He was the youngest child of three living siblings, Annie, Edwin, and Walter. The evil paedophile and serial killer confessed to the murder of three children and cannibalism of two, but bragged to authorities that he had abused or eaten a child "in every US state" - and claimed his victim count could be as many as 100. Wertham said that Fish believed that similarly "sacrificing" a boy would be penance for his own sins and that even if the act itself was wrong, angels would prevent it if God did not approve. He also started writing salacious and vulgar letters to women from classified advertisements and matrimonial agencies. Fish left but returned later to the Kiels' barn, where he tried to sleep but was discovered by Beatrice's father and forced to leave. Short handle. Fish and Kedden began a sadomasochistic relationship, though it is unknown how much of it Kedden actually consented to. I saw his thick grey hair and his drooping grey moustache. Born Hamilton Howard FISH. That child would later tell police that the "boogey man" took Billy. His intended victim was Edward Budd but when he arrived at his house in Manhattan for the second time, his gaze shifted to Grace Budd. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. I put his nose, ears and a few slices of his belly in the grip. He was convicted and executed by electric chair on January 16, 1936, at the age of 65. He lived in Crawford, Pennsylvania, United States in 1900 and Athens Township, Crawford, Pennsylvania . Fish was a small, gentle looking man who appeared kind and trusting, yet once alone with his victims, the monster inside him was unleased - a monster so perverse and cruel, his crimes seem unbelievable. On January 16, 1936, Fish was electrocuted at Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York, reportedly a process Fish looked upon as "the ultimate sexual thrill," though later that assessment was dismissed as rumor. Several psychiatrists testified about Fish's sexual fetishes, which included sadism and masochism, flagellation, exhibitionism, voyeurism, piquerism, cannibalism, coprophagia, urophilia, hematolagnia, pedophilia, necrophilia, and infibulation. At the same rooming house, a man named Albert Fish was renting a place. He had very little formal education and grew up learning to work more with his hands than his brains. . He first lured them and then tortured them by smacking with paddles embedded with nails, eventually raping them. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. Edward was looking forward to having a job and providing for his family, and Howard even offered a job to Budd's friend, Willie. To lure her, he offered money to help him look for rhubarb in the fields. He instead lathered peroxide on his wound, covered it with a handkerchief and left a $10 bill for his troubles. [9], The defense's chief expert witness was Fredric Wertham, a psychiatrist with an emphasis on child development who conducted psychiatric examinations for the New York criminal courts. In 1928, Fish answered an ad from 18-year-old Edward Budd, who was looking for part-time work to help with the family finances. As a precursor to consuming human flesh, he began to eat raw meat meals he often invited his children to share. The story concerning "Capt. I made up my mind to eat her, on the pretense of taking her to a party. American serial killer and cannibal (18701936), 18901918: Early adulthood and criminal history, Other crimes discovered after Fish's arrest. The children led average lives up until 1917, after Fish's wife ran off with another man. The orphanage was, in Fish's memory, a place of brutality where he was exposed to regular beatings and sadistic acts of brutality. Fish refused to claim responsibility for this, although he later stated that he intended to castrate the boy but fled when he heard someone approaching the area. He described what happened to Billy in a letter. [18] He chose people who were either mentally disabled or African-American as his victims, later explaining that he assumed these people would not be missed when killed. He originally intended to kill Kedden, cut up his body, and take it home, but he feared the hot weather would draw attention to him; instead, Fish poured peroxide over the wound, wrapped it in a Vaseline-covered handkerchief, left a $10 bill, kissed Kedden goodbye, and left. He left with Grace, only never to be found again. Albert came into this world as Hamilton Howard Fish, the youngest of four, on May 19, 1870 in Washington D.C. His father Randall, 43 years older than his mother, passed away in 1875. Albert Fish, whose first name was . She was still unconvinced that Fish was her son's killer. The beatings aroused him, which only resulted in more beatings. How sweet and tender her little ass was roasted in the oven. Despite the numerous psychiatrists who described Fish as insane, the jury found him sane and guilty after a 10-day trial. In his insanity plea, Fish claimed that he heard voices from God who instructed him to kill children. Fish never received any formal education. On November 11, 1934, Mrs. Budd received an anonymous letter giving grotesque details of the murder and cannibalism of her daughter. Tracing the paper the letter was written on eventually led police to a flophouse where Fish was living. "Took first train I could get back home. When they returned the boat was gone. Albert Fish was a convicted cannibal and serial killer. Despite the numerous psychiatrists who described Fish as insane, the jury found him sane and guilty after a short 10-day trial. His mother had visual hallucinations. Profile of Serial Killer Arthur Shawcross, Profile of Serial Killer Tommy Lynn Sells, The Most Notorious Serial Killers in History, Herbert Richard Baumeister, Serial Killer, Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Fiendish Killer. As a result, his mother gave him up to Saint John's Orphanage in Washington state. Fish became increasingly curious about the pain of others and wasted no time after moving to New York City to learn more. Many in his family including both of his parents and at least one sibling suffered severe mental illness. I took the G boy there. I cut off the head feet arms hands and the legs below the knee. [citation needed], Gaffney's mother Elizabeth visited Fish in Sing Sing, accompanied by Detective King and two other men. It was the most filthy string of obscenities that I have ever read."