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sabato 22 gennaio 2011
JUS & LAW: La figura del Serial Killer tra diritto e criminol...
JUS & LAW: La figura del Serial Killer tra diritto e criminol...: "La figura del Serial Killer tra diritto e criminologia Gianluca Massaro English abstract Introduzione Capitolo 1Fenomenologia del serial kil..."
venerdì 21 gennaio 2011
Dennis Andrew Nilsen
IN ITALIANO
Dennis Andrew Nilsen nacque in Scozia nel 1945, il padre era un ex soldato norvegese alcolizzato, la madre era una donna scozzese estremamente puritana. Quando Dennis emise il primo vagito, già i suoi genitori non si amavano più, aspettarono altri quattro anni, poi divorziarono. Il padre andò via da casa e Dennis diventò giorno dopo giorno più depresso. Amava andare in giro da solo, tutto il giorno, la madre lo rimproverava, lui le rispondeva con stizza, sentiva di non poter confidare il suo dolore né a lei, né alla zia, né alla nonna, non avrebbero capito. Con il nonno invece poteva aprirsi, quando la madre decise di andare a lavorare per tirare su qualche soldo, Dennis fu affidato al nonno, furono momenti felici, finalmente spensierati, fino a quando, all’età di sette anni, il nonno morì, e la madre lo accompagnò a vedere il suo cadavere prima che venisse seppellito. Lì, davanti al corpo della persona che amava di più, qualcosa si ruppe. La madre riuscì a farsi assegnare un appartamento tramite i servizi sociali, un appartamento triste, in una zona degradata della città. Vicino casa c’era uno spazio dove si riunivano i bambini per giocare. Dennis preferiva starsene da solo. Era attratto dal mare. Non solo, amava gli animali, in particolare due piccioni che vedeva saltellare gioiosamente e che aveva ribattezzato suoi amici. Improvvisamente, i due piccioni morirono, lui li trovò stecchiti sul selciato.In quel periodo la madre si risposò e diventò fredda con lui, non gli voleva più bene come prima. Il patrigno lo sgridava in continuazione minacciandolo di rinchiuderlo dentro un collegio. Dennis iniziò a provare odio per il patrigno piombatogli dentro casa, ne era certo, la madre non gli voleva più bene perché ora c’era lui.Con il passare del tempo Dennis diventò sempre più solitario, era un bambino tranquillo e introverso, riusciva bene nelle abilità artistiche e leggeva molto, scriveva anche delle poesie. Poi abbandonò la scuola e si innamorò di un ragazzo che frequentava la classe di sua sorella, lo osservava da lontano, non trovava il coraggio neanche di avvicinarlo e quantomeno di rivolgergli la parola. Non aveva mai avuto rapporti sessuali, ed ora si era innamorato di un maschio. Nei suoi pensieri si definiva un emarginato, uno non degno.In casa, dormiva con il fratello maggiore. Una notte, dopo aver aspettato che il fratello si fosse addormentato, si tirò giù il pigiama ed iniziò a masturbarsi. Ad un certo punto, notò che il pene del fratello era eretto. Nessuno dei due parlò mai dell’episodio. Dennis si arruolò nell’esercito e scoprì che indossare una divisa gli piaceva, era bravo, lo faceva con passione, aveva difficoltà a fare gli esercizi fisici perché aveva un difetto congenito alla colonna vertebrale, ma si impegnava. Però era attratto dagli uomini, e questo non lo poteva accettare, questo non era accettato. Amava definirsi bisessuale piuttosto che omosessuale, il senso di colpa lo opprimeva. Iniziò a bere.Tornato alla vita civile si trasferì a Londra e diventò poliziotto, non voleva smettere di indossare una divisa. In seguito trovò lavoro come impiegato alle poste. Viveva insieme ad un amico, i due si trovavano bene, Dennis gli era molto affezionato, fino a quando l’amico, nel 1977, decise di andarsene lasciandolo solo. L’abbandono e le frustrazioni vissute durante la sua infanzia risalirono a galla.Come suo padre iniziò a bere, come lui diventò alcolizzato. L’unica differenza, però, fu che Tennis, iniziò ad uccidere.Dennis leggeva molte riviste pornografiche, aveva tendenze necrofile, era omosessuale. Iniziò a frequentare locali notturni omosessuali, avvicinava la vittima e se la portava a casa, lo faceva ubriacare, poi lo strangolava. Uccideva per non sentirsi solo, teneva i cadaveri nel suo letto per parecchi giorni, ci dormiva insieme, faceva a pezzi i cadaveri per conservarne alcune parti, si masturbava davanti allo specchio immaginando di essere lui stesso un cadavere.Dennis Andrew Nilsen uccise 14 omosessuali tra il 1978 e il 1983. Nel febbraio 1983 gli inquilini dell’edificio dove abitava Nilsen chiamarono un idraulico per liberare le tubature dell’acqua che si erano intasate, ma questa volta, l’idraulico, al posto di ciuffi di capelli o cartoni impregnati, trovò pezzi di corpi umani. Ergastolo fu il verdetto al suo processo.
dal sito web http://raccontisotterranei.splinder.com/post/23513490/distorsioni-dennis-andrew-nilsen
dal sito web http://raccontisotterranei.splinder.com/post/23513490/distorsioni-dennis-andrew-nilsen
ENGLISH
Dennis Andrew Nilsen (born 23 November 1945, Fraserburgh, Scotland) also known as the Muswell Hill Murderer and the Kindly Killer is a British serial killer who lived in London.
Nilsen killed at least fifteen men and boys in gruesome circumstances between 1978 and 1983, and was known to retain corpses for sex acts. He was eventually caught after his disposal of dismembered human entrails blocked his household drains: the drain cleaning company found that the drains were congested with human flesh and contacted the police.
Due to the similarities between their crimes, sexuality and lifestyle, Nilsen has been referred to as the "British Jeffrey Dahmer."[1]
Contents[hide]
1 Early life
2 Army service and move to London
3 Murders and arrest
4 Victims
5 Trial and sentence
6 Imprisonment
7 Footnotes
8 References
9 External links
//
[edit] Early life
Nilsen was born at 10 High Street, Strichen, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire to a Scottish mother, Betty Whyte, and a Norwegian father, Olav Magnus Moksheim, who adopted the surname Nilsen. His father was an alcoholic and his parents divorced when he was four years old. His mother remarried and sent her son to his grandparents, but after a couple of years he was sent back to his mother again.[citation needed]
Nilsen claimed the first traumatic event to shape his life came about when he was a small child, when his beloved grandfather died of a heart attack in October, 1951.[2] His strict Roman Catholic mother[citation needed] insisted that he should view the body before burial. During Nilsen's childhood, his mother and stepfather frequently lectured him about the "impurities of the flesh".[citation needed]
[edit] Army service and move to London
Nilsen, as a soldier.
In 1961, Nilsen left school and enlisted in the British Army where he became a cook in South Yemen, Cyprus, Berlin, Germany and the Shetland Islands. He served in the army for 11 years, earning a General Service Medal before being discharged, at his own request, in November,1972.[3]
In December, 1972, Nilsen joined the Metropolitan Police, and was posted to Willesden, London in 1973. Nilsen served eight months as a police officer before resigning.
From 1974,[4] Nilsen worked as a civil servant in a jobcentre in London's Kentish Town. He was also active in the trade union movement, even going on other people's picket lines in solidarity. In November, 1975, Nilsen moved into Melrose Avenue in the Cricklewood district of London.
[edit] Murders and arrest
Nilsen is known to have killed 15 men and boys. Most of his victims were students or homeless men. He picked them up in bars or on the streets and brought them to his house. He strangled and drowned his victims during the night. He used his butchering skills, which he gained from his time as a cook in the army, to help him dispose of the bodies. The bodies were not immediately dismembered, but were kept, sometimes for several months, in different locations in his home, usually under the floorboards. Nilsen was known to engage in sex acts with the corpses.[5][6]
Nilsen had access to a large garden when living at 195 Melrose Avenue, Cricklewood, North West London. He was able to burn many of the remains in a bonfire. Entrails were dumped over the garden fence to be eaten by wildlife.
In October, 1981,[7] Nilsen moved several miles eastwards to an attic flat at 23 Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill. Nilsen did not have access to a garden at his new address and the flat itself did not have floorboards. This meant that as his murders continued, he found it difficult to dispose of the remains and had bin bags full of human organs stored in his wardrobe. Neighbours had begun to notice the smell. Three people were murdered at this address, and all were stored in cupboards and chests. Nilsen attempted to dispose of the bodies by boiling the heads, hands and feet to remove the flesh and by chopping the entrails into small pieces and flushing them down the toilet. When he tried to dispose of the bodies by flushing them down the toilet, he blocked the sewers of the flats.
Nilsen's murders were first discovered by Dyno-Rod, a drain cleaning company responding to a blocked drain. The company found the drain was packed with a flesh-like substance. The drain inspector then called his supervisor, but no assessment was made until the next day, by which time the drain had been cleared. This aroused the suspicions of the drain inspector and his supervisor, who immediately called the police. Upon closer inspection, some small bones and what looked like chicken flesh were found in a pipe leading off from the drain, with rats feeding on them; these were later discovered to be of human origin. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay was called to the scene with two colleagues and waited outside until Nilsen returned home from work. As they entered the building DCI Jay introduced himself to Nilsen and explained that he had come about his drains. Nilsen asked why would the police be interested in his drains and also if the two officers were health inspectors. He was told they were police colleagues and given their names. They then climbed the stairs together and as they entered the flat DCI Jay immediately smelt rotting flesh. Nilsen queried why the police would be interested in his drains, so the officer told him they were filled with human remains. "Good grief, how awful!" exclaimed Nilsen. "Don't mess about, where's the rest of the body?" replied Jay. Nilsen responded calmly, admitting that they were in two plastic bags in his wardrobe. He was then arrested and cautioned on suspicion of murder and taken to the police station. On the way back to the station, Nilsen was asked how many bodies they were talking about and replied "15 or 16, since 1978".
Nilsen later apologised to the police for not being able to tell them the exact number of people he had killed. When his flat was searched they found human remains inside a tea-chest in a wardrobe. His former address was also searched, and numerous small bone fragments were found in the garden of his former address.
[edit] Victims
Murder 1, Stephen Dean Holmes: Nilsen's first murder took place on 30 December 1978. Nilsen claimed to have met his first victim in a gay bar. Nilsen strangled him with a necktie until he was unconscious and then drowned him in a bucket of water. On 12 January 2006, it was announced that the victim had been identified as Stephen Dean Holmes, who was born on 22 March 1964 and was therefore only 14 at the time; Holmes had been on his way home from a concert. On 9 November 2006, Nilsen finally confessed to the murder of Holmes in a letter sent from his prison cell to the Evening Standard.[8] Nilsen was not charged for the murder as the Crown Prosecution Service decided that a prosecution would not be in the public interest.[9]
Between the first and second murders, Nilsen attempted to murder Andrew Ho, a student from Hong Kong he had met in The Salisbury public house in St. Martin's Lane. Although afterwards he confessed to the police about the incident no charges were brought and Nilsen was not arrested.
