Serial Killer Database Wiki

Welcome to the Serial Killer Database. Check out our Youtube, and Reddit. And please look through the guidelines, page structure, Help and Policy pages, as well as the Manual of Style before you start contributing.

READ MORE

Serial Killer Database Wiki
Serial Killer Database Wiki
SKb
More citations needed
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Further details may exist on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Find sources: "H. H. Holmes"news · books · scholar · JSTOR
Also search for: "Herman Webster Mudgett"news · books · scholar · JSTOR
ProfileGalleryQuotes

Biography[]

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known by his alias H. H. Holmes, was an American serial killer and one of the most notorious figures in criminal history. Born on May 16, 1861, in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, Holmes gained infamy for his heinous acts during the late 19th century.

Holmes was a highly intelligent individual who attended the University of Michigan Medical School, where he displayed early signs of his criminal inclinations. After moving to Chicago, he built a hotel later dubbed the "Murder Castle," designed with hidden passages, trapdoors, and soundproof rooms. The hotel served as a macabre setting for Holmes's gruesome crimes.

Holmes' modus operandi involved luring guests, particularly young women, into his hotel, where he subjected them to torture and eventually murder. Some victims were asphyxiated with gas in specially designed rooms, while others met their demise through various grisly methods.

One of Holmes's most infamous schemes involved insurance fraud. He would take out life insurance policies on individuals, name himself as the beneficiary, and then orchestrate their deaths, often by presenting them as victims of accidents or illnesses. This allowed him to profit from their demise.

Holmes' true victim count remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from several dozen to over 200. His ability to manipulate and deceive, combined with the secretive design of his hotel, made it challenging for authorities to uncover the extent of his crimes.

In 1894, Holmes was finally apprehended and later stood trial for multiple counts of murder. During the trial, he confessed to 27 killings, though the actual number may have been higher. In 1896, H. H. Holmes was sentenced to death.

He was executed by hanging on May 7, 1896, at Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia. He was 34 years old.

There is a popular urban legend that H.H. Holmes requested his coffin to be encased in cement to prevent grave robbers from stealing his body. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim, even though details about his burial arrangements vary. Some reports suggest that Holmes was buried in a grave filled with cement, while others claim he was interred in a standard grave. The exact circumstances surrounding his burial remain unclear, and the story of the cement-encased coffin may have been embellished over time.

Victims[]

Confirmed victims[]

Name Age Date of Death Cause of Death
Julia Smythe December 25, 1891 Poisoning[note 1]
Pearl Conner December 25, 1891 Poisoning
Emily Van Tessel 16 June 1, 1892 Poisoning
Emeline Cigrand 23-24 December 6, 1892 Suffocation[note 2]
Anna "Annie" Williams 23 July 5, 1893 Suffocation[note 2]
Minnie R. Holmes 25 July 5, 1893 Poisoning
Benjamin Pitezel September 2, 1894 Burning[note 3]
Alice Pitezel October 5, 1894 Gas[note 4]
Nellie Pitezel October 5, 1894 Gas[note 4]
Howard Pitezel 8 October 25, 1894 Poisoning

Suspected victims[]

Based upon missing reports and the testimony of Holmes' neighbors, his actual body count is estimated to be above 200.

Name Age Date of Death Cause of Death
Doctor Robert Leacock 1886 Poisoning[note 5]
Unnamed boy 1886 Unknown causes
Unnamed boy 1886 Poisoning
Elizabeth Holton 1886 Unknown causes
Doctor Russell[note 6] Late 1887 Unknown causes
Rodgers[note 6] 1888 Bludgeoning
Charles Cole 1888 Bludgeoning
"Lizzie"[note 7] 1888 Suffocation[note 2]
Sarah Cook 1888 Suffocation[note 2]
Mary Haracamp 1888 Suffocation[note 2]
Russell[note 8] 1890 Bludgeoning
Rasine Van Jassund 1891 Poisoning[note 9]
Robert Latimer 1891 Gassed or starved to death
Wade Warner 1891 Burning
Unnamed banker 1891 Poisoning[note 1]
Unnamed woman 1891 Poisoning[note 1]
Anna Betts 24 February 8, 1892 Poisoning
Eva Gertrud Conner July 18, 1892 Poisoning
Unnamed woman 1893 Poisoning[note 1]
Unnamed victim May-October, 1893 Unknown cause
Milford Cole 1894 Bludgeoning[note 10]
Baldwin H. Williams 1894 Shooting
Kate Durkee Suffocation[note 2]
Mr. Rogers[note 6] Poisoning[note 1]

Timeline[]

Timeline Missing
This article has a Missing Timeline. You can help Serial Killer Database Wiki by expanding it.

Bibliography[]

Literature[]

  • Schechter, Harold (1994). Depraved: The Definitive True Story of H. H. Holmes, Whose Grotesque Crimes Shattered Turn-of-the-Century Chicago,. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 9780671025441
  • Larson, Erik (2004). The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, Vintage. ISBN 978-0375725609

Articles[]

Documentaries[]

Television[]

YouTube Documentaries[]

Podcasts[]

In popular culture[]

Film adaptation[]

Related Articles[]

See also[]

Links[]

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Overdosed with chloroform
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Suffocated in the vault.
  3. Holmes's accomplice; rendered unconscious with chloroform and fatally burned alive.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Locked in a trunk and fatally gassed; burned and dismembered post-mortem.
  5. Overdosed with laudanum
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 First name unrevealed
  7. Pseudonym; name unrevealed
  8. Surname unrevealed
  9. Poisoned with cyanide
  10. Bludgeoned with a pipe by an unnamed accomplice

References[]

  1. Samuel Spencer. 'Devil in the White City' on Hulu Release Date, Cast, Plot. “Hulu hasn't given an exact release date just yet, but it has revealed that it's looking at 2024.”