1 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of iHeartRadio and 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: Grimm and Mild from Aaron Manky. 3 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 2: In late nineteen fifty three, four senators convened in Washington, 4 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 2: d C. They had formed a bipartisan subcommittee with the 5 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 2: purpose of trying to understand the causes of the nation's 6 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 2: juvenile delinquency problems, and at the center of their concerns 7 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:40,800 Speaker 2: were comic books. Less than two decades before, comics were 8 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 2: forever changed. When the world met Superman Clark Kent spawned 9 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:48,040 Speaker 2: an entire genre, and his arrival marked the beginning of 10 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 2: what's now known as the Golden Age of comics. Throughout 11 00:00:51,640 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 2: World War II, Captain America, Wonder Woman, and many others 12 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 2: joined the heroic ranks. Together they provided a hopeful, pace, 13 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 2: priotic distraction to readers. These were the good guys. After 14 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 2: the war, superheroes continued to dominate the market, but there 15 00:01:09,120 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 2: were challengers on the horizon. Nostalgic westerns competed with science fiction. 16 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,080 Speaker 2: Archie and his Riverdale friends lived out the teenage experience, 17 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,639 Speaker 2: and of course, Whalt Disney entered the fray with Mickey Mouse. 18 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 3: It may seem. 19 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 2: Silly to us today that paper bound illustrations could cause 20 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 2: such a moral panic, but by the nineteen fifties, comic 21 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 2: books were the single most popular form of reading material 22 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,520 Speaker 2: for young people. The dramas of good and evil played 23 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 2: out between their pages. The nation was captivated, and some 24 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 2: parents were worried. What worried the most were the stories 25 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 2: that also had a wildly popular reception, those about crime 26 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 2: and horror. For a single dime, America's children ravenously consumed 27 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 2: titles such as Tales from the Crypt and Seduction of 28 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 2: the Innocent. In the night mares of these parents, comics 29 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 2: were leading their children down a dark path. By nineteen 30 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 2: fifty four, the State Subcommittee convened two hearings on comic 31 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 2: books and what to do about them. In response, the 32 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 2: industry adopted a voluntary code of conduct that outlined but 33 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 2: could and could not be published. For example, it said 34 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:24,919 Speaker 2: that all lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated, and 35 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 2: no comic magazine shall use the words horror or terror 36 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 2: in its title. Scenes of excessive violence were also prohibited, 37 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,079 Speaker 2: as were of any storylines that suggested any kind of 38 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 2: sympathy for those convicted of a crime. Horror had no 39 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 2: place in society. They thought, even with tales from the imagination, 40 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 2: there was always a chance it could leap from the 41 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 2: pages into real life, and sometimes it did. I'm Lorn Vogelbaum, 42 00:02:54,320 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 2: Welcome to American Shadows. Eddie wasn't even seven years old, 43 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 2: but his mother entrusted him with an important task. She 44 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:14,519 Speaker 2: sent him to the nearby German bakery for a fresh 45 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 2: loaf of bread. She gave him some coins and told 46 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 2: him to come right home. When little Eddie arrived at 47 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 2: the store, he realized something awful. The coins had fallen 48 00:03:24,639 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 2: out of his pocket. His mother was going to be furious. 49 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 2: He slunk back home to face the consequences. If only 50 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 2: he could atone for his sins, then maybe he would 51 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 2: learn how to be responsible. But any hopes he might 52 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 2: have had were dashed as soon as his mother saw 53 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 2: his empty hands. In a tone more cutting than angry, 54 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 2: Augusta admonished her son, you, dreadful child, Only a mother 55 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 2: could love you. And it was just that the potential 56 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 2: to be loved that Eddie longed for. To be worthy 57 00:03:58,240 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 2: of the love of his mother, the most or a 58 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 2: woman in the world, was the dream. As he grew up, 59 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 2: his mother's words seemed to be true. His father abused 60 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 2: him and his older brother, Henry. Their father, George, had 61 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 2: been orphaned by a flash flood and raised by his 62 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 2: loveless grandparents. It was a rough, demanding environment for a child. 