Murder 2, Kenneth Ockendon: The second victim was 23-year-old Canadian student Kenneth Ockendon. Nilsen met the tourist in a pub on 3 December 1979 and escorted him on a tour of Central London, after which they went back to Nilsen's flat for another drink. Nilsen strangled him with the cord of his headphones whilst Ockendon was listening to a record. Ockendon was one of the few murder victims who was reported as a missing person.
Murder 3, Martyn Duffey: Martyn Duffey was a 16-year-old runaway from Birkenhead. On 17 May 1980,[10] he accepted Nilsen's invitation to come over to his place. Nilsen strangled and subsequently drowned Duffey in the kitchen sink.[11]
Murder 4, Billy Sutherland: Billy Sutherland was a 26-year-old father-of-one from Scotland who worked as a prostitute. Sutherland met Nilsen in a pub in August, 1980. Nilsen could not remember how he murdered Sutherland; however, it was later revealed that Sutherland had been strangled by bare hands.
Murder 5, Unidentified: The fifth victim was another man who worked as a prostitute; however, this man was never identified. All that is known is that he was probably from the Philippines or Thailand.
Murder 6, Unidentified: Nilsen could recall very little about this and the following two victims. All that Nilsen could remember about the sixth man was that he was a young Irish labourer that Nilsen had met in the Cricklewood Arms.[12]
Murder 7, Unidentified: Nilsen described the seventh victim as a starving "hippy-type" whom Nilsen had found sleeping in a doorway in Charing Cross.
Murder 8, Unidentified: Nilsen could recall little about his eighth victim, except that he kept the man's body under the floorboards of his flat, until he removed the corpse and cut it into three pieces then put it back again. He burned the corpse one year later.
At some point between murders 6 and 8, on 10 November 1980, Nilsen attacked a Scottish barman named Douglas Stewart, who Nilsen met at the Golden Lion in Dean Street. Stewart woke up while being strangled, and was able to fend off his attacker. Although Stewart called the police almost immediately after the attack, the officers refused to take action, reportedly they considered the incident to be a domestic disagreement.
Murder 9, Unidentified: The ninth victim was a young Scottish man who Nilsen met in the Golden Lion pub in Soho in January, 1981.[13]
Murder 10, Unidentified: Another young Scottish man. Nilsen strangled him with a tie and placed the body under the floorboards.
Murder 11, Unidentified: Nilsen picked up his eleventh victim in Piccadilly Circus. The man was an English skinhead and had a tattoo around his neck reading "cut here". The man had boasted to Nilsen about how tough he was and how he liked to fight. However, once he was drunk, he proved no match for Nilsen, who hung the man's naked torso in his bedroom for a day, before burying the body under the floorboards.
Murder 12, Malcom Barlow: The 12th victim was a 24-year-old named Malcolm Barlow. Nilsen murdered Barlow on 18 September 1981. Nilsen found Barlow in a doorway not far from his own home, took him in, and called an ambulance for him. When Barlow was released the next day, he returned to Nilsen's home to thank him and was pleased to be invited in for a meal and a few drinks. Nilsen murdered Barlow that night. Barlow was the final victim to be murdered at Melrose Avenue.
In October 1981, Nilsen moved to a new house in Muswell Hill.
In November 1981, Nilsen targeted Paul Nobbs, a student, at the Golden Lion in Soho, and invited Nobbs back to his new home. The student awoke the next morning with little recollection of the previous evening's events, and later went to see his doctor because of some bruising that had appeared on his neck. The doctor revealed that it appeared as if the student had been strangled, and advised him to go to the police. However, Nobbs was concerned about what would happen if his sexual orientation were to be disclosed, and did not go to the police.
Following this attempted murder, Nilsen targeted Carl Stotter, a drag queen known as Khara Le Fox at The Black Cap, in Camden. After passing out from strangulation, Stotter became conscious while Nilsen was trying to drown him in a bath of cold water. Stotter managed to gasp air four times before losing consciousness. Nilsen's dog then lapped Stotter's face and uncovered signs of life. Nilsen then led Stotter to a railway station, through a forest where Nilsen may have intended to finally kill Stotter, and the two parted ways. Stotter, due to memory loss from the event and alcohol before, did not realise for several years that he had almost been killed.[citation needed]
Murder 13, John Howlett: Howlett had first met Nilsen in a West End pub in December 1981. In March, 1982, John Howlett was the first victim to be murdered in Nilsen's Muswell Hill home.[14] Howlett was one of the few who was able to fight back; however, Nilsen had taken a dislike to him and was determined that he should die. There was a tremendous struggle, in which at one point Howlett even tried to strangle Nilsen back. Eventually, Nilsen drowned Howlett, holding his head under water for five minutes. Nilsen dismembered Howlett's body, hid some of Howlett's body parts around the house and flushed others down the toilet.
Murder 14, Graham Allen: Graham Allen was another troubled man, and a father; originally from Scotland, who Nilsen met in Shaftesbury Avenue in September, 1982.[15] Nilsen took Allen to his home and prepared an omelette for him. Nilsen crept up on Allen while he was eating and strangled him to death. After murdering Allen, Nilsen left Allen's body in the bath, unsure how to dispose of it. After three days, Nilsen dismembered him, like his previous victim. Parts of Allens' remains were what led to the drains being blocked at the flats where Nilsen lived.
Murder 15, Stephen Sinclair: Nilsen's final victim was a 20-year-old man named Stephen Sinclair who was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Nilsen targeted Sinclair in Oxford Street and bought the youth a hamburger. Nilsen then suggested that they go back to his place. After Sinclair drank alcohol and used heroin at Nilsen's house, Nilsen strangled Sinclair and dismembered Sinclair's body. Nilsen recalled that the youth's wrists were covered in slash marks from where Sinclair had recently tried to kill himself. This murder was on 26 January 1983, less than two weeks before Nilsen was arrested. It was Sinclair's dismembered remains in the drain outside Nilsen's home that first alerted the police to Nilsen's murders.
[edit] Trial and sentence
Nilsen was brought to trial at the Old Bailey on 24 October 1983. He pleaded diminished responsibility as a defense, in order to seek a verdict of guilty to manslaughter, but was convicted of six murders and two attempted murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on 4 November 1983. In 1993, he was given permission to give a televised interview from prison.
Nilsen's minimum term was set at 25 years by the trial judge, but the Home Secretary later imposed a whole life tariff, which meant he would never be released. In 2006, he was denied any further requests for parole.
[edit] Imprisonment
Nilsen is currently held at HMP Full Sutton maximum security prison in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
During his time in prison he has proved a thorn in the side of prison authorities, bringing judicial review proceedings over Whitemoor Prison's decision not to allow him access to gay pornography. This application was refused by the single judge at the permission stage. He did not establish that there was any arguable case that a breach of his human rights had occurred, nor that the prison’s rules were discriminatory. He also failed to receive any greater access to such materials as a result.
In 2003, he brought a further Judicial Review over a decision not to allow him to publish his autobiography, titled The History of a Drowning Boy.[16] Nilsen is awaiting an appeal on this decision at the European Court of Human Rights.
[edit] Footnotes
^ Shirley Lynn Scott. "What Makes Serial Killers Tick?". truTV. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/tick/victims_1.html/. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p184
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p188
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p190
^ Carol Ann Davis. "Killer Cannibals". Shots: The Crime & Mystery Magazine. http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/SHOTS%2016/Cannibal/cannibal.htm/. Retrieved 2009-12-29. [dead link]
^ Katherine Ramsland. "Dennis Nilsen". truTV. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/nilsen/1b.html/. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p195
^ "Serial killer Dennis Nilsen confesses to first murder". Daily Mail. 2006-11-09. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=415443&in_page_id=1770. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
^ "Dennis Nilsen - CPS decision about first victim : Press Release : Crown Prosecution Service". Crown Prosecution Service. 6 December 2006. http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/press_releases/172_06/. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p196
^ http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/nilsen/garden_2.html
^ Killing for Company ISBN 0-09-955261-2 p123
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p197
^ Killing for Company ISBN 0-09-955261-2 p126
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p201
^ R v The governor of HMP full Sutton Ex. P. Nilsen, United Kingdom , 2004 EWCA Civ 1540 (Court of Appeal of England and Wales 2004-11-17).
[edit] References
Odell, Robin; Gaute, J. H. H. (1989). The new murderers' who's who. London: Headline. ISBN 0747232709.
Masters, Brian. Killing for Company. Random House (UK). ISBN 0099552612.
Lisners, John (1983). House of Horrors Dennis Andrew Nilsen. London: Corgi. ASIN B0012JFAC6.
McConell, Brian (1983). The Nilsen File. London: Futura. ISBN 0708824307.
[edit] External links
Sunday Times Magazine Article "Memoirs of A Serial Killer" about and containing extracts from Nilsen's autobiography "History of A Drowning Boy"
Persondata
Name
Nilsen, Dennis Andrew
Alternative names
Short description
Serial killer
Date of birth
1945-11-23
Place of birth
Fraserburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Date of death
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Nilsen"
Categories: 1945 births Living people British Army soldiers Civil servants in the Department of Employment Metropolitan Police officers LGBT people from Scotland Necrophiles People convicted of murder by England and Wales People from Fraserburgh People from Muswell Hill Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales Scottish people of Norwegian descent Scottish civil servants Scottish murderers of children Scottish people convicted of murder Scottish prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Scottish rapists Scottish serial killers Scottish sex offenders Scottish trade unionists Murder in 1978 Murder in England Scottish socialists
Nilsen killed at least fifteen men and boys in gruesome circumstances between 1978 and 1983, and was known to retain corpses for sex acts. He was eventually caught after his disposal of dismembered human entrails blocked his household drains: the drain cleaning company found that the drains were congested with human flesh and contacted the police.
Due to the similarities between their crimes, sexuality and lifestyle, Nilsen has been referred to as the "British Jeffrey Dahmer."[1]
Contents[hide]
1 Early life
2 Army service and move to London
3 Murders and arrest
4 Victims
5 Trial and sentence
6 Imprisonment
7 Footnotes
8 References
9 External links
//
[edit] Early life
Nilsen was born at 10 High Street, Strichen, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire to a Scottish mother, Betty Whyte, and a Norwegian father, Olav Magnus Moksheim, who adopted the surname Nilsen. His father was an alcoholic and his parents divorced when he was four years old. His mother remarried and sent her son to his grandparents, but after a couple of years he was sent back to his mother again.[citation needed]
Nilsen claimed the first traumatic event to shape his life came about when he was a small child, when his beloved grandfather died of a heart attack in October, 1951.[2] His strict Roman Catholic mother[citation needed] insisted that he should view the body before burial. During Nilsen's childhood, his mother and stepfather frequently lectured him about the "impurities of the flesh".[citation needed]
[edit] Army service and move to London
Nilsen, as a soldier.
