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This true crime documentary examines the crimes, the killer, and the victims. #serialkillerdocumentary #serialkillersdocumentaries #truecrime #listenable #crime_news #documentary

Update- Harvey finally died in prison at age 95. In America during the early 1970s a killer lurked in Minnesota, Washington and other Western states killing at least 5 people. By all rights this creature should never have had the opportunity to kill again after being sentenced to death in 1949 for a murder he committed in Alaska. Because of improper police procedure he was able to receive parole for that killing in 1960 and resumed his hunt for victims. Harvey. Louis. Carignan. The Want Ad killer A K A Harv the Hammer. Harvey Carignan was born May 18 1927 in Fargo North Dakota to a single mother in her early 20s. He was passed around various family members and descended into criminality at an early age. He was sent to a reform school at age 11 where he would spend 7 years. During this time he claimed he was sexually abused by female staff members and was also diagnosed with a nervous disorder characterized by twitching arms and legs. At age 18 he left the reform school and joined the army. 4 years later he would commit the murder for which he was sentenced to death. In 1949, Harvey Carignan assaulted and murdered a 57 year old woman named Laura Schowatler. Not long after his sentence, Carignans lawyers filed an appeal. The Supreme Court found that his confession had been obtained illegally as the police had promised he would not be executed if he confessed. Because of this the death sentence was nullified and Harvey was transferred to the infamous Alcatraz prison. He would spend 8 years in the rock until he was paroled in 1960. Only a few months after his release, Carignan was arrested for burglary, assault, and attempted rape in Minnesota. He was convicted and sentenced to 2 and a half years in Minnesota state prison and and just under 6 years in federal prison at Leavenworth in Kansas. Again the convicted murderer be paroled in 1964. He moved to seattle where he would be arrested the same year he was released, this year for burglary. For this he was sentenced to 15 years in Walla Walla state prison. But he was released on parole after barely 4 years had passed. He got married in 1969 to a woman named Sheila Moran. He then moved in with her and her daughter. But, that same year he was arrested yet again for violating his parole and for robbery. His wife also divorced him due to physical abuse during his year sentence in prison. 2 years after his release, in 1972, Carignan would marry again, this time to a woman named Alice Johnson, a mother of 2. Her son, Billy, would soon leave the house due to the physical violence he suffered at the hands of Harvey. Also in 1972, Harvey killed again. A woman name Virginia Piper disappeared. Another woman, 19 year old Laura Brock, was found beaten to death. Witnesses had witnessed her climbing into Carignans truck. The next to fall prey to the depraved killer was a 15 year old girl named Kathy Sue miller. She had responded to an wanted ad for employees at a gas station. She was assaulted then beaten to death with a hammer. Her body would not be found for 2 months. 2 boys found her naked body wrapped in plastic on the Indian Reservation near Everett Washington. One month after killing Kathy Sue Miller, Harvey attacked a woman named Mary Townsend. The 47 year old had been waiting at a bus stop when she was knocked unconscious. When she awoke in his truck, he demanded she perform sexual acts. Fortunately she was able to escape by leaping from the moving vehicle. Within days, he would be arrested for assaulting his wife Alice, and she left him. However, he was free to kill again 3 months later. In September 1973, he picked up a 13 year old hitchhiker named Jerri Billings. He assaulted her in his truck before releasing her. Unfortunately she did not report the crime for months. Harvey picked up another hitchhiker in May 1974 in Minnesota. Her name was Eileen Hunley. The pair began dating and Harvey moved in with her. But, when she attempted to leave him that August, he killed her with a hammer. When her body was found over a month later, her skull had been crushed from the hammer blows, and she had been assaulted using a tree branch. In September of that year, Carignan picked up a pair of hitchhikers in Minneapolis. 17 year old June Lynch and 16 year old Lisa king. He took them outside of town and attacked them with a hammer. Lisa escaped while he smashed June, and he dumped her body out of the truck and sped off. One week later, he attacked Gwen Burton who he had picked up in a Sears parking lot. She narrowly survived the ordeal after he dumped her unconscious in a field. Over the next week, Harvey would attack 3 more women. Versoi and Diane Flynn were picked up and forced to perform depraved acts on Carignan while he threatened them with a hammer if they did not comply. They were able to flee the monster when he stopped to get gas. But, his next victim, Kathy Schultz would not be so lucky. Her body was found by hunters in a cornfield 40 miles outside of Minneapolis. Once again, her skull had been smashed by repeated blows from a hammer. Police in Minneapolis and Washington were coming together at this point to compare crimes and were able to present a lineup to surviving victims. Harvey Carignan was picked out as the attacker. When he was arrested, police found maps in his possession which had been marked with red circles in both the US and Canada. Some of these designated places where Carignan had applied for work and others where he had purchased vehicles. However, others linked the killer to unsolved murders and attacks on women. One of these circles was at the location where Laura Brock had been kidnapped in Washington, one designated the place where a murdered girl had been found in North Dakota, and another was placed at at the intersection where Mary Townsend had been waiting for a bus when Harvey attacked her with a hammer. In February of 1975, Carignan was tried for his crimes against Gwen Burton. He attempted to claim insanity and explained that God had instructed him to attack women. The jury was not fooled and found him guilty. His sentence was a maximum of 40 years in prison. Unfortunately, Minnesota law prevented a sentence from exceeding 40 years and so the other guilty verdicts did not add to his time behind bars. He was found guilty for the assault on Jewry Billings, the murder of Eileen Hunley, and the murder of Kathy Schultz. Luckily, his sentence was changed to Life imprisonment and he has been denied parole. He was sent to the Minnesota Correctional facility in Bayport. As of 2022, according to Minnesota’s corrections database he is still alive at age 94 and housed at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Faribault- thankfully this changed in 2023 and he is no more.

Charles Henry Gaskins was an American serial killer. He was born in South Carolina in 1933. He referred to himself as the meanest man alive. He drove a hearse and bragged that he had his own private cemetery. #serialkiller #truecrime #crime

In the early part of the 20th century an American serial killer was convicted of 5 murders but confessed to more than 20. This vicious monster killed in both North America and Africa on his murderous travels. Carl. Panzram. Carl Panzram was born in 1891 in Minnesota to Prussian immigrants. When he was a small child, truancy laws came into effect which forced his parents to send him and his siblings to school. His parents resented this as it prevented the children from working full time on their farm. It is said that often the children were forced to go on only a couple hours of sleep so they could work the fields and go to school. Panzram’s first arrest occured at age 8 for drunk and disorderly conduct. Then at age of 11 he was again arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. After a subsequent series of robberies, including the theft of a firearm, his parents had enough. They sent him to the Minnesota State Training Schoolin 1903. Later Panzram recounted how he was beaten and sexually assaulted by staff at the school. The majority of the violence occured in what the boys referred to as the “paint shop. It got this nickname because upon leaving the building, they would be “painted” with blood and bruises. After enduring the abuse for 2 years, Carl Panzram burned the school down in 1905, causing around $100,000 of damage. He was not caught for the arson, but instead talked his way into being released. Panzram was soon sent to another reformatory. For a brief period This time the Red Wing Training School. After being paroled to his mother's custody in 1906, he convinced her that he wanted to be a priest. She sent him to the Immanuel Lutheran Church. However, this did not last and he was expelled after he pulled a gun on one of his teachers. After he was expelled, he hopped a freight train on it’s way out of Minnesota. During this train ride, he claimed he was raped by 4 hobos, but this claim cannot be verified, but either way his rage and hatred for humanity cannot be disputed. Yet his freedom did not last and again he found himself in reform school for a brief period, until He escaped the Montana State reform school with another inmate and the 2 went on a robbery and arson spree. In 1907, Panzram got drunk and decided to enlist in the US Army. He was repeatledly jailed for insubordination and other minor violations until in April 1908 was soon court martialed for theft of government property. He was dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 37 months of hard labor in Leavenworth military prison in Kansas. When he was discharged in 1910, he returned to his wandering life of crime. It was during this time he began focusing on sexually assaulting other men, described himself as the spirit of hatred personified. He would spend time in almost 20 different American prisons in subsequent years for a variety of crimes. He was a large man and due to his time at Leavenworth prison, he was also immensely strong. One of the few time he worked a semi-legal job was as a strikebreaker hired to beat union workers into compliance. Panzram travelled to Europe and South America committing crimes all along the way. In 1920 he was back in the US he burglarized the home of the former president William H Taft in New Haven Connecticut. Panzram stole jewelry and other valuables, but more importantly he stole a 45 caliber 1911 handgun, which he would use to commit multiple murders. After selling the items stolen from the Taft mansion, Panzram bought a yacht called the Akista. He then lured men from New York bars to back to yacht before raping them, shooting them with the stolen pistol and dumping their bodies off the coast of Long Island. Panzram would later estimate that he killed 10 men during this period. This pattern of murder only ended when the Akista ran aground and sank near Atlantic City which allowed the 2 victims onboard to escape the killers grasp. In 1921, after serving 6 months in Bridgeport, Connecticut for burglary and carrying a gun illegally, Panzram boarded a boat to Angola, Africa. He worked as the foreman of an oil rig, which he would later burn down. While in Angola he also murdered a boy he said was roughly 11 years old. When asked about the boy, panzram said “his brains coming out of his ears when I left him and he will never be any deader.” While in Africa, Panzram said he hired 6 locals to help him hunt for crocodiles. When they towed him to where the animals were, he shot the men, raped their bodies and fed them to the crocodiles. Knowing that people had seen him leave with the men to go hunting, Panzram left the area and was back in America in 1922. In New York he strangled a woman just for the front. In 1928 he was arrested for a series of burglaries in Washington DC, which led to a sentence of 20 years once more in Leavenworth. Tantrum promised he would kill the first man who came across and his victim was Robert Warnke a civilian laundry foreman, for whose murder Carl Panzram was sentenced to death. On death row, Carl Panzram Row in my lifetime, I have murdered 21 human beings. I have committed thousands of burglaries, robberies, larcenies, arsons, and last but not least, I have committed ****** on more than 1000 male human beings. For all these things, I am not the least bit sorry. His attitude of unrepentant lasted right up until the end. Where on the day of his execution, on September 5th, in 1930, he complained to the executioner. Hurry it up, close your *******. I could hang a dozen men while you're fooling around. These were the killers last words. #crime #serialkiller #documentary

