Herman Mudgett (H.H Holmes)
Mehak Mujahid
H.H Holmes
Early Life.
Mudgett was born into a home that was financially stable and he seemed to have a promising future because it was evident he was highly intelligent and seemed to be interested in medicine. He was born into a devout Methodist family, however this may be a reason as to why he commit such heinous crimes. His mother was overly religous, constantly pushing religion down his throat, and a study from the Behavioural Analysis Unit written by Robert S. Mueller states that Religion can have a negative affect on a child's psycopathy. Herman also had a traumatic childhood. After his classmates found out that he was afraid of skulls and bones they had bullied him into touching them and because his fear of skulls was so severe, it turned into an obsession after touching them, and then this obssesion claimed the lives of 27 people (Davies). It makes sense that he started to kill people given that because of his experiences he performed medical experiments on live and dead animals. (Davies).
Adult Life.
Herman was seen as charming, charismatic and a womanizer. He had multiple wives and seduced many more. He married his first wife, Clara Lovering in 1887, he soon married his second wife Myrta Belknap and started a family with her. After marrying his second wife he pettioned for a divorce from his first wofe but it never actually went through. He then married his third wife Georgiana Yoke. Even though he had three wives, he still had an affair with one of his trusted associate's wife, Julia Smythe who then became one of his victims. (H.H. Holmes)
Holmes commited many frauds in his life time, he mainly killed people and then collected their life insurance money. In 1886, Holmes moved to Chicago to go work at a pharmacy and the height of his murder career came shortly after.
Clara Lovering
Myrta Belknap
Georgiana Yoke
Signs of Aggressive Behaviour.
Extraordinary cruelty to animals: as a child, Holmes used to perform medical expiraments on living and dead animals.
Mask of sanity: Holmes was seen as a charisamatic and charming man because he could lure many women into his home and then later kill them. This shows that he had a way wih words which always made the other person seem as if he was harmless. He also disguised his sociopathic and psycopatic tendencies by going out into the public with a wife, which shows society that since he is married, he would never kill a woman for his own pleasure.
Murder Castle
Specific Crimes
Minnie Williams: She had met Holmes in Boston. She was a wealthy woman which is why Holmes was so interested in her. This was one of his schemes to get money. He seduced her through his charming personality and they soon got married after she moved to Chicago with him. It was an intimate marriage, no relatives or people other than them and a preacher. ON June 5th 1893 Minnie's sister came to visit her and Holmes took her to his murder castle and made her sign over all their belongings and property to him. He then gassed her to death and killed Minnie by poisioning her and burying her body underneath the basement. (Minnie. R Holmes).
Getting Caught
Typology
Works cited
Bryant, C. W. and Toothman, J. (2008) Top 10 hotels that will scare the daylights out of you. Available at: http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/afterlife/top-5-haunted-hotels5.htm (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
healthpsychologyconsultancy (2013) Making of a monster: Dr Herman Howard Holmes. Available at: https://healthpsychologyconsultancy.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/making-of-a-monster-dr-herman-howard-holmes/ (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
Minnie R. Holmes (1868) Available at: http://www.geni.com/people/Minnie-Holmes/6000000024132307515 (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
Mueller, R. . S. (2010) Serial murder. Available at: https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bryant, C. W. and Toothman, J. (2008) Top 10 hotels that will scare the daylights out of you. Available at: http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/afterlife/top-5-haunted-hotels5.htm (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
Early life (no date) Available at: http://hhholmes.weebly.com/early-life.html (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
healthpsychologyconsultancy (2013) Making of a monster: Dr Herman Howard Holmes. Available at: https://healthpsychologyconsultancy.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/making-of-a-monster-dr-herman-howard-holmes/ (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
H.H. Holmes Biography (no date) Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/hh-holmes-307622 (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
Minnie R. Holmes (1868) Available at: http://www.geni.com/people/Minnie-Holmes/6000000024132307515 (Accessed: 21 December 2015).
Mueller, R. . S. (2010) Serial murder. Available at: https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder (Accessed: 21 December 2015).