In 1961, Nilsen left school and enlisted in the British Army where he became a cook in South Yemen, Cyprus, Berlin, Germany and the Shetland Islands. He served in the army for 11 years, earning a General Service Medal before being discharged, at his own request, in November,1972.[3]
In December, 1972, Nilsen joined the Metropolitan Police, and was posted to Willesden, London in 1973. Nilsen served eight months as a police officer before resigning.
From 1974,[4] Nilsen worked as a civil servant in a jobcentre in London's Kentish Town. He was also active in the trade union movement, even going on other people's picket lines in solidarity. In November, 1975, Nilsen moved into Melrose Avenue in the Cricklewood district of London.
[edit] Murders and arrest
Nilsen is known to have killed 15 men and boys. Most of his victims were students or homeless men. He picked them up in bars or on the streets and brought them to his house. He strangled and drowned his victims during the night. He used his butchering skills, which he gained from his time as a cook in the army, to help him dispose of the bodies. The bodies were not immediately dismembered, but were kept, sometimes for several months, in different locations in his home, usually under the floorboards. Nilsen was known to engage in sex acts with the corpses.[5][6]
Nilsen had access to a large garden when living at 195 Melrose Avenue, Cricklewood, North West London. He was able to burn many of the remains in a bonfire. Entrails were dumped over the garden fence to be eaten by wildlife.
In October, 1981,[7] Nilsen moved several miles eastwards to an attic flat at 23 Cranley Gardens, Muswell Hill. Nilsen did not have access to a garden at his new address and the flat itself did not have floorboards. This meant that as his murders continued, he found it difficult to dispose of the remains and had bin bags full of human organs stored in his wardrobe. Neighbours had begun to notice the smell. Three people were murdered at this address, and all were stored in cupboards and chests. Nilsen attempted to dispose of the bodies by boiling the heads, hands and feet to remove the flesh and by chopping the entrails into small pieces and flushing them down the toilet. When he tried to dispose of the bodies by flushing them down the toilet, he blocked the sewers of the flats.
Nilsen's murders were first discovered by Dyno-Rod, a drain cleaning company responding to a blocked drain. The company found the drain was packed with a flesh-like substance. The drain inspector then called his supervisor, but no assessment was made until the next day, by which time the drain had been cleared. This aroused the suspicions of the drain inspector and his supervisor, who immediately called the police. Upon closer inspection, some small bones and what looked like chicken flesh were found in a pipe leading off from the drain, with rats feeding on them; these were later discovered to be of human origin. Detective Chief Inspector Peter Jay was called to the scene with two colleagues and waited outside until Nilsen returned home from work. As they entered the building DCI Jay introduced himself to Nilsen and explained that he had come about his drains. Nilsen asked why would the police be interested in his drains and also if the two officers were health inspectors. He was told they were police colleagues and given their names. They then climbed the stairs together and as they entered the flat DCI Jay immediately smelt rotting flesh. Nilsen queried why the police would be interested in his drains, so the officer told him they were filled with human remains. "Good grief, how awful!" exclaimed Nilsen. "Don't mess about, where's the rest of the body?" replied Jay. Nilsen responded calmly, admitting that they were in two plastic bags in his wardrobe. He was then arrested and cautioned on suspicion of murder and taken to the police station. On the way back to the station, Nilsen was asked how many bodies they were talking about and replied "15 or 16, since 1978".
Nilsen later apologised to the police for not being able to tell them the exact number of people he had killed. When his flat was searched they found human remains inside a tea-chest in a wardrobe. His former address was also searched, and numerous small bone fragments were found in the garden of his former address.
[edit] Victims
Murder 1, Stephen Dean Holmes: Nilsen's first murder took place on 30 December 1978. Nilsen claimed to have met his first victim in a gay bar. Nilsen strangled him with a necktie until he was unconscious and then drowned him in a bucket of water. On 12 January 2006, it was announced that the victim had been identified as Stephen Dean Holmes, who was born on 22 March 1964 and was therefore only 14 at the time; Holmes had been on his way home from a concert. On 9 November 2006, Nilsen finally confessed to the murder of Holmes in a letter sent from his prison cell to the Evening Standard.[8] Nilsen was not charged for the murder as the Crown Prosecution Service decided that a prosecution would not be in the public interest.[9]
Between the first and second murders, Nilsen attempted to murder Andrew Ho, a student from Hong Kong he had met in The Salisbury public house in St. Martin's Lane. Although afterwards he confessed to the police about the incident no charges were brought and Nilsen was not arrested.
Murder 2, Kenneth Ockendon: The second victim was 23-year-old Canadian student Kenneth Ockendon. Nilsen met the tourist in a pub on 3 December 1979 and escorted him on a tour of Central London, after which they went back to Nilsen's flat for another drink. Nilsen strangled him with the cord of his headphones whilst Ockendon was listening to a record. Ockendon was one of the few murder victims who was reported as a missing person.
Murder 3, Martyn Duffey: Martyn Duffey was a 16-year-old runaway from Birkenhead. On 17 May 1980,[10] he accepted Nilsen's invitation to come over to his place. Nilsen strangled and subsequently drowned Duffey in the kitchen sink.[11]
Murder 4, Billy Sutherland: Billy Sutherland was a 26-year-old father-of-one from Scotland who worked as a prostitute. Sutherland met Nilsen in a pub in August, 1980. Nilsen could not remember how he murdered Sutherland; however, it was later revealed that Sutherland had been strangled by bare hands.
Murder 5, Unidentified: The fifth victim was another man who worked as a prostitute; however, this man was never identified. All that is known is that he was probably from the Philippines or Thailand.
Murder 6, Unidentified: Nilsen could recall very little about this and the following two victims. All that Nilsen could remember about the sixth man was that he was a young Irish labourer that Nilsen had met in the Cricklewood Arms.[12]
Murder 7, Unidentified: Nilsen described the seventh victim as a starving "hippy-type" whom Nilsen had found sleeping in a doorway in Charing Cross.
Murder 8, Unidentified: Nilsen could recall little about his eighth victim, except that he kept the man's body under the floorboards of his flat, until he removed the corpse and cut it into three pieces then put it back again. He burned the corpse one year later.
At some point between murders 6 and 8, on 10 November 1980, Nilsen attacked a Scottish barman named Douglas Stewart, who Nilsen met at the Golden Lion in Dean Street. Stewart woke up while being strangled, and was able to fend off his attacker. Although Stewart called the police almost immediately after the attack, the officers refused to take action, reportedly they considered the incident to be a domestic disagreement.
Murder 9, Unidentified: The ninth victim was a young Scottish man who Nilsen met in the Golden Lion pub in Soho in January, 1981.[13]
Murder 10, Unidentified: Another young Scottish man. Nilsen strangled him with a tie and placed the body under the floorboards.
Murder 11, Unidentified: Nilsen picked up his eleventh victim in Piccadilly Circus. The man was an English skinhead and had a tattoo around his neck reading "cut here". The man had boasted to Nilsen about how tough he was and how he liked to fight. However, once he was drunk, he proved no match for Nilsen, who hung the man's naked torso in his bedroom for a day, before burying the body under the floorboards.
Murder 12, Malcom Barlow: The 12th victim was a 24-year-old named Malcolm Barlow. Nilsen murdered Barlow on 18 September 1981. Nilsen found Barlow in a doorway not far from his own home, took him in, and called an ambulance for him. When Barlow was released the next day, he returned to Nilsen's home to thank him and was pleased to be invited in for a meal and a few drinks. Nilsen murdered Barlow that night. Barlow was the final victim to be murdered at Melrose Avenue.
In October 1981, Nilsen moved to a new house in Muswell Hill.
In November 1981, Nilsen targeted Paul Nobbs, a student, at the Golden Lion in Soho, and invited Nobbs back to his new home. The student awoke the next morning with little recollection of the previous evening's events, and later went to see his doctor because of some bruising that had appeared on his neck. The doctor revealed that it appeared as if the student had been strangled, and advised him to go to the police. However, Nobbs was concerned about what would happen if his sexual orientation were to be disclosed, and did not go to the police.
Following this attempted murder, Nilsen targeted Carl Stotter, a drag queen known as Khara Le Fox at The Black Cap, in Camden. After passing out from strangulation, Stotter became conscious while Nilsen was trying to drown him in a bath of cold water. Stotter managed to gasp air four times before losing consciousness. Nilsen's dog then lapped Stotter's face and uncovered signs of life. Nilsen then led Stotter to a railway station, through a forest where Nilsen may have intended to finally kill Stotter, and the two parted ways. Stotter, due to memory loss from the event and alcohol before, did not realise for several years that he had almost been killed.[citation needed]
Murder 13, John Howlett: Howlett had first met Nilsen in a West End pub in December 1981. In March, 1982, John Howlett was the first victim to be murdered in Nilsen's Muswell Hill home.[14] Howlett was one of the few who was able to fight back; however, Nilsen had taken a dislike to him and was determined that he should die. There was a tremendous struggle, in which at one point Howlett even tried to strangle Nilsen back. Eventually, Nilsen drowned Howlett, holding his head under water for five minutes. Nilsen dismembered Howlett's body, hid some of Howlett's body parts around the house and flushed others down the toilet.
Murder 14, Graham Allen: Graham Allen was another troubled man, and a father; originally from Scotland, who Nilsen met in Shaftesbury Avenue in September, 1982.[15] Nilsen took Allen to his home and prepared an omelette for him. Nilsen crept up on Allen while he was eating and strangled him to death. After murdering Allen, Nilsen left Allen's body in the bath, unsure how to dispose of it. After three days, Nilsen dismembered him, like his previous victim. Parts of Allens' remains were what led to the drains being blocked at the flats where Nilsen lived.
Murder 15, Stephen Sinclair: Nilsen's final victim was a 20-year-old man named Stephen Sinclair who was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Nilsen targeted Sinclair in Oxford Street and bought the youth a hamburger. Nilsen then suggested that they go back to his place. After Sinclair drank alcohol and used heroin at Nilsen's house, Nilsen strangled Sinclair and dismembered Sinclair's body. Nilsen recalled that the youth's wrists were covered in slash marks from where Sinclair had recently tried to kill himself. This murder was on 26 January 1983, less than two weeks before Nilsen was arrested. It was Sinclair's dismembered remains in the drain outside Nilsen's home that first alerted the police to Nilsen's murders.
