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He claimed most of his victims after being paroled early following a conviction for murdering [sexual partner] and two children in 1972. 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. In this jailhouse interview, Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer, shares candid details of his crimes and his surprising family bonds. 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. 18. He thanks you for reading his content. "Serial killer Arthur Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, and died on November 10, 2008 while serving a life sentence for the murder of 11 women" (Arthur Shawcross 2015). He says he also exhibited behavioral problems at an early age, including bed-wetting and bullying. Arthur John Shawcross (June 6, 1945 - November 10, 2008), also known as the Genesee River Killer, was an American serial killer. At least for a time, Shawcross believed that the spirit of a thirteenth-century cannibal Ariemes possessed his body and drove him to rape, murder, and cannibalism. Arthur Shawcross with his daughter (left) and granddaughter at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in 2002. In exchange for leading authorities to one of the bodies, he was allowed to . On October 23, June Stott, 30, was reported missing by her boyfriend. People like Arthur Shawcross, the Rochester, NY based killer who killed 12 women . Officials disputed it and attributed him with a combat kill of zero. After several hours of interrogation, he still denied having anything to do with the murdered women. The serial killer agreed to cooperate with police. 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 listening to hours of his self-serving saga, investigators still were unable to get him to admit to any of the Rochester murders. But while they might intuitively sound plausible . After Vietnam, he was stationed in Oklahoma where he remarried (Shawcross was already once divorced and had given up parental rights to a child who he never saw again) and worked as an armorer. In 1964 Shawcross married and the next year he and his wife had a son. 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. He murdered Darlene after she made fun of him for failing to get an erection and hid her body in the woods. Future news of events, Zoom movie marathons, books, and streaming updates will be delivered first to our newsletter readers. He received his first probationary sentence in December 1963 for smashing a shop window. The body, which was surrounded by fresh footprints in the snow, was that of June Cicero. Shawcross married his longtime sweetheart Clara in 1997 while behind bars. People with a desire to murder have a pretty big Venn diagram circle with people who have a craving for human flesh. But another probationary charge for unlawful entry in November 1965, proved the last straw for his marriage and he was divorced soon after. He received a 25-year jail sentence, and third wife Penny divorced him shortly thereafter. [2] In late June 1987, Shawcross' parole officer moved him and Walley into a transient hotel in Rochester, but failed to notify local authorities of this action. On April 7, 1972, he took a 10-year-old boy named Jack Blake, a neighbor at the time, fishing. https://www.thoughtco.com/profile-of-serial-killer-arthur-shawcross-973145 (accessed March 4, 2023). . When asked for his driver's license, he told the police that he did not have one because he had been convicted of manslaughter. 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. 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. Shawcross' sealed criminal record meant that he shielded him from police scrutiny. Shawcross's medical records show that he had a cyst and scarring on his temporal lobe, which can dramatically alter . 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. 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). In this study, five serial murderers were identified as having engaged in childhood animal cruelty. 5 of 22. Then his violent tendencies got worse and the arsonist became a cold-blooded murderer. 14. Hunting Down Shawcross' Car. 2. 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. [2], After his discharge from the Army, Shawcross moved with Linda from Oklahoma to Clayton, New York. The discovery of the body of another prostitute, Anna Steffen, on September 9, 1989, linked several of the victims. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. A few months later, Shawcross was taken to Wayne County to be tried for Elizabeth Gibson's murder. The story of Arthur Shawcross, whose bloodthirsty murder spree lasted more than a decade and claimed over a dozen lives. With little evidence, and no public impetus to solve the murder of a prostitute, her case languished for over a year. Arthur Shawcross murdered a boy and girl in Watertown, N.Y., in 1972, but he was only convicted of manslaughter and released from prison after 12 years. Once the boy was dead, he decided to eat his genitals. [citation needed]. As they went down to get a closer look, they also spotted a man on the bridge above the body. Marie Welch, age 22 was a Lyell Avenue prostitute who was reported missing on November 5, 1989. 