Arthur Shawcross

COMING SOON!

He rampaged through the jungle while serving in Vietnam, then continued his killing spree in Rochester, New York. The crimes of one of America's most prolific serial killers are explored.

Biography

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Arthur Shawcross
born: 06-06-1945
birth place: Kittery, Maine
died: 10-11-2008

Most importantly, the helicopter spotted a man standing on the bridge next to a small van, who appeared to be either masturbating or urinating. Fortunately for the authorities, Shawcross had, as speculated, returned to the scene of one of his crimes to relive the pleasure of the attack.

Patrol teams on the ground were alerted to track the vehicle, which had made off at speed, and finally tracked down Shawcross via the registration, which was in the name of his girlfriend, Clara Neal. When approached, Shawcross agreed to assist the police with their enquiries. When they asked for his driver's license, he admitted he did not have one, and then revealed that he had been in jail for manslaughter.

Police were confident they had their killer, and further questioning revealed the earlier child deaths and a grandiose account of his Vietnam War service, which was later discounted. A photo taken of him, during the initial questioning, soon confirmed his identity as “Mitch”, and official enquiries unearthed the reason for Shawcross’ sealed record, that had prevented the police from tracking him down sooner.

Still, police were unable to get Shawcross to admit to the murders, until they confirmed that a piece of jewellery that he had given to Clara Neal had belonged to June Cicero. When police threatened to implicate her in the killings, Shawcross capitulated and admitted to most of the murders, giving detailed excuses about why he had been “forced” to kill each one. He even admitted to the killing of two undiscovered bodies, those of prostitutes Maria Welsh and Darlene Trippi, leading investigators to their bodies. His formal confession was nearly 80 pages long.

The Trial
In November 1990, Shawcross went on trial for the ten murders that had occurred in Monroe County, which was all victims except Elizabeth Gibson, who had been killed in neighbouring Wayne County. The trial was a national media event, extensively televised and widely viewed.

Shawcross’ defence team tried to build a case based on an insanity plea, citing various mitigating factors, such as his upbringing, post-traumatic stress as a result of military service, a cyst on the brain and a rare genetic defect: an extra Y chromosome in his genes that inclines those with this condition to violence.

The prosecution were quick to dispute the claims about his childhood and military service, casting doubts on Shawcross’ testimony. The physiological evidence about brain science and genetic factors was, at best, spurious and beyond the understanding of the jury. It was also hindered by poor presentation, on the part of the expert witnesses called to testify.

Shawcross was found sane, and guilty of 10 instances of second-degree murder. The judge sentenced him to 25 years for each count, a total of 250 years imprisonment. A few months later, Shawcross was taken to Wayne County to be tried for Elizabeth Gibson's murder. Rather than claim insanity this time, he pleaded guilty and received a further life sentence.

Shawcross was held at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York State until 10th November 2008, when he complained of pain in his leg. He was transferred to a hospital where he died later that day of cardiac arrest.

Mark F

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Links relating to this biography:
Crime & Investigation Network