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. For detectives, June Stott's murder sent the investigation into a tailspin. In September 1972, the body of 8-year-old Karen Ann Hill was found under a bridge. Arthur John Shawcross, a serial killer who terrorized the Rochester, N.Y., area from 1988 to 1990, died on Nov. 10 of a heart attack.He was 63. This time, Shawcross wasnt getting out of prison. In March 1988, Shawcross began cheating on his wife with a new girlfriend. He had trouble relocating and settling into work as people were aware of his past and would protest his presence in their communities. But what interested me was a photos of Shawcross in a prison visit with his daughter and granddaughter. 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. Kimberly Logan, 30, another Lyell Avenue prostitute, was found dead on November 15, 1989. When approached, Shawcross agreed to assist the police with their enquiries. 8. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. The detectives gave Shawcross a list of 16 women missing or murdered, and he immediately denied having anything to do with five of them. Shawcross claims while in prison he was raped and after extracting revenge on his attackers, he was transferred to another prison to serve out his sentence. His defense team attempted to plead not guilty by reason of insanity citing his turbulent upbringing, PTSD from Vietnam, as well as claiming he had a genetic disorder and a cyst on his brain. 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. Three more bodies turned up between December of 1989 and January of 1990. Charles Montaldo is a writer and former licensed private detective who worked with law enforcement and insurance firms investigating crime and fraud. Future news of events, Zoom movie marathons, books, and streaming updates will be delivered first to our newsletter readers. Darlene Trippi, 32, was known for pairing up for safety with veteran Jo Ann Van Nostrand, yet on December 15, she like others before her, disappeared off Lyell Avenue. Arthur Shawcross was an American serial killer born in April 1945. 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. 1 reference. When they asked for his driver's license, he admitted he did not have one and then revealed that he had been in jail for manslaughter. Arthur Shawcross was skilled in having conversation with the prosititues about buying sex. He claimed his aunt sexually molested him when he was 9, and that he had sexual relations with his younger sister. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, and enlisted in the . 2011719. Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, and died on November 10, 2008, while serving a life sentence for the murder of 11 women. Albany. 19. It was also hindered by poor presentation on the part of the expert witnesses called to testify. He had been sexually assaulted and suffocated, but police had no leads to the identity of the killer. On April 7, 1972, he took a 10-year-old boy named Jack Blake, a neighbor at the time, fishing. [2], On May 7, 1972, he raped and killed his first known victim, 10-year-old Jack Owen Blake, after luring the boy into a wooded area in Watertown. Within six months of each other, two Watertown children went missing in September 1972. He went into fits of rage that led to broken windows and beat-up wives. However, Shawcross was born with XYY syndrome. 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 ", Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Arthur Shawcross, Birth Year: 1945, Birth date: June 6, 1945, Birth State: Maine, Birth City: Kittery, Birth Country: United States, Best Known For: Serial killer Arthur Shawcross murdered 11 women from 1988 to 1990 in upstate New York, earning the nickname "Genesee River Killer. Post-traumatic stress disorder from his year in Vietnam was also anted up as a reason why he went insane and murdered women. Was Chris Benoit The Guy We Thought He Was, Or A Violent FamilyMurderer? A year later, on April 7, 1972, he claimed his first victim: 10-year-old neighbor Jack Blake. Russian Wikipedia. [9], In response to the defense's claim that Shawcross's actions were the product of post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from his war service, FBI criminal profiler Robert K. Ressler reviewed the claim on behalf of the prosecution before the trial. With the body count mounting, the police sought assistance from FBI profilers. He even admitted to the killing of two undiscovered bodies, those of prostitutes Maria Welsh and Darlene Trippi, leading investigators to their bodies. Shawcross has claimed that his mother and an aunt repeatedly molested him as a child and that in junior high he had a sexual relationship with his younger sister as well as a cousin. Authorities ran criminal background checks on possible suspects, but sealing Shawcross previous records meant they didnt show up in any checks. Shawcrosss third victim of the 20-month spree was 59-year-old former waitress, Dorothy Keeler, with whom Shawcross had struck up a friendship. The arrest marked an end to a 21-month killing spree that turned up 12 bodies. After deliberating for just one-half hour, they found him sane and guilty. They let him out saying he was no longer a danger. An experienced and skilled writer, Olsen ( Predator ) proves himself equal to the formidable task of studying serial killer Arthur Shawcross. Arthur Shawcross. Shawcross pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Arthur Shawcross was released from prison in 1987 after serving 14 1/2 years for the murder . He was the first of four children born to Arthur Roy Shawcross and Bessie 'Betty' Yerakes Shawcross. All Rights Reserved. .