at the age of eight. At nineteen, Koresh had already memorized the New Testament despite his illiteracy. A born again Christian, Koresh joined the Branch Davidians and changed his name from Vernon to David. Koresh then invented his own church in Texas which gained many followers in several years. In 1993, authorities became aware of his sect believing it to be an unsafe cult. Koresh's make-shift commune was attacked by bullets and then fire. At the end of the attack, 54 adults and 21 children including David Koresh were found dead from the fire.

Jack Kevorkian


"Dying is not a crime," was Dr. Jack Kevorkian's motto. Assisting in over 130 suicides, Kevorkian gave enormous doses of controlled substances to his patients and was charged with second degree murder for giving out lethal injections that were not prescribed. Kevorkian spent eight years in prison for his crimes still believing he had done nothing wrong. In 2008, Kevorkian gave a powerful lecture to over 4,000 people stating, "My aim in helping the patient was not to cause death. My aim was to end suffering. It's got to be decriminalized." Causing a public uproar on television, Kevorkian revealed his version of the American flag which featured a swastika where the stars should have been. Kevorkian died at 83 of a blood clot in Royal Oak, MI in 2011. Few are aware what a talented and determined jazz musician and oil painter Kevorkian was. A limited edition CD was released in 1997 featuring Kevorkian on flute and organ.

"M" Speech


Hungarian actor Peter Lorre made his film debut as Hans Beckart in the 1931 Fritz Lang film "M". The character of Hans Beckart was based on real serial killer Peter Kurten, who was beheaded right about the time this film was coming out. (Weird.) With enormous bulging eyes, disheveled hair and begging on his knees, Lorre gave a frenzied and incredible speech to a violently hungry lynch mob. A spectacular range of emotions burst forth from Lorre showing his tremendous acting ability. From guilt, terror, excitement, frustration, sorrow, disappointment, contemplation, madness and delight, Lorre fantastically switches tones within seconds.

"But I can't help it. I can’t… I really can’t…. help it! What would you know? What are you talking about? Who are you anyway? Who are you? All of you. Criminals. Probably proud of it, too- proud you can crack a safe or sneak into houses or cheat at cards. All of which it seems to me you could just as easily give up if you learned something useful, or if you had jobs or if you weren’t such lazy pigs. But me? Can I do anything about it? Don’t I have this cursed thing inside me? This fire, this voice, this agony? I have to roam the streets endlessly, always sensing that someone’s following me. It’s me! I’m shadowing myself! Silently…. But I still hear it! Yes, sometimes I feel like I’m tracking myself down. I want to run- run away from myself! But I can’t! I can’t escape from myself! I must take the path that it’s driving me down and run and run down endless streets! I want off! I want off! And with me run the ghosts of the mothers and children. They never go away. They’re always there! Always! Always! Always! Except… when I’m doing it… when I…. Then I don’t remember a thing. Then I’m standing before a poster, reading what I’ve done. I read and read… I did that? I don’t remember a thing! But who will believe me? Who knows what it’s like inside me? How it screams and cries out inside me when I have to do it! Don’t want to! Must! Don’t want to! Must! And then the voice cries out, and I can’t listen anymore! Help! I can’t! I can’t! I can’t! I can’t!”

Lethal Injection

Lethal Injection.


Written by Eric W.
Modern executions have been developed in countries in an effort to make them more humane. In the United States the current method of execution practiced is lethal injection. The process of lethal injection utilizes three drugs. The first injection administered is a solution of sodium thiopental, an anesthetic intended to decrease awareness and eliminate feeling. The next chemical, pancuronium bromide causes paralysis and halts respiration. To complete the process potassium chloride is injected and stops the heart from beating.
There are many problems inherent in the use of lethal injection. Primarily due to the nature of the chemical cocktail used, executions can cause excruciating pain to the prisoner. Many people have varied reactions to these drugs, and there is no way to predict how the chemicals will affect an individual. There also exists the possibility that the mixtures of the injected drugs are not correct. In this situation the prisoner may fully be aware and therefore subject to the horrific pain caused by the potassium chloride as it stops their beating heart. On top of this they are unable to convey this pain, as the pancuronium bromide has paralyzed them. This process is used in modern prisons for executions, yet in many places has been banned for use in euthanasia of animals. Cases have been reported in which prisoners were observed wincing, gasping, and shaking violently.
For more information on this topic, VISIT TEXAS.

