NY NY - Arthur Shawcross dead at 63

[NorthernMagpie]

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Serial killer Arthur Shawcross, who was serving life in prison for strangling 11 women in the Rochester area, has died at 63.

Shawcross died late Monday at an Albany hospital, where he had been taken after complaining of leg pain earlier in the day at the Sullivan Correctional Facility, Corrections Department spokesman Erik Kriss said Tuesday. The cause of death was still under investigation, he said.

Shawcross' 13-week trial for 10 of the killings included graphic testimony about mutilation and cannibalism

Shawcross' victims, most of them prostitutes, were killed in the period from March 1988 to January 1990. At the time, he was on parole after serving 15 years in prison for killing two children in northern New York's Watertown in 1972.

Shawcross was arrested in January 1990, a day after state police spotted him near the frozen body of one of his victims.

Entire article here.

 

[Elphaba]

Over the many years, of all the many books I have read on true crime and forensics, his case was one of those that gave me nightmares. Good riddance...

 

[believe09]

I hope they got a whole lot of good information from him-he was beyond.

 

[Julessleuther]

Yes, good riddance! In the late 80's I lived right around the corner from that sicko--I lived on Park Ave, and he lived on Alexander. When he was arrested and they searched his house on Alexander, I remember the polics completely blocking off Alexander for over a day. It was so scary. He was very creepy! (I was surprised to see how young he was when he died though, I had thought he was older than early 40's when arrested, but I was young then, so he must have seemed old...)

 

[txsvicki]

Fifteen years for killing two children, wow. He got to have a natural death at a fairly old age.

 

[MeoW333]

My prayers for all the families involved..

 

[Nocgirl]

This guy was a total . I had actually never heard of him until I saw something on him on the Biography channel. Wasn't he considered the something River killer? He was convicted of killing a child, suspected of killing one other. Was only given 15 years then released, and sent to Rochester to live and nobody there knew who he was. Nobody wanted him in their city so officials sent him to live in Rochester, under the radar, and that is when all these women wound up dead.

He is a true and a child kiler. I hope he is in hell.

 

[MeoW333]

The Genessee River Killer

 

[Armchair-reader]

Finally I found the thread on this sociopath. I need someone to explain something to me. I watched the interview on netflix. "Interview with a Seriel Killer". They have a Havard Psychologist and a Neurologist in the interview. One of them says Art has a seizure before killing, the other says Art has no memory of committing the murders then Art describes one of the murders. During the interview he is asked about a particular victim and he proudly holds up his arm and says I killed that one with my left hand. I believe he says it twice in this really cocky waiting for someone to give him an "attaboy" or a cookie kinda way for a job well done. My question is were these professionals really fooled by him? He obviouly knew what he was doing. He described things in detail. Why would they go on film and say he didn't know what he was doing. And when the psychologist had him under hypnosis? I'm sorry but in my opinion that man was not hypnotized he was full of crap. Even going as far to blame his elderly mother for his demented perverse mind. . Coward. I just don't understand the professionals statements in this. Please explain

 

[monkey222]

You are correct. He knew every move he made. Was not hypnotized. I do not know why the pros said those things.

 

[thorpedo]

You are correct. He knew every move he made. Was not hypnotized. I do not know why the pros said those things.

Yes, good riddance! In the late 80's I lived right around the corner from that sicko--I lived on Park Ave, and he lived on Alexander. When he was arrested and they searched his house on Alexander, I remember the polics completely blocking off Alexander for over a day. It was so scary. He was very creepy! (I was surprised to see how young he was when he died though, I had thought he was older than early 40's when arrested, but I was young then, so he must have seemed old...)

Well, howdy old neighbor. This brings up crazy memories. I found out after he was arrested that he lived in a house that backed to my apartment at the time. I was waiting tables while I looked for a job after graduating from college. It was a 15 minute walk to downtown. I had to be at work at 6am. I ran to work everyday in fear of that monster. My now husband would say, "But, you are not a prostitute or drifter." I would reply, "In a winter coat bundled up against the frigid wind and snow we all look the same." When he was caught so close to home it was unreal. LE screwed up big time. On a more positive note, we loved being so close to Country Sweet!

 

[monkey222]

Yes, howdy all. I remember well - him going to Duncan Donuts on Monroe/Alexander first thing in am (determined now to be after a known killing), taking donuts to receptionists at hospital across street - who tossed them after he left.

 

[Falling Down]

Bump.

