Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 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. Eight years after his conviction, he was sent into nine months of solitary confinement after it was discovered that Shawcross was selling his own paintings and autographs on eBay with the help of friends outside. Three years later, he received a probationary sentence after smashing a shop window. Resend Activation Email. Officials disputed it and attributed him with a combat kill of zero. In this jailhouse interview from a maximum security correctional facility in New York, Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer, shares candid details of his crimes and his surprising family. His next three victims, 25-year-old Patricia Ives, 32-year-old Frances Brown, and 22-year-old Maria Welch, were all prostitutes Shawcross picked up and murdered while having sex with them. Once the boy was dead, he decided to eat his genitals. Then his violent tendencies got worse and the arsonist became a cold-blooded murderer. Shawcross and his girlfriend Clara Neal were brought to the police station for questioning. This was the first real lead the investigators received. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Her daughter, Los Angeles resident Crystal Theobald, a 24-year-old mother of two, was shot at point-blank range while sitting in her car at an intersection. After listening to hours of his self-serving saga, investigators still were unable to get him to admit to any of the Rochester murders. Local authorities discovered patterns of behavior regarding the killer, which led them to ask FBI profilers for assistance. The Corrections on Canvas show had been staged for 35 years where inmates bought their own art supplies but were allowed to keep half the proceeds from their sales, with the other half going to the state Crime Victims Board. Arthur Shawcross, also known as "The Genesee River Killer," was responsible for the murders of 12 women in upstate New York from 1988 to 1990. Verify and try again. She died from having her neck broken. As to his aunt sexually abusing him, It was later determined,that if he had been abused, he somehow blocked out his aunt's name because the name that he gave did not belong to any of his real aunts. https://www.thoughtco.com/profile-of-serial-killer-arthur-shawcross-973145 (accessed May 1, 2023). 19. Interview with a Serial Killers Daughter, Maggie Deming - YouTube On this episode, Andrew speaks with Maggie Deming. Police Questioning of a Suspected Serial Killer. Shawcross claimed he couldnt recall any details of the murder other than he did it and disposed of her body near the last two. She had been beaten and strangled to death. The fallacy of this assessment would soon become tragically clear. They also believed that the killer would return to mutilate the bodies of his victims when possible. . I had to because there was somebody out there that was connected to me. Noting that Shawcross shared many of the details of his life with her, what does Maggie say her father told her of his correspondence with John? She was last seen alive at about 3:00 PM on Friday, December 15, 1989 near her home on Jones Park in Rochester. 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. We do know for certain that after his discharge from the Army, Shawcross was arrested for arson and served 22 months of a five-year sentence before being released in October of 1971. All rights reserved. He agreed to be interviewed for a 2003 documentary about cannibalism where he bragged about slicing out and eating the genitalia of three victims but refused to discuss the eating the genitals of his first victim, Jack Blake in 1972. Add to your scrapbook. [6], Jefferson County District Attorney William McClusky explained the plea bargain by stating that other than Shawcross's confession to police, there was no direct evidence linking him to the Blake killing. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? Jennifer Koon, a, 18-year-old sophomore at St. John Fisher College, was abducted in her car after using an ATM in Pittsford Plaza on Nov. 13, 1993. English When you opt in, not only do you get our curated list of the best horror streaming and stories, you support our work and help us keep the lights on. We have set your language to [5] In November he was transferred to Green Haven Correctional Facility. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Willis Knight, now 56, was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree rape and is currently incarcerated at the Attica Correctional Facility for Koon's death. 2010 The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. beheading mama-sans and nailing their heads to trees as a warning to the Vietcong., The High Falls of The Genesee River (Ken Gallagher/Wikipedia), A Woman Went To A Funeral To Berate A Grieving Mother, It Turns Out Her Daughter Might Be The Murderer, Watch Chris Watts Give A Chilling Speech About Relationship Deterioration. (2023, April 5). The manners of deathwere as varied as the killers and their victims. 