Death Penalty

Death Penalty


The following was written by Eric W.
Society can never learn about the workings of the violent mind from a dead person.
Killing people is never justified. Human life is precious and should be cared for, not idly thrown away. Every living thing has potential to achieve accomplishments. Extinguishing life denies the world the opportunity to see these accomplishments come to fruition. Murderers and violent criminals have the same right to live that you and I do. Yes, they may have made the terrible decisions that led to their incarcerations, but this is because there is something within them that compromises their judgment. They may suffer from chemical imbalances or mental instability. These people have something wrong with them, and that is not their fault. They are still worth every effort to understand and rehabilitate.
For more information on this topic, implicate yourself in a murder.

Peter Kurten

Peter Kurten - The Vampire of Dusseldorf


Peter Kurten, known as the "Vampire of Dusseldorf" was a German serial killer responsible for nine killings, seven attempted murders, and fifty-three other attacks. Growing up in a horribly violent household, it would seem Kurten was born into a life of mental instability and life long abominations. An avid arsonist, Kurten explained himself by exclaiming, "When my desire for injuring people awoke, the love of setting fire to things awoke as well." Not only was Kurten a brutal murderer and arsonist, he was also a sexual deviant, targeting young children as his victims. Kurten was arrested for his crimes in May 1930 and was given the death penalty. Guillotined in 1932, Kurten's death was celebrated by the residents of Dusseldorf, Germany.

Bit of trivia: The Fritz Lang film "M" was based on Peter Kurten. The 1995 thriller movie, Copycat, the character of killer Peter Foley disguised his identity by calling himself Peter Kurten.

Kenneth Bianchi & Angelo Buono - The Hillside Stranglers

Kenneth Bianchi & Angelo Buono - Hillside Stranglers


Kenneth Bianchi and his cousin Angelo Buono were a tag team of murderers who shocked and alarmed California and Washington in the late seventies. Also known as the Hillside Stranglers, the pair not only killed 12 children and women, they also raped and tortured others. To add insult to injury, they also injected various window cleaners into the veins of their victims causing horrific pain. Dumping their victims on hillsides and various other street sides, Bianchi and Buono carelessly treated human life as something not to be cherished, but to be ended as quickly and brutishly as possible. Widely known was the fact that Bianchi and Buono tried to abduct the daughter of the famous film actor Peter Lorre. Upon discovering a picture of him in her wallet, they quickly let her go, wishing not to be involved in the murder of a relation to such a prominent film star. Bianchi and Buono's favorite method of picking up their victims was dressing up as police officers and inviting them into their van. Apprehended in 1979, the two were tried for their murders and were both given life sentences in 1980. During the trial, Bianchi pled insanity and claimed to be suffering from multiple personality disorder. "Steve Walker" was the name of his supposed alter ego who Bianchi claimed to have committed the murders. When psychiatrist Martin Orne informed Bianchi that a sufferer of multiple personality disorder would have at least three different personalities, Bianchi relented and admitted that he had been lying. His lover, Veronica Compton, falsely testified in court advocating Bianchi's innocence. She was later sent to prison for the attempted strangulation of another woman. Bianchi betrayed his cousin Buono in the end by testifying against him, but both were still convicted of their combined crimes. Kenneth Bianchi resides in a Washington Prison with all of his paroles denied. Buono, prisoner of the state of California, spent twenty-one years behind prison before dying of a heart attack in his cell.

