Arthur John Shawcross was also known as The Genesee River Killer and The Rochester Strangler all due to how he would carry out his murders and where he would frequently dump the bodies of his victims. Shawcross pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Arthur Shawcross certainly fit Greg McCrary's criteria of being "extraordinarily ordinary." He was a forty-four-year-old white male, a Vietnam veteran, a blue-collar factory worker, and a regular customer of Lyell Avenue. (20081011). Retired detective Robert Keppel has argued that the detectives investigating the case over-relied on the concept of modus operandi, at times searching for multiple suspects due to small differences in the profiles of each victim. The cases selected were chosen largely because of the amount of information available on the subjects. Profilers also determined that the killer returned to the scene of his crimes to either conceal the body or to derive pleasure from the attack while viewing the fresh kill. 5 of 22. Since they had no solid evidence to convict him in the Blake case,prosecutors agreed, and he was found guilty and given a 25-year-sentence. "Profile of Serial Killer Arthur Shawcross." He was caught in 1990 and died in prison in 2008. . As prostitutes continued to disappear, it became apparent that the killer must be someone familiar to the women who worked in the area. [2] Shawcross's offenses earned him a five-year sentence at Attica Correctional Facility, and later Auburn Correctional Facility. Following Dotsies murder, Shawcross became a Lake Avenue regular and was known to the prostitutes by the name of Mitch. He even admitted to the killing of two undiscovered bodies, those of prostitutes Maria Welsh and Darlene Trippi, leading investigators to their bodies. 21. In 1972, he confessed to killing two children and went to prison. An autopsy revealed that Stott had been strangled to death. He weighed 300 pounds and stood six feet tall. She died from having her neck broken. Shawcross began to beat her and as she tried to get away through the Genesee River, he drowned her and let her body float downstream. Arthur is what is called a serial killer/ murder. An aerial search commenced and her body was found on January 3rd. 17. 9 October 2017. place of death. No matter what happened to Shawcross as a child, his adulthood was horrible. A judge sentenced the murderer to 250 years in prison. With nothing to hold him onthe police had to let him go, but not before taking his picture. The trial was a national media event, extensively televised and widely viewed. Ressler wrote that "[Shawcross's] claim of having witnessed wartime atrocities was patently outrageous and untrue." You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Under the terms of a plea bargain, he was allowed to plead guilty to one charge of manslaughter, for which he served 14 years of a 25-year sentence. Then learn the horrifying story of Rodney Alcala, the serial killer who won The Dating Game during his murder spree. Shawcross later claimed that he killed 39 enemy soldiersduring combat. Back in the penitentiary, he proved as enigmatic as . 11. As to his claims to have killed and devoured two Vietnam women, two psychiatrists that interviewed him agreed that Shawcross changed the story so often that it became unbelievable. He Wanted Her To Stop Yelling. Even more importantly, the helicopter spotted a man standing on the bridge next to a small van. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. From rape to mutilation, he terrified the Rochester area for over 17 years. Both marriages saw patterns of spousal abuse and violence perpetrated by Shawcross. When discussing the murders of the two children in 1972, he told the detectives that Jack Blake had been bothering him, so he hit him, killing him by mistake. She died of asphyxia, and her body had been dumped in a similar manner to Blackburn's corpse. His second marriage, following drafting into the Army in April 1967, was also tainted by violence and was equally short-lived. His body was found a year later out in the woods. Arthur Shawcross, ogs kendt som "The Genesee River Killer," var ansvarlig for mordene p 12 kvinder i upstate New York fra 1988 til 1990. Arthur Shawcross leaves court in 1990 in Rochester, New York. The helicopter followed his car and tracked the license place number, leading back to Shawcross. natural causes. By Gina Tron. Allegedly, the youngster then began experimenting with this sexuality in many ways, including homosexuality and bestiality, by age 11. On October 23, June Stott, 30, was reported missing by her boyfriend. Albany. Meet Arthur Shawcross - a man responsible for at least 14 brutal murders. Local authorities discovered patterns of behavior regarding the killer, which led them to ask FBI profilers for assistance. A police helicopter searching for a body along the river spotted a man on a bridge near one of the murder victims. Then we detail the first few grisly deaths Arthur committed, which would prove only to be a warmup to unbelievable mayhem. Arthur Shawcross. Serial killer Arthur Shawcross, better known as the Genesee River Killer, tormented upstate New York for decades until he was caught in 1990.Born in 1946 into a middle-class family, Shawcross claims he was severely bullied at school and sexually assaulted by his aunt as he was growing up, although his parents