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. He bragged about slicing out and eating the vulvae of three victims, but refused to discuss his earlier claim of eating the genitals of his first victim, Jack Blake.[2]. Shawcross died late Monday at an Albany hospital, where he had been. The mass murderer took up painting bright visages of butterflies, wildlife and water features. The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. She was reported missing the next day. Matthew C | His final victim was Felicia Stephens, another 19-year-old prostitute. She too was never seen alive again. You can always change this later in your Account settings. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Prosecution psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz testified that Shawcross had antisocial personality disorder. He also blamed many of the victims for reminding him of his domineering and abusive mother, so much so that once he began to hit them, he couldn't stop. After his release on parole in April of 1987, Shawcross simply could not stop his murderous tendencies. 14. Failed to delete memorial. An autopsy revealed that Stott had been strangled to death. Nasty stuff. Her body was found under a bridge near the Black River and she had been raped, mutilated and strangled. Make sure that the file is a photo. Officials said 63-year old Shawcross complained of a pain in his leg on the afternoon of November 10, 2008, his date of death. I guess it's one of life's fascinating untold stories Perhaps she just enjoys the music? Shawcross' family members strongly denied that he was abused and described his childhood as normal. There was never any doubt in court that Arthur J. Shawcross committed a series of bizarre murders of Rochester women. On January 2, another air and ground search was organized and right before calling it off due to bad weather, the air team spotted what appeared to be the body of a half-nude femalelaying face down near the Salmon Creek. The serial killer agreed to cooperate with police. He and his team did not try to plea insanity and received an eleventh life sentence. Between 1988 and 1989, Arthur Shawcross murdered at least 11 women, many of them prostitutes that he picked up along one street in Rochester, New York, where he was living with his fourth wife. Please try again later. It turned out that he was a regular customer of many of the women on Lyell Avenue. Only a month after the murder of Hill, Shawcross was arrested. When police took Shawcross in for questioning, they had no idea he had previously spent almost 15 years in jail on manslaughter charges after killing a 10-year-old boy and raping and suffocating an 8-year-old girl. The next strangulation murder happened in September of 1989. YouTubeArthur Shawcross with his daughter (left) and granddaughter at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in 2002. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. In a follow-up to his question about what evil is, the interviewer asks Shawcross, Are you evil?, In his typically laconic way, Shawcross replies, Somewhat.. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. After relocating due to the publics outcry of his release, he moved to Rochester with his fourth wife. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? In September, six months after Blackburn's body was found, the bones from another missing Lyell Avenue prostitute, Anna Marie Steffen, was found by a man who was collecting bottles to sell for cash. I embraced it. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. 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. He was soon considered a bully by classmates and family alike, and frequently acted out violently. But the insanity defense that was at issue in his 10-week trial is now causing . As reported by Biography, Shawcross made many disturbing claims about his childhood: he said he had sexual relations with his younger sister, claimed that he was molested by his aunt at just 9 years old, and said he had an early homosexual experience. Another Lyell Avenue prostitute, Patricia "Patty" Ives, 25, was found strangled to death and buried under a pile of debris on October 27, 1989. He also claimed that an aunt sexually molested him when he was 9 years old and that he acted out by sexually molesting his younger sister. He thanks you for reading his content. Arthur Shawcross leaves court in 1990 in Rochester, New York. Shawcross died on 10 November 2008, while serving a prison sentence of 250 years for his crimes, at the age of 63. Name: Arthur Shawcross Birth Year: 1945 Birth date: June 6, 1945 Birth State: Maine Birth City: Kittery Birth Country: United States Gender: Male Best Known For: Serial killer Arthur Shawcross. A portrait of the late Princess Diana was among 10 sketches and paintings by him that sold for as much as $540 a piece. Blake's body was not found until authorities received a tip by telephone on September 5. This Hiking Photo Has A Chilling Backstory, She Met A Man Online And Ended Up Taking Down An Active Serial Killer. