Henry Lee Lucas - "Confession" killer

[kporter]

We (Utah Cold Case Coalition) are looking into one of the hundreds of cases to which Henry Lee Lucas confessed back in the 1980s. So many of his confessions were debunked/recanted/improbable, understandably the victim's family is skeptical. Is there a recognized Henry Lee Lucas expert? Or a central database of Lucas material, including a list of Lucas's confessions that have been disproved/called into question?

 

[YESorNO]

Who killed Nanette Krentel? Unsolved death joins other mysterious north shore cases

 

[RookieInvestigator]

We (Utah Cold Case Coalition) are looking into one of the hundreds of cases to which Henry Lee Lucas confessed back in the 1980s. So many of his confessions were debunked/recanted/improbable, understandably the victim's family is skeptical. Is there a recognized Henry Lee Lucas expert? Or a central database of Lucas material, including a list of Lucas's confessions that have been disproved/called into question?

I'm unsure about a Henry Lucas expert but several people on Websleuths are familiar with him...I can try to assist you by providing useful information I come across...

Here's a link to a timeline of his life you can download...I was unable to attach the doc to this post...

HENRY LUCAS TIMELINE

Here's a link to an American Justice YouTube video on Henry Lucas...This episode discusses the murder of his mother, his landlady, Toole's niece and how he tricked law enforcement...I posted the video on another thread...

After watching it again recently, I realized Lucas attempted to draw sketches of his victims...IMO, I think it's possible Samuel Little is trying to emulate Lucas and obtain publicity and better treatment in prison...

 

[RookieInvestigator]

Here's info on a still unidentified female victim that Lucas claimed he killed...His confession can be taken with a grain of salt...

Notorious Texas serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas, confessed to killing up to 3,000 people but was only convicted of 11 homicides.

Among the 11 convicted deaths was that of an unidentified girl between the ages of 13 - 17, allegedly from Durham, North Carolina.

...Lucas confessed to Cheryl's murder in 1984. He led investigators to the place where the body was found and was able to give details only the killer would know.

The teen is believed to have been Caucasian or Hispanic with auburn colored hair (which is under analysis to see if it was dyed or natural) and measured between 5 feet 1 inches and 5 feet 3 inches.

She was also wearing a 1904 gold St. Gauden's coin made into a ring that was sold in teen magazines in the 70s and 80s.

WEBSLEUTHS
NAMUS
ARTICLE (2018)

 

[jaejae]

Here is a recent report about this killer:

Get Access

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Marla Scharp, 26, was killed in her Provo apartment 41 years ago while her roommates were out. Lucas - who died in a Texas prison in 2001 and once claimed to have killed nearly 600 people in 26 states - admitted to the slaying in 1984.

But after Marla's cousin, Valerie Colgain, asked the Utah Cold Case Coalition to take a look at the case his confession was called into question.

The coalition - which says could be up 80 more closed cases in the same situation - believes Lucas, who went back on many of his confessions, did not commit the crime.

It is this new evidence that has now forced Provo Police Department to reopen the case, The Herald Extra reports.

And website Henry Lee Lucas confessions states: 'In the 1980s, hundreds of murders were 'solved' by Henry Lee Lucas confessions, most of which were later debunked. Many cases were reopened. Many others need to be.'

Utah Cold Case Coalition co-founder Karra Porter added: 'We are calling on law enforcement to reopen any Henry Lee Lucas confessions.'
Police reopen 1978 murder case after evidence casts doubt on serial killer's confession | Daily Mail Online

 

[jaejae]

Here is another report about Henry Lucas and his tendency to confess to crimes he did not commit. In my opinion the Serial Killer Todd Kohlhepp also has a narcissistic tendency in a similar way to Lucas. I think it is wrong though if this overshadows Lucas's actual victims who of course deserved to be able to live their lives:

Texas 'Confession Killer' Admitted to Murder of 600 People -- But How Many Did He Really Kill?

 

[jaejae]

It looks like Netflix are making a series about Lucas:

Netflix Releases The Confession Killer Documentary Series Trailer

 

[dotr]

Nov 19 2019
HUNTER: Families want serial killer Henry Lee Lucas’s murders reopened

Henry Lee Lucas claimed he murdered university student Marla Sharp in 1978. Her family never believed it.

One of the killings the Virginia-born Lucas boasted committing was that of Brigham Young University student Marla Sharp.

On June 29, 1978, Sharp, 26, was discovered raped and murdered inside her Provo, Utah apartment.

For more than five years, the case gathered dust.

Then, Lucas started talking in Texas.

And talking.

But there was something about the self-proclaimed serial killer’s tale Marla Sharp’s family never quite bought.

“I have never believed that Henry Lee Lucas committed the murder,” Sharp’s cousin, Valerie Colgain, told ABC News."

 

[jaejae]

Here is a report form the Guardian about Lucas:

He was America's most deadly serial killer – but it was all a lie

 

[jaejae]

It looks like Netflix are making a series about Lucas:

Netflix Releases The Confession Killer Documentary Series Trailer

True Crime does appear to be a little bit of a craze but perhaps it always was with Crippen etc. I can think of one Serial Killer that is likely to keep Netflix and others in business for a long time:

If it feels like Netflix and other services and networks are strip-mining the biggest true crime stories from the last fifty years, you’re likely on to something. From Ivan The Terrible to The Preppy Murder and beyond, viewers have been revisiting cases they may have hazy memories of from when they were kids. Now, the case of Henry Lee Lucas, who confessed to hundreds of murders that he didn’t actually commit — he was played by Michael Rooker in the 1990 film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer — is revisited. Read on for more…

https://decider.com/2019/12/06/the-confession-killer-netflix-stream-it-or-skip-it/

 

[kporter]

To bring more attention to (and generate tips on) Marla Scharp's case, she's the subject of our first podcast episode, Cold Case Talk. We released it yesterday, so I'm not sure whether you can hear it yet except at Cold Case talk. It includes audio of previously unheard conversations with Lucas. The 2nd part (next Monday) includes info we found in 1980s records that forensically rules Lucas out of most cases. It wasn't in the Netflix docuseries (which is EXCELLENT); maybe because we were told the records we searched had never been requested before.

