Albert Fish:Gray Man

Werewolf of Wysteria

Brooklyn Vampire

Meghan Stallworth

Definition of a Serial Killer

A serial killer is someone who has killed typically more than three people over an extended period of time. Usually, serial killers get some kind of mental gratification from killing their victims. Sometimes the gratification is sexual in nature.

Childhood

Born on May 19, 1870 in Washington D.C.

Fish’s family had a long history of mental illness, he was abandoned and sent to an orphanage where he was beaten regularly.

He associated pain with sexual gratification, often being made fun of by the other children for getting “overly excited” after being beaten.

Work

Due to a lack of formal education, Fish learned to work with his hands.

He developed a skill in painting houses. He also was a basic handyman.

Description

Albert Fish was seen as a gentle, calm man by many people. People automatically trusted him. He acted completely normal around people he did not know, no one suspected him of doing the heinous crimes he did.

HobbiesFish liked to partake in “Sado-Masochistic” games in which he would ask his children to beat him with a club with nails protruding from it until he was gushing blood.

He also liked to insert needles deep into his skin. When he was arrested, an x-ray shows needles left in the pelvic area.

Who did he kill?

Fish was a pedophile, he was attracted to children. Typically, he went after children, often of African American descent, because he believed that “no one would miss them”.

He claimed to have molested over 100 children in a 20 year time span.

Victims

Victims

Francis X. McDonnell, age 8, July 15, 1924

Billy Gaffney, age 8, February 11, 1927

Grace Budd, age 10, June 3, 1928

Possible Victims

Yetta Abramowitz, age 12, 1927

Mary Ellen O’Connor, age 16, February 15,1932

Benjamin Collings, age 17, December 15, 1932

Cannibalism

Albert Fish was a cannibal. He would kill his victims and then cook them like regular meat in soups and as roasts.

Typically he would strangle them.

Method/Pattern

His ways of getting children varied, he would lure them to the house with promise of work, or food. He would also simply take them. He would then kill them, typically by strangulation, and then eat them after cooking them.

In the case of Grace Budd he told her and her parents that he was going to take her to a child’s birthday party. The family saw him as a family friend and saw nothing wrong with this. They never saw Grace again.

Evidence Used in Conviction

He wrote a letter to Ms. Budd (Grace Budd’s mother) explaining exactly how he killed Grace and what happened to her. The letter was traced back to Fish at a boarding house and he was convicted of murdering her as well as others.

Confession

Once Fish confessed to murdering Grace Budd, he continued to confess. He told police of other victims, describing times and locations.

Death

Fish was executed at Sing Sing at age 65. He was the oldest man ever executed there.

He had to be shocked twice because all of the metal in his body caused a short circuit.

He is quoted of having been excited about being electrocuted.

“It’ll be the supreme thrill, the only one I haven’t tried.”- Albert Fish

A&E Biography of Albert Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwxuzh9sejY&feature=related

Citations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Fish

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/fish/index.html

http://www.prairieghosts.com/fish.html

http://crime.about.com/od/serial/p/albertfish.htm

http://www.lawbuzz.com/movies/hannibal/the_hannibal_ch2.htm