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. 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. Getty ImagesArthur Shawcross leaves court in 1990 in Rochester, New York. He died behind bars in 2008. Shawcross, however, was a very troubled child and would often bully other children and act violently at school, even developing a habit of bringing an iron bar with him to classes. Cannibal Corpse's song 'Addicted to Vaginal Skin' is preceeded by a recording of an interview with Shawcross. Three months later, Shawcross would plead guilty to the murder of another woman in the neighboring county of Wayne. He had been arguing with one of the victims, a woman whom he had been accused of harassing, when two passersbyintervened. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. It did not take long for himto become bored with his new menial life. He weighed 300 pounds and stood six feet tall. Shawcross had pleaded guilty in 1972 to killing two children (an 8-year-oldgirl and a 10-year-old boy)in Watertown, Jefferson County, where Shawcross had moved with his family from Maine. During his trial, his lawyer tried to prove that Shawcross was a victim of multiple personality disorder stemming from his years of being abused as a child. 9. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. A cyst found on Shawcross' right temporal lobe was said to have caused him to have behavioral seizures where he would display animalistic behavior, such as eating the body parts of his victims. 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. [2] In mid-October, Shawcross and Walley found more permanent lodgings at 241 Alexander Street in Rochester. The big problem with this defense was that there was no one who backed up his stories. With each victim that he confessed to the killing, he includedwhat the victim had done to deserve what they got. Initially, upon his release, Shawcross moved to Binghamton, New York, then relocated to Delhi, New York to be with a woman named Rose who would eventually become his third wife. He then raped, murdered and brutally mutilated 11 prostitutes between 1988 and 1990 in Rochester, New York. Most of them were strangled to death, and their often-mutilated bodies were dumped in the nearby Genesee River. According to autopsy reports, she had been raped and murdered, and dirt and leaves were found jammed down her throat. He's currently housed in Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Westchester County. This time there were no protests because Shawcross' parole officer failed to report to the local police department that a child rapist and murderer had just moved into town. In November 1965 he was put on probation on a charge of unlawful entry. He was identified as Arthur John Shawcross. Arthur Shawcross died in prison in 2008 at the age of 63. ", "Serial killer Arthur Shawcross dead at 63", Crime Library article on Arthur Shawcross, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arthur_Shawcross&oldid=1150321368, Life in prison without parole (or a term amounting to 250 years), This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 13:27. Shawcross had served 12 years, roughly half of his sentence when inexperienced staff and social workers made the call to grant him parole stating he was no longer dangerous despite numerous psychiatrists warning that he was a schizoid psychopath. At the beginning of November, Jo Ann Van Nostrand told police about a client named Mitch who paid her to play dead and then he would try to strangle her, which she did not allow. Sorry! Dont worry, you can unsubscribe any time you like. Shawcross began developing a habit of looking for prostitutes and would use his girlfriend (who he was having an affair with) Claras car to go to Lake Avenue near the Genesee River which was an industrial area well known for cheap prostitutes and drug dealers. No matter how you look at it, Arthur Shawcross was a troubled person. Shawcrosss third victim of the 20-month spree was 59-year-old former waitress, Dorothy Keeler, with whom Shawcross had struck up a friendship. Nostrand went to the police and gave them the information along with a description of the man's vehicle. He shot all three with a handgun. He was placed on probation in 1963 for breaking the window of a store. Charles Montaldo is a writer and former licensed private detective who worked with law enforcement and insurance firms investigating crime and fraud. In 1968, Arthur Shawcross ended up in jail for arson and served two years of a five-year sentence. Shawcross had gone fishing with the boy a few days earlier but denied knowing where he was. [2] He first moved to Binghamton, New York, then relocated to Delhi with a girlfriend, Rose Marie Walley. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. The problem is, like so much about Arthur Shawcross, we have no way of knowing if there is any truth in his gruesomeand, frankly, unlikelywar stories. [citation needed]. Arthur Shawcross, convicted of killing 10 Rochester-area women from 1988 to 1990, was sentenced today to a minimum of 250 years in prison. According to his own telling, Shawcross went on secret, solo missions into the jungle where he engaged in savage acts. This was not the first time that he killed. Dental records provided additional confirmation. It was noted that the labia had been cut off and that the killer likely hadit in his possession. This one piece ofevidence could have led the authorities right to Shawcross, had they known that he was living in Rochester. Weve updated the security on the site. The first of four children, Arthur Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine to Arthur Roy Shawcross and Elizabeth Yerakes Shawcross. However, he was declared sane and fit to stand trial and was subsequently found guilty and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. 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. Apparently, Stott was a friend and had been a guest in his home. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. This, in addition to his casual tone when talking about his own atrocities, makes him difficult to read. After hours of interrogation, Shawcross still maintained that he had nothing to do with any Rochester murders. Spengler'ssister Cheryl was found dead in the Lake Road home they shared. He was born Arthur John Shawcross in Kittery, Maine on June 6, 1945, and grew up an unhappy kid. In a disturbing interview, Shawcross details some of his crimes while vehemently refusing to discuss others. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Just three weeks later, Shawcross married his third wife who was pregnant with his child. A food service worker, Shawcross trawled the streets of Rochester in his girlfriend's 1984 Dodge Omni (later using her 1987 Chevrolet Celebrity), looking for sex workers to kill. But manyprostitutes already knew Shawcross. While several later tests showed his intelligence to be sub-normal or even "borderline disabled,"[citation needed] Shawcross received As and Bs in his first two years of grade school but was later tested to have an IQ of 86, signifying below-average intelligence. Both Darlene Trippi and June Cicero were prostitutes that Shawcross picked up, strangled, and disposed of in December of 1989. This time, Shawcross wasnt getting out of prison. Arthur J. Shawcross, 44, was charged with murdering eight . This is a carousel with slides. Shawcross killed most of his victims in 1988 and 1989 after being granted an early parole, which later led to controversy. From earlyon,Shawcross was socially challenged and spent much of his time alone. Darlene was the twelfth victim of the serial killer known as the Genesee River Killer, Arthur Shawcross. A decision was made to seal his records from public view, and he was moved one final time. In March 1988, Shawcross began cheating on his wife with a new girlfriend. Try again later. He did, however, offer up more details about his childhood, his past murders and his experiences in Vietnam. All of these murders were unsolved. She divorced him shortly afterward citing abuse and his propensity to being apyromaniacas her reasons. He would often miss classes, and when he was there, he regularlymisbehaved and had the reputation of being a bully and picking fights with other students. The strangulation and bodies dumped in rivers formed some workable theories as to the killers identity. Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine in 1945, the oldest of four children. Road patrols were also sent out, and on New Year's Eve, they found a pair of black jeans belonging to Felicia Stephens. At this time he divorced his first wife and gave up his rights to their 18-month-old son, whom he never saw again. He was caught in 1990 and died in prison in 2008. Some killers were motivated by revenge. Profile of Serial Killer Arthur Shawcross. He murdered two kids and never disclosed the reason. Following Dotsies murder, Shawcross became a Lake Avenue regular and was known to the prostitutes by the name of Mitch. Year should not be greater than current year. He was 16 years old. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Thats why we started Creepy Catalog in 2015 as a place for creepy content and creepy people to congregate. He was released in 1987, after only 14 years, when staff assessed him as no longer dangerous. In the interview, he speaks frankly about beheading and cooking a Vietnamese woman and eating some of her flesh. WATCH: Man Calls Friendship With Genesee River Killer A Brotherhood Of Ghouls. Learn more about merges. Arthur Shawcross: The Genesee River Killer: With Charles Siragusa, Lynde Johnston, Vanessa Tyler, Maggie Deming. Craig Rideout at that time had custody the couple's two youngest children, who were 12 and 6 at the time of the murder. In one case, he claims to have gone back to a decaying corpse, removed his victims head, and thrown it into the river. Linda would soon divorce him, after which he began committing crimes such as arson and burglary. Arthur