Arthur Shawcross Reports

Logan Ellett Serial Killer Report Pd. 2

The serial killer that this report is over is, Arthur Shawcross.

Biographical Information He was born on June 6, 1945. He died on November 10, 2008 while serving a life sentence for his murders. Shawcross was born in Kittery, Maine. It not confirmed that there was any abuse during his childhood. Arthur claimed that he was sexually molested by his aunt. He also claimed to have sexual relations with his younger sister and other boys. He also reported having behavioral problems such as bedwetting and bullying. His parents and other family deny his claims and say that his early life was fairly normal. It is not clear who’s story is correct but Shawcross was known to change his stories everytime

In 1972 he took the life of his first victim. It was a 10-year-old boy named Jack Blake. Arthur took him fishing a few days before he disappeared. When the police found the boy’s body, it was confirmed that he had been sexually assaulted and suffocated. The police could not find any evidence from the killer and the trail went cold. After this victim he murdered a little girl and served 25 years for her murder. My sources are conflicting. Biography.com and Report.rite.edu say that he was confirmed to have killed 13 people. Serialkillers.ca claims that he killed 14. It is speculated that he had killed upwards of 14. Shawcross’s 11 other victims were all prostitutes. He would suffocate the women, mutilate the body and then hide it by The Genesee River

He revealed to the police the child murders and his war history, which was discounted. A photo of Shawcross confirmed his identity that witnesses had seen. Police could not get him to admit to the murders. They later found a piece of jewelry, that he gave to his wife, had belonged to one of his victims. Arthur confessed when the police threatened to bring his wife in on charges of being an accomplice. After he wrote his confession the police had to read 80 pages. At trial the defense tried for an insanity plea. They used his wartime, upbringing, a cyst on the brain, and a rare birth defect. The plan fell apart due to poor execution. It is believed that the birth defect and psychological factors were too difficult for the jury to understand. He was considered sane and sentenced to 250 years. He was then taken to another court for another murder. This time he didn’t fight it. Instead, he plead guilty and added to his jail time.

Psychological