Arthur Shawcross was a serial killer born on June 6, 1945, in Maine. He had a troubled childhood, with a history of bedwetting, arson, and head injuries. Shawcross claimed he was sexually abused by his mother and aunt, but his family denied these allegations.
Shawcross enlisted in the US Army and was sent to Vietnam, where he claimed to have raped and killed two Vietnamese girls. However, there is no evidence to support this claim.
After his time in the Army, Shawcross married four times and had children, but his marriages ended in divorce due to his anger issues. In 1972, he abducted and murdered a 10-year-old boy, and later confessed to the crime.
Shawcross was sentenced to 25 years in prison but only served 15 years due to good behavior. After his release, he moved to a new location, where he continued to commit crimes, including the murder of several sex workers.
Shawcross's killing spree was eventually linked to him through a pair of jeans found near the Genesee River, which contained an ID card belonging to one of his victims. He was arrested and confessed to all the murders, taking investigators to the locations of the bodies.
Shawcross's trial was highly publicized, with his defense team attempting to build a case based on an insanity plea. However, he was found sane and guilty of 10 instances of second-degree murder and sentenced to 250 years in prison.
Shawcross died in 2008 due to cardiac arrest while in prison.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Arthur Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945, in Maine.
2. He was the oldest of four children.
3. Shawcross's family moved to Watertown, New York, when he was young.
4. In school, Shawcross was shy and awkward but later became aggressive and a class bully.
5. He had low IQ and dropped out of school at 19.
6. Shawcross enlisted in the US Army in 1969 and was drafted to Vietnam.
7. He was discharged from the Army in 1971.
8. Shawcross was married four times, and all his marriages ended in divorce due to his anger issues.
9. In 1972, Shawcross abducted and murdered a 10-year-old boy in a wooded area.
10. He confessed to the murder but was only sentenced to 25 years in prison for manslaughter.
11. Shawcross was released from prison in 1987 after serving 15 years.
12. He moved to Rochester, New York, where he started frequenting sex workers.
13. In 1988, the bodies of several sex workers were found in the Genesee River, all with similar injuries.
14. The police investigation led to Shawcross, who was identified by sex workers as a regular client.
15. Shawcross was arrested on January 3, 1990, after a helicopter spotted him masturbating near the river.
16. He was questioned by police and eventually confessed to the murders of 11 women.
17. Shawcross's formal confession was 80 pages long and included details of his crimes.
18. He was diagnosed with a rare genetic defect and was found to have an assist on his brain.
19. Shawcross's defense team argued for an insanity plea, but he was found sane and guilty of 10 counts of second-degree murder.
20. He was sentenced to 250 years in prison.
21. Shawcross died in prison on November 10, 2008, due to cardiac arrest.
Note: Some of the facts mentioned in the text are not included here as they are not supported by evidence or are based on speculation.