[21]. Edward Budd, 406 West 15th Street." Stripped him naked and tied his hands and feet and gagged him with a piece of dirty rag I picked out of the dump. By 1917, Fish was having difficulty concealing the symptoms of severe mental illness leading his wife to leave him for another man. When Fish arrived on June 4, as promised, he came bearing gifts for all the Budd children and visited with the family over lunch. There were other relatives too who were dealing with several mental illnesses. You said Yes she could go. But two other murders were linked to him after his arrest. Water is 3 to 4 ft. deep. It was there that he conceived a passion for pain. But when they searched all over the neighborhood with no clues, they finally realized he had been abducted. Before his execution on January 16, 1936, Albert Fishs attorney Jack Dempsey refused to share his clients notes. Bettmann/Getty ImagesFish was said to have smiled as he confessed to his crimes. American serial killer, also known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac and The Boogey Man. Grace sat in my lap and kissed me. His father was 43 years older than his mother and 75 years old at the time of his birth. A boy or girls behind which is the sweetest part of the body and sold as veal cutlet brought the highest price. On his return to N.Y. he stole two boys one 7 one 11. representing "New York Private Chauffeur's Benevolent Association". He convinced the parents, Delia Flanagan and Albert Budd I, to let Grace accompany him to the party that evening. At one point, he recalled wrapping himself in a carpet on the instructions of John the Apostle. Beaton's description of the "bogeyman" matched Fish. And in 1890, after a 20-year-old Fish moved to New York City, his crimes against children began. His father was 43 years older than his mother and 75 years old at the time of his . Albert Fish (19 of May of 1870 - 16 of January of 1936) was a serial killer and cannibal born in the United States, whose victims were only children. Nick Name: The Bogeyman, The Brooklyn Vampire, Moon Maniac, Werewolf of Wysteria, Gray Man, Also Known As: Hamilton Howard Fish, Gray Man, Werewolf of Wysteria, father: Randall (1795 October 16, 1875), siblings: Annie Fish, Edwin Fish, Walter Winchell Fish, children: Albert Fish Jr., Anna Fish, Eugene Fish, Gertrude Fish, Henry Fish, John Fish, place of death: Ossining, New York, United States, See the events in life of Albert Fish in Chronological Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utrGjJ2slkA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQYWdgLZ8b0. He scoured advertisements in local papers put out by families looking for someone to perform housework, or by young men looking for work themselves. I picked up four old potato sacks and gathered a pile of stones. [10][12][13][14] They had six children: Albert, Anna, Gertrude, Eugene, John, and Henry Fish. He was born in Washington, D.C., U.S. in 1870. The caretakers at the orphanage regularly beat the children and even occasionally encouraged the children to hurt each other. NY Daily News Archive/Getty ImagesMedical Examiner Dr. Amos O. Squire holds bones of the slain Grace Budd after ghastly relics were dug up by cops in an abandoned house in Westchester Hills. In 1894 a friend of mine shipped as a deckhand on the steamer Tacoma, Capt John Davis. [10] He also hit himself repeatedly with a nail-studded paddle, and inserted wool doused with lighter fluid into his anus and set it alight. "Albert Fish." [citation needed], When Fish returned, he met Edward's younger sister, 10-year-old Grace Budd. The jury declared him to be sane and guilty, and the judge announced his death sentence. Threw his shoes in the dump. Albert Fish was one of the most notorious child serial killers of all time, molesting over 400 children and tortured and killed several others. The descriptions were so vile and disgusting that they were never made public, although they later were submitted as evidence in court. Dempsey, through these testimonies, wanted to establish Fish as insane and a psychiatric phenomenon. There were several rebuttal witnesses who testified Fish to be abnormal but sane. They sank at once. . [22], Despite already being married, Fish married Estella Wilcox on February 6, 1930, in Waterloo, New York; they divorced after only one week. Albert Hamilton Fish (May 19, 1870 - January 16, 1936) was an American sado-masochistic serial killer and cannibal. Francis was born on November 27 1898, in Windsor,Hartford,Connecticut. The Gruesome Crimes Of Albert Fish, The Brooklyn Vampire, In 2007, Fishs life and crimes were depicted in the movie. [12][15], Several years later, around 1910, Fish was working in Wilmington, Delaware, when he met a 19-year-old man named Thomas Kedden. [33], During the night of July 14, 1924, nine-year-old Francis McDonnell was reported missing after he failed to return home after playing catch with friends in Port Richmond, Staten Island. Grace