always denied any abuse and claimed Arthur was prone to fabrication (per Biography). In October of 1989, Rochester, N.Y., police had uncovered the bodies of three women and believed them all to be the work of the same twisted serial killer. He also was spending a lot of timewith prostitutes. Weve created a community powered by horror fans like you and we need you in it. Released on parole in March 1987. They also began checking criminal records for offenders who might be living in the immediate area. Police were able to piece together a description of a regular client called "Mitch" or "Mike." The victims were:[7], All the victims were murdered in Monroe County except for Gibson, who was killed in neighboring Wayne County. He explained to the detectives that the reason he mutilated her body after killing her was a kind favor he extended to her so that she would decompose faster. Image via murderpedia.org. #FatPantLoadWe are still trying to crack the code. [11], Shawcross was held at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York, where he was held until his death. Three women disappeared, one right after the other: In an effort to find the missing women, police organizedan air search of the Genesee River Gorge. Release, Arrest, Trial of Arthur Shawcross. The detectives gave Shawcross a list of 16 women missing or murdered, and he immediately denied having anything to do with five of them. [2] Shawcross returned to his hometown of Watertown, New York, eventually getting a job with the Watertown Public Works Department and marrying for the third time. 15. Arthur Shawcross: The Genesee River Killer: Directed by Beth Parkes. Like his previous marriages, the marriage was short and ended abruptly after heconfessed to murdering two local children. He was never a good student failingboth behaviorally and academically during his short time at school. Shawcross is known to have killed at least 14 people, as well as being a known cannibal and mutilator. This one piece ofevidence could have led the authorities right to Shawcross, had they known that he was living in Rochester. What's really fucked up is Shawcross had already been in prison for murdering other people. 22. His first known murders were in 1972 when he killed a young boy and a girl in his hometown of Watertown, New York. Creepy Catalog is owned by the Thought and Expression Company, a small, independent media company. From earlyon,Shawcross was socially challenged and spent much of his time alone. Before being drafted to serve in Vietnam in October of 1967, Shawcross married and divorced twice. When asked for his driver's license, he told the police that he did not have one because he had been convicted of manslaughter. In this television interview, Shawcross said that murder was out of anger because allegedly Stott was going to go to the police and rat him out. After several hours of interrogation, he still denied having anything to do with the murdered women. A year later, on April 7, 1972, he claimed his first victim: 10-year-old neighbor Jack Blake. Police questioning elicited a confession to the murder of Karen Ann Hill and secured enough information to lead to the recovery of the remains of Jack Blake. His family completely denied his accusations of abuse. Following his release, he killed 12 women . 27. Shawcross was declared sane and guilty of 10 instances of second-degree murder. Partly told through the letters of Arthur Shawcross, The Shawcross Letters is the tale of one of America's most notorious serial killers and his relationship with his would-be biographer, John Paul Fay. His wife filed for divorce soon afterward, stating that he was abusive. Despite officials on the ground, Arthur Shawcross got away. [3] On September 2, just prior to the body's discovery, Shawcross raped and killed eight-year-old Karen Ann Hill, who had been visiting Watertown with her mother for the Labor Day weekend. Steffen's father saw the facial recreation and identified the victim as his daughter, Anna Marie. [citation needed]. A photo taken of him during the initial questioning soon confirmed his identity as "Mitch," and official enquiries unearthed the reason for Shawcross' sealed record, which prevented the police from tracking him down sooner. He also admitted to his first homosexual encounter at the age of 11, which he says was followed by experimentation with bestiality. He received a 25-year jail sentence, and third wife Penny divorced him shortly thereafter. Dorothy was Shawcross's first murder after he was released from prison in 1987. Personal Life. Nicknames like The Genesee River Killer, The Monster of the Rivers, and The Rochester Strangler began popping up. Shawcross married his longtime sweetheart Clara in 1997 while behind bars. He was a pathological liar and it was difficult to determine what was truth and what was not. The charges were pled down to one count of manslaughter and he was released on parole in 1987. The strangulation and bodies dumped in rivers formed some workable theories as to the killers identity. . In 1989, on the day before Ted . Interviews with many of the Lyle prostitutes indicated that he was a regular and that he had the reputation of being violent. Shawcross was arrested on October 3, 1972, Shawcross stalled for two weeks before confessing both murders. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee. "Profile of Serial Killer Arthur Shawcross." 