In the 1970s, the United States had a national drifter that claimed to have killed over six hundred people. He was first incarcerated for the murder of his mother and was later incarcerated for the murder of his girlfriend and his landlord. Lucas confessed to many murders, claiming he targeted female hitchhikers that were national vast. Henry Lee Lucas was an infamous murderer born to alcoholic parents Viola and Anderson Lucas in Virginia in 1936. His upbringing was challenging due to his parents being impoverished. His mother was a prostitute, and they used her income as the primary source of money. His upbringing was full of verbal, mental, and physical abuse from his mother. Henry's father, Anderson, did not have a job because he lost …show more content…
His uncle is the one responsible for introducing him to bestiality. He taught Henry how to torture, sexually abuse, and kill animals. Lucas reported having sex with dead animals and with his half-brother. Growing up, Viola would not let Lucas have pets. Every time Lucas came home with an animal, Viola would kill it and make him watch the disturbing occurrence. As a teenager, Lucas was in and out of jail very frequently. Finally, in 1960, he went to prison for the murder of his mother. He was sentenced to 20-30 years in prison, but after a failed suicide attempt, he was admitted to the Ionia State Mental Hospital. After serving ten years, he was allowed to be paroled. However, shortly after his release, he was convicted of trying to assault a teenage girl sexually. The charges were later lessoned to kidnapping, and he was released after five years. Lucas showed signs of being very dangerous, but he managed to undermine the law and get his …show more content…
How credible is this guy? (BE8). Soon, people began investigating the crimes he confessed to and found that many were physically impossible. "For example, police accepted Lucas' confession for a September 12, 1981, murder case in Houston, even though records showed that he was in jail at the time in Maryland" (Gajanan). The cross-country murders had no similarities or resemblances that could make someone believe they were connected. They seemed completely random and spontaneous. Even after all the confessions, closed cases, and stories told, Henry was only responsible for three murders. His mother, girlfriend, and former landlord - all fell victim to his crimes (SC9). Lucas was a serial killer, but not to the extent he presented. He was lying about being responsible for many murders, and it has been proven that he was not involved in many cases. Law enforcement reviewed the cases again to determine if Henry Lucas was responsible and should be held