63 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 3: As a young. 64 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 2: Adult, George met Augusta Lurk, who seemed to have everything 65 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,359 Speaker 2: he lacked. A big, loud family, steely conviction, and a 66 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 2: mind for business. Augusta had been born in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, 67 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 2: and herself grown up in a volatile world of abuse. Traumatized, 68 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 2: Augusta looked for a way out, and George Geene seemed 69 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 2: like a promising option. George was twenty four and Augusta 70 00:04:46,640 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 2: nineteen when the two married on December fourth of eighteen 71 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 2: ninety nine. You can't help but wonder what their first 72 00:04:53,800 --> 00:04:57,600 Speaker 2: Christmas was like, if they had any hopes or dreams 73 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 2: for not just a new life together, but a new year, 74 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 2: a new century. But if there was a spark, it 75 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 2: fizzled as quickly as it came. 76 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 3: Soon. 77 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 2: Augusta and George were abusers and abused, which was the 78 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 2: only cycle they knew. George's dependence on alcohol aggravated his moods, 79 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 2: along with his wife's disgust Augusta's strength became an unwavering 80 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 2: stream of criticisms. Then George's reserve demeanor turned into stonewalling, 81 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 2: which was only broken by flashes of physical violence against 82 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 2: his wife. Into this household arrived Henry on January seventeenth 83 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 2: of nineteen oh one. Five years later, their second child, Edward, 84 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 2: was born on August twenty seventh of nineteen oh six. 85 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 2: It didn't take long for baby Eddie to become Augusta's favorite. 86 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:52,480 Speaker 2: While in Lacrosse, the Guenes managed a grocery store. At first, 87 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 2: George was in charge as things were done, but whether 88 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,719 Speaker 2: perceived or real, his ineptitude left Augusta no choice but 89 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 2: to take take over more and more responsibility. Eventually, she 90 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 2: owned and operated the store, and George became her employee. 91 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,240 Speaker 2: The Green family moved to Plainsfield, Wisconsin in nineteen fourteen. 92 00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 2: They settled on a farm outside of town. As business owner, 93 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 2: Augusta had penny pinched and now in her hands. She 94 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,279 Speaker 2: held a deed to almost two hundred acres of land 95 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 2: and a two story farmhouse. It was in her name 96 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 2: and she was going to turn it into a safe 97 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 2: haven from the outside world. Eddie hoped that his mother 98 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 2: would finally be happy, that she could relax in the 99 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 2: isolation of their remote farm. But as the boys grew, 100 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:43,000 Speaker 2: so did Augusta's fixation on carnal sin. Her boys were 101 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 2: coming into adolescence, and she feared for their souls. The 102 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 2: farmstead had once been a place of hope, but by 103 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 2: the end of the nineteen thirties what had been new 104 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:57,599 Speaker 2: and promising had become decrepit and squandered, tarnished by time, 105 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:01,760 Speaker 2: by failure by sin. They thought no matter what they did, 106 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:07,239 Speaker 2: the farm just wouldn't yield. Augusta continued to pray, and 107 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 2: as the farm struggled, young Ed and Henry did as well. 108 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 2: Both received abuse from their parents, but Henry saw life 109 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 2: beyond the farm and ways other than his mother's. Ed, however, 110 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 2: adored her and bought in completely. He had no want 111 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 2: or need for any other perspective. To him, his mother 112 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 2: was as godlike as a person could be, and not 113 00:07:31,080 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 2: to be challenged. George died on April Fool's Day in 114 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 2: nineteen forty, an ironic end as far as Augusta was concerned. 115 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 2: He had been unable to work for years due to 116 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 2: the tolls of abuse, and addiction. Perhaps he found peace, 117 00:07:47,240 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 2: but grief only exacerbated Augusta's paranoia. As they tended the 118 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 2: failing farms dead together, Henry mustered up the nerve to 119 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,880 Speaker 2: voice his concerns to Ed. He had worked odd jobs 120 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 2: away from the family and had seen a little bit 121 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 2: of the world beyond Augusta's clutches. But perhaps, he suggested 122 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 2: to Ed, their mother was judging people a little too harshly. 