Budd left with Albert Fish and never returned to her family. For starters, His mother was 43 years the junior of her husband. His final words were,I dont even know why Im here. Grace sat in my lap and kissed me. He claimed to have some farm work upstate that needed doing, and he was also looking for some help around the house. He was dead then. ThoughtCo, Sep. 8, 2021, thoughtco.com/serial-killer-albert-fish-973157. I knew if I did not I would get her blood on them. His father, Randall, was 75 years old at the time. I took her to an empty house in Westchester I had already picked out. On January 16, 1936, Albert Fish was electrocuted at Sing Sing prison, reportedly a process Fish looked upon as "the ultimate sexual thrill" but later dismissed as just rumor. It was only in March 1935, after the conclusion of his trial for the Budd murder and his confession to the killing of Billy Gaffney (see below), that he confirmed to investigators that he also raped and murdered McDonnell. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. His parents abandoned him at a young age, and he was sent to an orphanage, a place of brutality, in Fish's memory, where he was exposed to regular beatings and sadistic acts of brutality. The family dynamic was rather interesting. He then suggested that the Budd's allow him to bring their oldest daughter, ten-year-old Grace along to the party. I choked her to death, then cut her in small pieces so I could take the meat to my rooms, cook, and eat it It took me 9 days to eat her entire body.. First he killed the 11 yr old boy, because he had the fattest ass and of course the most meat on it. He started prostituting himself and molesting young boys, whom hed lure from their homes to rape and torture them. Grace, excited about going to a party, left the house and was never seen alive again. After his arrest, Fish told a newspaper that when his wife left him, she took nearly every possession the family owned. [35] Police matched the description of the child to Gaffney. Billy Beaton was later found on the roof of the apartment, but Billy Gaffney was never found. He never saw Kedden again. These would help reporters covering the gruesome case more properly detail his crimes, with a first-hand account sure to entice readers. New York State CorrectionsFish was executed on Jan. 16, 1936. The last question Dempsey asked Wertham was 15,000 words long, detailed Fish's life and ended with asking how the doctor considered his mental condition based on this life. Billy Gaffney's parents were Edward and Elizabeth Gaffney. The boy was not wearing a jacket, was crying for his mother, and was dragged by the man on and off the trolley. Fish was apprehended only in November 1934 when Mrs. Budd received a letter with barbaric details of Graces disappearance and murder. We encourage you to research and examine these records . Fish was said to have smiled as he confessed to his crimes. A boy or girl under 14 was not safe in the street. In one such game he asked the children to paddle him with the nail-filled paddle until blood ran down his legs. [20] Fish tortured, mutilated, and murdered young children with his "implements of Hell": a meat cleaver, a butcher knife, and a small handsaw. Then, Joseph Meehan, a motorman on a Brooklyn trolley, saw a picture of Fish in a newspaper and identified him as the old man whom he saw February 11, 1927; the old man had been trying to quiet a little boy sitting with him on the trolley. According to Crime Museum, Albert Fish is believed to be responsible for the murder of a 4-year-old boy named Billy Gaffney. He was also known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac, and The Boogey Man.. His chilling claim that he had a child in every state remains unconfirmed. The youth introduced Fish to such practices as urolagnia (drinking urine) and coprophagia (eating feces). I shall never forget his scream, or the look he gave me, Fish later recalled. He kept him tied up for two weeks and cut half of his penis. Son of Randall Fish and Ellen Francis Fish However, it is not known whether he was referring to rapes or cannibalization, nor is it known if the statement was truthful. He began having auditory hallucinations, as well. The kids led average lives until 1917, when Fish's wife ran off with another man. His uncle suffered from mania, his brother was sent to a mental asylum and his sister also suffered from mental afflictions. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Gouged out his eyes. Fish told the Budd family that he would return the following week to take Edward and a friend of Edward's to his farm to begin working. One game included the nail filled paddle Fish used on his victims. He had at least 3 sons and 4 daughters with Adelaide Langdon. Please try again. Fish subsequently took Grace to an abandoned house he had previously picked out to use for the murder of his next victim, "Wisteria Cottage" at 359 Mountain Road,[notes 1] located in the East Irvington neighborhood of Irvington, New York. Initially, he intended to kill Kedden, but decided against it when he thought that it would bring unwanted attention towards him. When she screamed at the sight of him, he grabbed her before she could flee. Albert is Arrested: By tracing the paper the letter to Mrs. Budd was written on, the police were eventually led to a flophouse where Albert Fish was living. Fish then had to raise his children as a single parent. It was at that time the children recall Fish occasionally asking them to participate in his sado-masochistic games. Fish spent most of his time at an orphanage, where he was allegedly beaten. I put strips of bacon on each cheek of his behind and put in the oven.