[edit] Trial and sentence
Nilsen was brought to trial at the Old Bailey on 24 October 1983. He pleaded diminished responsibility as a defense, in order to seek a verdict of guilty to manslaughter, but was convicted of six murders and two attempted murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on 4 November 1983. In 1993, he was given permission to give a televised interview from prison.
Nilsen's minimum term was set at 25 years by the trial judge, but the Home Secretary later imposed a whole life tariff, which meant he would never be released. In 2006, he was denied any further requests for parole.
[edit] Imprisonment
Nilsen is currently held at HMP Full Sutton maximum security prison in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
During his time in prison he has proved a thorn in the side of prison authorities, bringing judicial review proceedings over Whitemoor Prison's decision not to allow him access to gay pornography. This application was refused by the single judge at the permission stage. He did not establish that there was any arguable case that a breach of his human rights had occurred, nor that the prison’s rules were discriminatory. He also failed to receive any greater access to such materials as a result.
In 2003, he brought a further Judicial Review over a decision not to allow him to publish his autobiography, titled The History of a Drowning Boy.[16] Nilsen is awaiting an appeal on this decision at the European Court of Human Rights.
[edit] Footnotes
^ Shirley Lynn Scott. "What Makes Serial Killers Tick?". truTV. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/tick/victims_1.html/. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p184
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p188
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p190
^ Carol Ann Davis. "Killer Cannibals". Shots: The Crime & Mystery Magazine. http://www.shotsmag.co.uk/SHOTS%2016/Cannibal/cannibal.htm/. Retrieved 2009-12-29. [dead link]
^ Katherine Ramsland. "Dennis Nilsen". truTV. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/nilsen/1b.html/. Retrieved 2009-12-29.
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p195
^ "Serial killer Dennis Nilsen confesses to first murder". Daily Mail. 2006-11-09. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=415443&in_page_id=1770. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
^ "Dennis Nilsen - CPS decision about first victim : Press Release : Crown Prosecution Service". Crown Prosecution Service. 6 December 2006. http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/press_releases/172_06/. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p196
^ http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/nilsen/garden_2.html
^ Killing for Company ISBN 0-09-955261-2 p123
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p197
^ Killing for Company ISBN 0-09-955261-2 p126
^ The Black Museum ISBN 0-316-90332-9 p201
^ R v The governor of HMP full Sutton Ex. P. Nilsen, United Kingdom , 2004 EWCA Civ 1540 (Court of Appeal of England and Wales 2004-11-17).
[edit] References
Odell, Robin; Gaute, J. H. H. (1989). The new murderers' who's who. London: Headline. ISBN 0747232709.
Masters, Brian. Killing for Company. Random House (UK). ISBN 0099552612.
Lisners, John (1983). House of Horrors Dennis Andrew Nilsen. London: Corgi. ASIN B0012JFAC6.
McConell, Brian (1983). The Nilsen File. London: Futura. ISBN 0708824307.
[edit] External links
Sunday Times Magazine Article "Memoirs of A Serial Killer" about and containing extracts from Nilsen's autobiography "History of A Drowning Boy"
Persondata
Name
Nilsen, Dennis Andrew
Alternative names
Short description
Serial killer
Date of birth
1945-11-23
Place of birth
Fraserburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Date of death
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Nilsen"
Categories: 1945 births Living people British Army soldiers Civil servants in the Department of Employment Metropolitan Police officers LGBT people from Scotland Necrophiles People convicted of murder by England and Wales People from Fraserburgh People from Muswell Hill Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales Scottish people of Norwegian descent Scottish civil servants Scottish murderers of children Scottish people convicted of murder Scottish prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Scottish rapists Scottish serial killers Scottish sex offenders Scottish trade unionists Murder in 1978 Murder in England Scottish socialists
Keith Hunter Jesperson: Happy Face Killer
Keith Hunter Jesperson (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian-born American serial killer known as the "Happy Face Killer" for the smiley face he drew on his many letters to the media and prosecutors. He had a violent and troubled childhood under a domineering, alcoholic father. Treated like an outcast by his own family and teased by other children for his large size at a young age, Jesperson was a lonely child who showed a propensity for torturing and killing animals. Despite consistently getting into trouble in his youth, including twice attempting to kill children who had crossed him, Jesperson graduated high school, secured a job as a truck driver, got married, and had three children. In 1990, after 15 years of marriage, Jesperson was divorced and saw his dream to become a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman dashed following an injury. It was that year, after returning to truck driving, that Jesperson began to kill.
Jesperson is known to have killed eight women over the course of five years. Strangulation was his preferred method, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child. After the body of his first victim, Taunja Bennett, was found, media attention surrounded Laverne Pavlinac, a woman who falsely confessed to having killed Bennett with her abusive boyfriend. Jesperson was upset that he was not getting the attention, and first drew the smiley face on the bathroom wall where he wrote an anonymous confession for the murder, hundreds of miles away from the scene of the crime. When that did not elicit a response, he began writing the letters to media and prosecutors. Many of his victims were prostitutes and transients with no connection to him; however, his final victim was his long-time girlfriend. That connection is ultimately what led to his downfall. While Jesperson has claimed to have killed as many as 160 people, only eight murders have been confirmed.
Contents[hide]
1 Early life
2 Crimes
2.1 Laverne Pavlinac
2.2 "The Happy Face Killer"
3 Jesperson's daughter
4 References
5 External links
//
[edit] Early life
Keith Hunter Jesperson was born on April 6, 1955, to Leslie (Les) and Gladys Jesperson in Chilliwack, British Columbia,[1] the middle child with two brothers and two sisters.[2] His father was a domineering alcoholic and Jesperson claimed that his paternal grandfather was also violent. Les Jesperson denied being an abusive parent; however, while investigating for his book on Jesperson, author Jack Olsen was able to confirm much of the claimed abuse with other family members.[3]
In his younger years, Jesperson was given less attention than his siblings and treated differently by the rest of his family. After moving to Selah, Washington, Jesperson had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. His brothers didn't help him, instead they nicknamed him "Igor" or "Ig", a name that stuck throughout his school years.[4] Because of this, he was a shy child, content to play by himself much of the time. He would often get into trouble for behaving badly, sometimes violently, and would be severely punished by his father. This included beatings (sometimes with a belt in front of others) and, in one case, he received an electric shock from his father.[1]
At a very early age—as young as five—Jesperson would capture and torture animals. He enjoyed watching animals kill each other as well as the feeling he got from taking their lives.[5] This continued as he got older. He would capture birds and stray cats and dogs around the trailer park where he lived with his family, severely beating the animals and then strangling them to death, something he claims his father was proud of him for. In the years following, Jesperson said he often thought about what it would be like to do the same to a human.[5]
That desire manifested in two attempted murders. The first happened when Jesperson was around 10 years old. He was friends with a boy named Martin, and the two would often get into trouble together. Jesperson claimed he was punished many times for things Martin had done and blamed on Jesperson. This led Jesperson to attack Martin, violently beating him until his father pulled him away. He later claimed his intention was to kill the boy.[6] Approximately a year later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy held him under water until he blacked out. Some time later, at a public pool, Jesperson attempted to drown the boy, holding his head under water until the lifeguard pulled him away.[6]
Jesperson claims that he lost his virginity in high school, at the age of 14, during an act of rape.[6] He graduated high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it.[6] Although he was not successful with girls in high school, having never even attended a school dance or his prom, he did enter into a relationship after high school. In 1975, when Jesperson was 20, he married Rose Hucke, and the couple had three children—two daughters and one son. Jesperson worked as a truck driver to support the family.
Several years later, Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs. Tension in the marriage increased and, after 14 years, Hucke decided she had had enough. While Jesperson, a truck driver, was on the road, she packed up her and her children's belongings and drove 200 miles away to live with her parents in Spokane, Washington. The oldest child, Melissa, was 10 years old.[7] Jesperson continued to spend time with his children when he was in town. The couple divorced in 1990.[8]
At the age of 35, standing at 6'6" and weighing approximately 240 pounds,[9] Jesperson began working toward the goal of being a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, but an injury suffered while training ended his dream. He then sought work again as an interstate truck driver after relocating to Cheney, Washington.[10] Jesperson soon realized that this job afforded him the opportunity to kill without being suspected.
[edit] Crimes
His first known victim was Taunja Bennett on January 23, 1990, near Portland, Oregon. He introduced himself to Bennett at a bar and later invited her to the house he was renting. The two were intimate before he started an argument that ended with him brutally beating and then strangling her to death. He established an alibi by going back out for some drinks, being sure to converse with others, before returning to retrieve Bennett's body and belongings to dispose of them. He was back on the road, the next day. The body was found a few days later, but there were no suspects and no leads.[9]
Around 10 pm on Thursday, April 12, 1990, in a shopping center parking lot in Mt. Shasta, California next to the I-5 corridor, Jesperson was approached by an intoxicated woman carrying an infant. Both the woman and child ended up in Jesperson's car where a conversation started. She introduced herself as Jean and the child as her six month old son. Jesperson told her his full name and information about where he worked and where he was headed. The conversation soon turned sexual and they drove to a remote location. During an act of oral sex (while the infant lay in the back seat), Jean stopped and asked to be driven home. Jesperson forced her to finish the act and then attempted to break her neck when she became angry. Failing to break her neck and not wanting to kill the child, Jesperson returned the woman and her child to the shopping center.[11]
Jesperson was arrested at gunpoint in Corning, California soon after; the personal details he revealed had led police straight to him. He was questioned at the scene and then un-cuffed and told to go speak to a detective with the Shasta Police Department, which he immediately did. He was interrogated and claimed her neck getting twisted was simply an accident from the cramped space of the car. He also led them to evidence that supported his version of events, including showing them an empty liquor bottle near the parking lot that he claimed was Jean's. His version was apparently more believable than Jean's and he was released.[12] Despite that, a charge was filed against him for sexual assault. When he failed to appear in court, a felony warrant was issued. He was later arrested in Iowa, at a weight check station, after they ran his name in the National Crime Information Center database, finding the outstanding warrant from California. However, Shasta County's warrant was too weak, so the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor. After that, "the cost of extradition wasn't worth it",[13] and he was eventually exonerated of all charges.