 

[Friday Fan]

I binge watched it. I found it fascinating and upsetting. The Williamson County sheriff's relationship with Lucas was very strange. Upset that so many cases were closed due to Henry Lee Lucas. I remember when he confessed, I didn't believe it. The media would increase the number every day. Then he recanted. I didn't believe that either. I would leave the room whenever he was on or his cases were discussed.

 

[kporter]

I binge watched it. I found it fascinating and upsetting. The Williamson County sheriff's relationship with Lucas was very strange. Upset that so many cases were closed due to Henry Lee Lucas.

In our research we uncovered something even more shocking about Lucas - according to four sources we located, Lucas was sterile (could not produce sperm and/or could not perform sexually). Florida law enforcement even circulated a communique with that information in 1984. If you're up for another hour on Lucas (including a phone call where a detective actually feeds Lucas information on a case), please check out our podcast, Cold Case Talk. It's on Apple, Spotify, etc., or our website Cold Case talk.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Please forgive me if this has been posted previously. I have no followed HLL on Websleuths, however, I’ve researched some of his connections to Texas (specifically the Panhandle/West Texas - Plainview Jane Doe is a case I’ve followed for sometime).

There is a ton of info out there and like his confessions it all seems to slightly vary from one source to the other. I came across this article/blog yesterday and though I feel it would benefit from a good editor, it seems to be one of the better sources for a summary of events. Not the best but I thought it was worth mentioning. It also contains additional links that I’ve not had the opportunity to check out.

Happy sleuthing all!

Henry Lee Lucas, Everything You Need to Know. - Crimes Lab

ETA: ..... link

 

[jaejae]

Here is another report about the recent documentary. My experience is the media sometimes do not get their facts right all of the time in crime cases but not sure what is the case with this documentary:

Were Lucas’ confessions discredited?
In 1985 The Dallas Times-Herald newspaper undertook an investigation into the confessions. They found it impossible for Lucas to have committed so many murders, claiming Lucas would have to cover 11,000 miles in a month in his old station wagon.

A year later Lucas himself recanted the confessions, citing police’s bribery of food his reasoning. However, Lucas remained convicted of 11 homicides. He was sentenced to death for one of them until then-Governor George W. Bush commuted the sentence to life in prison in 1998.


DNA evidence has proved that Lucas did not kill 20 of his alleged victims.

True story behind Netflix’s The Confession Killer – fact checking Henry Lee Lucas doc

 

[Yazzyy]

I remember first reading about Henry Lucas in the early 90s. Also watching the film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (which is obviously not accurate, but a good film overall if you enjoy gore and violence 80s style)
I recall so many serial killer books mentioning how he killed over 500. So it is interesting now to see how those confessions came to be with the recent Netflix documentary.
However, because Lucas and O'Toole were drifters and constantly on the road, I do think they were capable and able to commit at the very least 20 murders. Hopefully DNA evidence will find more victims that may be out there.
Their tendency for extreme violence and perversion, along with John Walsh confirming that he believe Otis O'Toole murdered his son Adam (Decapitation) seems to me to be a obvious precursor for more violence and victims.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I remember first reading about Henry Lucas in the early 90s. Also watching the film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (which is obviously not accurate, but a good film overall if you enjoy gore and violence 80s style)
I recall so many serial killer books mentioning how he killed over 500. So it is interesting now to see how those confessions came to be with the recent Netflix documentary.
However, because Lucas and O'Toole were drifters and constantly on the road, I do think they were capable and able to commit at the very least 20 murders. Hopefully DNA evidence will find more victims that may be out there.
Their tendency for extreme violence and perversion, along with John Walsh confirming that he believe Otis O'Toole murdered his son Adam (Decapitation) seems to me to be a obvious precursor for more violence and victims.

I agree that the two likely have more victims out there. I think the problem (one of them) with HLL is a case of “the boy who cried wolf”. He haphazardly confessed to an unfathomable amount of murders and the majority were proved to be false. It must have been difficult for any agency to take him seriously after awhile. I can’t blame them. There are people like Samuel Little on the other hand, who’ve confessed to many murders he has been linked to. So while I agree with you that it’s more than possible Lucas and Toole have more victims than are known now, they ruined their credibility. I think it will certainly come down to DNA connections.

JMOO

 

[Yazzyy]

I agree that the two likely have more victims out there. I think the problem (one of them) with HLL is a case of “the boy who cried wolf”. He haphazardly confessed to an unfathomable amount of murders and the majority were proved to be false. It must have been difficult for any agency to take him seriously after awhile. I can’t blame them. There are people like Samuel Little on the other hand, who’ve confessed to many murders he has been linked to. So while I agree with you that it’s more than possible Lucas and Toole have more victims than are known now, they ruined their credibility. I think it will certainly come down to DNA connections.

JMOO

Nicely stated.

 

[Gypsy86]

i wonder why freida lorraine powell aka becky is not listed in the missing persons database considering they have never found her and the remains that they thought was hers dna proved it wasnt