For more than 20 years a vicious serial killer lurked in West Germany murdering women and children before eating their flesh. This monster confessed to killing at least 14 people to fulfill his twisted desires. Joachim. Kroll. The Ruhr Cannibal. Kroll was born in 1933 in a village called Hindenburg in Germany near the polish border. He was the sixth child out of nine and during World War 2, his father was a prisoner of war in Russia after fighting as a German soldier and would die in a Russian prison. Joachim was known as the town idiot and only stayed in school up to the third grad. He would later be found to have an IQ of 76. In 1947 his family moved to West Germany, where Kroll would later hunt his human victims. The murders began in 1955 shortly after his mother died in late January. The first victim was a 19 year old named Irmgard Strehl who Kroll killed in February 1955 only weeks after his mother passed away. He had asked the young woman to go with him on a walk. After she rebuffed his attempt to kiss her, he responded by stabbing her 4 times and raping her before strangling her to death. Her body was found in a barn and she had been disemboweled similarly to how an animal would be butchered. He was only 22 years old at the time. In 1956 Joachim Kroll would strike for the second time in a small town called Kirchhellen. Erika Schuletter was only 12 years old when she crossed paths with the depraved cannibal. She was raped and strangled to death. In later years when he stood trial, Kroll would not be charged with her murder due to a lack of evidence connecting him to the crime. 3 years later, the killer would earn the nickname “the Ruhr hunter,” after he sliced strips of meat from his third victim. Manuela Knodt was 16 when she was attacked by Kroll in 1959 near Essen. He raped and killed before slicing flesh from her legs and taking it with him to eat. Around this time he also killed 24 year old Klara Jesmer in the woods outside of Rheinhausen. Another 3 year period would pass before the next known victim of Joachim Kroll was killed. In late April 1962, when 13 year old Petra Griese was raped and murdered near Rees Germany. This time in addition to taking meat from her legs and buttocks, Kroll also removed her left forearm and hand to be consumed. Kroll struck again that June. Another 13 year old disappeared on her way to school. Her name was Monica Tafel and her body was found in a rye field with portions of meat taken from her thighs and buttocks. The next murders was shifted the pattern slightly and some speculate that it was in an effort to mislead the police who sought the Ruhr Hunter. Also in 1962 a 12 year old girl named Barbara Bruder was murdered in the city of Burscheid Germany. In August 1965, Kroll attacked a young couple. While they sat in their car, he slashed their tire with a knife. Then when the driver, Herman Schnitz, Kroll stabbed him to death before fleeing the scene. Just over a year after attacking the couple in the car, Joachim Kroll was back to his preferred victims. In September 1966, kroll attacked and murdered a young woman named Ursula Rolling. Only 3 months after killing miss Rolling, Kroll murdered what is likely his youngest victim. Ilona Harke was only 5 when she crossed paths with the monster. Her butchered body was discovered in Wuppertal Germany with flesh removed from her buttocks and shoulders. Kroll seemed to become very confident he would not be caught and in 1967 while living in The city of Grafenhausen Germany it almost led to him being found out. He was making friends with the local children. Kroll even had them refer to him as “uncle.” One of these children was a 10 year old girl who caught the eye of the killer. He told her he would show her a rabbit and lured her into a field. Instead of a rabbit, he showed her pornographic pictures. She became extremely upset, and when Kroll reached for her throat, she ran to safety. Before police could question Joachim Kroll about the incident he had fled the city. By 1969, he was at it again. In July he broke into the home of a 61 year old woman named Maria Hettgen in Hueckeswagen Germany. Kroll strangled her to death in the front room of her home before abusing her corpse. Less than a year later, Kroll reverted to his favorite type of victim, children. In May of 1970, he attacked a 13 year old girl named Jutta Rahn in Breitscheif Germany. He strangled the young girl and then assaulted her corpse as he had with previous victims. There is not another known victim until 1976. Karin Torpfer was a normal 10 year old girl in the city of Dinslaken on her way to school when she was attacked by Kroll. She was strangled and assaulted sexually by the monster before being discarded. That same year, Kroll would make mistakes that would lead to his capture in a small community called Laar near the western border of Germany. A 4 year old girl named Marion Ketter was had been playing in a park near the apartments where Kroll lived. The building had shared bathrooms on each floor used by all the tenants. When police were going door to door asking for information about the missing girl, one of Kroll’s neighbors had a horrific report for them. Joachim Kroll had told him that one of the toilets in their floors bathroom was clogged and to avoid it. When the man asked what clogged it, Kroll responded “mit Orgahnen” which translates to “with organs.” The police brought in a plumber to clear the pipes out to find what was in them. They were horrified when he pulled out the lungs of a child along with other organs. The police immediately rushed to speak with Kroll. What they found in his apartment was as bad as what would he found decades later in the apartment of Jeffrey Dahmer. Once police searched Joachim Krolls apartment, they found a large amount of human meat. His freezer was filled with bags of flesh and on the stove was a boiling pot. Inside that stew was carrots, potatoes, and a child’s hand. At this point they were sure they had caught the killer who they had been searching for. When he was interrogated, Kroll told them he had lost count of the number of people he had killed, but could recall at least 14 and that he took the strips of meat from his victims to save money on groceries. The police only had enough evidence to charge Kroll with 8 of the murders he confessed to and 1 attempted murder. Unfortunately Germany had abolished executions after world war 2 and so in 1982 after a lengthy trial, Kroll was given 9 life sentences. He died of a heart attack in 1991 in Rheinbach prison. #serialkiller #crime

This true crime documentary examines the crimes, the killer, and the victims. #serialkillerdocumentary #serialkillersdocumentaries #truecrime #listenable #crime_news #documentary

An unknown killer terrorized the border area between New Hampshire and Vermont from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. This monster is suspected of 7 murders though the actual number maybe much higher. Many of his victims were ambushed in wooded areas and stabbed repeatedly before being left to die. The. Valley. Killer. The first victim was attacked on October 24, 1978 in the Chandler Brook Wetlands Preserve in New Hampshire. Cathy Milican had been bird watching in the area when she failed to return home. Her body was found the following day with almost 30 stab wounds. In late July, 1981 a 37 year old woman named Mary Elizabeth Critchley went missing while hitchhiking on Interstate 91 along the border of Massachusetts and Vermont. Her remains were found on August 9th in a wooded area near the city of Unity in New Hampshire. Investigators were unable to determine the cause of death to decomposition. Next to die at the hands of the killer was a 17 year old nurses aid named Bernice Courtemanche. On May 30th 1984 she had been hitchhiking along route 12 in New Hampshire to meet her boyfriend in Newport. When she never arrived, she was reported missing. She was not found until a fisherman stumbled across her remains in April of 1986. Medical examiners were able to determine that she had been stabbed in the neck as well as bludgeoned in the head. Less than a month after Bernice Courtemanche went missing, Ellen Fried went missing. That night the 27 year old nurse had been using a pay phone to speak with her sister in Claremont, New Hampshire. During the call, Ellen commented on a vehicle which had driven past slowly several times. The next day, she did not show up for work. Her car was found abandoned a few miles from the pay phone on Jarvis Road. Ellen Fried’s body was not discovered until September 1985 in the woods near Kelleyville New Hampshire. She had been stabbed repeatedly and the medical examiner found evidence of sexual assault. In July 1985, a 27 year old woman named Eva Morse was hitchhiking on Route 12 near Charlestown New Hampshire when she went missing. A year later, her body was found by logggers a few hundred feet from where Mary Elizabeth Critchleys remains had been discovered in 1981. She had been stabbed in the neck multiple times. The next victim was not killed while hitchhiking or traveling along the highway. 36 year old Lynda Moore was working in her yard in Saxtons River, Vermont, on April 15 1986. When her husband got home that evening he found his wife murdered. She had been stabbed to death and the home was in disarray as if there had a violent struggle. In this case there had been several eyewitnesses that reported seeing a man in the neighborhood. They described him as a dark haired man with a medium build and carrying a blue backpack. The police would make a composite sketch with the information supplied by the neighbors. Less than a year later, on January 10th, 1987, the Valley Killer struck again. 38 year old Barbara Agnew was driving along I-91 home from a ski trip when she was killed. A snow plow driver found her car at a rest stop in Hartford, Vermont, with the door open and blood on the steering wheel. Her body was found in late March among some trees near Hartland, Vermont. It was snowing heavily on the night that Barbara went missing and police do not know what led to her pulling into the rest stop, since she was only 15 minutes from her home. On August 6th, 1988 a 22 year old pregnant woman named Jane Boroski was on her way home from the county fair in Keene, New Hampshire when she was attacked. She had stopped in West Swanzey to buy a drink. She pulled into a closed convenience store which had a vending machine out front. As she walked back to her car she saw a Jeep wagoneer had parked nearby. Once inside her car, she watched in her rear view mirror as the other driver walking around her car. He asked her if the pay phone outside the convenience store was working, and when she opened her door to respond, he pulled her from the vehicle. As he did so he was shouting that she had attacked his girlfriend. Despite her denials, he stabbed her over 2 dozen times before jumping into his car and fleeing the scene. Borowski was able to climb into her car and started to drive toward a friends house along New Hampshire Route 32. At this point she realized that the vehicle in front of her was the attacker. When she reached her friends house they came outside to help her and called an ambulance. The jeep turned around and drove past the house slowly before driving off. In the hospital, doctors found that Jane Boroskis jugular vein had been partially severed, both lungs had collapsed, her kidney had been damaged, and several tendons had been slashed in her hands and knee. Thankfully her baby survived, but would later be diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Boroski was able to provide police with a description of her attacker and the first 3 characters of his license plate. However, the attacks seemingly stopped after Jane Boroski and the case went cold. There are also several other potential victims which have been connected to the case. In Charlestown New Hampshire, Joanne Dunham was a 14 year old in June 1968 when she was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. She is thought of as a potential victim of the Valley killer due to the proximity to the later victims. In October 5, 1982, a 76 year old named Sylvia Gray was beaten and stabbed to death outside her home in Plainfield, New Hampshire just a day after she was reported missing. A 38 year old man named Steven Hill went missing in June, 1986. In mid July, his body was found in Hartland, Vermont just across the Connecticut river from where Sylvia Grays body had been found 4 years earlier. He had also been stabbed to death. In June 1989, a woman’s severed arms and legs were found along Massachusetts Route 78 near the town of Warwick. The woman was never identified nor were the rest of her remains found. Her death was ruled as a homicide and has never been solved. On July 25th, 1989 a 14 year old girl named Carrie Moss left her parents house in New Boston, New Hampshire and disappeared. 2 years later her skeletal remains were found in some woods near her hometown. Her death was considered a homicide despite the cause of death being impossible to determine. There have also been a handful of suspects throughout the years but none have been conclusive. The three primary suspects were Delbert Talman, Michael Nicholau, and Gary Westover. Delbert Talman was 21 when he confessed to the 1984 murder of a 16 year old named Heidi Martin in Hartland Vermont. She had been raped and stabbed to death. He would later recant his confession and was eventually acquitted. The location where Heidi Martin’s body was found was barely a mile from where Barbara Agnew’s body would be found in 1987. In addition to the proximity of the 2 dump sites to one another, Talman lived in the area where the other murders occurred. In 1996 he was convicted of lewd acts on a minor and imprisoned until 2010. There is no concrete evidence connecting Talman to the Valley killer murders other than his recanted confession, however he was considered a person of interest. Michael Nickolau was a Vietnam veteran who had been dishonorably discharged from the military after he and several others were accused of shooting into civilian villages in 1979. He was initially charge with murder and attempted murder but these charges were dropped. There were also reports of him leaving the base with only a knife, after telling others he was going out to “hunt humans.” After being kicked out of the military he married a nurse named Michelle Ashley. The couple had 2 kids and lived near the area where the murders occurred. She would go missing in 1988 and was never found. In addition to living in the area Nicholau drove a Jeep Wagoneer which was the same vehicle Jane Boroski reported her attacker as driving. Nicholau later married a woman named Aileen Bowman. After he broke her shoulder, Aileen fled with her daughter. In 2005, Nicholau found them at Aileen’s sister, Audrey Leon’s, house and forced his way inside. He was wearing a black suit and tie similar to those in Reservoir Dogs and he was carrying a guitar case filled with guns. Aileen’s sister called the police and told them the situation. When law enforcement arrived, Nicholau brandished a firearm before retreating into the house. Before police could enter the home they heard gunshots and found Nicholau and Aileen dead. Aileen’s daughter was taken to a hospital and later died of her injuries. In addition to his history of violence and the jeep wagoneer, Michael Nicholau also looked remarkably like the composite made of the man who neighbors had seen the day Lynda Moore was murdered. When a private incestigator approached Jane Boroski, she intially said that Nicholau somewhat resembled her attack, but later was almost certain he was the man who stabbed her. One issue with Nicholau is that he was in Virginia during some of the murders, however this does not necessarily preclude him one hundred percent. Gary Westover was 46 in 1997 when he confessed to his uncle Howard Minnon, that he had been involved in the murder of Barbara Agnew in 1987. Westover was a paraplegic and claimed that he and 3 friends had driven from Grafton, New Hampshire to Vermont. He was wheelchair bound and his friends helped load him into the truck he claimed they used to abduct Agnew. Minnon was a retired sheriffs deputy and relayed the information to the police, but they did not find it credible enough to investigate seriously. Westover died in 1998. To this day the Valley Killer murders have not been solved.

