Hamilton Howard Fish

Hamilton Howard “Albert” Fish was born on May 19th, 1870 in Washington, D.C., to Ellen and Randall Fish (Berry-Dee, 2011). Hamilton was the youngest member of the Fish family that consisted of three other children (Walter, Annie, and Edwin) (Berry-Dee, 2011). Hamilton’s farther was 43 years older than his mother and was 75 years old during the time of his birth. Randall died of a myocardial infraction when Hamilton was just 5, leaving Ellen to support the entire family on her own (Berry-Dee, 2011). Due to the lack of income Hamilton’s mother sent him to St. John's Orphanage in Washington where he spent the majority of his childhood (Berry-Dee, 2011).

By 1880 Fish’s mother obtained a government job which ensured financial stability that allowed her to bring Fish back into her custody. (Bardsley, 2012; Berry-Dee, 2011; Wilson &

In 1910, Fish attacked Thomas Bedden in Wilmington, Delaware and in 1919, he stabbed an individual with an intellectual disability in Georgetown, Washington, D.C (Berry-Dee, 2011). On Tuesday, July 15th in 1924, Fish abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered Francis McDonnell who was just 8 years old at the time (Berry-Dee, 2011). This was the first of the three murders that Fish admitted to (and was later found guilty of committing). Fish’s second murder was that of 4 year old Billy Gaffney (Berry-Dee, 2011). The murder occurred on February 11th 1927, and it was this particular case that Fish was given the nickname “the boogeyman” by the media (Berry-Dee, 2011). After Fish was sentenced in 1936, he confessed to brutally torturing the young boy in a variety of perverse ways which eventually led to Billy’s death. Fish then took as he described his “meat” home with him and proceeded to cook and eat the remains of Billy Gaffney (Berry-Dee,