Arthur Shawcross: The Disturbing Journey of a Serial Killer

Arthur Shawcross was born on June 6, 1945. He died on November 10, 2008, while serving his life sentence for the murder of 11 women.

BACKGROUND - TURBULENT OR SHELTERED?

From his birthplace in Kittery, Maine, his family moved to Watertown, a small town in the state of New York. Shawcross later claimed that his relationship with his parents had been turbulent, and he had especially suffered under the dominance of his mother. He stated that at the age of nine, he had been sexually abused by his aunt, engaged in a sexual relationship with his younger sister, and had his first violent homosexual experience at the age of eleven. In contrast, his family's statements suggest a sheltered childhood.

School records, independent of these claims, show that he was a chronic truant with a low IQ, prone to bullying and violence, and had multiple run-ins with the police due to a series of juvenile arson and burglary incidents.

Shawcross dropped out of school after failing the ninth grade. The following years were marked by violence and probationary prison sentences. He married his first wife, Sarah, in September 1964. The couple had a son in October 1965, but the marriage soon ended in divorce. His second marriage, after being drafted into the army in April 1967, was also characterized by violence and was short-lived.

He served in the Vietnam War in October 1967 and later claimed to have murdered two young Vietnamese girls there, although there was no evidence to support this. After his return from military service in 1968, he soon found himself in trouble again. He served two years of a five-year prison sentence for an arson attack in 1969. He was released in October 1971 and returned to Watertown, where he met his third wife, Penny Sherbino.

FIRST MURDERS

At the time of his third marriage, it was known that Shawcross had already murdered his first victim, ten-year-old Jack Blake, a neighbor's child, on April 7, 1972. Shawcross had taken him fishing a few days before his disappearance but denied any knowledge of his whereabouts. Five months later, the boy's body was found. He had been sexually abused and suffocated.

In September 1972, the body of eight-year-old Karen Ann Hill was found under a bridge. She had been raped and murdered. Neighbors recalled seeing Shawcross with Hill near the bridge before she disappeared. He was arrested on October 3, 1972, and eventually confessed to both murders, although he was only charged with the murder of Karen Hill due to a lack of evidence in the case of the boy. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, and his third wife, Penny, divorced him shortly thereafter. After serving less than 15 years of his sentence, he was released on parole in April 1987.

KILLING SPREE

Shawcross's extensive criminal record made him unwelcome almost everywhere. As a result, his file was closed to allow him and his new wife, Rose Whalley, to live a normal life in their chosen home of Rochester, New York. Shawcross was unhappy in his lackluster marriage and sought solace with prostitutes and his new girlfriend, Clara Neal Trost. It didn't take long for Shawcross to give in to his murderous impulses once again. This time, he deliberately targeted prostitutes, hoping that their disappearances would not attract as much attention as those of children.

The first victim was discovered on March 24, 1988, by hunters. She was 27-year-old prostitute Dorothy Blackburn. Her body showed bite marks in the groin area and strangulation marks. Although there were several more murders of prostitutes in the following months, it wasn't until one and a half years later, when the body of Anna Steffen was found with similar marks to those on Blackburn, that the cases were linked. However, no one believed there was a serial killer at large because the crime scenes were geographically far apart.

On October 21, 1989, the body of a homeless woman, Dorothy Keeler, 59, was discovered, followed by another prostitute, Patricia Ives, six days later in the same area. Both women had been suffocated. The press soon dubbed the killer the "Genessee River Killer."

The police advised prostitutes working in the area to be cautious and checked the criminal records of former offenders living in the immediate vicinity. Shawcross's sealed criminal record meant that he escaped police attention at that time. As more prostitutes went missing, it became clear that the murderer had to be someone known to them. Information from other sex workers led to the realization that a regular customer known for his violence, called "Mitch" or "Mike," must be involved.

The body of 26-year-old June Stott, neither a prostitute nor a drug addict, was found on Thanksgiving Day. She had been strangled and gutted from her neck to her groin like a wild animal. As the body count increased, the police sought help from FBI profilers, who developed a profile of the killer based on the evidence and modus operandi. They described a male, white, between 20 and 30 years old, who appeared as a "regular guy" within the industry and the area.

The autopsy on June Stott suggested that the killer felt comfortable near the bodies and likely returned to the crime scenes to relive the attacks. The discovery of Elizabeth Gibson's body on November 27 provided a breakthrough. The suspect, "Mitch," had been seen with her shortly before her disappearance.

ARREST

When a discarded pair of jeans containing an identification card belonging to a girl named Felicia Stephens was found near the river on December 31, 1989, it led to a large-scale search for the woman.

On January 2, 1990, a helicopter spotted what appeared to be a naked female body positioned on the frozen surface of a river. The body was not Felicia Stephens but that of a missing prostitute, June Cicero, who had also been posthumously mutilated and practically sawn in half.

What led to the breakthrough in the investigation was the helicopter sighting of a man standing on the bridge next to a small van, either masturbating or urinating. Fortunately for the authorities, Shawcross had returned to the scene of his crime, relishing the pleasure of the attack once again.

Police pursued the vehicle, which was registered to Shawcross's girlfriend, Clara Neal. When asked for his driver's license, Shawcross claimed that he had never gotten it back after his previous manslaughter conviction. This prompted the re-emergence of his sealed records.

A photograph taken during the initial questioning soon confirmed his identity as "Mitch." However, Shawcross initially refused to confess to the murders. It was only when a piece of jewelry in possession of Shawcross's girlfriend, Clara Neal, was linked to the victim June Cicero, and the police threatened to implicate her in the murders, that Shawcross capitulated.

His confession, which spanned nearly 80 pages, revealed two more murders.

TRIAL AND CONVICTION

In November 1990, Shawcross stood trial for the ten murders in Monroe County, which included all cases except Elizabeth Gibson's, as she had been killed in the neighboring Wayne County. The trial became a national media event.

The defense presented evidence to argue for mitigating circumstances: a troubled childhood, post-traumatic stress due to military service, a brain cyst, and an extra Y chromosome, which is a rare genetic defect believed to cause increased aggression.

However, Shawcross was deemed mentally sound and therefore legally responsible for his actions. The judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison for each murder. Several months later, Shawcross was taken to Wayne County to stand trial for the murder of Elizabeth Gibson, where he received a life sentence.

Shawcross remained in prison until his death on November 10, 2008, from cardiac arrest.