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Shawcross later claimed that he killed 39 enemy soldiersduring combat. On January 2, another air and ground search was organized and right before calling it off due to bad weather, the air team spotted what appeared to be the body of a half-nude femalelaying face down near the Salmon Creek. In 1967 he was drafted by the US Army at age 21. The discovery of the body of Elizabeth Gibson, on November 27, brought a breakthrough: suspect "Mitch" had been seen with her shortly before her disappearance, but they seemed no closer to establishing his identity. [1], Arthur John Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine, the first of four children of Arthur Roy Shawcross and Elizabeth "Bessie" ("Betty") Yerakes Shawcross. [2], On May 7, 1972, he raped and killed his first known victim, 10-year-old Jack Owen Blake, after luring the boy into a wooded area in Watertown. His apartment, 241 Alexander Street, is still there today. He had to be relocated to four different citiesbecause of community protests. What's really fucked up is Shawcross had already been in prison for murdering other people. This victim was Dorothy Blackburn, a 27-year-old prostitute he strangled to death on March 24, 1988. No matter how you look at it, Arthur Shawcross was a troubled person. Life for Shawcross and Rose became routine. The well-publicized resettlement of a child killer in the Binghamton area of New York State was greeted by a public outcry, and he was forced to leave the area after a few months along with his new girlfriend, Rose Whalley. languages spoken, written or signed. "The Genesee River Killer" or "The Rochester Strangler", was an American serial rapist, and pedophilic serial arsonist and robber-turned-serial killer, and even an alleged cannibal infamous for claiming the lives of several prostitutes in 1989 after being paroled early for the murders of two children in 1972. Arthur Shawcross is a man that committed his life to killing people. He murdered two kids and never disclosed the reason. A few months later, Shawcross was taken to Wayne County to be tried for Elizabeth Gibsons murder. Shawcross had gone fishing with the boy a few days earlier but denied knowing where he was. He was born on June 6, 1945 in Kittery, Maine. [6], Jefferson County District Attorney William McClusky explained the plea bargain by stating that other than Shawcross's confession to police, there was no direct evidence linking him to the Blake killing. Shawcross claims while in prison he was raped and after extracting revenge on his attackers, he was transferred to another prison to serve out his sentence. Agents sent to Rochester created a profile of the serial killer. Arthur Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, in Kittery, Maine. His withdrawn behavior earned him the nickname "oddie" from his peers. Inside The Mind Of Arthur Shawcross, The 300-Pound Genesee River Killer. After deliberating for just one-half hour, they found him sane and guilty. Shawcross' family members strongly denied that he was abused and described his childhood as normal. The prosecution was quick to dispute the claims about his childhood and military service, casting doubts on Shawcross' testimony. Shawcross killed again in March of 1988, less than a year after getting out of jail. He began biting her groin in retaliation before strangling her to death. On January 2, 1990, a helicopter spotted what appeared to be a naked female body lying on the ice surface of the river by a bridge in the forest. Montaldo, Charles. By subscribing, you agree to the terms of our Privacy Statement. When Lewis first invoked dissociative identity disorder as an insanity defense in the 1980s, particularly in the widely covered trial of Arthur Shawcross, who terrorized the Rochester, New York . He hid the body and left but told police that he later returned and threw her skull into the river. Shawcross began developing a habit of looking for prostitutes and would use his girlfriend (who he was having an affair with) Claras car to go to Lake Avenue near the Genesee River which was an industrial area well known for cheap prostitutes and drug dealers. 9 October 2017. place of death. In October of 1989, Rochester, N.Y., police had uncovered the bodies of three women and believed them all to be the work of the same twisted serial killer. ", Astrological Sign: Gemini, Death Year: 2008, Death date: November 10, 2008, Death State: New York, Death City: Albany, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Arthur Shawcross Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/crime/arthur-shawcross, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: October 27, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. Local authorities discovered patterns of behavior regarding the killer, which led them to ask FBI profilers for assistance. He also claimed a "combat kill" total of 39 which, when investigated later, was also discounted as fabrication; authorities claim he killed no one on his tour of duty. After relocating due to the publics outcry of