26. Arthur Shawcross was skilled in having conversation with the prosititues about buying sex. Montaldo, Charles. Eventually, Shawcrosss parole officer settled them in Rochester without properly notifying authorities. Fortunately for the authorities, Shawcross had, as speculated, returned to the scene of one of his crimes to relive the pleasure of the attack. According to autopsy reports, she had been raped and murdered, and dirt and leaves were found jammed down her throat. In September 1972, the body of 8-year-old Karen Ann Hill was found under a bridge. In 1968, Arthur Shawcross ended up in jail for arson and served two years of a five-year sentence. His lackluster marriage to Whalley meant that he was soon seeking solace elsewhere, both from prostitutes as well as his new girlfriend, Clara Neal. With Augustine Capone, Maggie Deming, Paul Dierdorf, Lynde Johnston. 2. 201311 2008118 "Upstate New York Serial Killer Dies". (2021, September 8). He was arrested in 1972 for the rape and murder of two children. Shawcross stood trail in 1990 for 10 murders across Monroe County, New York. When a pair of discarded jeans was discovered near the river on December 31, 1989, containing an ID card for a girl named Felicia Stephens, police began an aerial search of the surrounding area. He was arrested the next day. The story of Arthur Shawcross, whose bloodthirsty murder spree lasted more than a decade and claimed over a dozen lives. Reply . retrieved. We hear you like all things creepy we do too. Could it be that Rochester was being stalked by two serial killers? It was the second time that the man with the same physical description, named Mike or Mitch, had been mentioned in reference to the murders. It did not take long for Shawcross to return to his murderous ways. Both had been asphyxiated and the press started to show an interest as the cases were linked. Three more bodies turned up between December of 1989 and January of 1990. The arrest marked an end to a 21-month killing spree that turned up 12 bodies. While living in Watertown, in May of 1972, Shawcross murdered 10-year-old Jake Blake. He received his first probationary sentence in December 1963 for smashing a shop window. There are several different accounts of what his IQ actually wassome records show it as 86 or below average while other accounts report him testing slightly above average at 105 and 107. [12], In 2003, Shawcross was interviewed by British reporter Katherine English for a documentary on cannibalism. He hid the body and left but told police that he later returned and threw her skull into the river. It seemed as if each week another woman went missing and those found murdered were not close to being solved. Shawcross had returned to visit Jean Ciceros body. Her boots were found in another location after the patrol expanded thesearch. Nostrand went to the police and gave them the information along with a description of the man's vehicle. Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, and died on November 10, 2008, while serving a life sentence for the murder of 11 women. He appeared to be either masturbating or urinating. 16. He didnt waste all of his time there. Arthur Shawcross was an American serial killer born in April 1945. In April 1967 Shawcross was drafted into the Army. ", Astrological Sign: Gemini, Death Year: 2008, Death date: November 10, 2008, Death State: New York, Death City: Albany, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Arthur Shawcross Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/crime/arthur-shawcross, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: October 27, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. He later boasted of grotesque combat exploits, such as "beheading mama-sans and nailing their heads to trees as a warning to the Vietcong" and engaging in cannibalism; in reality he never served in a combat position. Marie Welch, age 22 was a Lyell Avenue prostitute who was reported missing on November 5, 1989. He served two years in prison, was paroled to his respectable parents - and murdered a boy and a girl. Six days later her body was pulled from the Genesee River Gorge. He was released in October 1971, after serving just 22 months of his sentence. Died in prison on November 10, 2008. She had been strangled, anally mutilated after death, had her labia removed, and was gutted from throat to crotch like a wild animal. Size: 13 x 10 in. The body was not Felicia Stephens but that of missing prostitute June Cicero. The F.B.I agents strongly suggested that when the next body was found, that investigators wait and watch to see if thekiller returned to the body. 13WHAM.com (2008118). This grave mistake led to the murders of 12 more people, all of them in Rochester. Polly Flinders. John Paul Fay was a murderabilia dealer with a troubled past. They got married, and Shawcross worked various low-skilled jobs. 6 of 22. [5] In November he was transferred to Green Haven Correctional Facility. She was the only victim where he went to Wayne County to dispose of the body because he could sense that police were catching up to him and wanted to throw them off the trail. Hunting Down Shawcross' Car. Five months later, his victim's body was finally located. By subscribing, you agree to the terms of our Privacy Statement. [2], After his discharge from the Army, Shawcross moved with Linda