123 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,800 Speaker 2: Maybe the world outside their house wasn't pure evil and 124 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 2: she was wrong. Day in day out, Henry had seen 125 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 2: firsthand just how deeply Ed admired their mother, how attached 126 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 2: he was, and how he clung to every word she said, 127 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 2: no matter how biting or cruel. But they were brothers 128 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,720 Speaker 2: and had been through so much abuse together. Ed would 129 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:36,719 Speaker 2: have to understand, or so he thought. Unfortunately, Ed did 130 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:41,360 Speaker 2: not see reason in Henry's words. He was devastated, shocked 131 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 2: that his brother could question their divine mother. Augusta had 132 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 2: picked her favorite child well, and when tested, he proved 133 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 2: to be completely loyal. Soon thereafter, the farm caught fire. 134 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 2: According to Ed, the fire was started intentionally too clear 135 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 2: a field, but it got out of hand, and in 136 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:05,120 Speaker 2: their efforts to contain it. Henry went one way while 137 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 2: Ed went another. Night came on quickly and the fire 138 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:12,160 Speaker 2: was soon contained. But when Ed went looking for Henry, 139 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:16,439 Speaker 2: he had disappeared. With no telephone, Ed drove into town 140 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,920 Speaker 2: to get help. Once back at the farm, Ed allegedly 141 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 2: walked them directly to Henry's lifeless form in the field, 142 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 2: untouched by flame. Two days later, the County Corner filled 143 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 2: out Henry Gane's deaths. 144 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 3: To fit it. 145 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:37,440 Speaker 2: Accidental death asphyxiation was the official cause. Ed's apparent harmlessness, 146 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:41,199 Speaker 2: coupled with an acceptance that these things just happened, made 147 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 2: foul play seem next to impossible. Back at the farm, 148 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 2: Ed and Augusta were alone. It was nineteen forty four. 149 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 2: Ed was almost forty years old, and he finally had 150 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 2: his mother all to himself. Together they managed the remaining 151 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,439 Speaker 2: crumbs of the farmstead and lived there, isolated lives, much 152 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 2: as they had before. Augusta read her Bible and Ed 153 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 2: read well comic books and horror stories. After experiencing two 154 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 2: strokes in quick succession, Augusta was bedridden and reliant on Ed. 155 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 2: It was thankless work, but his mother needed him. She 156 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 2: always knew to look out for signs of sin and 157 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 2: evil that she was aware of, but Augusta hadn't modernized 158 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:29,960 Speaker 2: her fears enough. It was then, and the backbone of 159 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,480 Speaker 2: the family incapacitated, that she finally took note of the 160 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:38,319 Speaker 2: materials ed loved to read. He devoured dark stories, and 161 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 2: she who knew him best, was uneasy. For a brief moment, 162 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 2: ed had everything he dreamed of and his pure mother 163 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 2: all to himself, but before he could settle in, she 164 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:54,319 Speaker 2: was gone. Augusta died in December of nineteen forty five. 165 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,679 Speaker 2: For the first time in his life, Edward Theodore Gheen 166 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:11,360 Speaker 2: was completely alone. Bernice Warden had worked at Warden Hardware 167 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:15,079 Speaker 2: and implement Company since the nineteen twenties, and she worked 168 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 2: it well. Widowed, young, she wound up expanding the original 169 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 2: offerings and pushing the boundaries of what women business owners achieved. 170 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:27,320 Speaker 2: She was beloved by the Plainsfield community. The year that 171 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 2: the local paper started running a column honoring a citizen 172 00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 2: of the Week, Bernice was the first to receive the title. 173 00:11:34,080 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 2: She was close to her family in every way, particularly 174 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:40,720 Speaker 2: doting on her grandkids. Although she was busy, she often 175 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 2: made time for her favorite hobby fishing, But on one 176 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:48,680 Speaker 2: dreary morning in November of nineteen fifty seven, Bernice probably 177 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:51,440 Speaker 2: didn't mind staying at the shop. It was the first 178 00:11:51,520 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 2: day of hunting season, and someone was bound to have 179 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 2: forgotten something if they pulled up to the store only 180 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 2: to find it closed. While that would be a real disappointment, 181 00:12:00,679 --> 00:12:03,960 Speaker 2: the days had been getting shorter. Back on his farm, 182 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:08,679 Speaker 2: Ed didn't have electricity, heating, or any living company. A 183 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:11,199 Speaker 2: winter was coming and it would be nice to get 184 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 