his release, he moved to Rochester with his fourth wife. This time there were no protests because Shawcross' parole officer failed to report to the local police department that a child rapist and murderer had just moved into town. This time, Shawcross wasnt getting out of prison. He was convicted of eleven murders, with a twelfth not officially ascribed to him. Interview with a Serial Killer is a powerful, no-frills documentary that consists largely of what the title advertises- a lengthy interview with Arthur Shawcross, also known as the Genesee River . When they asked for his driver's license, he admitted he did not have one and then revealed that he had been in jail for manslaughter. The press also grew interested in the murders and dubbed the killer as the "Genesee River Killer," and the "Rochester Strangler.". On the first episode of this two-part series, we explore the grim origins of brutal serial killer Arthur Shawcross, from his incestuous childhood to his time in 'Nam to his inexplicably numerous marriages. She too was never seen alive again. Shawcross was arrested on October 3, 1972, Shawcross stalled for two weeks before confessing both murders. [2] He served one tour of duty with the 4th Supply and Transport Company of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. In the Spring of 1972, 10-year-old Jack Owen Blake disappeared after going out to play near the Cloverdale apartments where Shawcross lived. 13. [2] His second wife Linda experienced several aspects of his disturbing behavior, especially his penchant for starting fires; an Army psychiatrist told her that Shawcross derived sexual arousal from setting fires. Shawcross said throughout his childhood, he was a frequent bed-wetter (which is one part of the Macdonald triad). Charles Montaldo. You may unsubscribe at any time. Stott was mentally ill and would occasionally vanish without telling anyone. As to his aunt sexually abusing him, It was later determined,that if he had been abused, he somehow blocked out his aunt's name because the name that he gave did not belong to any of his real aunts. Shawcrosss story for all three was that he saw them trying to steal from him, became angry, and killed them. After serving less than 15 years of this sentence, he was released on parole in April 1987. He set fires to a local paper mill and the factory where he worked before being arrested and sentenced to five years in prison. Arthur John Shawcross (June 6, 1945 - November 10, 2008), also known as the Genesee River Killer, was an American serial killer active in Rochester, New York from 1972 through 1989. A year later, on April 7, 1972, he claimed his first victim: 10-year-old neighbor Jack Blake. In November 1965 he was put on probation on a charge of unlawful entry. Serial killer Arthur John Shawcross, also called the Rochester Strangler or the Genesee River Killer, was prolific in the short time that he was an active killer. See his granddaughter has a Burzum t-shirt on. Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945 in Kittery, Maine to an English immigrant . She had been strangled to death, and there were bite marks covering what was left of her vagina which had been cut out. One of Rochester's most notorious serial killers, Arthur Shawcross killed 13 people in a span of two decades, including 11 Rochester-area women many of them prostitutes . Like the other women found, June Stott suffered a vicious beating before dying. 12. Hunters discovered his next victim, 27-year-old prostitute Dorothy Blackburn, on March 24, 1988. According to autopsy reports, she had been raped and murdered, and dirt and leaves were found jammed down her throat. There is no corroborating evidence to support this, however. Back in the penitentiary, he proved as enigmatic as . He eventually dropped out in 1960. She had been missing for nearly a month. This Hiking Photo Has A ChillingBackstory, She Met A Man Online And Ended Up Taking Down An Active SerialKiller. As reported by Biography, Shawcross made many disturbing claims about his childhood: he said he had sexual relations with his younger sister, claimed that he was molested by his aunt at just 9 years old, and said he had an early homosexual experience. for help. No matter what happened to Shawcross as a child, his adulthood was horrible. He was the first of four children born to Arthur Roy Shawcross and Bessie 'Betty' Yerakes Shawcross. At least for a time, Shawcross believed that the spirit of a thirteenth-century cannibal Ariemes possessed his body and drove him to rape, murder, and cannibalism. They finally tracked down Shawcross via the car's registration, which was in the name of his girlfriend Clara Neal. His second marriage, following drafting into the Army in April 1967, was also tainted by violence and was equally short-lived. Shawcross is known to have killed at least 14 people, as well as being a known cannibal and mutilator. The victims were:[7], All the victims were murdered in Monroe County except for Gibson, who was killed in neighboring Wayne County. Stott was not a drug addict or a prostitute, and her body