from Oklahoma to Clayton, New York. You may unsubscribe at any time. In November 1990, Shawcross went to trial for the 10 murders that had occurred in Monroe County. John, who claims he had a "bond" with the late . The corpse was then anally mutilated, and the body was cut opened from the throat down to the crotch. The last victim, Elizabeth Gibson, had been killed in neighboring Wayne County. Released early on plea bargain, not long after which he murdered 11 women. Now that youve read about Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer, read about serial killer Edmund Kemper, whose story is almost too gross to be real. Several weeks later on April 22, 1972, he married his third wife, Penny Sherbino, who was pregnant with his child. In 1972, he raped and killed an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old in two separate incidents. Arthur Shawcross: Vile cannibal who loved to eat women. He admitted to 11 murders (he was not officially charged with a 12th), and his confession was an astounding 80 pages long. ", "Serial killer Arthur Shawcross dead at 63", Crime Library article on Arthur Shawcross, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Shawcross&oldid=1133486829, American people convicted of manslaughter, American people who died in prison custody, Crimes against sex workers in the United States, People convicted of murder by New York (state), People with antisocial personality disorder, People with schizoid personality disorder, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New York (state), Prisoners who died in New York (state) detention, Serial killers who died in prison custody, United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War, Violence against women in the United States, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Articles with dead external links from August 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Life in prison without parole (or a term amounting to 250 years), This page was last edited on 14 January 2023, at 01:31. He had been sexually assaulted and suffocated, but police had no leads to the identity of the killer. Arthur Shawcross The Genesee Rive Killer Dr. Mike Aamodt Radford University maamodt@radford.edu Birth Born on June 6, 1945 at the U.S. This victim was Dorothy Blackburn, a 27-year-old prostitute he strangled to death on March 24, 1988. He was arrested on October 3, 1972, and finally confessed to both killings, although he was only charged with Karen Hill's killing, given the lack of evidence tying him to Jack Blake's death. Shawcross also talked about his childhood, as if using the experience as a way to justify his horrific acts. Shawcross died on 10 November 2008, while serving a prison sentence of 250 years for his crimes, at the age of 63. . An experienced and skilled writer, Olsen ( Predator ) proves himself equal to the formidable task of studying serial killer Arthur Shawcross. Her body, however, was found far from the original murder scene, so again the possibility that a serial killer was at work was not recognized. The Army provided proof that Shawcross was never stationed near a jungle and that he never fought in combat, never burned down huts, was never caught behind a firebomb and never went on jungle patrol as he claimed. From school records it can be independently verified that he was an inveterate truant, with a particularly low IQ, a tendency to bullying and violence and that he came under suspicion for a series of juvenile arson attacks as well as burglaries. <p>If you are from Rochester NY, or at least the upstate area,you know at least part of the story of Arthur John Shawcross. Abstract. He has two sisters, Donna and Jeannie, and one brother, James. Years later, while serving in Vietnam, Arthur John Shawcross wrote bloodcurdling letters about his battlefield ordeals, then returned to Watertown to commit a string of arsons and burglaries. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, and enlisted in the . He preyed primarily upon prostitutes from Lyell Ave, raping and mutilating his victims before and after dumping their bodies in out of the way locations throughout the city.He had a penchant for securing their bodies by way of a . [1], After the war, Shawcross was stationed at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma, as an armorer. Born in 1945 in upstate New York, Shawcross was perceived as different even in childhood (his classmates dubbed him ``Oddie,'' and elementary school officials called for mental health evaluations). 1 reference. Dorothy "Dotsie" Blackburn, 27, was a cocaine addict and prostitute who often worked on Lyell Avenue, a section in Rochester that was known for prostitution. The jury in the Arthur Shawcross trial was unpersuaded by Lewis's diagnosis of DID and duly convicted Shawcross of murder after just half-an-hour's deliberation. He was identified as Arthur John Shawcross. This Hiking Photo Has A ChillingBackstory, She Met A Man Online And Ended Up Taking Down An Active SerialKiller. There is no definitive answer as to why Shawcross seemed to embellish the stories of what he did to his victims and what had been done to him throughout his childhood. When it came time to discuss June Stott, Shawcross appeared to become melancholy. [2], In November 1990, Shawcross was tried by Monroe County First Assistant District Attorney Charles J. Siragusa for the ten