2: out before the cold made it terribly unpleasant to do. 185 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,000 Speaker 2: So he left the farm that morning with a short 186 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 2: to do list in hand. 187 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:20,199 Speaker 3: Ed liked going into town. 188 00:12:20,920 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 2: No one could come close to replacing his mother, but 189 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 2: he was a social creature. In spite of Augusta's best efforts, 190 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,079 Speaker 2: Ed had found that not all human connection was as 191 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:34,240 Speaker 2: bad as his mother had preached. For a while, had 192 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,719 Speaker 2: enjoyed drinks and the company of Mary Hogan, the proprietor 193 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:41,240 Speaker 2: of a local watering hole. However, she had disappeared in 194 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty four and it seemed that he was out 195 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 2: a friend. Ed found the trek and town easily managed 196 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 2: no matter the season. The plainsfield had essentials that he didn't, 197 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:54,079 Speaker 2: specially since he had completely given up on the farm 198 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 2: after his mother died. That had been twelve years ago, 199 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:01,199 Speaker 2: and he was dependent on the modern meanses that only 200 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 2: the town could offer. Warden's Store was the place for 201 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 2: just about everything, and by some accounts, Ed had taken 202 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:12,840 Speaker 2: a liking to Bernice. Later that evening, Bernice's son, Frank, 203 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 2: returned from his hunt, empty handed and somewhat confused. He 204 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 2: had heard through a friend that the Warden's Store had 205 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:23,319 Speaker 2: been closed all day, which was strange. He couldn't think 206 00:13:23,360 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 2: the reason why his mother would leave the shop on 207 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:29,199 Speaker 2: such an important day of the season. When Frank arrived 208 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 2: at the store, he immediately knew something was wrong. There 209 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:35,560 Speaker 2: was blood on the floor, and he saw that the 210 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 2: cash register was missing, and next to the empty space 211 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 2: was the receipt book. He glanced down at the last line, 212 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 2: where his mother had made a note of the last 213 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 2: sale anti freeze to one ed Gean. It all came 214 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 2: back to Frank in a rush. The night before, he 215 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:54,160 Speaker 2: and his mother had been in the shop when Ed 216 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:57,120 Speaker 2: walked through the door. Ed had inquired about the price 217 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:59,679 Speaker 2: of anti freeze and had casually asked. 218 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:01,600 Speaker 3: Frank if he was going out to hunt the next day. 219 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:04,920 Speaker 2: At the time, it had barely registered as more than 220 00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 2: small talk. Now leaning against the counter where his mother 221 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:13,560 Speaker 2: should have stood, Frank feared the worst. He worried that 222 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 2: strange Ed was responsible for all of this, whatever this was. Meanwhile, 223 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 2: Ed was wrapping up dinner at a neighbor's house. Earlier 224 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,080 Speaker 2: that day, sixteen year old Bobby Hill had arrived at 225 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 2: Ed's farm to ask a favor. This was something his 226 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 2: family did often, paying Ed to help with odd jobs. 227 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 2: When he and his sister got there, they found Ed 228 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 2: covered in blood, but it was hunting season, and Ed 229 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 2: said that he was dressing a deer to Bobby, who 230 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,360 Speaker 2: had gone hunting with Ed a number of times, this 231 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:47,080 Speaker 2: made sense. 232 00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 3: Ed cleaned up. 233 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,280 Speaker 2: Before giving Bobby and his sister a ride back at 234 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,160 Speaker 2: their home. Their mother, Irene, did the polite thing and 235 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,680 Speaker 2: invited him to stay for supper. As they were finishing up, 236 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:02,440 Speaker 2: Irene's son in law turned home. He mentioned the commotion 237 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,640 Speaker 2: down at the Warden store. Bobby wanted to go see 238 00:15:05,680 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 2: for himself, and Ed offered to drive him, so he 239 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 2: went out to start the truck. Frank had alerted the 240 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 2: police that Ed was the last sale registered at the shop. 241 00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:18,240 Speaker 2: He was known to the cops and they went to 242 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 2: look for him. They knew he had a history of 243 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 2: helping around the Hills farm, so they started their investigation 244 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 2: on Irene's doorstep. 245 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 3: They knocked and asked if she knew where Ed was. 246 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,640 Speaker 2: Irene pointed to the driveway where Ed sat in his 247 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 2: idling truck. 