I remember it well, and watching some of the trial on Ch. 5, after school. The details were downright grisly. He left most of the victims along the Genesee River gorge as it winds through the city. All, or most, of the victims were left near his fishing spots, which I find interesting considering he was not from Rochester.

One victim was found by friends of a friend of mine who were walking the trails in the gorge which are part of Turning Point Park. I believe it was the day before Thanksgiving in '89, and it was the first victim to be found.

Shawcross was so close to LE, he talked about the crimes in general terms to RPD cops who were undercover on Lyell Ave., trying to find the killer. Shawcross was that unassuming and non-threatening when he wasn't killing prostitutes. Two friends of mine crossed paths with him both in the gorge while fishing, and one friend met him at his car dealership gig, I think Shawcross had a delivery job at one point, and worked at a chocolate factory.

He cannibalized more than one victim, IIRC.

Now throw in the fact that another serial killer was murdering prostitutes and drug addicts along Lyell, and one can see that LE had their hands full by 1990. The 2nd serial killer died in a suburban hospital in 1994. No justice for his victims. It's like he picked up where Shawcross left off, crazy stuff.

 

[wfgodot]

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:

Shawcross serial murder case pushed investigators to exhaustion, as body count rose
Staff writer Gary Craig interviews retired Rochester Police Capt. Lynde Johnston,
who worked on the grueling 15-month investigation to find a serial killer. (June 2017)

 

[Falling Down]

That Thanksgiving day, Johnston received a call at his home: A woman's body had been found at Turning Point Park, hidden among cattails. She appeared to have been suffocated, and deep cuts into her body pointed to an escalation in the violence.


The afternoon was "a very gloomy day, a cold day, and we had no idea who (the victim) was," Johnston said. "Here we were, in the middle of another one and we still had girls missing."

No rest for the weary.

That was the victim my friend's friends found.

 

[Kell1]

Shawcross is an interesting study in which he began murdering children then progressed to murdering adult women.

Of all the offender types, the most likely to become a serial offender are those who abduct and murder children, however that doesn't always mean their victims will be children.

Shawcross 1st murder (that we are aware of) was a boy, whom he was acquainted with, before killing a little girl, in a most horrific manner.

15 months after his release, for those murders (upon accepting a plea deal) he began visiting and murdering prostitutes, demonstrating possibly one of the worst failures of the system in American history.

 

[Bored_To_Death]

I hope they got a whole lot of good information from him-he was beyond.

It's unbelievable he was released after killing two kids.

 

[Kell1]

My question is were these professionals really fooled by him? He obviouly knew what he was doing. He described things in detail. Why would they go on film and say he didn't know what he was doing. And when the psychologist had him under hypnosis? I'm sorry but in my opinion that man was not hypnotized he was full of crap. Even going as far to blame his elderly mother for his demented perverse mind. . Coward. I just don't understand the professionals statements in this. Please explain

I know this reply is almost 10 years too late, but I think this needs to be explained.

The mental health community and the investigative communities come at the same problem from complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Whereas investigators, criminal psychologists, profilers etc, come from the evidentiary and sometimes behavioral angle , aka what the offender actually did, mental health professionals , psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists approach a case (or individual) from a therapeutic angle, aka what the offender may be capable of.

One works in catching killers, the other works (to an extent ) to keep them incarcerated or "treating" them.

Just as those in LE could never (and would never) make suggestions on to how to treat offenders, and to remain politically correct, we cant anymore , those in MH could never assess crime scene evidence and formulate a plan to catch such individuals, though they have tried.

There is a reason you dont often see psychiatrists called in to create a profile of an unknown offender that is because they take a personality and infer potential behaviors outward from there, which is like throwing a bunch of possibilities to a wall an seeing what sticks.

I dont think im speaking out of turn when I say well known are the failures of treatment while incarcerated, and the vast majority of what these professionals base their treatment success on.... is self reported

Many an individual passed through what we call "Correctional facilities" only to re-offend, and in some cases, commit outright atrocities.

In the case, of Shawcross, these professionals on the program mentioned above knew he was going nowhere, however seemed to be trying to make their mark with a notorious individual.

Im not certain that wasnt done solely for the program, which I have seen producers do before, however what bothers me is what if by some miracle someone someday grants an individual like this parole?, because of such a "diagnosis" because it has happened before.

Knowing someone who interviewed Shawcross in person I an tell you he was 100% aware of what he was doing at the time, post offense, and pre offense. Shawcross also known as "Mitch" to the streetwalkers, also stated in several interviews that he was the killer and relished in outsmarting law enforcement.

Shawcross was a classic psychopath