Albert De Salvo- The Boston Stranger

Albert De Salvo - The Boston Strangler


Albert De Salvo, raised by a horrificly abusive father, grew up in Massachusetts and learned of sexual deviancy early in childhood. This would carry on into his adult life, where he molested small children and raped senior citizens and young women. To gain access into their apartments, De Salvo falsely claimed to be from a modeling agency. So impressed were these women, that they allowed De Salvo to enter, at which point, he would measure them naked as well as dressed. Not until his break-ins were in full effect was De Salvo known to be The Green Man because of the noteworthy green clothing he favored. In 1962, De Salvo earned a new name, that being The Boston Strangler. After raping and strangling his mostly senior citizen victims, he would use panty hose to tie a bow around their necks. This would be considered his calling card. De Salvo famously stated after his incarceration "I don't know why I killed them. I wasn't even excited. And then I went home and played with the kids and watched the report of the murders on the TV." Showing his cold mentality, De Salvo had no emotion regarding the deaths he imposed. The most gruesome murder occurred in 1964 in which De Salvo savagely mutilated his last victim, Mary Sullivan. Between her toes, De Salvo left a haunting and yet optimistic note reading, "Happy New Year." In a desperate and bizarre attempt to rid himself of guilt, De Salvo, on his knees, sobbed to one of his rape victims, "Oh God, what am I doing? I am a good Catholic man with a wife and children. I don't know what to do." What would finally convince police that they had the correct murderer was when they witnessed De Salvo tying his shoes with the exact loops used in his terrible killings. De Salvo was sentenced to life, but spent only a short time in his tiny cell before escaping from prison with two other cons. Not a day later, he gave himself up and returned to his prison cell.  In 1973, Albert Henry De Salvo was found stabbed 16 times by an unknown inmate. De Salvo is estimated to have murdered 13 women in two years. Some believe that he was the first person to be labeled as a "Serial Killer."

In 1968, Tony Curtis played the role of Albert De Salvo in the appropriately named film, "The Boston Strangler." (This is a really well made film and Tony Curtis is incredible. Kait says: 6 thumbs up!)

Fritz Haarmann

Fritz Haarmann


The "Vampire of Hanover", Fritz Haarmann was born in 1879 to an angry and bizarre father who tried to have his son committed to an asylum because he believed Fritz to be mentally deficient. This action was never carried out. As a young man, Haarmann involved himself in petty crimes, often getting arrested because of his sloppy handy work. Changing his aim, Haarmann soon focused on raping and murdering young homeless boys who frequented train stations. Haarmann was brutal with his victims, killing them with a barbaric bite to the neck. Luring them with sweets and cigarettes, Haarmann was able to have his pick with any young boy he chose. Soon, Hans Grans would join Haarmann in his crimes and moved into Haarmann's bloody and disheveled flat. The pair were very open with their killings, often cutting up bodies loudly and walking the streets with buckets of blood. The reason Haarmann was able to get away with this was because his profession was a butcher. When the public began to complain about meat tasting odd, it was rumored that the meat could possibly be human. After Fritz and Hans were listed as suspects in the many murders taking place in Hanover, Haarmann's flat was discovered to be horrifically covered in blood and small boys clothes. When a young mother found a piece of clothing that belonged to her missing son, Haarmann finally confessed to his crimes. In 1924, Haarmann and Grans were charged with the murders of 27 young boys. When asked about one particular missing boy, Haarmann coldly replied, "I should never have looked twice at such an ugly youngster... Such a fellow would have been far beneath my notice." 200 witnesses were called in the trial, damning both Haarmann and Grans. On December 19th, 1924, Haarmann was found guilty. His last words were screamed in the court, "Do you think I enjoy killing people? I was ill for 8 days after the first time. Condemn me to death. I ask only for justice. I am not mad. It is true I often get into a state when I do not know what I am doing, but that is not madness. Make it short, make it soon. Deliver me from this life, which is a torment. I will not petition for mercy, nor will I appeal. I want to pass just one more merry evening in my cell, with coffee, cheese, and cigars, after which I will curse my father and go to my execution as if it were a wedding." The very next day, Fritz Haarmann was beheaded.