248 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:35,360 Speaker 3: The officers walked over. 249 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 2: At rolled down the window and gave the officers a 250 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:42,360 Speaker 2: small smile. They asked him to come with them. They 251 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 2: had some questions. Ed agreed, turned off the truck and 252 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 2: got into the back of their cruiser. While Ed had 253 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 2: dinner at the Hills, dark settled over the countryside. The 254 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 2: Green's farmhouse had never been wired for electricity, so Art's 255 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 2: sly was Shura County Sheriff and Captain Lloyd Shopboyster of 256 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,840 Speaker 2: the Green Lake County Sheriff's Department, grabbed their flashlights and 257 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 2: began their search. They had a lead for a missing woman, 258 00:16:18,040 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 2: and it took them into Ed's most private world for 259 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 2: the first time in years. Outsiders freely moved about the 260 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 2: interior of the green property. While Ed was away, Art 261 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,240 Speaker 2: pointed his light into the outdoor summer kitchen and discovered 262 00:16:32,280 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 2: a sight that would haunt him to the end of 263 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:39,400 Speaker 2: his days. There hung the headless corpse of Bernice Warden, carved, 264 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 2: empty skinned, and suspended from the ceiling. Art somehow made 265 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 2: it out before vomiting. That wasn't the worst of it. 266 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:54,200 Speaker 2: In their search, they discovered evidence of macab crafting a 267 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:57,800 Speaker 2: box of genitalia, a full suit made of human skin. 268 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,280 Speaker 2: Inside the house, they peered around at masks made from 269 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 2: human faces, a bowl fashioned out of a skull cap, 270 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 2: and chairs upholstered with flesh. Art and Lloyd went about 271 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 2: the gruesome task of finding the rest of Bernice inside 272 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 2: the home. Her heart was found wrapped in a plastic 273 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 2: bag by the stove. Other organs were found wrapped in 274 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:24,679 Speaker 2: newspaper and stuffed into an old suit. Her head was 275 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 2: found in the corner of a room and threaded with 276 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:31,439 Speaker 2: string as if to hang it up too. Though they 277 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 2: felt they could take no more, they entered one last room, 278 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:39,159 Speaker 2: behind a closed door. It had an air of reverence 279 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 2: and quiet dust sat undisturbed. It was his mother's room, 280 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,560 Speaker 2: which he had kept as nothing short of a shrine. 281 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:53,120 Speaker 2: Ed's compliance at the squad car was just the beginning 282 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:57,119 Speaker 2: of his amenability with law enforcement officials. He proved to 283 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 2: be forthcoming and confessed to having murdered Bernice Warden as 284 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:05,359 Speaker 2: well as Mary Hogan years earlier, but when asked about 285 00:18:05,440 --> 00:18:09,040 Speaker 2: the other remains, he denied having killed more than twice. 286 00:18:09,320 --> 00:18:13,040 Speaker 2: He was adamant, so where did the other body parts 287 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 2: come from? Who did they come from, and how did 288 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 2: Ed get them? To everyone's horror, Ed finally admitted that 289 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 2: perhaps he had a habit of grave robbing. 290 00:18:25,880 --> 00:18:27,680 Speaker 3: In fact, he could provide them with a. 291 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,360 Speaker 2: List of graves he had robbed, all from three local graveyards, 292 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,360 Speaker 2: with all of the deceased victims bearing an uncanny resemblance 293 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 2: to his mother. Once Ed was finished with his confession, 294 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:42,560 Speaker 2: he asked Art's live they could return to the farmstead. 295 00:18:43,160 --> 00:18:46,800 Speaker 2: At the time, reporters swarmed the property like flies, day 296 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 2: in and day out, but Ed wanted to show the 297 00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:54,159 Speaker 2: sheriff something, so Art did what he could. It was 298 00:18:54,200 --> 00:18:58,200 Speaker 2: his last visit home, and there he brought Art over 299 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,679 Speaker 2: to a remote area of his father. There sat an 300 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 2: ash heap, the rest of Mary Hogan burned up. After 301 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:09,880 Speaker 2: he had harvested what he wanted from her. Ed Gean 302 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:13,600 Speaker 2: was escorted to wapon Wisconsin, where he was admitted to 303 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 2: the Central State Hospital for the criminally Insane. Once there, 304 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:23,359 Speaker 2: the month long evaluation period began. Meanwhile, with lightning speed, 305 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 2: sensational headlines appeared in local Sunday editions. Soon national papers 306 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:33,160 Speaker 2: caught on, and one could argue they never really stopped. 