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. After his release on parole in April of 1987, Shawcross simply could not stop his murderous tendencies. Shawcross also said that he had a homosexual relationship at age 11 and experimented with bestiality not long afterward. Road patrols were also sent out, and on New Year's Eve, they found a pair of black jeans belonging to Felicia Stephens. Shawcross killed again in March of 1988, less than a year after getting out of jail. Arthur Shawcross was blinking in . Arthur Shawcross was an American serial killer born in April 1945. [2] Shawcross's offenses earned him a five-year sentence at Attica Correctional Facility, and later Auburn Correctional Facility. When he was unable to get an erection, Anna began to make fun of him. Apparently, Stott was a friend and had been a guest in his home. Abstract. This was not the first time that he killed. Authorities didnt find Jacks body for five months, but analysis showed the boy suffered from a sexual assault before his death. New York. 17. Arthur Shawcross. He dropped out of school after failing to pass the ninth grade, and the next few years were punctuated with violence and jail sentences. Arthur Shawcross confessed to killing and mutilating 11 women in Rochester, N.Y., and is suspected of killing at least 19 more women. On January 2, 1990, a helicopter spotted what appeared to be a naked female body lying on the ice surface of the river by a bridge in the forest. It turned out that he was a regular customer of many of the women on Lyell Avenue. 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. Shawcross paintings in prison bring new meaning to the phrase still waters run deep. If Arthur Shawcross developed a love of art earlier on instead of killing, perhaps his paintings of rivers and lakes would have been a healthier outlet for his emotions. 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. She had been missing for nearly a month. 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. At this time he divorced his first wife and gave up his rights to their 18-month-old son, whom he never saw again. 12. They divided the 11 unsolved prostitute murders into sub-groups according to method and position. According to autopsy reports, she had been raped and murdered, and dirt and leaves were found jammed down her throat. 2011719. Shawcross stood trail in 1990 for 10 murders across Monroe County, 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. Shawcrosss third victim of the 20-month spree was 59-year-old former waitress, Dorothy Keeler, with whom Shawcross had struck up a friendship. Arthur Shawcross, also known as the Genesee River Killer, was in prison after . 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. 9 October 2017. place of death. Then there were two in late October of that year, followed by a fourth on Thanksgiving Day. Arthur Shawcross is a man that committed his life to killing people. They nicknamed the offender "Genesee River Killer.". He was probably a local man familiar with the area, and he probably had a criminal record. 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. 19. 1 reference. Could it be that Rochester was being stalked by two serial killers? Shawcross started his life of crime at a very young age and ended up being a big fat liar about many things he claimed to have done. Murder Inc. Without facts to support, he alleges that he was sexually abused by his mother until he decided to run away in the ninth grade. From rape to mutilation, he terrified the Rochester area for over 17 years. All Rights Reserved. Shawcross also talked about his childhood, as if using the experience as a way to justify his horrific acts. [2], Shawcross had difficulty settling down, as neighbors would protest his presence and employers would refuse to hire him. cause of death. 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. ", "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. Serial killer Arthur Shawcross, whose drive to murder was analyzed by Dr. Dorothy Lewis, had been convicted in the deaths of two children in New York before ultimately securing parole and killing more. retrieved. Male interviewers often had to listen to his conquests in Vietnam. OVERVIEW ARTWORKS AUCTION RESULTS BIOGRAPHY Lapland Longspur. All of these murders were unsolved. 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. Five months later, his victim's body was finally located. Police were able to piece together a description of a regular client called "Mitch" or "Mike." Local authorities discovered patterns of behavior regarding the killer, which led them to ask FBI profilers for assistance. He was released in October 1971 and returned to Watertown again. Size: 13 x 10 in. In November 1990, Shawcross went on trial for the 10 murders that had occurred in Monroe County. She had brutally kickedand beaten, and dirt and leaves were crammed down her throat, much like Shawcross did to 8-year-old, Karen Ann Hill. Release, Arrest, Trial of Arthur Shawcross. Arthur Shawcross's work has been offered at auction multiple times. The case studies selected were those of Carroll Edward Cole, Jeffery Lionel Dahmer, Edmund Emil Kemper III, Henry Lee Lucas, and Arthur Shawcross. Dorothy was Shawcross's first murder after he was released from prison in 1987. 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. Arthur Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine on June 6, 1945. [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. Shawcross is in part responsible for the 2001 ban of prisoners being able to sell artwork they create while incarcerated. Arthur Shawcross. This Hiking Photo Has A ChillingBackstory, She Met A Man Online And Ended Up Taking Down An Active SerialKiller. She had been strangled, anally mutilated after death, had her labia removed, and was gutted from throat to crotch like a wild animal. The judicial system then thought it was wise to seal Shawcross records to prevent panic wherever he lived. He didnt waste all of his time there. 