H H Holmes

H.H. Holmes was one of the first serial killers in America who is believed to have murdered between 20-200 victims. He built a "Murder Castle" in Chicago that contained trapdoors and secret rooms used to imprison and kill victims. After committing various frauds, he was eventually arrested and hanged in 1896 for the murder of Benjamin Pitezel and his children. His precise victim count remains unknown but he is considered one of the most notorious serial killers in American history due to the elaborate nature of his crimes.

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H H Holmes

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H. H.

Holmes
Beast of Chicago

Mykolas Romeris University

Public security academy
Gabija Blužaitė
TKkbns20-1 group
Vilnius
2021
Contents
• Who Was H.H. Holmes?
• Early life
• 'Murder Castle‘
• Schemes
• Arrest
• Death
• Conclusions
• Sources
Who Was H.H.
Holmes?

• Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H.

Holmes, was a con artist and bigamist who was
one of America's first serial killers. Sometimes
referred to as the "Beast of Chicago," Holmes is
believed to have killed somewhere between 20
and 200 people. He killed many of his victims in a
specially constructed home, which was later
nicknamed the "Murder Castle." Apprehended in
1894, he was hanged for his crimes two years
later.
Early life

• Holmes was born Herman Webster Mudgett circa May 16, 1861,
in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. Born into an affluent family,
Holmes enjoyed a privileged childhood and was said to be
unusually intelligent at an early age. Still, there were haunting
signs of what was to come. He expressed an interest in
medicine, which reportedly led him to practice surgery on
animals. Some accounts indicate that he may have been
responsible for the death of a friend.
• Holmes' life of crime began with various frauds and scams. As a
medical student at the University of Michigan, he stole corpses
and used them to make false insurance claims. Holmes may
have used the bodies for experiments, as well.
'Murder Castle'

• In 1885, Holmes moved to Chicago, Illinois. He

soon found work in a pharmacy, using his now
infamous alias, Dr. Henry H. Holmes. He
eventually took over the business and was later
rumored to have killed its original owner.
'Murder Castle'

• Holmes had a three-story building constructed

nearby, creating an elaborate house of horrors.
The upper floors contained his living quarters
and many small rooms where he tortured and
killed his victims. There were also trapdoors and
chutes that enabled him to move the bodies
down to the basement, where he could burn the
remains in a kiln or dispose of them in other
ways.
'Murder Castle'

• During the 1893 Columbian Exposition, Holmes

opened up his home as a hotel for visitors.
Unfortunately, many guests did not survive in what
became known as the "Murder Castle." Many of
these victims — no one knows for certain the total
number — were women who were seduced,
swindled and then killed. Holmes had a habit of
getting engaged to a woman, only for his fiancée to
suddenly "disappear." Other victims were lured
there by the offer of employment.
Schemes

• Holmes left Chicago shortly after the World's Fair to

continue his schemes, including a plan with an
associate named Benjamin Pitezel in which Pitezel
would fake his death to collect $10,000 from a life
insurance company. Jailed at one point for another
fraud, Holmes confided in fellow inmate and notorious
outlaw Marion Hedgepeth — who knew Holmes as
H.M. Howard — about the life insurance scheme.
Hedgepeth later helped investigators by revealing
details of their discussion.
Schemes

• While the authorities eventually

identified Howard as Holmes, they did
not catch on soon enough to stop his
final murders. Holmes killed Pitezel
and, after telling his widow that her
husband was still alive and in hiding,
convinced her to let him travel with
three of her five children, who also
became his victims.
• After several weeks of outrunning
authorities, Holmes was finally apprehended
in November 1894. During his time in
custody, he gave numerous stories to police,

Arrest once admitting to killing 27 people.

Convicted in 1895, Holmes appealed his
case but lost.
• Estimates of the total number of people
Holmes killed range from 20 to as many as
200 victims.
• Holmes died on May 7, 1896, when he was

Death hanged for the Pitezel murder. He was

buried in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Conclusions

• H.H. Holmes was one of the first serial killers to build a

building specifically designed to imprison, torture,
experiment, and later kill his victims. The number of
victims is not clear, it is believed that he was able to kill
between 20 and 200 people, although in my opinion
there could have been many more. There are conspiracy
theories that believes that H.H. Holmes faked his death
and fled to England, and that H.H. Holmes and Jack the
Ripper are one and the same person.
Sources

• H. H. Holmes – Wikipedia
• H.H. Holmes - Childhood, Crimes & Facts – Biography
• H.H. Holmes - Crime Museum
• H H HOLMES & THE MURDER CASTLE – YouTube
• Could H.H. Holmes Be Jack the Ripper? - Biography