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. Once his involvement was established, the details began to flow. She too was never seen alive again. Both had been asphyxiated and the press started to show an interest as the cases were linked. Arthur Shawcross. According to autopsy reports, she had been raped and murdered, and dirt and leaves were found jammed down her throat. A Thirteenth Century Cannibal. A police helicopter searching for a body along the river spotted a man on a bridge near one of the murder victims. 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. His mother has denied that there was any sort of abuse in their family. Arthur Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine on June 6, 1945. They had the bodies of four women, all who went missing and were murdered within seven months of each other; three had been murdered within a few weeks of each other; three of the victims were prostitutes from Lyell Avenue, and all the victims had bite marks and had been strangled to death. Then we detail the first few grisly deaths Arthur committed, which would prove only to be a warmup to unbelievable mayhem. The body of Elizabeth "Liz" Gibson, 29, was found strangled to death on November 27, in another county. He received his first probationary sentence in December 1963 for smashing a shop window. But death did not end the killer's cruelty. Judge Donald Wisner sentenced Mr. Shawcross to the . Interview with a Serial Killer: Directed by Christopher Martin. The serial killer agreed to cooperate with police. From rape to mutilation, he terrified the Rochester area for over 17 years. After being arrested for the both childrens murder, Shawcross confessed and agreed to reveal the location of Jacks body which was still missing in order to have his charges dropped from homicide to manslaughter. 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. New York. Arthur Shawcross believed that the spirit of a thirteenth-century cannibal called "Ariemes," possessed his body and drove him to rape, murder and cannibalism. Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, in Kittery, Maine . The big problem with this defense was that there was no one who backed up his stories. 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. 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. 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. The amount of cannibals in American history is probably a lot higher than you'd expect. This Hiking Photo Has A ChillingBackstory, She Met A Man Online And Ended Up Taking Down An Active SerialKiller. Stott was not a drug addict or a prostitute, and her body had been left in an area far from the other victims. All other charges were dropped and he was sentenced to a 25-years in prison. Police tried various tactics, including canvassing all the local bars, to no avail. Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. For over a decade, we've been at the bleeding edge of media, pioneering an infrastructure for creatives to flourish both artistically and financially. This was the first real lead the investigators received. Interviews with many of the Lyle prostitutes indicated that he was a regular and that he had the reputation of being violent. In April 1967 Shawcross was drafted into the Army. He served two years in prison, was paroled to his respectable parents - and murdered a boy and a girl. 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. There was an immense criticism of Shawcross being allowed to participatehed previously served 9 months of a 2-year solitary sentence for giving art to outside individuals to sell on eBay, which is not allowed. manner of death. With Augustine Capone, Maggie Deming, Paul Dierdorf, Lynde Johnston. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation 9. [2] Shawcross's offenses earned him a five-year sentence at Attica Correctional Facility, and later Auburn Correctional Facility. After relocating due to the publics outcry of his release, he moved to Rochester with his fourth wife. He set fires to a local paper mill and the factory where he worked before being arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. He could have remained silent, yet it seemed he wanted to shock his interrogators, knowing that they could do nothing to him, regardless of how he described his crimes. 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. A common trait of serial killers is the desire to show they are still in control and can reach through the prison walls and still do damage to those outside. In this jailhouse interview, Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer, shares candid details of his crimes and his surprising family bonds. But from 1988 to 1990, Shawcross killed 11 women in upstate New York, earning the nickname "Genesee River Killer." 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. In this study, five serial murderers were identified as having engaged in childhood animal cruelty. Stott was mentally ill and would occasionally vanish without telling anyone. Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, and died on November 10, 2008, while serving a life sentence for the murder of 11 women. As part of the divorce, Shawcross gave up all paternal rights to his son and never saw the child again. Another serial killer, Arthur Shawcross did a prison stint for a few minor offences and was granted parole in 1971. [2], After his discharge from the Army, Shawcross moved with Linda from Oklahoma to Clayton, New York. 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. Arthur Shawcross was blinking in . In this week's episode Ellen talks about Arthur Shawcross; a serial killer from upstate New York, which happens to be Ellen's favorite place in the world. 2. 6. Hunters found her body in the Genesee River. The one aspect of Shawcross's life that was Nostrand went to the police and gave them the information along with a description of the man's vehicle. Shawcross also removed her genitals and consumed them as well as the removed organs. 16. . She had been strangled to death, and there were bite marks covering what was left of her vagina which had been cut out. 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. Arthur Shawcross, AKA The Genesee River Killer, murdered at least 14 people. His second marriage quickly ended in divorce, after which Shawcross became a frequent arsonist. They finally tracked down Shawcross via the car's registration, which was in the name of his girlfriend Clara Neal. It was at this point that the Rochester police decided to contact the F.B.I. Aileen Wuornos killed seven men and was executed by lethal injection in 2002. She was also a Lyell Avenue prostitute and was last seen by Jo Ann Van Nostrand with the "Mitch" client who she had reported to the police in October. John Paul Fay was a murderabilia dealer with a troubled past. languages spoken, written or signed. Then learn the horrifying story of Rodney Alcala, the serial killer who won The Dating Game during his murder spree. Shawcross was 27 years old, divorced for the third time and would be locked away until the age of 52, but after serving just 14 1/2 years,he was released from prison. 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. The man from the bridge was apprehended at a nearby nursing home. He was released in October 1971 and returned to Watertown again. 22. New York governor George Pataki called Shawcross works of art sickening because the gentle paintings didnt reveal the monster underneath. He dropped out of school after failing to pass the ninth grade, and the next few years were punctuated with violence and jail sentences. Life for Shawcross and Rose became routine. They saidthat the killer showed characteristics of a manin his 30s, white, and who knew his victims. [2], In November 1990, Shawcross was tried by Monroe County First Assistant District Attorney Charles J. Siragusa for the ten murders in Monroe County. Shawcross stood trail in 1990 for 10 murders across Monroe County, New York. This one piece ofevidence could have led the authorities right to Shawcross, had they known that he was living in Rochester. On his return from military duty in 1968, he landed in trouble yet again when he was caught and convicted for an arson attack. Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine in 1945, the oldest of four children. After serving 22 months, he was granted an early release in October 1971, in part due to his role in the rescue of a correctional officer during a prison riot. 11. His body was found a year later out in the woods. 3. Abstract. Unfortunately, over the next two-year,many of the prostitutes that he got to know would end up dead. Shawcross' family members strongly denied that he was abused and described his childhood as normal. 5 of 22. 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. A decision was made to seal his records from public view, and he was moved one final time. Her boots were found in another location after the patrol expanded thesearch. Investigators went from looking for individual killersto looking for a serial killer and the window of time between his kills was getting shorter. Steffen's father saw the facial recreation and identified the victim as his daughter, Anna Marie. Arthur Shawcross Photo: Getty Images Serial killer Arthur Shawcross murdered 11 women in upstate New York in less than a two-year . He claims he was molested by an aunt at age nine, but his family disputes that claim. The mass murderer took up painting bright visages of butterflies, wildlife and water features. August 29, 2018, 12:00 AM. The trial was a national media event, extensively televised and widely viewed. She had been strangled, anally mutilated after death, had her labia removed, and was gutted from throat to crotch like a wild animal. Then his violent tendencies got worse and the arsonist became a cold-blooded murderer. Under the terms of a plea bargain, Shawcross was allowed to plead guilty to one charge of manslaughter, for which he . There were also human bite marks found all around her vagina. Serial killer Arthur Shawcross murdered 11 women from 1988 to 1990 in upstate New York, earning the nickname "Genesee River Killer. They began to advise prostitutes working in the area to exercise caution, and sought as much information as possible about strangers operating in