307 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,880 Speaker 2: Many details emerged from this period of intense pressure, paranoia 308 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:43,919 Speaker 2: banned anticipation. Ed himself cited memory issues to a doctor 309 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 2: in the hospital. A professional noted Ed's abnormal attachment to 310 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 2: AUGUSTA Life magazine published a juicy detail that Ed had 311 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 2: always wanted to be a woman fanning the selacious flames. 312 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 2: In the meantime, Plainsfield was left to reckon with the 313 00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:05,399 Speaker 2: nature of Gene's confession. The townsfolk were reluctant to believe it. 314 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:09,119 Speaker 2: The neighbors had accepted gifts of venison from him, and 315 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 2: now they weren't sure whether it had been venison at all. 316 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,280 Speaker 2: The rug had been pulled out from under their feet 317 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:19,400 Speaker 2: and hidden beneath it, heard the desecrated corpses of their neighbors, 318 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:24,360 Speaker 2: their loved ones, their friends. Plainsfield Cemetery had more visitors 319 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:27,399 Speaker 2: than usual on November twenty fifth of nineteen fifty seven. 320 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,720 Speaker 2: Of the nine graves that had named as his targets, 321 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,919 Speaker 2: authorities had picked three to exum. The grave of Eleanor 322 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,120 Speaker 2: Adams was chosen as the starting point, so they got 323 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 2: to work. When the shovel hit something more solid than dirt, 324 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:44,920 Speaker 2: everyone at the grave side perked up. After a couple 325 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 2: more swipes, the lid of a casket came into view. However, 326 00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:52,280 Speaker 2: when the lid was opened, there was nothing inside except 327 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:57,159 Speaker 2: for dust and the crowbar. Thirty yards away, Mabel Eversin's 328 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:01,160 Speaker 2: grave was similarly disturbed, although her cast held an assortment 329 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:05,840 Speaker 2: of bones, dental plates, and a golden wedding band. With 330 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:09,879 Speaker 2: two of the three graves checked, Wisconsin, authorities decided that 331 00:21:10,119 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 2: Dean was telling the truth. He had killed Mary Hogan 332 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 2: and Bernice Warden, but the other remains had truly been 333 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:21,640 Speaker 2: sourced from the grave. In January of nineteen fifty eight, 334 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,880 Speaker 2: Ed's observation period at Central State was over. The Sanity 335 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 2: hearing brought all evidence to bear, and experts weighed in. 336 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:33,800 Speaker 2: He was declared insane and therefore unable to stand trial 337 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:39,040 Speaker 2: for his crimes. Disappointment spread through Plainsfield. It seemed there 338 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 2: was no justice in sight. As Ed got settled back 339 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 2: at the hospital, affairs were settled at the home that 340 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 2: he had never see again. In the first few months 341 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 2: of nineteen fifty eight, papers were still driving curious readers 342 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:57,560 Speaker 2: to Plainsfield and that worn down farmhouse seven miles outside 343 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 2: of town. Just as Ed had delighted in tales of terror. 344 00:22:02,080 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 2: These tourists arrived in droves quickly, overwhelming Plainsfield's infrastructure, banned 345 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:11,919 Speaker 2: its residence. Geiner's, as they were called, were criticized for 346 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,159 Speaker 2: macabre voyeurism. But it didn't start with Edgyane's House of 347 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:20,919 Speaker 2: Horrors in Plainsfield, and it certainly didn't end there. And 348 00:22:20,960 --> 00:22:24,440 Speaker 2: so when news spread that AD's property and belongings were 349 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 2: going to be auctioned off, and stomachs throughout Plainsfield churned 350 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 2: with dread. Then, in the pre dawn darkness of March 351 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 2: twentieth of nineteen fifty eight, when even the reporters were 352 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:41,200 Speaker 2: in bed, the fire destroyed Ed's home. The Wisconsin Crime 353 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:44,600 Speaker 2: Lab had already removed all necessary elements from the crime scene. 354 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 2: Just the day before, clean up crews had burned trash 355 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:50,399 Speaker 2: in a heap seventy five feet away from the house. 356 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 2: The papers officially reported the deputy fire Marshal's opinion that 357 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 2: lingering flames or burning embers could have started the fire. 358 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:10,959 Speaker 2: On March thirtieth of nineteen fifty eight, the auction of 359 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,760 Speaker 2: what was left of the gue and homestead took place. 360 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,200 Speaker 2: One of his vehicles was purchased by a sideshow manager, 361 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 2: Bunny Gibbons, but Midwestern audiences who turned up for his 362 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:25,120 Speaker 2: other acts apparently felt this one cross the line. If 363 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:28,520 Speaker 2: someone was behind the fire, they must have been pleased. 