In the 1970s and 80’s California’s highways served as the hunting ground for multiple serial killers. Dozens lost their lives to the depraved killer that stalked the roadways of the Golden State. One of these vicious monster claimed the lives of 21 young men and boys, sometimes with the help of his disgusting accomplices. The victims were put through a horrific ordeal of torture and abuse before their deaths. William Bonin, the Freeway Killer

In the early 1970’s a vicious killer stalked the city of Baghdad. Those he killed sometimes recieved strange phone calls before having their homes invaded and their heads bashed in. In some cases he killed whole families at a time to satisfy his greed and bloodlust. This case differs from others covered on this channel because to this day there is a question as to whether the man and accomplices who the murders were attributed was actually the killer or scapegoats and the real killer was actually Saddams secret police. Hatem Kazeem Al-Hadum. Also known as Abu Tubar, the hatchet man. Hatem was born in 1932 in Hillah, Iraq. He briefly served as a policeman after school until 1951. After this he studied at the Air Force academy but was kicked out after he began flying training aircraft like a stunt plane in 1956. At this point he traveled to Kuwait and studied business. Hatem returned to Iraq to work as an accountant until he was arrested for misusing state funds. He was sentenced to 2 and a half years in jail. After being released, Hatem moved to Europe, specifically West Germany. He spoke several languages including English, German, Persian, Arabic, and Kurdish. These language skills were a great benefit as he began smuggling weapons and cars into Greece, Turkey, and Syria. After spending several years as a smuggler Hatem returned to Iraq in the early 1970’s. Iraq had changed while Hatem was in Europe. In 1968 there was a coup in Iraq and in 1969, Saddam Hussein officially took power. During his reign, the regime’s secret police killed thousands of people, and some believe the Abu Tubar murders were committed at the behest of the government to justify unwarranted searches and arrests of those who spoke out against the regime. An interesting side note is that while the nickname given to the killer translates to the hatchet or cleaver man, the weapon used was more often a metal pipe. The first known murder was that of a Jewish man in the Bataween neighborhood in Baghdad in early 1973. This area is near to the Palace. The killers MO was to call the victim, likely to confirm they are home, before knocking on the front door and forcing his way in once it was opened. Blood was smeared on the walls and was sometimes used to write threats. The first victim turned out to be a poor man and the killer gained little if anything from the attack. The second attack claimed the lives of a husband and wife. Majida Al-Hamami and her husband Rashid Murad Rashid lived in the Mansour neighborhood. Using the skills he learned at the police academy, the killer scouted out the home then approached soon after the first murder in 1973. He pushed his way into the home and used a metal pipe to threaten the couple into telling him where they hid their valuables. When this failed he beat them to death then ransacked the house. For the next murder the killer was more ambitious, targeting retired police chief Bashir Al-Sultan and his family on April 9th of 1973. For this murder it is suspected that Hatem recruited his nephew and possibly other family members to commit the heinous act. The crew watched the home from the garden of an abandoned house next door in the early morning hours. They waited until they knew the family was asleep before they moved in. They got in through an open window and massacred wveryone inside the house which included Bashir, his wife, their young son, and Bashir’s nephew. The city of Baghdad was struck with terror as the murders escalated. People avoided leaving their homes and locked every door and window. A friend of mine from Baghdad told me that his family told him that they sometimes slept on the roof to avoid being in the house if Abu Tubar broke in. In September of 1973, Hatem and his nephew targeted Jean Ernest in the Karadat Maryam neighborhood which is next to what would become the Green Zone. The killers cased the home before breaking in and murdering the occupants, Jean, his wife, and daughter. They were all killed by blow to the head, before the killers stole all the cash and valuables in the house. There was likely a fight as blood belonging to Hatems nephew was found inside. The final murder stands out as different from the others. The victim was a barber. During his questioning, Hatem said he killed the man after they argued over the price. After killing him, he stole not only cash, but his carpets and furniture. With a murderer on the loose, the situation had become dire in Baghdad. The police conducted routine searches and the city was under a strict curfew. Under the guise of searching for the killer Saddam used the opportunity to purge dissidents. The search for the killer and anyone who spoke against Saddam lasted until the nation became focused on the war between Israel and Egypt in October 1973. The killer was also inactive during this conflict which some believe was because he took part in the fighting while others believe the regime was simply not promoting the line to engage in their searches for those who spoke out against the government. The angle of a government conspiracy is reinforced by the fact that the task force tasked with catching Abu Tubar was raised at one point by Saddams bodyguards. There was also a phone call from someone who claimed to be the killer that was traced back to the presidential palace. When this was investigated the task force was disbanded and the investigator who ran the call center was imprisoned. The reign of terror ended in September of 1974. Someone called the police to report a suspicious man hanging around an abandoned house. When police arrived and stopped him, they initially were inclined to let him go when he explained he was a former policeman. However, when they had him show them his home, they found a stockpile of items stolen from the victims and he was arrested. During the interrogation, Hatem confessed to the 12 murders although this was likely coerced. His wife also said that he came home covered in blood on multiple occasions. He claimed that he killed the victims to “set them free.” He was executed. The suspect was paraded through the streets in a white lab coat spattered with blood. Hatem Al-Hadum was sentenced to death. The execution took place at 5am on October 8th 1974. We will never know for sure whether he was the true culprit or if the series of murders was committed by the government for the benefit of the regime.

This true crime documentary examines the crimes, the killer, and the victims. #serialkillerdocumentary #serialkillersdocumentaries #truecrime #listenable #crime_news #documentary

This true crime documentary examines the crimes, the killer, and the victims. #serialkillerdocumentary #serialkillersdocumentaries #truecrime #listenable #crime_news #documentary