the area. Getty ImagesArthur Shawcross leaves court in 1990 in Rochester, New York. Following Dotsies murder, Shawcross became a Lake Avenue regular and was known to the prostitutes by the name of Mitch. The victims were:[7], All the victims were murdered in Monroe County except for Gibson, who was killed in neighboring Wayne County. Just three weeks later, Shawcross married his third wife who was pregnant with his child. Arthur Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, in Kittery, Maine. The post-mortem injury inflicted on June Stott, and not on any other victim, indicated that the killer was becoming more comfortable around corpses, probably returning to the crime scene again later to relive the attack. With each victim that he confessed to the killing, he includedwhat the victim had done to deserve what they got. 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. In April 1967, at age 21, Shawcross was drafted into United States Army. Shawcross would find his first victim, 27-year-old Dorothy Dotsie Blackburn around this area. He claimed most of his victims after being paroled early following a conviction for murdering [sexual partner] and two children in 1972. YouTubeArthur Shawcross with his daughter (left) and granddaughter at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in 2002. Shawcross said throughout his childhood, he was a frequent bed-wetter (which is one part of the Macdonald triad). He was placed on probation in 1963 for breaking the window of a store. We hear you like all things creepy we do too. On November 10th, 2008 Shawcross complained to officers about a pain in his leg. In contrast to these claims, however, his parents and siblings maintain that he had a normal childhood, and the described events were largely the product of his imagination. He also said that while strangling her she struggled so hard she broke a gearshift in his car. Arthur Shawcross, ogs kendt som "The Genesee River Killer," var ansvarlig for mordene p 12 kvinder i upstate New York fra 1988 til 1990. She had also been mutilated post-mortem, as well as sawn practically in half. Shawcross would later admit to luring the boy into the woods, forcing him to strip naked and run before murdering him and consuming his heart and genitals. Her body was found under a bridge near the Black River and she had been raped, mutilated and strangled. Authorities didnt find Jacks body for five months, but analysis showed the boy suffered from a sexual assault before his death. When he was unable to get an erection, Anna began to make fun of him. Shawcross also made extreme reports about his early sexuality. From his birthplace of Kittery, Maine, his family moved to Watertown, a small town near Lake Ontario in New York State, when he was still a child. "Serial Killer Arthur Shawcross Dead". [5] In November he was transferred to Green Haven Correctional Facility. Arthur Shawcross. All of these murders were unsolved. Shawcross is known to have killed at least 14 people, as well as being a known cannibal and mutilator. With the discovery of Patty Ives, investigators realized that it was a strong possibility that a serial killer was loose in Rochester. After suffocating June, a family friend of his and Roses, Shawcross cut her open with his knife to remove her organs and speed up the decomposition process. With little evidence, and no public impetus to solve the murder of a prostitute, her case languished for over a year. 10. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. She had been missing for nearly a month. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation. He weighed 300 pounds and stood six feet tall. (2021, September 8). Arthur Shawcross, known as the Genessee River Killer, killed at least 14 people in the 1980s. After serving less than 15 years of this sentence, he was released on parole in April 1987. Arthur Shawcross confessed to killing and mutilating 11 women in Rochester, N.Y., and is suspected of killing at least 19 more women. [12], In 2003, Shawcross was interviewed by British reporter Katherine English for a documentary on cannibalism. 13WHAM.com (2008118). Elizabeth Gibson was merely waiting in Shawcrosss car to keep warm while Shawcross was getting a cup of coffee at a nearby diner. The helicopter followed his car and tracked the license place number, leading back to Shawcross. The family relocated to Watertown, New York, a few years later. Back in the penitentiary, he proved as enigmatic as . Arthur Shawcross was a 300-pound serial killer who ruthlessly murdered 14 people. An autopsy revealed that Stott had been strangled to death. No matter what happened to Shawcross as a child, his adulthood was horrible. He was caught after neighbors witnessed the murderer with the girl near a bridge shortly before her death. Women said this particular john was prone to violence. On January 2, 1990, there was finally a breakthrough in the case. 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. We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! He died in prison. "The Genesee River Killer" or "The Rochester Strangler", was an American serial rapist, and pedophilic serial arsonist and robber-turned-serial killer, and even an alleged cannibal infamous for claiming the lives of several prostitutes in 1989 after being paroled early for the murders of two children in 1972.