I asked my roommate, “Who is your favorite serial killer?” She wondered for a little bit, and finally replied “H.H. Holmes.” So, I’ve decided to do my second passion blog, on Herman Webster Mudgett. To be honest, I didn’t know much about him before I did research on him, but now that I know, I wish I didn’t.

Herman Webster Mudgett was born in New Hampshire on May 16th, 1861. Born into a wealthy family, Holmes’ childhood was considered privileged. Holmes was said to be extremely intelligent at a young age. At first, he expressed an interest in medicine which led him to practice surgery on animals. One of the most giant red flags, ever. 

Holme’s life of deviance started with different frauds and scams. Holmes attended the University of Michigan as a medical student which inclined him to steal corpses and use them to make false insurance claims. He may have used the bodies for experimental purposes as well. 

In 1885, Holmes moved to Chicago, Illinois. He found a job in a pharmacy using his alias, Dr. Henry H. Holmes. He eventually took over the business, but it was later rumored that he killed the original owner of the pharmacy.

Holmes had a 3 story building constructed nearby the pharmacy. This house will later become the ground of many of Holmes’ murders. The upper floor was the living area, but there were many small rooms around the building where he would torture and eventually murder his victims. He would burn or kiln the remains using trap doors and chutes he had installed in the building. During the 1893 Columbian Exposition, Holmes would use his home as a hotel for visitors. Now, you can probably guess what happens next. Yup, he murdered almost everyone who entered the place known as the “Murder Castle.” There isn’t a total number of who he murdered, but most of the victims were women who were seduced and then killed. Holmes would propose to multiple women he met, and then his fiancée would suddenly disappear after some time. Other victims were lured into Murder Castle because Holmes offered them employment.

Holmes left Chicago after the World’s Fair to continue his murder schemes. Holmes had an associate named Benjamin Pitezel. Holmes and Pitezel created a scheme in order to collect insurance money by faking Pitezel’s death. They collected $10,000 from a life insurance company. When authorities later found out, Holmes was arrested for fraud. During his time in prison, he would confide in Marion Hedgepath, a notorious outlaw that knew Holmes. They talked about the life insurance scheme, and Hedgepeth later helped investigators by revealing details of their discussion.

Holmes later killed Pitezel, who convinced his widow that Pitezel was still alive and in hiding. She came along with Holmes, with her 3 children who would later become his victims.

Holmes was finally arrested in November 1894 after running from authorities for several weeks. He admitted to the police that he killed 27 people in total. There are estimates of the total number of people Holmes killed which range from 20 to as many as 200 victims. 

Holmes died on May 7th, 1896, when he was hanged for the Pitezel murder. 

My Review:

I didn’t know much about H.H. Holmes when my roommate told me about him. When I researched him and found out that he killed between 20 to 200 people, my mind was blown. The fact that he didn’t get caught at all during his killing spree is shocking. The victim count is definitely one of the highest I’ve seen for a serial killer.

Photo Citations:

H.H. Holmes. Crime Museum. (2021, August 13). Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/hh-holmes/

History.com Editors. (2017, July 13). Murder castle. History.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/crime/murder-castle