364 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 2: The tourism to Plainsfield and the tangible relics of ed 365 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:36,320 Speaker 2: Geen were largely destroyed. They may have thought that if 366 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,240 Speaker 2: the shrine of evil was gone, no one would want 367 00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:42,200 Speaker 2: to make the pilgrimage, and the town could put all 368 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,679 Speaker 2: of this behind them. But it was too late. The 369 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:49,840 Speaker 2: horror wasn't contained in the house. It lived in the 370 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:52,760 Speaker 2: papers and in the minds of those who read them. 371 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 2: The rumors were in Plainsfield and they were beyond it. 372 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:03,040 Speaker 2: Ed tucked away in his grim farmhouse, reading scary stories 373 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:07,760 Speaker 2: by candle or Lamplight, was a perfect villain, a superb 374 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,600 Speaker 2: creature in the night. He was a phantom haunting graveyards 375 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:15,680 Speaker 2: and brought horrors from books and stories to life right 376 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 2: there in Plainsfield, USA. Desecration of the dead is a 377 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 2: taboo that transcends time and place, and to learn that 378 00:24:24,359 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 2: a small statured farm boy hid such a monster under 379 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 2: his checked hunting cap was something that no purification by 380 00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:36,800 Speaker 2: fire could undo. Ed finally did go to trial in 381 00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 2: nineteen sixty eight, almost eleven years to the day that 382 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:43,960 Speaker 2: he had killed Bernice Warden. He was found not guilty 383 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:49,640 Speaker 2: by reason of insanity and institutionalized again. For everyone else, 384 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:52,840 Speaker 2: it had been a decade of waiting for justice, and 385 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:56,240 Speaker 2: after just one week, the ghoul of Plainsfield was back 386 00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:00,760 Speaker 2: inside the state hospital, guilty but not guilty, imprisoned but 387 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 2: not suffering from accountability. Ed's return to the public eye 388 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 2: was brief, but long enough to remind people why they 389 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:13,800 Speaker 2: had been grossly fascinated all those years before. In early 390 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 2: nineteen seventy four, Ed wanted to leave the hospital a 391 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:20,840 Speaker 2: citing of full mental recovery. His petition was filed and 392 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:24,600 Speaker 2: he held out hope, but by the summer it was rejected. 393 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 2: In the eyes of the law, Ed was a risk 394 00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 2: they were not willing to take. After this rejection, Ed 395 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:35,119 Speaker 2: appeared content in the hospital once again. By all accounts, 396 00:25:35,200 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 2: he was a good patient, and that makes sense because 397 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:43,040 Speaker 2: for the first time in his life, Ed was getting 398 00:25:43,119 --> 00:25:48,879 Speaker 2: used to receiving good, consistent care. Though Ed was confined 399 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,439 Speaker 2: to the hospital, the world outside found its way in 400 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 2: filmmakers Errol Morris and Werner Herzog had been introduced by 401 00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,920 Speaker 2: a mutual friend when they found something else in a 402 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 2: shared interest in the story of Ed Geen. Of all 403 00:26:04,640 --> 00:26:09,080 Speaker 2: the rumors about Ed, from cannibalism to serial killing, one 404 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:13,159 Speaker 2: seemed more plausible than the rest. Ed had confessed to 405 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:16,880 Speaker 2: grave digging already, but he had denied desecrating the most 406 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:20,919 Speaker 2: significant grave of all. So Errol and Werner formed a 407 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,159 Speaker 2: plan to meet in Plainsfield and dig up the grave 408 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:29,160 Speaker 2: of Augusta Geen. When they agreed, upon evening arrived. Werner 409 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:33,400 Speaker 2: waited at the Plainsfield Cemetery shovel in hand, but Errol 410 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:38,680 Speaker 2: never showed up. The film project never materialized, but Errol 411 00:26:38,760 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 2: eventually spent about a year in Plainsfield. What he found 412 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 2: was an uptick in murderers in the town. After Ed's 413 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 2: secret was discovered, some speculate that it was ed who 414 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:54,600 Speaker 2: made the town murderous. In the late nineteen seventies, ed 415 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:58,159 Speaker 2: was transferred from his longtime home in wapon to a 416 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:03,400 Speaker 2: mental health institution in Madie, Wisconsin. On July twenty sixth 417 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,520 Speaker 2: of nineteen eighty four. Ed Geen died from respiratory failure. 