Serial Killers 5
Albert Fish
Albert Fish was born in 1870 to a respected family in Washington, D.C. His father died when Albert was 5 years old and as a result the child was sent to live in an orphanage. He ran away frequently and wet his bed until he was 11 at the orphange. Because of such behavior, Albert became known as a "problem child". Albert's sadomasochistic and unusual behavior was first noticed by his children just after his first wife left him. He began to suffer from hallucinations and became obsessed with religious themes such as sin, sacrifice, and atonement through pain. He forced his own children to paddle his bare buttocks until he bled. Other hobbies and pastimes of Albert's included, but were not limited to, inserting needles into his groin, scrotum, and anus, eating human fecal matter, and inserting cotton balls doused in alcohol into his anus and setting them aflame. Fish was a compulsive child molestor. Prosecutors are certain of his involvement in attacks on over 100 children. Albert, however, claims to have molested nearly 400 children. In 1928, a 12 year old named Grace Budd caught Albert's attention. Over time he earned her family's trust and procured their permission to take her to a birthday party. Instead, he took her to a secluded cabin where he dismembered her body. He saved several pieces to eat later. Six years later, Albert sent a letter to the Budd family confessing that he killed their daughter. He emphasized that she "died a virgin". (He later expressed disappointment that he had not raped or molested Grace Budd.) As a result of the letter written to the Budd's, Albert was arrested. In custody, Albert confessed to the murders of several other children. No final body count could be agreed upon, but it is believed that Albert killed between 7 to 15 children. Fish was found sane and guilty of premeditated murder. His insanity defense was overridden and he was sentenced to death by electrocution. Fish was pleased with this sentence and excited about facing the electric chair due to his sadomasochistic tendencies. He was electrocuted on January 16, 1936 at Sing Sing Prison. It took two jolts to kill him because the 29 needles he had left in his body over the years short circuited the chair.

The Boston Strangler




Thirteen women were strangled in Boston, USA, between June 1962 and January 1964. The killer, moved by uncontrollable sexual desires, plausibly talked his way into the confidence of women living alone. Once admitted to their homes, he raped and strangled his victims. His hallmark was to tie the ligature around their necks with a characteristic bow under the chin.



His first victim was 55-year-old divorcee Anna Slesers, who was found by her son in June 1962. Her naked body, with legs spread wide, was sprawled on the floor of her apartment. She had been sexually assaulted, and strangled with her housecoat cord. In some of the murders an attempt had been made at robbery, but police believed this was a blind - the killer’s motive was plainly sex with murder.

As murder followed murder public tension mounted, and Boston’s women exiled themselves behind locked doors. Many sexual deviants were questioned and, as is usual, many false confessions made. Then in January 1964 the spate of murders stopped, but on 27 October the strangler struck again and attacked a young woman in her home, having gained entrance by pretending to be a detective. He pinned her down on the bed and threatened her with a knife - ‘Not a sound or I’ll kill you,’ he told her. After tying her hand and foot and molesting her, he inexplicably made off, simply saying, ‘I’m sorry.’

When she freed herself the girl immediately called the police and gave a full description. He was identified at once as Albert DeSalvo, who had been released from prison in April 1962 following conviction for indecent assault. DeSalvo was interviewed at Cambridge, Mass., and although denying involvement in the murders did admit to housebreaking and rape. When his photograph was published scores of reports came to the police from women, alleging DeSalvo had assaulted them.



DeSalvo was committed to Boston State Hospital, having been judged schizophrenic and not competent to stand trial. There was still no conclusive evidence that he was the Boston Strangler, but while in hospital he confessed to killing thirteen women, and described details of both the victims and their apartments. He described how he killed a 23-year-old graduate student: ‘Once I stabbed her once, I couldn’t stop…I keep hitting her and hitting her with that knife…she keeps bleeding from the throat…I hit her and hit her and hit her…’

Ironically, DeSalvo was never charged with being the Strangler. Instead he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1967 for sex offences and robberies committed before the crimes.

On 26 November 1973 he was found dead in his prison cell at Walpole State Prison, Massachusetts, stabbed through the heart.