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. [2] He served one tour of duty with the 4th Supply and Transport Company of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. <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. He was caught after neighbors witnessed the murderer with the girl near a bridge shortly before her death. 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. You may unsubscribe at any time. Hunters discovered his next victim, 27-year-old prostitute Dorothy Blackburn, on March 24, 1988. 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. Image via murderpedia.org. Arthur Shawcross leaves court in 1990 in Rochester, New York. As prostitutes continued to disappear, it became apparent that the killer must be someone familiar to the women who worked in the area. YouTubeArthur Shawcross in a prison interview. His mother has denied that there was any sort of abuse in their family. The couple produced a son in October 1965. Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, and died on November 10, 2008, while serving a life sentence for the murder of 11 women. located in the administrative territorial entity. 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 overpower people with this strength which pretty much sums up his murder methods. All other charges were dropped and he was sentenced to a 25-years in prison. Stott was mentally ill and would occasionally vanish without telling anyone. ThoughtCo. He was born on June 6, 1945 in Kittery, Maine. Allegedly, the youngster then began experimenting with this sexuality in many ways, including homosexuality and bestiality, by age 11. ", "Is this why Ted Bundy became a murderer? He murdered two kids and never disclosed the reason. Cause of Death: Asphyxiation He was never a good student failingboth behaviorally and academically during his short time at school. 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. An autopsy revealed that she had suffered severe wounds from a blunt object. He Wanted Her To Stop Yelling. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, and enlisted in the . English. He also admitted that he anally raped Karen Ann Hill before strangling her to death. (33.02 x 25.4 cm) Frame Size: 14.75 x 11.25 inches . A monster, whose release is still considered one of the most egregious examples of the unwarranted release of a prisoner. To get through the PTSD, I used therapy and microdosing 5-meo-DMT. With nothing to hold him onthe police had to let him go, but not before taking his picture. 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. The artist died in 2008. In 1972 he confessed to the sexual assault and murders of two children. His final victim was Felicia Stephens, another 19-year-old prostitute. He frequently lied about what he did. Following Dotsies murder, Shawcross became a Lake Avenue regular and was known to the prostitutes by the name of Mitch. Shawcross was sentenced to five years in prison for arson in 1969. 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. ", 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. This, along with the fact that she was not a prostitute or drug user, kept her disappearance separated from the serial killer investigation. An experienced and skilled writer, Olsen ( Predator ) proves himself equal to the formidable task of studying serial killer Arthur Shawcross. After his involvement in protecting a guard during a prison riot, he was granted an early release in October of 1971. Shawcross died on 10 November 2008, while serving a prison sentence of 250 years for his crimes, at the age of 63. 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. Good Guy Arthur and his daughter and granddaughter . The last victim, Elizabeth Gibson, had been killed in neighboring Wayne County. He lived in Watertown, New York (NY) in his youth, and was relocated to Rochester, NY later on in his life. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. Shawcross took him fishing just a few days before he disappeared, but denied any knowledge of the disappearance. Arthur John Shawcross, handwritten account, 1990. The big problem with this defense was that there was no one who backed up his stories. Moreover, he tricked the prostitutes thinking it was a safe date because he was a regular customer. After working out a plea deal, Shawcross confessed to murdering Hill and Blake and agreed to divulge the location of Blake's body in exchange for a charge of manslaughter in the Hill case and no charges for murdering Blake. He was sentenced to 250 years to life in prison, where he remained until he died of a cardiac arrest in 2008, aged 63. . .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. Shawcross was held at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York State until November 10, 2008, when he complained of pain in his leg. Dental records provided additional confirmation. On Thanksgiving Day, November 23, a man walking his dog discovered the body June Stott, the one missing person that the police did not connect to the serial killer. Shawcross again claimed that after engaging in mutual oral sex Elizabeth tried to steal his wallet. Meet Arthur Shawcross - a man responsible for at least 14 brutal murders. 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. 3. In April 1967, at age 21, Shawcross was drafted into United States Army. Angry that she was going to reveal his affairs to both Clara and Rose, Shawcross grabbed a log and beat her on the side of the head. [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. Arthur John Shawcross was also known as "The Genesee River Killer" and "The Rochester Strangler" all due to how he . Rather than claim insanity this time, he pleaded guilty and received a further life sentence. Charles Montaldo. 