418 00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:11,600 Speaker 2: The next morning at six a m attendants buried his 419 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:16,200 Speaker 2: remains in Plainsfield Cemetery, the place he had disturbed numerous 420 00:27:16,240 --> 00:27:20,439 Speaker 2: times before. They buried him in the designated plot between 421 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 2: his brother Henry and beloved mother Augusta. Ed's life and 422 00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:30,360 Speaker 2: crimes have been covered at nauseum, but they still make 423 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,840 Speaker 2: for good media to this day, having inspired the likes 424 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:39,000 Speaker 2: of Norman Bates and Leatherface. It's difficult to imagine a 425 00:27:39,040 --> 00:27:43,520 Speaker 2: world without ed Geen. He's given us nightmares beyond even 426 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:50,960 Speaker 2: his wildest dreams, and that's really saying something. There's more 427 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,320 Speaker 2: to this story. Stick around after this brief sponsor break 428 00:27:54,400 --> 00:28:07,560 Speaker 2: to hear all about it. In the fall of two 429 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:11,159 Speaker 2: thousand and five, James Fallon had on his desk not 430 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:15,760 Speaker 2: one but two major research projects. Before him sat a 431 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 2: stack of brain scans from serial killers and another for 432 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:24,160 Speaker 2: Alzheimer's research. The latter pile included images of james brain 433 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,919 Speaker 2: along with the brains of his loved ones. James had 434 00:28:27,920 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 2: been working with the University of California, Irvine to map 435 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:35,679 Speaker 2: out patterns between psychopathic brains. He had spent hours with 436 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:40,440 Speaker 2: scans from everyone from everyday depressives to prolific serial killers. 437 00:28:41,360 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 2: But what he didn't expect was to find clear signs 438 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 2: of psychopathy in one of the scans from the Alzheimer's pile. 439 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 2: There it was clear as day a brain that showed 440 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:57,479 Speaker 2: the hallmarks of psychopaths diminished empathy, morality, and impulse control, 441 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:02,040 Speaker 2: and it belonged to someone in his family. James backtracked, 442 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:04,480 Speaker 2: but the machine that had taken the images was in 443 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:08,400 Speaker 2: working order. He had to know who it was. Anonimity 444 00:29:08,480 --> 00:29:11,640 Speaker 2: be damned. James looked up the code from the image 445 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,840 Speaker 2: and put a name to the brain, and there on 446 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:19,840 Speaker 2: the screen he had his answer. He himself was a psychopath. 447 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:21,640 Speaker 3: How could it be? 448 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 2: James took a look at his own life and behaviors. 449 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:29,760 Speaker 2: He was very successful, having been motivated by power and 450 00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:33,080 Speaker 2: long having a knack for persuading others in his favor. 451 00:29:33,880 --> 00:29:37,160 Speaker 2: He opted in for genetic testing and the results were 452 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:42,120 Speaker 2: indeed interesting. His DNA was coded with high risk aalieles 453 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 2: for aggression, violence, and low empathy, all psychopathic traits. James 454 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:53,960 Speaker 2: marveled more than anything. He wasn't terribly upset, more so intrigued. 455 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 2: He had never done anything really wrong and certainly didn't 456 00:29:58,520 --> 00:29:59,480 Speaker 2: get the mold of. 457 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:00,480 Speaker 3: Someone like Gee. 458 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:04,240 Speaker 2: What we know now to be true is that there 459 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:08,320 Speaker 2: is a whole spectrum of psychopathy. The closest it comes 460 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 2: to inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental 461 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:18,440 Speaker 2: disorders is antisocial personality disorder and dissocial personality disorder. James 462 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 2: might not be a serial killer, but he might be 463 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:24,320 Speaker 2: the person you'd flip off in traffic for not letting 464 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:28,320 Speaker 2: you merge. He attributes his pro social success in life 465 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 2: to steadfast, supportive familial support. A loving childhood enabled a 466 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 2: psychopath to find a fulfilling, beneficial career and build a 467 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:42,720 Speaker 2: loving family of his own. It's undeniable that James was 468 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 2: dealt a good hand in life, and his nurturing likely 469 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,280 Speaker 2: made a big difference for him. The same can't be 470 00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:54,000 Speaker 2: said for members of the rest of his family. Looking 471 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 2: back at his family tree, James noticed something striking in 472 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 2: his lineage. He counted seven convicted murderers, including Lizzie Borden. 473 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:14,920 Speaker 2: American Shadows is hosted by Lauren Vogelbam. This episode was 474 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:18,040 Speaker 2: written by Taylor Haggerdorn and Robin Minatter and researched by 475 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 2: Taylor Haggridorn, with fact checking by Jamie Vargas. It's produced 476 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:25,080 Speaker 2: by Jesse Funk and Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Menke, 477 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:28,760 Speaker 2: Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn more about the show, 478 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 2: visit grimminmild dot com, and for more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 479 00:31:33,320 --> 00:31:36,600 Speaker 2: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 480 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:41,920 Speaker 2: to your favorite shows.