It was a year and a half after his first kill when Jesperson killed again. On August 30, 1992, the body of a woman he raped and strangled was found near Blythe, California. He says the Jane Doe's name was Claudia. A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. He claims she was a prostitute who entered his truck at a truck stop while he slept. His fourth victim was another prostitute, Laurie Ann Pentland of Salem, Oregon. Her body was found in November of that year. According to Jesperson, she attempted to double the fee she charged for the sex he had engaged in with her. She threatened to call the police, and he strangled her. It was more than six months before his next victim was found in July 1993, a Jane Doe "street person" in Santa Nella, California. Police originally considered her death a drug overdose. More than a year later, in September 1994, another Jane Doe was found in Crestview, Florida. Jesperson claims her name was Susanne.[10][14]
In January 1995, Jesperson agreed to take a young woman, Angela Surbrize, from Spokane, Washington to Indiana in his truck. Approximately a week into the trip, Surbrize became impatient and began to nag Jesperson to hurry up, as she wanted to see her boyfriend. In response, Jesperson raped and strangled her. He then strapped her to the undercarriage of his truck and dragged her, face down, "to grind off her face and prints."[14] Her body was not found for several months—and then only after Jesperson gave details to police. Two months after murdering Surbrize, Jesperson decided that his longtime girlfriend, Julie Ann Winningham, was only interested in him for money. On March 10, 1995, in Washougal, Washington, Jesperson strangled her. She was the only victim he had a link to, which ultimately led police to his trail.[10][14]
Jesperson was arrested on March 30, 1995, for the murder of Winningham. He had been questioned by police a week before, but they had no grounds to arrest him after he refused to talk. In the days following, Jesperson decided that he was certainly going to be arrested, and after two failed suicide attempts, he turned himself in hoping it would result in leniency during his sentencing. While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his killings and making claims of many others, most of which he later recanted. Also, a few days before his arrest, he wrote a letter to his brother. In it, he confessed to having killed eight people over the course of five years. This led police agencies in several states across the country to reopen old cases, many of which were found to be possible victims of Jesperson.[15]
Although Jesperson at one point claimed to have had as many as 160 victims,[16] only the eight women killed in California, Florida, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming have been confirmed. He is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. In September 2009, he was indicted for murder in Riverside County, California, and was extradited to California to face the charges in December.[17]
[edit] Laverne Pavlinac
Early in the investigation of Taunja Bennett's murder, Laverne Pavlinac read the news reports surrounding Taunja Bennett's death and saw it as an opportunity to force an end to the long-term abusive relationship she had been in with her live-in boyfriend, John Sosnovske. She set up a meeting with the investigating detectives and gave a false confession, using the details she had read in reports to give a detailed story of how Sosnovske forced her to help him rape, murder, and dispose of Bennett's body. Pavlinac and Sosnovske were convicted of the murder in February 1991.[18] To avoid the possibility of facing the death penalty, Sosnovske pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison, while Pavlinac was sentenced to no less than 10 years, much more than she had anticipated. She soon admitted to making it all up, but her claims were ignored.[19]
On November 27, 1995, more than four years since their conviction, Pavlinac and Sosnovske were released from prison after Jesperson and his attorney offered his confession with convincing evidence of his guilt. He had given police officers the location of the victim's purse. The purse had not been found, and its location was considered information only the killer would know.[20]
[edit] "The Happy Face Killer"
In the weeks following Taunja Bennett's murder, as all the attention was going to Pavlinac and Sosnovske, Jesperson wrote a confession on the bathroom wall of a truck stop and signed it with a smiley face. When that did not create the attention he desired, he wrote letters to media outlets and police departments confessing to his murders, starting with a six-page letter to The Oregonian in which he revealed the details of his killings. He signed each letter with a smiley face.[8][16] This led Phil Stanford, the journalist working the story for The Oregonian, to dub Jesperson 'The Happy Face Killer'.[8]
[edit] Jesperson's daughter
In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on the Dr. Phil Show to talk about her father.[21] She was also featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show on September 17, 2009,[22] and a 20/20 special on August 20, 2010.[7] Moore lived with her father until her parents' divorce in 1990. Moore noticed her father was different when she was in elementary school. Their house bordered an apple orchard, and her dad killed stray cats and gophers that wandered nearby. One day she watched, horrified, as he hung stray kittens from the family's clothesline. She ran to get her mother, and when they returned, the kittens lay on the ground dead.[7] He had watched and laughed as the kittens clawed each other to escape, then he killed them.[23]
[edit] References
"Daughter of the 'Happy Face Killer' Talks About Growing Up With a Serial Killer Dad". ABC News 20/20. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
King, Gary C. "Keith Hunter Jesperson". truTV Crime Library. Retrieved on August 21, 2010.
Kreuger, Peggy; Kendra Justice & Amy Hunt (March 2006). "Keith Hunter Jesperson: Happy Face Killer" (PDF). Radford University Department of Psychology. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
Moore, Melissa G. & M. Bridget Cook (2009). Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of the Daughter of a Serial Killer. Cedar Fort. ISBN 978-1-59955-238-5.
Olsen, Jack (2002). I: the creation of a serial killer. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-24198-8.
^ a b Kreuger, Justice, & Hunt, p. 1
^ Olsen,[page needed]
^ Olsen, pp. 35, 334
^ Olsen, p. 141
^ a b King, p. 5
^ a b c d Kreuger, Justice, & Hunt, p. 2
^ a b c "Daughter", p. 1
^ a b c "Daughter", p. 2
^ a b King, p. 1
^ a b c King, p. 3
^ Olsen, pp. 21-3
^ Olsen, pp. 24-5
^ Olsen, pp. 69-71
^ a b c Kreuger, Justice, & Hunt, p. 3
^ King, p. 4
^ a b Grollmus, Denise (December 22, 2009). ""Happy Face Killer" Keith Hunter Jesperson Racks Up More Victims". True Crime Report. Retrieved on August 21, 2010.
^ Russel, Michael (December 10, 2009). "'Happy Face Killer' extradited to Southern Calif. to face charges". The Oregonian. Retrieved on December 10, 2009.
^ Moore & Cook, p. 80
^ King, p. 2
^ Moore & Cook, p. 67
^ Moore & Cook, p. 212
^ "Dr. Phil Returns to The Oprah Show: My Father Is a Serial Killer". Oprah.com. Retrieved on November 25, 2010.
^ Moore & Cook, p. 4
[edit] External links
Daughter of serial killer confronts her past, Seattle Times
Persondata
Name
Jesperson, Keith Hunter
Alternative namesJesperson is known to have killed eight women over the course of five years. Strangulation was his preferred method, the same method he often used to kill animals as a child. After the body of his first victim, Taunja Bennett, was found, media attention surrounded Laverne Pavlinac, a woman who falsely confessed to having killed Bennett with her abusive boyfriend. Jesperson was upset that he was not getting the attention, and first drew the smiley face on the bathroom wall where he wrote an anonymous confession for the murder, hundreds of miles away from the scene of the crime. When that did not elicit a response, he began writing the letters to media and prosecutors. Many of his victims were prostitutes and transients with no connection to him; however, his final victim was his long-time girlfriend. That connection is ultimately what led to his downfall. While Jesperson has claimed to have killed as many as 160 people, only eight murders have been confirmed.
Contents[hide]
1 Early life
2 Crimes
2.1 Laverne Pavlinac
2.2 "The Happy Face Killer"
3 Jesperson's daughter
4 References
5 External links
//
[edit] Early life
Keith Hunter Jesperson was born on April 6, 1955, to Leslie (Les) and Gladys Jesperson in Chilliwack, British Columbia,[1] the middle child with two brothers and two sisters.[2] His father was a domineering alcoholic and Jesperson claimed that his paternal grandfather was also violent. Les Jesperson denied being an abusive parent; however, while investigating for his book on Jesperson, author Jack Olsen was able to confirm much of the claimed abuse with other family members.[3]
In his younger years, Jesperson was given less attention than his siblings and treated differently by the rest of his family. After moving to Selah, Washington, Jesperson had trouble fitting in and making friends because of his large size. His brothers didn't help him, instead they nicknamed him "Igor" or "Ig", a name that stuck throughout his school years.[4] Because of this, he was a shy child, content to play by himself much of the time. He would often get into trouble for behaving badly, sometimes violently, and would be severely punished by his father. This included beatings (sometimes with a belt in front of others) and, in one case, he received an electric shock from his father.[1]
At a very early age—as young as five—Jesperson would capture and torture animals. He enjoyed watching animals kill each other as well as the feeling he got from taking their lives.[5] This continued as he got older. He would capture birds and stray cats and dogs around the trailer park where he lived with his family, severely beating the animals and then strangling them to death, something he claims his father was proud of him for. In the years following, Jesperson said he often thought about what it would be like to do the same to a human.[5]
That desire manifested in two attempted murders. The first happened when Jesperson was around 10 years old. He was friends with a boy named Martin, and the two would often get into trouble together. Jesperson claimed he was punished many times for things Martin had done and blamed on Jesperson. This led Jesperson to attack Martin, violently beating him until his father pulled him away. He later claimed his intention was to kill the boy.[6] Approximately a year later, Jesperson was swimming in a lake when another boy held him under water until he blacked out. Some time later, at a public pool, Jesperson attempted to drown the boy, holding his head under water until the lifeguard pulled him away.[6]
Jesperson claims that he lost his virginity in high school, at the age of 14, during an act of rape.[6] He graduated high school in 1973, but did not attend college because his father did not believe he could do it.[6] Although he was not successful with girls in high school, having never even attended a school dance or his prom, he did enter into a relationship after high school. In 1975, when Jesperson was 20, he married Rose Hucke, and the couple had three children—two daughters and one son. Jesperson worked as a truck driver to support the family.
Several years later, Hucke began to suspect Jesperson was having affairs. Tension in the marriage increased and, after 14 years, Hucke decided she had had enough. While Jesperson, a truck driver, was on the road, she packed up her and her children's belongings and drove 200 miles away to live with her parents in Spokane, Washington. The oldest child, Melissa, was 10 years old.[7] Jesperson continued to spend time with his children when he was in town. The couple divorced in 1990.[8]
At the age of 35, standing at 6'6" and weighing approximately 240 pounds,[9] Jesperson began working toward the goal of being a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman, but an injury suffered while training ended his dream. He then sought work again as an interstate truck driver after relocating to Cheney, Washington.[10] Jesperson soon realized that this job afforded him the opportunity to kill without being suspected.
[edit] Crimes
His first known victim was Taunja Bennett on January 23, 1990, near Portland, Oregon. He introduced himself to Bennett at a bar and later invited her to the house he was renting. The two were intimate before he started an argument that ended with him brutally beating and then strangling her to death. He established an alibi by going back out for some drinks, being sure to converse with others, before returning to retrieve Bennett's body and belongings to dispose of them. He was back on the road, the next day. The body was found a few days later, but there were no suspects and no leads.[9]
Around 10 pm on Thursday, April 12, 1990, in a shopping center parking lot in Mt. Shasta, California next to the I-5 corridor, Jesperson was approached by an intoxicated woman carrying an infant. Both the woman and child ended up in Jesperson's car where a conversation started. She introduced herself as Jean and the child as her six month old son. Jesperson told her his full name and information about where he worked and where he was headed. The conversation soon turned sexual and they drove to a remote location. During an act of oral sex (while the infant lay in the back seat), Jean stopped and asked to be driven home. Jesperson forced her to finish the act and then attempted to break her neck when she became angry. Failing to break her neck and not wanting to kill the child, Jesperson returned the woman and her child to the shopping center.[11]
Jesperson was arrested at gunpoint in Corning, California soon after; the personal details he revealed had led police straight to him. He was questioned at the scene and then un-cuffed and told to go speak to a detective with the Shasta Police Department, which he immediately did. He was interrogated and claimed her neck getting twisted was simply an accident from the cramped space of the car. He also led them to evidence that supported his version of events, including showing them an empty liquor bottle near the parking lot that he claimed was Jean's. His version was apparently more believable than Jean's and he was released.[12] Despite that, a charge was filed against him for sexual assault. When he failed to appear in court, a felony warrant was issued. He was later arrested in Iowa, at a weight check station, after they ran his name in the National Crime Information Center database, finding the outstanding warrant from California. However, Shasta County's warrant was too weak, so the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor. After that, "the cost of extradition wasn't worth it",[13] and he was eventually exonerated of all charges.