In a 10 year period, a serial killer murdered at least 8 women in the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana. Some of the victims were stabbed to death and some were strangled. All this done while the killer was in a committed relationship and working as a clerk in a convenience store. Sean Vincent Gillis, the Zip Tie killer aka the Other Baton Rouge Killer. Sean Vincent Gillis was born on June 24th 1962 in Baton Rouge Louisiana. His father was an alcoholic who once held a gun to the infants head before abandoning the family when Gillis was still a baby leaving him to be raised by his mother and grandparents. He exhibited violent tendencies and aggression early. Neighbors of the Gillis family reported seeing him having fits of rage and that he was a bully. As a teenager, Gillis began smoking marijuana and picked up an interest in satanism. Around age 17 Sean’s dad came back into his life. For a brief period, the 2 spend a good deal of time together. This ended when Sean discovered photos of nude men among his fathers belongings. After Gillis graduated from high school, he began working at a nearby 711. He disliked the job and moved between several stores. He also began to visit violent websites. While this growing obsession caused his performance at work to falter, it also created a growing interest in computers. This led to a return to school to get a certificate in 1992. Around this time his mother also moved out of the area but continued to pay for the home that Sean lived in. Neighbors once again noticed Sean Gillis’s behavior become bizarre. At night, he threw tantrums in the yard- screaming and swearing at the sky. He engaged in other more threatening activities as well such as peeking into a neighbor woman’s windows. After two years of living in the house alone Sean met a woman named Terri Lemoine. In an interview Terri would say how that when they were first dating, she picked a fight with Gillis intentionally, and slapped him. He responded like a child would and pouted as he said “boys aren’t supposed to hit girls and girls aren’t supposed to hit girls. That’s just the way it is.” This response made Terri feel at ease with Gillis as she believed he would never physically attack her. However, from his subsequent actions against other women, it is clear that this statement came from a domestic compartmentalized portion of the killer. Inside he was a ticking time bomb of violence that would explode the very same month that the 2 met. Across the street from where Terri lived was a retirement home. One of the residents was 82 year old Ann Bryan. Gillis entered her home through the door she had left open for the nurses on March 21st 1994. When he tried to assault her, she began to scream. Gillis sliced her throat and began stabbing her roughly 50 times. The attack was so brutal that her head was nearly severed and she was partially disemboweled when she was found in the apartment. After the attack, Sean’s interest in seeking out violent content got more extreme. Once he and Terri were living together he would show her images of dead women that he found on the internet. She was disgusted by the pictures, but otherwise disregarded her boyfriends bizarre behavior. Nearly five years after the first murder, Sean Vincent Gillis would kill again. On the 4th of January 1999, he lured 29 year old Katherine Ann Hall into his car. She had been working as a prostitute and the 2 had agreed to a transaction. Once she was in his car and they were somewhere more private, Gillis attacked. He whipped a zip tie around her neck and tried to use it to strangle her. When she managed to nearly escape, he stabbed her. Once she was dead he abused and mutilated her body. Once he had killed for the second time, Gillis was unable to restrain himself as long as he had after his first murder. He noticed a woman jogging in Baton Rouge and began watching her. In the late afternoon of May 30th 1999, he put his murderous plan into action. As 52 year old Hardee Schmidt was jogging along the road, Gillis hit her with his car. Once she was down he jumped out and tightened a zip tie around her neck before forcing her into his car. He drove to an isolated park where he assaulted her, then tightened the zip tie. Gillis left Schmidt’s body in his trunk for 2 days before disposing of her in a bayou. The next murder occurred on November 12 1999. Gillis murdered 36 year old Joyce Williams then brought her body to his home. Once again he mutilated and assaulted the body, but this time he ate a small amount of the flesh as well. 2 months later, in January, Gillis was once again on the prowl. 51 year old Lillian Gotham Robinson was working as a prostitute when she was approached by the killer. He strangled her then threw her body from a bridge. She was found months later in the Atchafalaya Basin. Robinsons body showed signs of drowning so she was likely still alive when she entered the water In October of 2000 Gillis murdered 38 year old Marilyn Nevils. He picked her up and attempted to use a zip tie once again. However, Nevils was able to break free and flee from the car. Gillis chased her down and beat her down with a piece of rebar, then he tightened a zip tie around he neck and strangled her. Gillis took the body home with him, stopping to wash his car on the way. He spent some time with Nevils remains before dumping her on a levee nearby. 3 years later the monster struck again. The next victim was an acquaintance of Gillis. 45 year old Johnnie Mae Williams sometimes cleaned the house of the killer and the 2 occasionally smoke marijuana together. He picked her up on October 9th 2003. He drove to a secluded area behind some businesses then attacked. He beat and stabbed her to death. He then cut off both of her hands before leaving her body posed in a wooded area where she was discovered by a dog walked. The last victim was killed on February 26th of 2004. He picked up 44 year old Donna Bennett Johnston and drove to a secluded area. He used a zip tie to strangle her then mutilated her body, cutting out a tattoo and various body parts including her left arm below the elbow. Gillis drove to another location then posed the body in a drainage canal. During the time of these murders, a second serial killer had been at work. Derrick Todd Lee had been murdering similar victims as those killed by Gillis. Once he was arrested, a task force was formed to investigate the murders that were not connected to Lee. The police had some evidence that they could use to apprehend the killer. DNA had been collected from some of the victims and tire tracks were found at the dump site of Donna Johnston which were associated with a specific model of car and less than 100 of these vehicles were registered in the area. DNA samples were collected and interviews were conducted with individuals who owned the car that matched the tire tracks on April 28th 2004. Sean Vincent Gillis was among these potential suspects and when his DNA came back as a match to the killer he was arrested the next day. When police kicked in the door an rushed in Terri was confused and terrified. When she asked why they were arresting Gillis, an investigator responded “Don’t you know, you’re living with a serial killer.” Once in custody, Gillis confessed to the murders. However there was only enough evidence to charge him with 3 of the murders while police searched for further evidence to confirm the other victims Gillis confessed to killing. Police found further evidence on the killer’s computer. In addition to media reports on the exploits of fellow serial killer, Derrick Todd Lee, they found a folder containing the 45 pictures he had taken of the body of Donna Johnston. Sean Vincent Gillis plead guilty to the murder Joyce Williams in August of 2007. He went to trial in July of 2008 for the murders of Katherine Hall, Johnnie Williams, and Donna Johnston. He was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. In February of 2009, he received another life sentence for the murder of Marilyn Nevils. Today Sean Vincent Gillis is 60 years old and housed at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. This was the same prison as Derrick Todd Lee before he died in 2016. #serialkiller #documentary

In Dallas Texas from late 1990 to 1991 a serial killer prowled the streets committing inhuman acts against women. The victims were shot and then the depraved killer expertly removed their eyeballs. The murderer would be arrested for 3 murders where he removed the eyes of those he killed as well as the stabbing death of a 4th for which he would eventually be acquitted. Charles Albright, the Eyeball Killer aka the Dallas Ripper. Charles Albright was born in Amarillo Texas on August 10, 1933. He was quickly given up for adoption and would be taken in by Fred and Delle Albright. He was pushed hard by his parents in school which led to him skipping 2 grades. As a teenager, Albright took up taxidermy as a hobby. He would shoot animals then stuff them with his mothers help. His family did not have enough money to buy the glass eyes used by professionals and so instead he was forced to use buttons. Some theorize that this is when his fascination with eyes began. He began getting into legal trouble early. His first arrest occured at age 13 for aggravated assault. Albright later shifted his criminal focus to theft. At age 17 he was arrested again, this time for theft. Albright had stolen guns and money. He ended up serving 6 months in prison. After prison, Albright enrolled at Arkansas State Teachers college studying premed. While in school, he studied multiple languages and participated in clubs. Charles also began exploring his fixation on eyeballs. He cut the eyes out of a photo of 9’e of his friends ex girlfriend and pasted them onto another woman’s picture and on his walls. He continued his career in theft as well, coercing a woman named Betty Nestor to give him keys to the college. Albright married Nestor in 1954. After being caught with stolen items, he was expelled from the school. Despite having a wife and daughter, Charles Albright continued his life of crime. He was arrested for dealing in stolen goods in 1961 and also sentenced to 2 years probabtion for forging credentials to get a job as a high school teacher in 1968. The Charles and Betty split up in 1975. He was in and out of trouble with the law including an arrest for child molestation in 1981. In 1986, Albright inherited $100,000 when his father died. During this year he also moved in with a woman named Dixie Austin. The first murder occurred in December 1990. Mary Lou Pratt was a 33 year old prostitute in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas who was known to police. Her body was found on December 13- she had been shot with a 44 caliber pistol in the back of the head. When the medical examiner began her autopsy he found that both of her eyes had been cut out. The removal had been done so expertly that no one had noticed the eyes were gone until she was on the exam table. 2 months later, in February of 1991, the killer struck again. 27 year old Susan Beth Peterson was also a street worker and her body was found on February 10th on the same street where the first victim was found. She had been shot twice in the head and once in the chest. When police discovered that her eyes had also been removed, they knew a serial killer was on the loose in Dallas. The third and final known victim was a 45 year old named Shirley Williams. Her body was found near an elementary school. She had been beaten, having facial bruising and a broken nose. Her cause of death was 2 gunshots to the face and head. Suspecting another attack by the eyeball killer, an investigator lifted her eyelids and confirmed that her eyes were missing. Further examination revealed the broken tip of an x-acto knife blade. Charles Albright came to the attention of police regarding the murders when someone reported him as being a friend of Mary Lou Pratt. They also told investigators that Albright had a fixation on knives and eyes. This led to a search warrant of his home, where investigators found a .44 revolver and X-acto knives. In addition to the gun and knives, police found further evidence linking Albright to the murders. There was a red condom which matched that which was found near Shirley Williams. One source reported that dolls were found in the house that had had their eyes removed as well. Upon ballistics testing, the gun was found to not be a match to the weapon used to kill the women. However, hair samples found in the home were consistent with those found on some of the victims but there was not enough to perform a dna test. Hair taken from Albright were also found to be a close match to those found on Shirley Williams body, but not close enough to conclusively determine he was the killer. Charles Albright was charged with the 3 murders and a 4th murder which would later be dropped. His trial started on December 2nd 1991. The prosecution team had a difficult case, after some of the evidence was thrown out accidentally and a witness withdrew her testimony that she had been attacked by Albright. The hair samples were used as the primary evidence although it connected him to the 4th murder- the stabbing death of Rhonda Bowie which was thrown out due to Albright having a strong alibi for the time of the killing. At the end of the trial, Albright was convicted of only the murder of Shirley Williams. He was sentenced to life in prison and sent to the Texas State Prison in Amarillo. Officials at the prison reported that he still had a fascination with eyes, and spent time reading about cases involving their removal. Charles Albright died in August of 2020 at the age of 87 at the West Texas Medical facility in Lubbock.

