Dr. Robert Leacock: Americas First Serial Killer

1886 Dr. Robert Leacock is poisoned to death at the hands of one of Americas first serial killers H.H Holmes, “The Beast of Chicago”. Herman Webster Mudgett was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire on May 1861. He was the 3rd son of Theodate Page Price and Levi Horton Mudgett. In 1887 Mudgett graduated from high school at the age of 16, then he changed his name to Henry Howard Holmes, from then on Holmes attended The University of Vermont in which he studied medicine. After college Holmes married and had one son but later divorced and remarried twice more but was only legally recognized for one marriage. He was a scammer he would build small businesses and cause damage or lay bodies in them and collect insurance money. Holmes grew up in an

The first murder of Holmes which he confessed to was that of Dr. Robert Leacock who was an old schoolmate of his he killed him with an overdose of Laudanum. After the events of this murder Holmes moved to Chicago where he got a job as a pharmacist. When the owner passed away Holmes bought the drug store during this the widow of the previous owner mysteriously vanished. After collecting enough money Holmes began construction of his “Murder Castle”, he would lure young women in by forming relationships with them and luring into his trap. The various rooms of the “Murder Castle” were outlined with gas lines so whenever he felt like it Holmes could asphyxiate his victims, there were trap doors, chutes that led to the basement in which Holmes would through unconscious victims down. The basement was his lab he would dissect people, cremated bodies, and skinned cadavers to sell skeletons to medical schools. One of his favorite ways of murdering his victims was locking them in the safe of the hotel and suffocate them such as in Lizzies case. He locked her up and listened to her screaming for help and panicking as she ran out of oxygen. H.H Holmes was a serial killer, “There are “cooling-off” periods between serial murderers” (Tripken Pdf), after the murder of Dr Robert Leacock it took Holmes another 4 months to kill his second victim. His confirmed murders were in intervals

He might have killed a “Mass” of people but after each murder he had a period of cool off time. The myth that no serial killers can function properly in society that he must have been a loner which could not be successful. Yet Holmes earned a M.D., owned small businesses, and married. Finally, the myth that all serial killers are sexually motivated although the majority are, Holmes was never interested in that he was interested in earning the money of the victims he