It was a year and a half after his first kill when Jesperson killed again. On August 30, 1992, the body of a woman he raped and strangled was found near Blythe, California. He says the Jane Doe's name was Claudia. A month later, in Turlock, California, the body of Cynthia Lyn Rose was discovered. He claims she was a prostitute who entered his truck at a truck stop while he slept. His fourth victim was another prostitute, Laurie Ann Pentland of Salem, Oregon. Her body was found in November of that year. According to Jesperson, she attempted to double the fee she charged for the sex he had engaged in with her. She threatened to call the police, and he strangled her. It was more than six months before his next victim was found in July 1993, a Jane Doe "street person" in Santa Nella, California. Police originally considered her death a drug overdose. More than a year later, in September 1994, another Jane Doe was found in Crestview, Florida. Jesperson claims her name was Susanne.[10][14]
In January 1995, Jesperson agreed to take a young woman, Angela Surbrize, from Spokane, Washington to Indiana in his truck. Approximately a week into the trip, Surbrize became impatient and began to nag Jesperson to hurry up, as she wanted to see her boyfriend. In response, Jesperson raped and strangled her. He then strapped her to the undercarriage of his truck and dragged her, face down, "to grind off her face and prints."[14] Her body was not found for several months—and then only after Jesperson gave details to police. Two months after murdering Surbrize, Jesperson decided that his longtime girlfriend, Julie Ann Winningham, was only interested in him for money. On March 10, 1995, in Washougal, Washington, Jesperson strangled her. She was the only victim he had a link to, which ultimately led police to his trail.[10][14]
Jesperson was arrested on March 30, 1995, for the murder of Winningham. He had been questioned by police a week before, but they had no grounds to arrest him after he refused to talk. In the days following, Jesperson decided that he was certainly going to be arrested, and after two failed suicide attempts, he turned himself in hoping it would result in leniency during his sentencing. While in custody, Jesperson began revealing details of his killings and making claims of many others, most of which he later recanted. Also, a few days before his arrest, he wrote a letter to his brother. In it, he confessed to having killed eight people over the course of five years. This led police agencies in several states across the country to reopen old cases, many of which were found to be possible victims of Jesperson.[15]
Although Jesperson at one point claimed to have had as many as 160 victims,[16] only the eight women killed in California, Florida, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming have been confirmed. He is serving three consecutive life sentences at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem. In September 2009, he was indicted for murder in Riverside County, California, and was extradited to California to face the charges in December.[17]
[edit] Laverne Pavlinac
Early in the investigation of Taunja Bennett's murder, Laverne Pavlinac read the news reports surrounding Taunja Bennett's death and saw it as an opportunity to force an end to the long-term abusive relationship she had been in with her live-in boyfriend, John Sosnovske. She set up a meeting with the investigating detectives and gave a false confession, using the details she had read in reports to give a detailed story of how Sosnovske forced her to help him rape, murder, and dispose of Bennett's body. Pavlinac and Sosnovske were convicted of the murder in February 1991.[18] To avoid the possibility of facing the death penalty, Sosnovske pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to life in prison, while Pavlinac was sentenced to no less than 10 years, much more than she had anticipated. She soon admitted to making it all up, but her claims were ignored.[19]
On November 27, 1995, more than four years since their conviction, Pavlinac and Sosnovske were released from prison after Jesperson and his attorney offered his confession with convincing evidence of his guilt. He had given police officers the location of the victim's purse. The purse had not been found, and its location was considered information only the killer would know.[20]
[edit] "The Happy Face Killer"
In the weeks following Taunja Bennett's murder, as all the attention was going to Pavlinac and Sosnovske, Jesperson wrote a confession on the bathroom wall of a truck stop and signed it with a smiley face. When that did not create the attention he desired, he wrote letters to media outlets and police departments confessing to his murders, starting with a six-page letter to The Oregonian in which he revealed the details of his killings. He signed each letter with a smiley face.[8][16] This led Phil Stanford, the journalist working the story for The Oregonian, to dub Jesperson 'The Happy Face Killer'.[8]
[edit] Jesperson's daughter
In November 2008, Jesperson's daughter, Melissa G. Moore, appeared on the Dr. Phil Show to talk about her father.[21] She was also featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show on September 17, 2009,[22] and a 20/20 special on August 20, 2010.[7] Moore lived with her father until her parents' divorce in 1990. Moore noticed her father was different when she was in elementary school. Their house bordered an apple orchard, and her dad killed stray cats and gophers that wandered nearby. One day she watched, horrified, as he hung stray kittens from the family's clothesline. She ran to get her mother, and when they returned, the kittens lay on the ground dead.[7] He had watched and laughed as the kittens clawed each other to escape, then he killed them.[23]
[edit] References
"Daughter of the 'Happy Face Killer' Talks About Growing Up With a Serial Killer Dad". ABC News 20/20. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
King, Gary C. "Keith Hunter Jesperson". truTV Crime Library. Retrieved on August 21, 2010.
Kreuger, Peggy; Kendra Justice & Amy Hunt (March 2006). "Keith Hunter Jesperson: Happy Face Killer" (PDF). Radford University Department of Psychology. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
Moore, Melissa G. & M. Bridget Cook (2009). Shattered Silence: The Untold Story of the Daughter of a Serial Killer. Cedar Fort. ISBN 978-1-59955-238-5.
Olsen, Jack (2002). I: the creation of a serial killer. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-24198-8.
^ a b Kreuger, Justice, & Hunt, p. 1
^ Olsen,[page needed]
^ Olsen, pp. 35, 334
^ Olsen, p. 141
^ a b King, p. 5
^ a b c d Kreuger, Justice, & Hunt, p. 2
^ a b c "Daughter", p. 1
^ a b c "Daughter", p. 2
^ a b King, p. 1
^ a b c King, p. 3
^ Olsen, pp. 21-3
^ Olsen, pp. 24-5
^ Olsen, pp. 69-71
^ a b c Kreuger, Justice, & Hunt, p. 3
^ King, p. 4
^ a b Grollmus, Denise (December 22, 2009). ""Happy Face Killer" Keith Hunter Jesperson Racks Up More Victims". True Crime Report. Retrieved on August 21, 2010.
^ Russel, Michael (December 10, 2009). "'Happy Face Killer' extradited to Southern Calif. to face charges". The Oregonian. Retrieved on December 10, 2009.
^ Moore & Cook, p. 80
^ King, p. 2
^ Moore & Cook, p. 67
^ Moore & Cook, p. 212
^ "Dr. Phil Returns to The Oprah Show: My Father Is a Serial Killer". Oprah.com. Retrieved on November 25, 2010.
^ Moore & Cook, p. 4
[edit] External links
Daughter of serial killer confronts her past, Seattle Times
Persondata
Name
Jesperson, Keith Hunter
Happy Face Killer
Short description
Serial killer
Date of birth
April 6, 1955
Place of birth
Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada
Date of death
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Hunter_Jesperson"
lunedì 17 gennaio 2011
Pedro Lopez
Dossier Pedro Lopez
scritto da Giuseppe Agnoletti
scritto da Giuseppe Agnoletti
Nome completo: Pedro Alonso Lopez
Soprannome: Il mostro delle Ande
Nato nel: 1949
Morto il: in vita
Vittime accertate: 57
Vittime supposte: 310
Modus operandi: segue la preda anche per giorni, poi la rapisce e la conduce in un luogo sicuro.
Dapprima opera violenza sulla giovane vittima. Infine procede allo strangolamento mentre la guarda fissamente negli occhi.Pedro Alonso Lopez, ovvero il serial killer allo stato dell’arteCon tutta probabilità Pedro Alonso Lopez detiene il primato di uccisioni fra i serial killer di ogni epoca, almeno per quanto ci è dato conoscere. Si ritiene, infatti, che nel corso della sua folle carriera abbia soppresso qualcosa come 310 giovani ragazze, un record difficilmente eguagliabile.Alla stregua di Don Giovanni, che si vantava delle sue conquiste e ne forniva un elenco dettagliato paese per paese, così Pedro confessa agli investigatori di avere ucciso di sua mano perlomeno 110 ragazze in Ecuador, 100 in Colombia e molte più di 100 in Perù.Solo se si considera la vastità, e la scarsa densità di popolazione in quelle terre, ci si può rendere conto come questo omicida seriale possa avere commesso una simile strage quasi indisturbato. Nella maggior parte dei casi Pedro si trova ad agire in zone abitate da indios privi di qualsiasi tutela da parte delle forze dell’ordine, si tratta di una vita piuttosto facile per un assassino dai grossi appetiti come lui, anche se a un certo punto la buona sorte lo abbandona e si trova a rischiare grosso.Ma procediamo con ordine.