Between 1974 and 1991, a series of murders took place in Wichita and Park City, Kansas that paralyzed the state with fear. 10 people would be killed by this sick creature and the police were taunted by gloating letters bragging of the heinous acts committed against the victims. In one of these letters, the killer gave himself a sick nickname based on his method of murder. Dennis Rader. The BTK killer with the motto- Bind them, Torture them, Kill them. #serialkiller #crime #truecrime #truecrimecommunity #documentary

Barone From April 1991 to January 1993 a vicious serial killer went on a crime which included the murder of at least 4 women in Hillsboro and Portland, Oregon. Some of the victims were strangled to death while others were shot execution style. This depraved monster also spent time in prison with notorious serial killer, Ted Bundy. Cesar Barone aka Adolph James Rhode, the Ogre of Oregon. Cesare Barone was born in Ft Lauderdale Florida on December 4, 1960. His birth name was Adolph James Rhode. Growing up, Cesares family was hectic. His older brother and sister and he were raised by their biological parents until Cesare was 3. After his parents divorce, he lived with his dad and his girlfriend until he was 12 then just his father until he was 17. When he was still a child, Barone began acting out. He was caught stealing toys and threatening other kids until he was expelled from kindergarten. His threats included saying that he was going to stab the other children and also burn their eyes with cigarettes. As a teenager, there were clear indications of the crimes young man would grow up to commit. At age 15, he broke into the home of an elderly neighbor named Alice Stock. Barone threatened her with a knife and instructed her to take off her clothes. When she refused, he fled. This and other criminal acts led to a brief stay at a juvenile detention facility. Upon his release, he began abusing drugs and alcohol. Barone also continued committed burglaries and other assaults until he was locked up for 2 years in 1977 at age 17. In 1979, when Cesare Barone was released he showed no signs of changing his criminal lifestyle. One of his first after getting out of prison was to break into his fathers home and attempt to strangle his stepmother. In that same year, just weeks after Barones release, Alice Stock was also murdered. She was assaulted then strangled to death, but there was never enough evidence to conclusively point to Barone as the killer. Over the next several months, Cesare Barone assaulted multiple people and was once again committing burgularies. One of his victims was his own grandmother, who he beat and robbed. At this point his family severed ties with him. In March of 1980, Barone was arrested for burgulary but his biological mother posted his bail. In August of that year, Barone was found guilty of the burgularies and sentenced to 5 years. However, with good behavior he could get out in as little as 2 years. But in 1981 Cesare ensured that he would not be let go early. In July he attempted to escape from the road crew he was part of as they worked along a freeway. When this was unsuccessful, Barone went on a tangent over the next month and ended up receiving an additional year on his sentence. Due to the escape attempt, his security level was increased and he was moved to the Marion Correctional Facility. He would be moved again after his aggressive behavior continued to the Cross City Correctional institution. It was at this facility, Barone escalated his animosity towards the guards and staff to violence. Gladys Dean was a 59 year old woman who oversaw the prison kitchen where Barone was assigned to clean. On August 23rd 1983, he attacked Dean. After struggling to remove the woman’s clothing, he began to strangle her. Gladys was able to remove his hands from her neck and when he realized he could not easily subdue her, Barone fled. He was soon transferred again, and at this prison he would meet one of Americas most infamous serial killers. With an additional 3 years added to his sentence, Barone found himself at Starke Prison. The prison was known as one of the worst in Florida at the time. Ted Bundy was also at Starke Prsion at this time. Barone was said to be enamored with the interstate killer. He bragged to other inmates about his friendship with Bundy. In 1986, a woman name Kathi Scarbrough began a pen pal relationship with Barone after he responded to a personal ad she placed. He told her a variety of lies including that he was from Milan, Italy and had served in the Italian special forces. It was around this time, that the soon to be killer changed his name from Adolph James Rhode to Cesare Francisco Barone. He told Lockhart that it was the name of his family in Italy. In April of 1987, Barone was released from prison and went to meet Kathi Scarbrough. The pair formed a relationship and together moved to Washington state. They soon got married and moved to Hillsboro Oregon. Over the next few years, Barone held a variety of jobs including a brief stint in the US Army. During his time in the military, he recieved certification as a sharpshooter with the M16 and as an EMT. He also claimed to have killed both soldiers and civilians during Operation Just Cause which ended with the capture of Noriega in Panama. Barones claims have not been corroborated and his military career ended in late 1990 when police informed the Army of his criminal background. Soon after being discharged from the military, Cesare and Kathi had a son. And only 3 months later, the murders began. The first known victim was 61 year old Margaret Schmidt. On the night of April 18th 1991, Barone broke into her home and assaulted her before smothering her with a pillow. She was discovered the next day by a caregiver. The second known victim of Cesare Barone was 41 year old Martha Bryant. The midwife was driving home from a shift at the hospital in October of 1992, when Barone shot up her car with a 9mm handgun. He then pulled her from the vehicle and assaulted her before shooting her in the head. Almost immediately, police began getting calls reporting a body in the road. 23 year old Chantee Woodman was the next to fall prey to the disgusting creature. 3 months after the murder of Bryant, on December 30 1992, Barone was lurking in bars in search of prey. He met Chantee Woodman and the 2 left together along with a third man, Leonard Darcell who would be an accomplice in the murder. The 2 men beat and pistol whipped Chantee Woodman as they assaulted her. Her body was found dumped on the side of the road in Vernonia Oregon with a gunshot wound under her chin. Bullet casings at the scene matched those found at the scene of Martha Bryant’s murder. Barones last victim was 51 year old Betty Lou Williams. On January 6, 1993, the two were drinking together in her apartment. When she went to use the bathroom, Barone followed in her and pulled out his gun. As he began to assault her, Williams had a heart attack and died. In February of 1993, a failed attack on Matilda Gardner would lead to the arrest of the killer. She was a former landlord of Barone and so when she managed to fight him off, was able to identify him. On February 27th, 1993, Cesare Barone was arrested. While in prison for the attack on Gardner, Barone bragged to other inmates of the murders. The other inmates were so disgusted that they informed the guards of what he had said. The trial for Cesare Barone began on November 6th 1995. He was found guilty and for the crimes against Martha Bryant, Chantee Woodman and Margaret Schmidt, he received 3 death sentences. For the murder of Betty Lou Williams, Barone recieved 89 years. In January 1996, he was also extradited to Florida to stand trial for the murder of Alice Stock. This case would ultimately be dropped against Barone, but so were his appeals to get off death row. A different kind of death sentence was handed down to the killer when he discovered he had a malignant tumor in his heart. On December 24, 2009, Barone died at the Oregon state penitentiary in Salem at age 49. #serialkiller #documentary

Scott Dyleski I have known at least 3 people who have committed murder. One of them was a person I went to elementary and middle school with. His crime was horrific and this is the story.

Jerome Brudos Many killers have bizarre fixations and act out twisted fantasies on their victims. The monster featured in this video murdered at least 4 Oregon women in barely over a year then treated their remains as objects for his sick pleasure. Not only did he kill the 4 women viciously, but he kept some body parts and made molds out of others to keep as souvenirs. Jerome Brudos, the Shoe Fetish Slayer Jerome Brudos was born in Webster, South Dakota on January 31 1939. He had one older brother. His mother had wanted a daughter and due in part to this, she subjected her youngest son to verbal and physical abuse throughout his childhood. Jerome’s fixation on feet and womens shoes began early. When he was 5 years old, he found a pair of high heels in a junkyard and brought them home. His mother reacted by taking them and burning them. He also reportedly tried to steal his first grade teachers shoes and his females neighbors underwear off their clotheslines. His family moved around alot until they eventually wound up in Salem Oregon. Throughout his childhood, he was in and out of psychiatric hospitals. When he was a teenager his violent assaults began. Brudos began stalking girls in the area and in some cases he would attack them. Running up behind them he knocked them down or strangled them unconscious before taking their shoes and fleeing. At age 17 he was arrested for kidnapping a girl. He had beaten her and threatened her at knifepoint to obey his depraved commands. When he was arrested for the assault, Jerome was sent to oregon state hospital psych ward. He spent 9 months there and in therapy sessions, described how his hatred of women and his mother specifically had driven him to attack girls. He was also determined to be schizophrenic. Brudos graduated high school in 1957 and went on to become an electrical technician. In 1961 at age 22, he married a 17 year old girl named Darcie Metzler and the pair had 2 children. He commanded his wife do housework in the nude wearing high heels. He soon began complaining of terrible headaches that he claimed caused him to blackout. During these blackouts, Brudos would steal shoes and underwear from his neighbors. He would wear these stolen items alone in his garage, where he would later kill and store his victims. Brudos also set up an intercom system and insisted that his wife let him know before she ever entered the garage. After 7 years of marriage, the sick creature escalated his activities from theft to murder. On January 28 1968, 19 year old Linda Slawson came to his home selling encyclopedias. He told her that he did not want to disturb his family but that he was interested in buying a set of books and took her into his basement. Once they were alone, he knocked Slawson unconscious with a piece of wood, then strangled her to death. Once she was dead, he dressed her in the stolen underwear and shoes he had collected then photographed her in various poses. Brudos also sawed off her left foot which he kept in his freezer. The rest of her was dumped in the Long Tom River, where he would dump On November 28 1968, Jerome Brudos came across 23 year old Jan Susan Whitney. Her car had broken down on interstate 5 near Salem. He picked her up on the pretense of bringing her to a phone to call a tow truck. Instead he strangled her using a strip of leather and assaulted her body. When he got home, Brudos hung the body in his garage from a pulley he had installed. For the next several days, he dressed her up, posed and photographed her. Even more depraved than these heinous acts, he removed one of her breasts and made a resin mold out of it to use as a paperweight. Once he was done abusing the remains of Whitney, Brudos tied a metal railroad tie to the body and dumped it in the Long Tom river. At this time, he also dumped the Linda Slawsons foot, since the foul trophy had begun to rot. Several months later on March 27 1969, the monster struck again. He came across 18 year old Karen Sprinker as she walked to meet her mother for lunch at a local department store. Brudos commanded her at gunpoint to get into his car and took her to his garage of horrors. Once again, he dressed her up in the stolen underwear and shoes that he had collected, but this time she was alive as he did so. He assaulted and photographed her throughout the ordeal. Eventually he hanged her from the same pulley he had used on Jan Whitney. After her death, he continued to assault her and again made a mold of her breasts before stuffing one of his stolen bras with paper towels to fill the void where it had been. Brudos disposed of her by tying her body to a car engine and dumping her into the Long Tom river. The monster failed in his next 2 attempts to kidnap a victim. On April 21st 1969, less than a month since the murder of Karen Sprinker, Brudos approached 24 year old Sharon Wood with a toy gun and tried to abduct her from a where she worked at Portland University, while she was on her way to a parking garage. He approached from behind with the plastic pistol, and grabbed her. But she fought back intensely sensing the evil in Brudos. Wood bit into her attackers hand and did not let go until she was nearly unconscious from his bashing her head into the ground. The noise spooked Brudos and he fled the scene as a vehicle approached. When she woke up, Sharon Wood was on her way to the hospital. She had been found by students who called for an ambulance. Once she recovered from the ordeal she was able to give Police to get a description of her attacker. After the failed attempt at kidnapping Wood, he tried again the very next day. 15 year old Gloria Jean Smith was walking along the road on April 22 when Brudos pulled his car alongside of her. He leapt out with his toy gun and tried to force her into the vehicle. Smith fought back and was able to get free of his grasp. Meanwhile a neighbor saw what happened and shouted out, forcing the creature to drive off. After 2 failed attempts at kidnapping a victim, Brudos was becoming desperate for his next kill. The day after attacking Smith, he was once again prowling the streets of Portland. He came across 22 year old Linda Salee as she was shopping for a birthday present for her boyfriend. She was last seen around 5:30 PM from a jewelry store when Brudos brought her to his garage and murdered her. After the creature finished with Salee he tied her to a car transmission and dumped her in the river. On May 10th she was discovered by a fisherman. Investigators began to put the various crimes that occured in the area together. The disappearances, assaults, and now murder all seemed linked. This was further reinforced when they dredged the river and found the body of Karen Sprinker, still tied to an engine block. Upon examination they found the horrific mutilations done to her at the hands of her killer and the stolen bra. On May 14th, university students reported that a strange man had been calling their dorms and soliciting dates. One woman who had met him have a description that eas very similar to the one given to them by Sharon Wood. The police told her to arrange for a second date with the stranger then they prepared to surprise him at the meeting place. When the man came to pick her up, it was revealed that the stranger was Jerome Brudos. They questioned him and he was let go. Police visited his house the next day and found the bizarre setup of he had in his garage. Suspicion grew stronger when they found similar ropes to those used to anchor the bodies they had found with the same knots on them. They learned that Jerome’s mother had the same kind of car as the one driven by Gloria Smiths attacker, a green VW Karman Gia. Brudos attempted to flee with his family, but was soon caught and arrested. Smith confirmed that Brudos was the man who attacked her. A more thorough search of his home and more importantly, garage turned up the horrific photographs of 3 of his victims that he had taken during their torture, abuse, and murder. Because Linda Slawsons body had not been found and there were no photos, Brudos was only charged with the 3 later murders. Due to the level of evidence in these murders and the forethought that had gone into planning them, Jerome Brudos’s lawyers entered a plea of guilty rather than the insanity claim they had planned. The monster also gave investigators information leading to the recovery of Jan Whitney. He recieved 3 life sentences to be served consecutively. His wife also fell under suspicion as some thought there was no way the vicious murders could have occured right under her nose without her knowledge. However she was not convicted in any of her husbands crimes. While in prison, Brudos wrote to womens footwear company’s to request catalogs and covered the walls of his cell with them. He was Oregons longest serving inmate at 37 years behind bars when he died on March 28 2006 of liver cancer.