Carl Panzram

Carl Panzram


"I believe the only way to reform people is to kill them", Carl Panzram once said of his crimes. Completely void of feelings, Panzram killed at least 21 people, though the number is thought to be more. Born in 1891, he was the son of Prussian immigrant parents. From the age of eight, Panzram was already in trouble with authorities for various petty crimes. Sent to juvenile institutions, Panzram spent his childhood orphaned and alone. As and adult, he was frequently incarcerated and was often argumentative and insubordinate to the guards who subjected him to vicious and relentless beatings. As a free man, Panzram committed a myriad of crimes from arson to sodomy. There was nothing he wouldn't do to satisfy his grim pleasures. By 1920, Panzram was thought to have begun his career of murdering by purchasing a yacht in which he acquired ten men to work for him. All of the crew were drugged, raped and killed at the hands of Panzram. The bodies were thrown overboard. Panzram committed his crimes all over the world, including West Africa where he hired another ten men for his crocodile hunt. The purpose of the trip was abandoned when Panzram killed all the men and then participated in necrophilia before throwing them to the crocodiles. Panzram's Modus operandi varied from shooting to strangulation among other heinous acts. When Panzram was finally apprehended, his chilling words echoed throughout the gallows. "I wish the whole world had but a single throat and I had my hands around it.... I am not in the least bit sorry." In 1930, at the age of 39, Panzram was hung at Leavenworth Prison.
For more information, go yachting with a psychopath.

H.H. Holmes

H.H. Holmes


Herman Mudgett, preferring to be called H.H. Holmes, was responsible for the deaths of 150-200 people between the late 1880's to the mid 1890's. A respectable and attractive young man, Holmes first worked as a prescription clerk at a drug store in Chicago. Scamming and falsely marketing various "cure all" medicines, Holmes was able to purchase a large plot of land in which would become known as the Holmes Castle. With 100 rooms in the huge mansion, Holmes constructed "false partitions, stairways leading nowhere, long dark corridors, trap doors, and secret passageways." In most rooms, there were gas pipes installed with fake valves that would asphyxiate his victims without their knowledge. Also found in the castle were tubs of acid to burn the flesh of his victims as well as a medieval torture rack used to stretch bodies to twice their normal size. There was also an electronic bell that would ring every time a door would open to let Holmes know of any potential escape. Holmes preferred modus operandi was to gas his victims to death in a locked room and then add fire which would torch the flesh of the victims. What would end Holmes reign of terror was the murder of Benjamin Pitezel, a business partner of Holmes, who he killed and dumped in Philadelphia sometime in September 1894. In 1895, Holmes was found guilty of the slaughter of 27 people and sentenced to death. Holmes was subjected to fifteen minutes of unbearable pain when the gallows failed to execute him immediately. He was thirty-six years old. The Guinness Book Of World Records named him "the most prolific murderer in recent criminal history".

Elmo and Grover- Puppet killers


Perhaps one of the most heinous crimes in the twenty-first century was that of Cookie Monster in 2004. Homosexual lovers Grover and Elmo savagely beat Cookie Monster with his own batch of macadamia nut cookies. The San Fransisco murder took place sometime in June during a small get together at Grover's home on Sesame Street. The planning of the merciless crime was set in motion by both Grover and Elmo, who claimed to be jealous of Cookie Monster's allotted cookie allowance, which bordered on fantastically enormous. Cookie Monster's addiction to the sweet pastries led him into a path of self destruction, causing him to nod off during recorded episodes of the well known television show "Sesame Street". Air time was bizarrely taken away from Grover and Elmo, and fights often broke out with the producer. The murder, similar to that of Jack the Ripper's slaughters, became widely known as the bloodiest and chocolatiest killing of all time. Macadamia nuts were found not only in Cookie Monster's brain, but scattered within 50 feet of the crime scene. Grover and Elmo together plead not guilty, but were found responsible for the murder. On December third 2004, Grover and Elmo were hanged by their marionette strings and their handlers were permitted to pull their controlling hands out of their backs in an act of ultimate betrayl.
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