Dr. H.H. Holmes
Name | Herman Webster Mudgett Dr. H.H. Holmes |
Actor | Stephen Aberle |
Dates | May 16, 1861 – May 7, 1896 ???? - 2006 (spirit trapped in underground chamber) |
Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Occupation | Ghost Serial killer |
Episode(s) | 2.06 No Exit |
Dr. H.H. Holmes
Born as Herman Webster Mudgett, Dr. H.H. Holmes is often called America's first serial killer. The number of his victims has typically been estimated between 20 to 100, and even as high as 230, however, the only verified number is 27 (in Chicago, Indianapolis and Toronto). His early criminal career was based on fraud and forgery, including a cure for alcoholism, real estate scams, and a machine that made natural gas from water. In 1893 he opened his "murder castle" as a hotel for the Chicago World's Fair and used it to trap, torture and kill his victims. He was arrested in 1895 when police discovered his connection with the death of his former business associate, Benjamin Pitezel, and three of his children. Holmes was put on trial for murder, and confessed to 27 murders and six attempted murders. Throughout his time in prison he wrote several contradictory accounts of his life, first claiming innocence then saying he was possessed by the devil. His talent for lying at will made it difficult for researchers to determine the truth in his writings. He was hanged on May 7, 1896 in Philadelphia.
Episodes
2.06 No Exit
H.H. Holmes is haunting the apartment building which was erected over the site where he was hung. In a similar arrangement to the infamous Holmes Murder Castle in Chicago, he is trapping women in a hidden room. Jo is captured by him, and Sam and Dean find a way to access the room via the sewers, and rescue Jo, and another kidnapped girl, Teresa Ellis.
Jo then acts as bait, and they trap H.H. Holmes inside a ring of salt. Dean then "borrows" a cement truck and they seal the room forever.
See also
External Links
- The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - the book documents H.H. Holmes and the Chicago Worlds Fair.
- Wikipedia entry for Holmes