Robert Berdella Over the course of 4 years, 6 men would lose their lives to a depraved killer in Kansas City, Missouri. He not only murdered his victims but put them through excruciating torture. Some lasted days while others lasted weeks as the target of his twisted fantasies. The monster documented the ordeals he put his captives through in detailed notes. When he was done with them, he carefully packaged their bodies and left them out with the garbage to be picked up and taken away. Robert Berdella, the Butcher of Kansas City. #truecrimedocumentary

Robert Berdella Over the course of 4 years, 6 men would lose their lives to a depraved killer in Kansas City, Missouri. He not only murdered his victims but put them through excruciating torture. Some lasted days while others lasted weeks as the target of his twisted fantasies. The monster documented the ordeals he put his captives through in detailed notes. When he was done with them, he carefully packaged their bodies and left them out with the garbage to be picked up and taken away. Robert Berdella, the Butcher of Kansas City. #truecrimedocumentary

Daniel Blank Over the course of one year, a vicious monster bludgeoned and stabbed 6 people to death in River Parish Louisiana. Driven by a powerful addiction and lack of empathy, the killer cut the phone lines then murdered his victims as he robbed them. One of his favorite weapons was a cane knife also called a sling blade. The police of the small town became suspicious when one of their residents began showing up to the local casinos flush with cash to blow on the slots and video poker. Daniel Blank, the Louisiana Cutthroat Daniel Blank was born in Paulina, Louisiana on June 28th 1962. Both of his parents worked in a sugar refinery and he had 7 brothers and sisters. Otherwise not a lot is known about his early childhood. At age 12 Blank had a bad bike crash which resulted in a head injury. Doctors said he had mild brain damage from the accident. Other noticed he became introverted and sullen. Soon after the injury, when Blank was in 8th grade he dropped out of school. His interactions with law enforcement and the justice system began when he was still a teenager. Blank was arrested for arson after he burned down a building. This led to him being sent to a reform school. The reform school introduced Blank to engines and mechanic work. He took to it immediately and pursued it as a career when he was released. However, he also found a second preoccupation, gambling. Despite being withdrawn after his head injury, Blank was able to marry and have a family. He and his wife Cindy had 4 children. To those in town, he was known as a gifted mechanic and family man. But in October of 1996, the obsession with gambling drove the unassuming man to murder and after the first he was unable to stop himself. The first victim owned a mechanic shop in St Amant, Louisiana where Blank had worked for a while. 42 year old Victor Rossi was asleep the night of October 27, 1996, when his killer broke in. Blank used a baseball bat he found in the house to beat him to death. When Rossi was dead, Blank ransacked the house taking money and valuables, while leaving behind the blood soaked bat. With the money he had stolen, the sick monster went to the casino. He blew it playing video poker and slot machines. With his appetite now awoken, Blank was looking for a second victim only months later. On March 18, 1997 58 year old Barbara Bourgeois was at her Paulina home when Daniel Blank broke in through a window. She lived just blocks from Blank and it is likely they were at least acquaintances. The vicious killer rushed her using her own vacuum to beat her savagely. Once she was incapacitated, he got a knife from her kitchen and stabbed her to death. When her body was found, there was no sign of a robbery. It is suspected that due to the level of violence inflicted on Bourgeois and the noise it must have caused, the killer fled without going through her belongings. Due to being forced to leave empty handed, Blank was eager for his next kill. 3 weeks later on April 9 1997, the killer moved on his next target, Lillian Phillipe. The 71 year old and her husband owned a car parts store in Gonzalez where Blank had shopped. This time, he cut the phone line on his way in so she could not call for help. Blank broke in and was confronted by the elderly woman. She came at him with a trophy and struck him with it. The blow enraged Blank and he shoved to the ground and took the trophy from her.!when she got back up, he began striking her with it until she stopped moving. The money from the Phillipe murder did not last and once again he was seeking out someone with money to rob and murder. This time he targeted a elderly couple. On May 9th, 76 year old Sam Arcuri and his wife, 69 year old Louella, were at home in LaPlace when Blank broke in through the garage. Once again he cut the phone lines and used an object he found to kill the couple while they lay in bed. Once the evil act was complete, he searched through their home for cash and valuables. 5 days later he was back at it again. On March 14 1997 55 year old Joan Brock was at home when her husbands former employee Daniel Blank came knocking. Before entering the home, he cut her phones lines. With no signs of forced entry, it is surmised that Brock let her killer in. The brutal murder began in the house, then Blank dragged her outside where he stabbed her in the next so many times she was nearly decapitated when she was found. Once she was out of his way, he ransacked her home and stole her car. The next attack would be his last in Louisiana. Police were zeroing in on the killer and Blank wanted to escape the heat. Capture became infinitely more likely once living witnesses that could identify him as their attacker. On July 7th, Leononce and his wife Joyce were in bed when Blank broke in. They were beaten and then shot. Somehow they survived the attack and were rushed to the hospital to have their wounds treated. Once they were able to speak to investigators, the Millets gave a detailed account of the night that they were shot. They also spoke to a sketch artist and the results were shared with the public. Of the tips that came in to identify the perpetrator, one name came up multiple times, Daniel Blank. Unfortunately, as soon as the killer saw the news that the Millets survived, he uprooted his family and moved to texas. Police investigated Blank and found more evidence that he was behind the robberies and murders. They found that while he had won 220,000 in the casinos, he had lost around 27,000. Police also discovered that he had worked for some victims and frequented the businesses owned by others. Investigators reached out to Daniel Blank but were unable to get him to come to Louisiana for an interview and so they went to Texas. Blank was living in a trailer he had recently bought in Onalaska Texas. He had furnished his new home as well as a new above ground pool. There was no legitimate source for the funds used for these purchases which heightened suspicions. . He had also attempted Police obtained a room at the Onalaska courthouse and brought in Blank for an interview. The killer began telling them the story he had told his family- that the money he had been spending came from gambling winnings. The police had already determined that blank had lost more money than he had won at the casinos and began to press him about the murders. He admitted knowing several of the victims but denied having anything to do with their murders. Police challenged him to prove his innocence by taking a polygraph test, which Blank consented to. Unbeknownst to him, the polygraph examiner was ready and waiting in the next room. 6 hours into the interview Daniel Blank was hooked up to the machine. Out of the 3 times he was questioned about the murders, Blank failed every time. Even so, the lie detector test results were not admissible in court so police confronted him to get him to cooperate and confess. Finally after being confronted with the test results, and coaxing, they were successful. The first murder he admitted to was that of Joan Brock and once the dam broke, the other confessions came tumbling out. Investigators were able to get details on the crimes that had not been released to the public. When he was transferred to jail, police feared retaliation from the families of his victims. As a result, Blank was made to wear a bullet proof vest. In court, the killer received the death penalty in April of 1999 for the murder of Joan Brock. The trial lasted barely more than a week. A year later, he recieved a second death sentence for the Phillipe murder. He was found guilty of the other murders in subsequent trials. His lawyers made efforts to suppress his confessions but they were not successful. Due to the death penalty, appeals automatically began. In February of 2016 Blank received a stay of execution as his appeals continued. As recently as 2021 new dna tests were ordered to confirm or reject him as the murderer. Daniel Blank is currently housed in the Louisiana State Prison in Baton Rouge Louisiana. #serialkiller #truecrimedocumentary #crime