had been left in an area far from the other victims. Investigators went from looking for individual killersto looking for a serial killer and the window of time between his kills was getting shorter. Shawcross' defense team tried to build a case based on an insanity plea, citing various mitigating factors, such as his upbringing, post-traumatic stress as a result of military service, a cyst on the brain and a rare genetic defect. It seemed as if each week another woman went missing and those found murdered were not close to being solved. Twenty-seven year old victim of the "Genesee River Killer" known as Arthur Shawcross. He dropped out of school after failing to pass the ninth grade, and the next few years were punctuated with violence and jail sentences. Road patrols were also sent out, and on New Year's Eve, they found a pair of black jeans belonging to Felicia Stephens. He could overpower people with this strength which pretty much sums up his murder methods. From rape to mutilation, he terrified the Rochester area for over 17 years. Shawcross killed most of his victims from 1988 to . The psychiatrist, who is the subject of HBO's new documentary Crazy Not Insane, tells us what she saw during her decades interviewing and assessing serial murders. Authorities didnt find Jacks body for five months, but analysis showed the boy suffered from a sexual assault before his death. He served two years in prison, was paroled to his respectable parents - and murdered a boy and a girl. #FatPantLoadWe are still trying to crack the code. At the beginning of November, Jo Ann Van Nostrand told police about a client named Mitch who paid her to play dead and then he would try to strangle her, which she did not allow. "Serial killer Arthur Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, and died on November 10, 2008 while serving a life sentence for the murder of 11 women" (Arthur Shawcross 2015). From school records it can be independently verified that he was an inveterate truant, with a particularly low IQ, a tendency to bullying and violence and that he came under suspicion for a series of juvenile arson attacks as well as burglaries. Arthur Shawcross The Genesee Rive Killer Dr. Mike Aamodt Radford University maamodt@radford.edu Birth Born on June 6, 1945 at the U.S. He then confessed to murdering the others. A photo taken of him during the initial questioning soon confirmed his identity as "Mitch," and official enquiries unearthed the reason for Shawcross' sealed record, which prevented the police from tracking him down sooner. Shawcrossdropped out of schoolafter failing to pass the ninth grade. [5] In November he was transferred to Green Haven Correctional Facility. On January 2, 1990, there was finally a breakthrough in the case. In this jailhouse interview, Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer, shares candid details of his crimes and his surprising family bonds. A judge sentenced the murderer to 250 years in prison. Her body, nude except for her boots,was discovered three days later dumped in the Genesee River Gorge. When he was unable to get an erection, Anna began to make fun of him. After working out a plea deal, Shawcross confessed to murdering Hill and Blake and agreed to divulge the location of Blake's body in exchange for a charge of manslaughter in the Hill case and no charges for murdering Blake. Nicknames like The Genesee River Killer, The Monster of the Rivers, and The Rochester Strangler began popping up. (33.02 x 25.4 cm) Frame Size: 14.75 x 11.25 inches . His body was found a year later out in the woods. Founded in 2010, Thought Catalog is owned and operated by The Thought & Expression Company, Inc. For over a decade, we've been at the bleeding edge of media, pioneering an infrastructure for creatives to flourish both artistically and financially. On October 21, 1989, the body of homeless woman Dorothy Keeler, aged 59, was discovered followed six days later by another prostitute, Patricia Ives, in the same area. His first known murders were in 1972 when he killed a young boy and a girl in his hometown of Watertown, New York. He Wanted Her To Stop Yelling. He returned to Watertown, and by the following April, he was married for the third time and working for the Public Works Department. During the aerial search for Felicia Stephens body, the helicopter made out the shape of a corpse under the ice as well as a car cruising the area. His daughter was apparently instrumental in Shawcross's conversion to Catholicism while in . Authorities ran criminal background checks on possible suspects, but sealing Shawcross previous records meant they didnt show up in any checks. Under the terms of a plea bargain, Shawcross was allowed to plead guilty to one charge of manslaughter, for which he . 11. [citation needed]. Montaldo, Charles. When Jacks body was eventually found (after Shawcrosss arrest months later) he had been suffocated, mutilated, and molested. Had investigators hoped that the busy December holiday season and the cold temperatures might slow down the serial killer, they soon found out that they were wrong.