L’infanzia - un vero ragazzo di strada.Pedro Alonso Lopez nasce a Tolmia, Colombia, nel 1949, durante un periodo di particolari conflitti sociali, in un tempo e in un luogo della Terra nel quale nessuno avrebbe, in effetti, mai desiderato nascere; potendo scegliere, naturalmente.Giusto un anno prima, nel 1948, viene assassinato un politico liberal popolare: Jorge Eliecer Gaitan e il paese sprofonda nella guerra civile. Il periodo d’anarchia si protrae per dieci anni e costa alla nazione qualcosa come 200.000 morti.Pedro è figlio di una prostituta, il settimo di tredici fratelli e sorelle. La sua è un’infanzia infelice. La madre è una figura dominatrice che alleva, se così si può dire, i bambini con autentico pugno di ferro. Ma il ragazzo si trova pur sempre in un casa e qualsiasi cosa è meglio di quello che succede nelle strade, dove la guerriglia, le forze paramilitari e i membri delle forze armate nazionali sono ovunque impegnati a combattersi senza esclusione di colpi, tanto che in Colombia, in quegli anni, la percentuale di criminalità raggiunge livelli 50 volte superiori a quello di tutti gli altri paesi del mondo.Nel 1957, all’età di otto anni, la madre lo sorprende in atteggiamento inequivocabile con la sorella più giovane. Il suo peggior incubo diventa realtà, la donna lo butta fuori di casa e gli ordina di non fare più ritorno. Adesso Pedro si trova nell’inferno delle strade, senz’altra compagnia che se stesso.Le cose per lui cambiano rapidamente quando un uomo di una certa età gli offre del cibo e la prospettiva di un luogo dove potere vivere. Il ragazzo quasi non crede alla fortuna che sembra finalmente arridergli, e lo segue. L’uomo lo conduce in edificio abbandonato. Ma appena giunto in quel luogo solitario lo sodomizza più volte, prima di lasciarlo tornare di nuovo alla strada dove lo aveva trovato.La devastante esperienza crea in Pedro avversione e timore nei confronti degli estranei, sentimento che giunge quasi al limite del terrore. Dorme in edifici abbandonati e solo di notte emerge dal suo nascondiglio in cerca di cibo fra i bidoni dei rifiuti e gli immondezzai. Passa quasi un anno prima che Pedro trovi finalmente il coraggio di viaggiare per il paese e finire a Bogotà, la capitale. Qui giunto, trascorre alcuni giorni a mendicare cibo e a frugare fra i rifiuti, poi una coppia di americani residenti nel luogo lo nota. I due non possono fare a meno di provare una profonda pena per l’aspetto scheletrico e denutrito del ragazzo. Gli offrono un pasto caldo e lo pregano di andare a vivere con loro. Pedro non se lo fa ripetere due volte, e accetta. Trova così una stanza e un tavolo tutto suo e poi l’iscrizione a una scuola per orfani, cose che non solo non aveva mai avuto, ma nemmeno sognato di possedere.Tuttavia il destino ha in serbo per Pedro un'altra svolta crudele. Nel 1963, all’età di 12 anni, un maestro lo aggredisce sessualmente, durante un giorno di scuola. Tutti i ricordi precedenti ritornano d’un colpo a galla, e l’odio cresce dentro di lui. Il passo successivo è quello di rubare denaro dall’officina della scuola, quindi Pedro fa ritorno verso l’unico luogo di salvezza che conosce, la sua prima casa (in un certo senso), ovvero le strade della Colombia.La guerra civile è ormai cosa del passato, adesso c’è solo una sorta di guerra fredda, e possibilità di lavoro che prima non esistevano, le fabbriche che avevano chiuso riaprono, ma Pedro è tagliato fuori, non ha avuto alcuna esperienza lavorativa e possiede solo una educazione minima. Passa i sei anni seguenti a mendicare e commette tutta una serie di piccoli reati per sopravvivere.Durante questi suoi anni giovanili impara a rubare automobili. Ha poco da perdere e c’è chi compra e paga per i suoi servizi. Diventa un ladro di veicoli molto abile, che si fa notare come il più giovane “apprendista del giro”.Prove generali.A dispetto delle sue capacità, nel 1969, all’età di 18 anni, Pedro viene arrestato per furto d’automobili e condannato a sette anni di prigione. È dentro da appena due giorni quando subisce violenza da parte di quattro detenuti più anziani di lui. In seguito a questo episodio giura a se stesso che nessuno lo toccherà di nuovo. Costruisce un rudimentale coltello utilizzando gli utensili della prigione, poi, nelle due settimane che seguono, compie la sua vendetta uccidendo tutti e quattro gli uomini che lo avevano stuprato. Le autorità giudicano il caso come legittima difesa e si limitano ad aggiungergli altri due anni rispetto alla condanna iniziale per furto. La prigione, con la sua inevitabile dura scuola di sofferenze, procura un danno irreparabile alla mente di Pedro, una trasformazione irreversibile. Anche se non va dimenticato come una buona parte di colpa sia imputabile anche alla madre, madre che lo ha abbandonato a se stesso scacciandolo di casa, che non ha mai avuto alcuna forma di comunicazione con lui e che addirittura soddisfaceva le sue curiosità con riviste pornografiche.Pedro si sta avviando all’età adulta, ma nella sua mente l’idea di avere una moglie diviene un pensiero inconcepibile. Nella testa, sua madre detiene la colpa di tutti i patimenti che ha dovuto sopportare nella propria esistenza, e forse non sbaglia del tutto. «È tipico» disse una volta Robert Ressler, compilatore di profili criminali per l’FBI. «Molto spesso gli assassini seriali sono posseduti da forme ossessive nei confronti della loro madre. Insomma, una relazione di odio e amore, parlando in termini comuni. Queste donne non possono certo candidarsi a madri dell’anno e, sebbene non abbiano necessariamente commesso degli abusi, è chiaro che il loro rapporto coi figli è alla base delle devianze che in loro esploderanno con efferata violenza da adulti. Il filo conduttore sembra essere l’elemento sessuale: madri spesso seducenti, che hanno diversi partner sessuali dei quali i figli sono consapevoli. E, naturalmente, per i figli di una prostituta è ricorrente osservare questo tipo di condotta nel comportamento abituale della propria madre.»Quanto quest’insieme di cose inciderà sul futuro di Pedro, lo si vedrà una volta ritornato libero.
Omicidi successivi - a caccia di giovani indios.Nel 1978 Pedro Alonzo Lopez esce di prigione e comincia a viaggiare intensamente per tutto il Perù. È una specie di venditore ambulante, professione ideale per girovagare da un luogo all’altro in cerca di facili vittime. Ed è proprio durante questo periodo, come più tardi riconoscerà, che inizia a uccidere in sequenza. Aggredisce e uccide almeno 100 giovani ragazze appartenenti alle tribù di indios sparse in tutta la regione. E in verità risulta impossibile stabilire quanto di tutto questo sia veritiero, ciò che è certo è che Pedro viene catturato da un gruppo di Ayacuchos, nel nord del Perù, mentre cerca di sequestrare un ragazzina di nove anni. Gli indios lo spogliano delle sue cose e lo torturano per diverse ore prima di decidere di sotterrarlo vivo. Per Pedro sembra essere giunta la fine, ma bisogna riconoscere che ciò che la sorte gli ha sempre negato, in questo momento gli elargisce a mani aperte. L’intervento di un missionario americano convince gli indigeni a consegnare Pedro alle autorità. Ed è così che avviene, ma le autorità giudiziarie e di polizia non vogliono perdere tempo con la denuncia di una piccola tribù, e il governo peruviano si limita a estradare Pedro in Ecuador.In seguito al suo ritorno in questo paese, Pedro inizia a viaggiare parecchio nella regione, compiendo lunghe soste anche in Colombia. Le autorità si rendono ben presto conto di un aumento dei casi di persone scomparse, in particolare giovani ragazze. Ma concludono che si tratta di un dato dovuto alla crescita della tratta di schiave per scopi sessuali.La cattura.Nell’aprile del 1980, vicino ad Ambato, Ecuador, gli effetti di una inondazione costringono le autorità a rivedere le proprie convinzioni riguardo l’impressionante serie di persone scomparse. Vengono infatti alla luce i resti di quattro ragazze. Difficile stabilire le cause della loro morte, facile invece concludere che qualcuno ha cercato di occultarne i corpi alla vista di occhi troppo curiosi.Alcuni giorni dopo, un’abitante del luogo, una certa Carvina Poveda, si reca a effettuare compere al mercato. La figlia Maria, dodicenne, l’accompagna. Uno sconosciuto tenta di rapire la ragazza. La donna piange, strepita e chiama aiuto, mentre l’uomo tenta di lasciare in fretta la zona, con la ragazza stretta fra le sue braccia. Gli addetti alle vendite accorrono rapidamente, catturano l’uomo prima che questi possa fuggire e lo trattengono fino all’arrivo della polizia.Pedro è stranamente tranquillo e quando gli agenti lo traducono al commissariato la loro prima impressione è quella di avere tra le mani uno squilibrato. Pedro non collabora, sceglie di rimanere in silenzio e si rifiuta di rispondere a qualsiasi domanda. Gli investigatori decidono così di cambiare strategia e di utilizzarne una del tutto differente.In cella assieme a lui viene messo Padre Cordoba Gudino, un sacerdote. La speranza è quella che l’indiziato si confidi col prete e gli possa rivelare quali siano in realtà i suoi crimini.Non occorre attendere troppo tempo, perché quasi subito Pedro inizia a raccontare. Il giorno successivo ha rivelato così tante e orribili cose che padre Cordoba chiede di potere uscire dalla cella. Quello che le sue orecchie hanno udito è troppo e non può sopportare oltre.In seguito ai dati rivelati durante il colloquio con Padre Gudino, gli investigatori mettono alle strette Pedro, ora sono in possesso di nuovi e sconvolgenti elementi. Il serial killer crolla.Pedro confessa di avere ucciso 110 ragazze in Ecuador, 100 in Colombia e più di 100 in Perù.«A me piacciono le ragazze dell’Ecuador» dice. «Sono molto docili, gentili e innocenti, danno maggiore confidenza; non come le colombiane che sospettano degli estranei.»Nel corso delle sue confessioni, Pedro giustifica i crimini con la propria dura vita e un’adolescenza difficile e solitaria.«Persi la mia innocenza all’età di otto anni» spiega. «Così decisi di fare lo stesso nei confronti della maggior parte di ragazze che potevo incontrare.»Quando gli chiedono in base a quali caratteristiche scegliesse le sue vittime, Pedro spiega che la maggior parte delle volte gironzolava per i negozi dei villaggi allo scopo di selezionare i suoi bersagli, il criterio solitamente preferito: quello di “una certa aria d’innocenza”. Le uccideva sempre all’ultima luce del giorno, perché non voleva che l’oscurità nascondesse lo spasmo della morte.Quando gli chiedono cosa intenda con queste parole, Pedro spiega che dapprima violentava la sua vittima, per poi strangolarla mentre la guardava negli occhi. Che provava il massimo del piacere e una forte eccitazione sessuale osservando la loro vita che fuggiva via.In seguito dichiarò che l’orrore continuava anche dopo la loro morte. Spesso interpretava un orrido “party” con i corpi delle piccole ragazze, sistemandole nel modo più opportuno e parlando con loro.Inizialmente la polizia è scettica riguardo agli orrori raccontati da Pedro e i legami con la Colombia non sono tali da consentire la verifica del suo racconto. Ma come Pedro capisce che gli investigatori dubitano di lui e delle verità che ha loro raccontato, si offre di condurli nei vari punti di sepoltura che ha seminato per il paese. Gli investigatori accettano e pianificano l’azione.Alcuni giorni dopo la sua confessione iniziale, Pedro viene prelevato dal quartier generale della polizia. Il convoglio di agenti segue alla lettera le sue istruzioni e si reca nei posti da lui segnalati. I dubbi degli investigatori scompaiono del tutto quando Pedro li conduce in una località isolata nelle vicinanze di Ambato, dove scoprono i resti di 53 ragazze, di età compresa fra gli otto e i 12 anni. Nel corso della giornata Pedro li guida in altri 28 siti, tuttavia nessun altro corpo viene trovato. Alcuni investigatori pensano allora che gli animali ne abbiano sparpagliato i resti e le piogge abbiano completato il resto del lavoro portandoli via chissà dove.Una volta ritornati al commissariato Pedro viene velocemente incriminato di 57 omicidi, benché lui stesso, nelle sue dettagliate confessioni, ne reclami 110. Il direttore della prigione, Victor Lascano, spiegò in seguito: «Se qualcuno confessa 100 omicidi e si trovano i corpi di 53 vittime, allora dobbiamo credere a quello che dice.» Ai reporter confidò anche che: «Ritengo la sua stima di 300 omicidi assai scarsa.»