Anthony Balaam From October 1994 to July of 1996 a twisted killer murdered 4 women in Trenton New Jersey. This vicious monster lured his victims into his power with the promise of drugs. Once they were in his vehicle and in a secluded spot, he would draw a knife and assault them. When he was done he strangled them and dumped their bodies. Anthony Balaam, the Trenton Strangler Anthony Balaam was born on July 9 1965 in Trenton, New Jersey. It is said that he was severely abused as a child which may have led to the drug addiction which was a major component of the murders. He was married for 10 years and during this time he had 2 daughters despite his addiction to crack cocaine. Neighbors and acquaintances, including his ex wife said that Balaam was a quiet and polite person. At 5 foot 8 and less than 150 lbs, he is not an intimidating figure, which along with his meek demeanor likely gave his victims a sense of safety when he picked them up. Quick note, police described him as 5 foot 5 after he was arrested, however his prison records put his height at 5 8. There was a brief period in 1995 when he moved to Detroit after he had committed the first 3 known murders. But in January of 1996 he moved back to Trenton. Seven months later he committed his last known murder. Police in Detroit stated that they do not believe he committed any murders while there, but there is no way to know for sure based on the type of victims Balaam selected. Anthony Balaam had been arrested for various offenses related to his drug use. These include arrests for posession and for burgulary. He also visited prostitutes while on drug fueled benders and would rob his victims to obtain more crack. His first murder occured on one of these night drives in 1994. In the early morning hours of October 24th Balaam was cruising the streets in a seedy neighborhood of Trenton high on crack. He came across Karen Denise Patterson. The 41 year old was working the streets and when she was offered drugs in return for her services, she agreed and climbed into Balaams vehicle. He took her to a secluded area and established what would become his MO for the future murders. Balaam pulled a knife on the woman and violated her by force. He then strangled her and left her body in a vacant parking lot. 5 months later on March 19 1995, Balaam was once again on the prowl. He picked up 29 year old Valentina Cuyler and the 2 made a deal to exchange crack for adult services. Once they were away from witnesses, Anthony assaulted her at knifepoint before strangling her and dumping her remains. Unable to restrain himself, Balaam was once again in search of a victim less than a month later. On April 10th 1995, he came across 27 year old Connie Hayward as he stalked the streets of Trenton. He lured her into his car with promises of drugs and the 2 made their way to a cheap motel. Once there he repeated the process that was becoming a routine. Ms Haywards body was later found at the motel. This was when he left Trenton and moved to Detroit. Whether he recognized his own loss of control or wanted to avoid a potential arrest for the murders is not known. What is known is that he soon came back to New Jersey in January of 1996. For the short time Balaam was out away from Trenton, it seems he was able to hold himself back and there are no known murders until late July of 1996. He had a roommate and was unemployed during this time. And perhaps due to frustration at his situation, his childhood abuse, or simply his addiction, Balaam was soon looking for his next victim. On February 16 1996, The sick monster picked up a woman with the same depraved plan as his previous victims. Thankfully the woman was able to escape before he could strangle her and reported the attack. She would play an important role in identifying the vicious creature. On July 29th 1996, he picked up 37 year old Deborah Ann Walker as she worked the street. Once again, Balaam and Walker made an agreement to exchange drugs for her aervices and like his previous 3 murders he strangled her after abusing her at knifepoint. This time the killer left the body quite close to his own residence where it was discovered by one of his neighbors only hours later. Investigators soon zeroed in on Balaam as a potential suspect. When brought in for questioning he calmly admitted to the murders and described the hate and rage he felt which drove him to kill. His confession was confirmed when police brought in his surviving victim who was able to readily identify him as her attacker. After conferring with Detroit police to determine if there were additional murders that could be attributed to Balaam, investigators charged him with 4 murders, assault, robbery and weapons possession however the later charges were later dropped. His trial was long and drawn out lasting until January of 2001. He was found guilty of the 4 murders and recieved 30 years to life. He was also found guilty of 4 counts of aggravated sexual assault for which he received up to 15 years. Anthony Balaam is housed at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton and his earliest possible parole date is August 4 2116. #serialkiller #crime #truecrimecommunity

Gordon Stewart Northcott In the late 1920’s a monster was luring boys to his farm where he would abuse and murder them. At least 4 victims are known to have been killed but the actual number could be as high as 20. Many more boys survived the abuse and some were actually driven home by the killer. The story got national news coverage in papers and on the radio leading to the small California town of Wineville changing its name to Mira Loma to get out of the spotlight. But the world would not forget the horrifying events that occurred and questions remain as to how many lost their lives. Gordon Stewart Northcott and the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders Gordon Stewart Northcott was a Canadian, born on November 9, 1906 in a town called Bladworth in British Columbia. The town is quite small and has remained so with less than 100 people in 2016. In 1924, when he was 18, Northcott moved to Los Angeles with his family. 2 years later he bought a plot of land in Wineville with the help of his father who also helped him build a house and chicken coop along with his 11 year old nephew Sanford Clark. Once he was on his own, whatever evil tendencies he had were no longer restrained. When he wasn’t working the farm with Sanford he was giving in to his evil urges. The teenager began picking boys up, using his nephew to lure them, then abusing them. The behavior escalated until he began to kill his victims. The known murders all occured in 1928, but he was in the house for years prior to his arrest. The first known murder occurred in late January or early February of 1928. The headless body of a boy was discovered on the side of a road near La Puente California on February 2. It had been stuffed into a burlap sack. The identity of tho victim was never definitely determined but Northcott would refer to him as Alvin Gothea when he confessed to shooting him. The second known murder of Northcott occurred on March 10, 1928. Walter Collins was 9 years old when he went missing. His mother had given him some money so he could go to the movie theatre. The disappearance of young Walter made national headlines. It would later be discovered that he had been lured to Northcotts farm, where he was abused by the killer before being bludgeoned to death with an axe. His mother was put through further torment in the subsequent months when a boy in Illinois claimed to be her son. After seeing pictures of him Christine Collins paid for the boy to travel to California. When she saw him, she knew immediately he was not her son. The officer in charge of the case, captain JJ Jones was under enormous pressure to resolve the situation and encouraged Ms Collins to keep the boy for a while to see if perhaps Walter had changed. When, after weeks with the boy, Christine brought the boy back, captain Jones had her confined in a hospital then interrogated the boy. Jones discovered that the boy was a runaway from Iowa named Arthur Hutchens Jr. He had hoped for a free trip to California and a visit to hollywood. When she was released Ms Collins filed a lawsuit against Jones and won, though it seems he never paid her. The mystery of what happened to Walter lingered until the true killer confessed but the identity of his accomplice shocked the world. The year 1928 was proving to be a bloody year for Northcott with him escalating the nature of his murders. The next 2 murders occurred in the same event on May 16 1928. Lewis Winslow was 12 years old and his brother Nelson was 10 when they were abducted as they had been walking home from a yacht club in Pomona. Gordon took them back to his farm where they were abused before he them were killed with an ax. This time, the parents were subsequently harassed by letters that were supposed to be from their missing children. One of the letters said that they were running away to Mexico while another simply said they were running away and were going to stay away to get famous. This second letter did not say it explicitly but it seemed to be playing on the publicity that Walter Collins disappearance had received. The disappearances and murder were not linked as having a single cause until, Sanford Clark got a chance to tell someone what he had seen and done in the 2 years he had spent on the farm. His sister came to visit in August of 1928. Sanford told her about the 3 murders he had seen Northcott commit and also about being forced to burn and crush the skull of the headless victim. When his sister returned to Canada she contacted the American consulate with what she had heard. 2 immigration agents went to the farm to take Sanford into protective custody. As they approached Gordon fled into the woods after telling his nephew to stall the authorities or he would shoot him from the trees. Sanford did so until he thought Northcott was far enough away then told them where he had gone. Once in custody, Sanford began telling the police his story about the kidnappings, abuse, and murder he had seen and even participated in under threat of death. When it came to Walter Collins, he told them the boy had been locked in the chicken coop when Northcotts mother came to visit. When she discovered the captive, she told Gordon and Sanford that they needed to silence him and that they all needed to take part so that no one could spill the beans without implicating themselves. Gordon had suggested they use the gun he had killed the headless victim with, but his mother warned that the neighbors would hear the shot. So instead, they used the blunt side of an ax, which would be the same weapon used in the subsequent murders. All three of them took turns bludgeoning Walter to death. Once he knew the game was up, Gordon and his mother fled to Canada, where they were arrested on September 19 1928 then extradited to California on November 30. While in custody, both Gordon Northcott and his mother, Sarah, confessed to their crimes. They recanted these confessions upon their arrival in California, but evidence against them was growing. They had found a book belonging to one of the Winslow boys, one of the fake letters addressed to their parents, and bloody axes on his farm. Sanford had also led them to the remains of Collins, and the Winslow Brothers. Eventually, Northcotts mother would once again confess to the murder of Walter Collins alone. She bypassed a trial and was sentenced to life in prison on December 31 1928, but she only served 12 years before her release. Gordon’s trial started with the new year, he was charged with 3 murders, excluding Walter Collins, due to his mother’s confession. The trial lasted less than a month, and on February 13 he was found guilty and sentenced to death. This sentence was carried out on October 2 1929. Begging for mercy and prayers in his last moments, Gordon Stewart Northcott was executed by hanging. Sanford was not charged with any of the murders, as the judge deemed him an unwilling participant, but he was sent to reform school where he spent just under 2 years. On November 1st, 1930, the town of Wineville changed its name to Mira Loma. #serialkiller #crime #news #truecrimecommunity

Harvey Glatman See this guy, he’s a monster. From August of 1957 to July of from august of 1957 to July of 1958 he took the lives of at least 3 young women in the Los Angeles area of California. Posing as a photographer he lured aspiring models to his makeshift studio for detective magazine style photo shoots which involved the women being put into vulnerable positions. But the women soon realized that this was no ordinary photography session as the creature drew a firearm then attacked them. Once he finished with his acts of evil, he would dump their bodies in the desert, keeping the disgusting pictures as trophies. The monster was not discovered until one of his victims was able to fight her way free from his clutches and rescued by police. Harvey Glatman the Glamor Girl Slayer #truecrimedocumentary #serialkiller #crime