murders in Monroe County. Arthur Shawcross was blinking in Morse code during his 2008 interview shortly before his death from cardia. Once the boy was dead, he decided to eat his genitals. [1], Arthur John Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine, the first of four children of Arthur Roy Shawcross and Elizabeth "Bessie" ("Betty") Yerakes Shawcross. This time, Shawcross wasnt getting out of prison. Prosecution psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz testified that Shawcross had antisocial personality disorder. The Most Notorious Serial Killers in History. Male interviewers often had to listen to his conquests in Vietnam. This, along with the fact that she was not a prostitute or drug user, kept her disappearance separated from the serial killer investigation. Shawcross is known to have killed at least 14 people, as well as being a known cannibal and mutilator. Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine in 1945, the oldest of four children. With little evidence, and no public impetus to solve the murder of a prostitute, her case languished for over a year. Shawcross' defense team tried to build a case based on an insanity plea, citing various mitigating factors, such as his upbringing, post-traumatic stress as a result of military service, a cyst on the brain and a rare genetic defect. There is no way of knowing whose version represents the reality of his upbringing, but what became clear, later on, was that Shawcross would change his stories at will, as he was interviewed by various professionals in the course of their investigations. And as if to toast in the New Year, the serial killer attacked one more time on December 28, plucking 20-year-old Felicia Stephens off the streets. AP. In this study, five serial murderers were identified as having engaged in childhood animal cruelty. John, who claims he had a "bond" with the late convicted serial killer Arthur Shawcross (also known as the Genesee River Killer) and wrote a book about his friendship with the deceased murderer, says he's curious as to whether Shawcross meant as much to his daughter, Maggie, as he meant to John. He was pronounced dead at 9:50p.m. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Jo Ann Van Nostrand along with other prostitutes identified the police picture of Shawcross as the same man they called Mike/Mitch. The lack of sexual interference indicated it might be someone with sexual dysfunction. He had been spotted by an eyewitness and a police surveillance team standing near his car, apparently urinating on a bridge over Salmon Creek near where Cicero's body had been dumped. He wouldnt kill again for several months, but after being laid off from his job went into a rage and picked up Anna Steffen. 14. The discovery of the body of another prostitute, Anna Steffen, on September 9, 1989, linked several of the victims. Road patrols were also sent out, and on New Year's Eve, they found a pair of black jeans belonging to Felicia Stephens. He says he also exhibited behavioral problems at an early age, including bed-wetting and bullying. He was released in October 1971 and returned to Watertown again. He also claimed a "combat kill" total of 39 which, when investigated later, was also discounted as fabrication; authorities claim he killed no one on his tour of duty. [2], In March 1988, Shawcross began murdering again, primarily targeting sex workers in the Rochester area, before his capture less than two years later. Naval Hospital in Kittery, Maine 1 month premature - weighed 5 pounds - spent 20 days in the hospital Mother Bessie was 18, father Arthur Roy was 21 Born with XYY Was first of four children He frequently lied about what he did. The day of her death, October 21, 1989, Dorothy and Shawcross had spent the day fishing and having sex before getting into an argument about Shawcrosss various affairs and how hed been stealing money. He was 16 years old. Arthur Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, in Kittery, Maine. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation This was the first real lead the investigators received. . [2] He first moved to Binghamton, New York, then relocated to Delhi with a girlfriend, Rose Marie Walley. cause of death. Frances "Franny" Brown, age 22, was last seen alive leaving Lyell Avenue on November 11, with a client known by some of the prostitutes as Mike or Mitch. In June 1987, Shawcross and his new girlfriend, Rose Marie Walley, were relocated to Rochester, New York. Arthur John Shawcross was also known as "The Genesee River Killer" and "The Rochester Strangler" all due to how he . Between 1988 and 1989, Arthur Shawcross killed at least 10 women in Rochester, New York, and they were not his first victims. Shawcross also said that he had a homosexual relationship at age 11 and experimented with bestiality not long afterward. The well-publicized resettlement of a child killer in the Binghamton area of New York State was greeted by a public outcry, and he was forced to leave the area after a few months along with his new girlfriend, Rose Whalley. The serial killer strangled June Stott, who was 26 at the time of her death, before Shawcross cut her body open from the throat to the vagina like she was a wild animal. The judge sentenced him to 25 years for each count, a total of 250 years imprisonment.
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