Una tecnica raffinata.Sembra quasi che Pedro, quando uccide una delle sue vittime, segua un sogno, una speranza, per quanto brevissima e fugace. La ricerca di un qualche cosa che loro possiedono e lui no. Qualcosa di immateriale ed etereo, che immediatamente si volatilizza e si disperde nel nulla. E la contemplazione di quell’attimo richiede una messa in scena ben precisa, una scenografia quasi teatrale.Ma lasciamo la parola alla sua viva voce:«Andavo in cerca delle mie vittime camminando fra i mercati e le volevo con un certo sguardo sul loro viso. Un’aria di innocenza e di bellezza. Dovevano essere buone ragazze che lavoravano con la madre. Io le seguivo a volte anche per due o tre giorni, aspettando il momento che fossero da sole. Davo loro un oggetto, tipo uno specchietto, poi le portavo alla periferia della città, dove promettevo che avrei regalato un ciondolo anche per la loro madre.»«Le ragazze non erano mai spaventate perché non potevano aspettarsi quello che sarebbe accaduto. Erano particolarmente innocenti.»«Dovevo prenderle in un nascondiglio segreto, dove le attendevano i sepolcri che per loro avevo preparato. Qualche volta c’erano i corpi di altre vittime precedenti. Io le abbracciavo e poi le violentavo al tramonto. A quella luce particolare mi eccitavo. Forzavo il sesso della ragazza e mettevo le mie mani sulla sua gola. Quando il sole era una palla rosata, la strangolavo.»«Mi piaceva solo se le potevo guardare negli occhi. Farlo nelle tenebre sarebbe stato uno spreco. Dovevo guardarle alla luce del giorno. C’era un momento divino quando le mie mani stringevano la gola di una giovane. Guardavo nei loro occhi e vedevo una certa luce, una scintilla, che improvvisamente andava via. Il momento della morte è affascinante e eccitante. Solo chi uccide abitualmente sa cosa voglio dire.»«Alle ragazze occorrevano dai cinque ai quindici minuti per morire. Ero delicato e premuroso. Volevo passare molto tempo con loro e volevo essere sicuro che fossero morte. Desideravo uno specchio per verificare se stavano ancora respirando. Qualche volta ho dovuto ricominciare da capo a ucciderle.»«Le mie piccole amiche amavano avere compagnia. Spesso ne deponevo tre o quattro in un solo buco. Ma dopo un breve tempo io diventavo triste e annoiato perché non potevano muoversi più. Così andavo alla ricerca di altre ragazze.»«Quando venni rilasciato non vedevo l’ora che il momento venisse di nuovo.»Ma Pedro Alonso Lopez si definiva anche un liberatore: «L’ho fatto per porre fine alle sofferenze che subivano nella vita terrena» riferì durante una confessione.Fine della corsa - sentenza e prigionia.A ogni modo non è facile tratte ulteriori informazioni dalle brevi confessioni di Pedro, quel che è certo è che alla fine degli anni ‘80 viene dichiarato colpevole di omicidi multipli e ripetuti, e condannato a passare il resto della sua vita in prigione.Attualmente Pedro è ancora recluso in Ecuador. Lui s’illude, assurdamente, di avere qualche chance di essere rilasciato sulla parola. Questa irragionevole speranza non deve meravigliare: Lopez è un omicida seriale “missionario”, ha ucciso animato dall’assillo costante di dover compiere una “missione”. «(Le ho uccise) per porre fine alle sofferenze che subivano nella vita terrena» ha riferito durante una confessione.Nella sua distorta visione delle cose, non gli passa per la mente che se anche fosse liberato lo aspetterebbero sicuramente altri processi in Colombia e in Perù.Una celebrità…Mentre era in prigione in Ecuador, al corrispondente del National Examiner: Ron Laytner, Pedro Alonso Lopez disse, vantandosi: «Io sono l’uomo del secolo, nessuno potrà mai dimenticarsi di me.»E avendolo conosciuto meglio in questo breve saggio, direi che c’è ben poco da dubitarne.
estratto dal sito web http://www.latelanera.com/serialkiller/serialkillerdossier.asp?id=PedroLopez&pg=4
Carroll Edward Cole
Carroll Edward Cole (May 9, 1938 – December 6, 1985), was an American serial killer who was executed in 1985.
Contents[hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Murders
1.3 Death
2 See also
3 References
//
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Carroll Cole was born in Sioux City, Iowa. While his father went to fight in World War II, Cole was taken along by his mother and forced to watch as she had sexual encounters with men. She would often beat him to scare him into not telling his father. Even when his father returned home, Cole was frequently whipped and beaten by his mother for the most minor infractions, and he grew up with a deep hatred of women. He was also picked on at school for having a "girl's name", so he would usually go by his middle name, Eddie.
[edit] Murders
At the age of 10, Cole drowned a classmate of the same age in a lake. The boy's death was regarded as an accident until Cole confessed to it many years later.
After scraping through school with a D+ average, even with an I.Q. of 152, Cole became a drifter, doing menial jobs, drinking heavily and serving frequent prison sentences for crime such as burglary, vagrancy, arson and car theft. He attempted suicide at least once, and on a number of occasions, had himself committed to mental hospitals where he confessed his fantasies of murdering women. Although diagnosed as a psychopath, Cole was usually discharged promptly, as he had a personality disorder, as opposed to a mental illness - the former was considered to be untreatable by psychiatrists at the time, unlike the latter.
His first victim as an adult was Essie Buck, whom he'd picked up in a tavern in San Diego, California, on May 7, 1971. He strangled her to death in his car and drove around with her body in the trunk before eventually dumping it. Just two weeks later, he killed an unidentified woman and buried her in some woods.
In July 1973, Cole married barmaid Diana Pashal, who was also an alcoholic. They argued and fought frequently, and Cole regularly went off on his own for days at a time. He would commit murders while he was away, including one woman he allegedly cannibalized to a degree. In September 1979, Cole strangled Pashal to death. A suspicious neighbor called the police eight days later, but although they found Pashal's body wrapped in a blanket and stuffed in a closet, they inexplicably decided that she had died because of her heavy drinking, and Cole was released without charge after questioning.
By 1980, Cole was married again and living in Las Vegas. Toward the end of the year, he murdered three more women. Arrested on suspicion of murdering the final victim, Cole began his confession, claiming that he had murdered at least 14 women over the previous nine years, although he added that there may have been more — he couldn't remember exactly, as he was usually drunk when he committed his crimes.
[edit] Death
Sentenced to death, Cole refused to appeal and was executed in Nevada on December 6, 1985 by lethal injection.
[edit] See also
Capital punishment in Nevada
Capital punishment in the United States
[edit] References
Carroll Cole at the Crime Library
Persondata
Name
Cole, Carroll
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
May 9, 1938
Place of birth
Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
Date of death
December 6, 1985
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Cole"
Categories: 1938 births 1985 deaths 1948 crimes American serial killers Executed serial killers People executed by lethal injection People from Sioux City, Iowa American cannibals People executed by Nevada Executed American people American people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Nevada Incidents of cannibalism
Hidden categories: Articles with unsourced statements from November 2008 All articles with unsourced statements
Contents[hide]
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Murders
1.3 Death
2 See also
3 References
//
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Carroll Cole was born in Sioux City, Iowa. While his father went to fight in World War II, Cole was taken along by his mother and forced to watch as she had sexual encounters with men. She would often beat him to scare him into not telling his father. Even when his father returned home, Cole was frequently whipped and beaten by his mother for the most minor infractions, and he grew up with a deep hatred of women. He was also picked on at school for having a "girl's name", so he would usually go by his middle name, Eddie.
[edit] Murders
At the age of 10, Cole drowned a classmate of the same age in a lake. The boy's death was regarded as an accident until Cole confessed to it many years later.
After scraping through school with a D+ average, even with an I.Q. of 152, Cole became a drifter, doing menial jobs, drinking heavily and serving frequent prison sentences for crime such as burglary, vagrancy, arson and car theft. He attempted suicide at least once, and on a number of occasions, had himself committed to mental hospitals where he confessed his fantasies of murdering women. Although diagnosed as a psychopath, Cole was usually discharged promptly, as he had a personality disorder, as opposed to a mental illness - the former was considered to be untreatable by psychiatrists at the time, unlike the latter.
His first victim as an adult was Essie Buck, whom he'd picked up in a tavern in San Diego, California, on May 7, 1971. He strangled her to death in his car and drove around with her body in the trunk before eventually dumping it. Just two weeks later, he killed an unidentified woman and buried her in some woods.
In July 1973, Cole married barmaid Diana Pashal, who was also an alcoholic. They argued and fought frequently, and Cole regularly went off on his own for days at a time. He would commit murders while he was away, including one woman he allegedly cannibalized to a degree. In September 1979, Cole strangled Pashal to death. A suspicious neighbor called the police eight days later, but although they found Pashal's body wrapped in a blanket and stuffed in a closet, they inexplicably decided that she had died because of her heavy drinking, and Cole was released without charge after questioning.
By 1980, Cole was married again and living in Las Vegas. Toward the end of the year, he murdered three more women. Arrested on suspicion of murdering the final victim, Cole began his confession, claiming that he had murdered at least 14 women over the previous nine years, although he added that there may have been more — he couldn't remember exactly, as he was usually drunk when he committed his crimes.
[edit] Death
Sentenced to death, Cole refused to appeal and was executed in Nevada on December 6, 1985 by lethal injection.
[edit] See also
Capital punishment in Nevada
Capital punishment in the United States
[edit] References
Carroll Cole at the Crime Library
Persondata
Name
Cole, Carroll
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
May 9, 1938
Place of birth
Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
Date of death
December 6, 1985
Place of death
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Cole"
Categories: 1938 births 1985 deaths 1948 crimes American serial killers Executed serial killers People executed by lethal injection People from Sioux City, Iowa American cannibals People executed by Nevada Executed American people American people convicted of murder People convicted of murder by Nevada Incidents of cannibalism
Hidden categories: Articles with unsourced statements from November 2008 All articles with unsourced statements
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