Jerome Dennis Over just a few short months from 1991 to 1992, a vicious killer took the lives of at least 5 women in New Jersey. What makes the murders worse is that the monster was on parole for prior attacks on women after serving only 10 years of a 30 year sentence. It is frustrating how many of these guys slip through the cracks to kill again. This killer stabbed strangled and bludgeoned his victims and most were dumped along a toll road that runs the length of New Jersey. Jerome Dennis, the Garden State Parkway Maniac Jerome Dennis was born on December 14 1966 in the Christopher Columbus Public Housing Projext in Newark New Jersey as the 7th of 9 children. Raised by his mother, Jerome got into trouble early but avoided any serious punishment due to his young age. This would not last however. Dennis dropped out of school in the 7th grade and his crimes escalated. On November 6 1981 at age 14, he and his brother attacked a woman in downtown Newark. What is strange is that he and his brother reported the attack to law enforcement from a pay phone and stayed on the line until police arrived to arrest them. Once in custody, the brothers confessed to 2 other assaults in the preceding months. They were tried as adults and their father even testified against them. In December of 1981 they were convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison. While in prison, Jerome Dennis participated in various programs. He learned to bake and took part in Bible studies. Perhaps, authorities thought he had turned his life around and he was released in November 1991 after serving 10 years- the absolute minimum allowed by the court. He moved into a home in East Orange and began working as a porter at the Pleasantdale Bakery. While he put up. Good front of being reformed, once he was free, Dennis could not stop himself from victimizing women. On December 12 1991, he attacked a 26 year old named Zelda Bailey, but luckily she survived. After Bailey escaped alive, Dennis was eager to find his next victim. Only days later on December 16, he met 41 year old Robyn Carter. After assaulting her, Jerome strangled her to death. Her body was found later that same day. There was a pause after the first murder, but on February 15 1992, he was once again on the hunt. 30 year old Elizabeth Clenor was on her way home after a job interview when she was abducted. After assaulting her, Dennis beat her to death and left her body in an abandoned house. Less than a week later, Jerome Dennis was in search of a victim. On February 21 1992, He stabbed 30 year old Stephanie Alston to death then dumped her body near where he had left Clenors body along the Garden State Parkway. The killer had become addicted to murder as in many other cases and the very next day he was at it again. His next victim, 16 year old Khydijah Harris, would survive his attack on February 22. On the night of April 10 1992, 16 year old Jamillah Jones was walking home from her friends house. Just blocks from her home, Jerome attacked her and stabbed her to death. Once she was dead, he dumped her body off an overpass. The day of Jones murder, police would discover the series of murders. Over 2 days the bodies of Clenor, Jones, Alston, and a 14 year old named Shakia Hedgespeth were discovered along the Garden State Parkway. A panic fell over the area as news of an active serial killer spread. Going through offenders records, Jerome’s history made him stand out as a suspect. His dna was on record and compared against that of the killer. The surviving victims were also called in to see if they could pick him out of a photo lineup which they did without hesitation. Jerome Dennis was arrested on April 13 1992 and charged with nearly 3 dozen felonies. While his lawyers tried to convince the court that he was schizophrenic, this did not allow him to espcape prosecution. The game was up and on February 27 1993 he plead guilty to 5 murders, 2 counts of aggravated assault, one count of armed robbery, 2 counts of criminal restraint, and a parole violation. The other charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. Here’s where this case gets frustrating, as apparently the courts did not learn their lesson with this monster. He avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to multiple life sentences in prison. However, he is eligible for parole after 60 years when he is 85. But, who’s to say that this will not change? Others who were on death row have had their sentence commuted then were released. Why would he have any chance at parole? Jerome Dennis is currently housed at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. #serialkiller #listenable #crime #truecrimedocumentary #horror #news

Dayton Strangler In the first years of the 20th century, a depraved maniac terrorized the people of Dayton Ohio. At least 5 women and a man would lose their lives to an unknown monster, 11 year old Ada Lantz, 20 year old Dona Gilman, 18 year old Anna Markowitz and her boyfriend Abe Cohan, 15 year old Mary Forschner, and 18 year old Elizabeth Fulhart. There is also speculation that 3 additional murders are also part of this series. Some victims had been shot, others strangled, and the youngest of the 5 may have been drowned in the the filth of her family’s outhouse. The reign of terror began on October 14, 1900 and would last until February of 1909. While there were suspects and even confessions none held up under scrutiny. To this day no one can answer the question of, who was The Dayton Strangler In the early 1900’s and before, Dayton Ohio was a bustling hive of innovation. Inventions such as the cash register getting their start in the city. But, like all cities, Dayton had its dark side. Crime is an ever present problem in society, but starting in the first year of the 20th century a series of murders would captivate the area as police sought the culprit. The first murder took place on October 14 1900. Ada Lantz was 11 years old and her father was a respected carpenter in the community. On that night Ada disappeared during a party in her parents home. When they realized she was missing, her parents and their friends immediately began searching for the young girl. She was found stuffed down the hole of an outhouse in the back yard. She had been assaulted and beaten severely with marks from a cane or stick across her forehead. Evidence indicated that she may have been alive but unconscious when she was shoved into the filth where she drowned. There were 5 arrests of people who had been seen in the area around the time Ada went missing. One of these suspects even confessed, but the charges against him were eventually dropped due to a lack of evidence. Because of the space between the first murder and the others, some suspect that Ada Lantz was not killed by the Dayton Strangler. The next Murder in the series occured on November 20 1906. 20 year old Dona Gilman worked at the National Cash Register Works. She took the train to and from work with friends and often her sister. On that fateful day, Dona said goodbye to her friends as she transferred trains to the one that would take her home. This is where she crossed paths with the killer. She was last seen getting off the bus at the stop in her neighborhood. Her gloves and umbrella were found across the street from her home, while her body was found dumped in some grass nearby. The body was positioned in a way that made it clear that she had not been killed at that location and it was suspected that it had occured in one of the houses that were within view of the dump site. Gilman had been strangled to death and newspapers reported that she had been mutilated. Skin from her attacker was found under her fingernails, but this was far before the dna would do any good. Almost a year passed before the killer struck again. Anna Markowitz and her boyfriend, Abraham Cohan were walking in an isolated road with Bertha, Annas younger sister on the night of August 4 1907. They stopped to talk in McCabe park when the creature saw them. He approached from behind and hit Abraham in the head with a club then as he turned shot him twice in the stomach. Bertha was able to escape to find the sheriff. When she returned with a group of people to find the attacker, they found Abraham clinging to life. Some tracks led them to the Annas body. She had been viciously assaulted and her clothing was ripped and torn before she was strangled. Cohan was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries after 2 days. Due to his condition, he was unable to give police any information on the murderer. A housekeeper reported hearing the gunshots and someone shout out the name “Harry” but no one by that name was ever arrested. Another man was convicted of the crime, Layton Hines, but he is widely considered to have been innocent. There is a record of him contesting the conviction in 1917 but not the outcome The next murder occured on January 24 1909. 15 year old Mary Forschner was sent by her step father to make a bank deposit. When she did not return her stepfather called 2 neighbors and the 3 went to look for her. They found her just after midnight in a shed at the edge of a large property. She had been assaulted and strangled. The coroner noted that her killer had very large hands from the marks left on her neck. A strange man had been seen in the area and a different woman had also been attacked on the same day as the Forschner murder. One witness, Sam Morris, was arrested in suspicion of the murder and said that he had seen a stranger in the neighborhood. When morris approached him, but fled when the man threatened to shoot him. Not far from where Morris had seen the man, a woman referred to as Mrs. James Powers was attacked. Her husband had come home to find a man strangling his wife and her clothing had been ripped similar to the victims of the Dayton Strangler. Luckily Mrs Powers survived, but her attacker was able to escape. The attacks had all occured within walking distance of railroad tracks and many believed that this was how the killer traveled. Indeed jumping freight cars was not uncommon in these days, my grandfather left the family farm and did the same to find better opportunities than were in his hometown. A few days after the Forwchner murder, a black man was seen getting off a train with abnormally large hands. Though it is unlikely that this was the Strangler, he did have scratches on his face and was dressed in similar clothing to the man seen near the Forschner murder scene, but were unable to locate this suspect. The last known murder of the Dayton strangler occured just weeks later on February 8 1909. A young woman named Elizabeth Fulhart had come to Dayton to look for work the day before she disappeared. A week later, her body was discovered floating in a water storage tank behind an unoccupied house. Fulhart had been assaulted before she was killed. There was a lack of bruising on her neck leaving authorities unsure as to the exact cause of death. Her clothing was askew, indicating she had been redressed post Mortem. Before she had been dumped into the cistern, she Elizabeth had been stuffed into a sack, which some believe had been used to suffocate her. The Fulhart murder is the last believed to have been committed by the Dayton Strangler. While Layton Hines had been arrested for the Markowitz attack, even newspapers at the time refer to the killer of Anna and her boyfriend as unknown and note that the evidence against Hines was purely circumstantial. However, there were other suspects investigated by police. There was a former employee of the National Cash Register company named David Curtis who was suspected of the Gilman murder. A semi-anonymous reporter claimed to have an eyewitness who saw Curtis kill Dona. The suspect would eventually confess to the murder, but as he had made a false confession 2 years prior, people were skeptical of his account. Investigators continued to try to connect Curtis to the murder, but the case fell apart when it came out that he had been threatened into confessing. When the charges were dismissed the people of Dayton celebrated as very few thought he had actually done it. One of Gilmans brothers had testified against Curtis, but it seems that this was more to divert blame from himself and his family. Accusations of abuse led to the arrest of Dona’s mother and siblings. While in custody, Kate Gilman attempted to end her own life upon hearing her children had been arrested as accessories to the crime. But again, the evidence was purely circumstantial and the family was eventually released. The town once again celebrated the exoneration. But the tragedy of the Filman family continued, when Kate passed away in December of 1907, soon after the Gilmans were cleared of all charges. There were several other suspects, however none were accused of the entire series, but were tied through circumstantial evidence to individual victims. They included the brothers of Anna Markowitz, who were said to disapprove of her being with Abraham Cohan. . The others were seen in the area of one of the murders, but none of the accusations held up under the investigation. With more than 100 years since the crimes of the Dayton Strangler occurred, it is unlikely that anyone will ever be conclusively named as the killer. This is compounded by the fact that this case does not have the name recognition or interest that other unsolved cases have, such as the Jack the Ripper murders or the Zodiac. We still must keep hope for a resolution, and remeber each of the victims who lost their lives to the Dayton Strangler. #serialkiller #truecrimecommunity #unsolved #horror #scary