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. [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. Both marriages saw patterns of spousal abuse and violence perpetrated by Shawcross. Arthur Shawcross. imported from Wikimedia project. When police threatened to implicate her in the killings, Shawcross capitulated and admitted to most of the murders, giving detailed excuses about why he had been "forced" to kill each one. Shawcross was known to fish from the area under the same bridge. Shawcross was declared sane and guilty of 10 instances of second-degree murder. 6. 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. On his return from military duty in 1968, he landed in trouble yet again when he was caught and convicted for an arson attack. 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. They finally tracked down Shawcross via the car's registration, which was in the name of his girlfriend Clara Neal. There is no corroborating evidence to support this, however. He had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death. 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. He began biting her groin in retaliation before strangling her to death. After throwing Junes body off a bridge by the Salmon River, Shawcross returned two days later and sawed of her genitals and ate them. 16. According to Shawcross, Dotsie bit his genitals drawing blood and began to call him names, which enraged him. Shawcross killed most of his victims in 1988 and 1989 after being granted an early parole, which later led to controversy. Shawcross had a reputation at school as a bully and would frequently act out violently. He was born Arthur John Shawcross in Kittery, Maine on June 6, 1945, and grew up an unhappy kid. His first admission that he was involved in the murders was when he told police that Clara had nothing to do with it. It did not take long for himto become bored with his new menial life. He later claimed his mother performed oral sex on him for several years starting when he was aged 7, and that during junior high school he had sexual relations with his sister. The subject of Interview with a Serial Killer streaming on Netflix nowspeaks out in his own chilling words. While in Vietnam, along with killing 39 menduring combat (which was a proven lie) Shawcross also used the venue to describe in grotesque detailshow he murdered, then cooked and ate, two Vietnam women. William DeLong is a freelance wordsmith. 7. (20081011). 13WHAM.com (2008118). 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. [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. He returned to Watertown, and by the following April, he was married for the third time and working for the Public Works Department. The one aspect of Shawcross's life that was Arthur Shawcross was blinking in Morse code during his 2008 interview shortly before his death from cardia. Updated on July 03, 2019. All were young women and all were prostitutes. 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. Her body was found in the Genesee River, dumped there following a vicious attack, which included bite marks in the groin area and strangulation. Shawcross is known to have killed at least 14 people, as well as being a known cannibal and mutilator. During the trial, Shawcross defense attorneys tried to say he was insane but the court didnt agree. The cases selected were chosen largely because of the amount of information available on the subjects. In April 1967 Shawcross was drafted into the Army. After a photo of Shawcross was confirmed to be Mitch and police threatened to implicate Clara in the murders (Shawcross had gifted her a piece of jewelry from one of the victims), he confessed to killing the women detailing the reasons why he was forced to do it. On November 10th, 2008 Shawcross complained to officers about a pain in his leg. New York governor George Pataki called Shawcross works of art sickening because the gentle paintings didnt reveal the monster underneath. His sister was equally vehement about never having had a sexual relationship with her brother. Shawcross also made extreme reports about his early sexuality. Back in the penitentiary, he proved as enigmatic as . From earlyon,Shawcross was socially challenged and spent much of his time alone. Polly Flinders. 20. 1 reference. "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. The discovery of the body of Elizabeth Gibson, on November 27, brought a breakthrough: suspect "Mitch" had been seen with her shortly before her disappearance, but they seemed no closer to establishing his identity. Shawcross had gone fishing with the boy a few days earlier but denied knowing where he was. The strangulation and bodies dumped in rivers formed some workable theories as to the killers identity. 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. Totem phase is the reliving of the crime through souvenirs in order to sustain the high. She had also been mutilated post-mortem, as well as sawn practically in half. Shawcrosss story for all three was that he saw them trying to steal from him, became angry, and killed them. Stott was not a drug addict or a prostitute, and her body had been left in an area far from the other victims. Over the next few years, his violent behavior intensified, and he was suspected of arson and burglary. Edit: Since it came up in comments. Montaldo, Charles. They got married, and Shawcross worked various low-skilled jobs. Arthur Shawcross died in prison in 2008 at the age of 63.