Shawcross was born, two months premature, on June 6th, 1945. Kupchynsky's remains were found by two boys in Murray, Orleans County, in April 1998. Related: 24 True Crime Documentaries You Can Stream on Netflix Right Now, The documentary ends after Shawcross is reunited with a daughter that he didnt even know he had, conceived while he was on leave from the Army, though it doesnt mention the son that Shawcross did know about, the child that he left with his first wife when he was only 18 months old. One victim tried to steal his wallet, another wouldn't be quiet, another made fun of him, and yet another had nearly bitten off his penis. Christie told investigators that he panicked and strangled her when he heard Kali's mother calling her name. Gingello and two bodyguards were at a restaurant on Stillson Street, when the trio left around 2:30 a.m. and walked to Gingello's Buick. Christie, now 47, is currently serving 25 years to life in state prison for Kali's death. Its hard to corroborate his stories as later in life Shawcross frequently changed his stories from one moment to the next. Once his involvement was established, the details began to flow. He set fires to a local paper mill and the factory where he worked before being arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. Felicia went missing December 26, 1989, and a few days later on the 31st, a pair of hikers found some jeans with her ID in the pocket. Shawcross had returned to visit Jean Ciceros body. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. His family moved to Watertown, New York, when he was young. In the end, it came down to what the jury believed, and they weren't fooled for a moment. Yes! 1. He claims he was molested by an aunt at age nine, but his family disputes that claim. [2] He served one tour of duty with the 4th Supply and Transport Company of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. 30-year-old June Stotts was the first of Shawcrosss victims where he dove back into his love of cannibalism and mutilation. His two bodyguards were injured, but survived. 25. In Vietnam, Shawcross took advantage of the guerilla warfare to commit heinous acts. The decapitated and decomposing remains of a homeless woman, 60-year-old Dorothy Keller, was found on October 21, 1989, in the Genesee River Gorge. Arthur Shawcross The Genesee Rive Killer Dr. Mike Aamodt Radford University maamodt@radford.edu Birth Born on June 6, 1945 at the U.S. He worked for a local food merchant and often sold food to the women andbartered, exchanging products for services. He hid the body and left but told police that he later returned and threw her skull into the river. Director Beth Parkes Stars Arthur Shawcross John McCaffrey Lynde Johnston Oops, something didn't work. After his 2012 confession, he refused to plead guilty and his deteriorating health (he suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease)precluded a trial. Learn more about managing a memorial . In May,Laura Rideout filed an appeal of her conviction,pointing her finger at sons Colin and Alex as the killers. I love Burzum, but I am an Evangelical Christian with absolutely no Nazi sympathies. Search above to list available cemeteries. They got married, and Shawcross worked various low-skilled jobs. 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. Try again later. He was chargedwith murder in her death but was never convicted of the killing. McClusky also suggested Shawcross could have argued at trial that he was under "extreme emotional disturbance," and a jury would have been likely to arrive at a verdict of manslaughter. Allegedly, the youngster then began experimenting with this sexuality in many ways, including homosexuality and bestiality, by age 11. Christie later admitted that he had strangled Kali on May 23, 1994, and placed her body into a 30,000-gallon tank at Nortel on Humboldt Street in Rochester, where he worked as a security guard. This led to suspicions that the killer was likely someone who appeared to be in a position of authority such as a police officer or fireman or perhaps was someone posing in those roles. Had investigators hoped that the busy December holiday season and the cold temperatures might slow down the serial killer, they soon found out that they were wrong. She had been missing for nearly a month. Shawcross married his longtime sweetheart Clara in 1997 while behind bars. His body was found a year later out in the woods. 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. How does she relate to her grandfather's memory? After Frances Browns body was found the media began to catch wind of the killing happening in the area. Police from multiple jurisdictions regularly revisit the slayings to discuss possible leads as they continue to investigate. [8] Lewis also claimed that Shawcross moved into a separate internal personality named "Bessie" when he killed, arguing for him to be institutionalized rather than being returned to the prisons system. [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.