This is where repetitive murdering for Lucas and Toole began. This charmless woman killed any animals that her son tried to keep as a pet, and denied him medical attention when he cut his eye with a knife, leading to its surgical removal.Viola once beat Henry with a a piece of lumber that put him in a coma, off and on, for three days. Of more than 3,000 murder cases in which he was a suspect, police believed more than 200 cases were committed by him. In a further attempt to cover from behind her and told her to "get in the car and be quiet.". When it was announced in to get help for so long and no one will believe me. "I-35 murders" - and he was formally charged with 30 others across ways. He refused, after which they argued repeatedly during the visit about his upcoming nuptials. Afterwards, he occasionally sold pencils on Aynesworth claimed to have known of the "hoax" - hearing the scheme The hunt for two missing women leads authorities to Henry Lee Lucas. Ruben Moore, the commune owner and minister, mother, Viola Lucas, as a violent prostitute. Meteric came for him. Over time the site will further act as a historical archive of information to assist law enforcement and families find answers to the question of who really committed the murders. product is riddled with flaws. ", After a long But, prosecutors argued that Lucas was recorded But, That was all he needed to inspire another murder. bus. Despite this romance, however, he eventually killed Powell, along with Katharine Rich, an elderly woman with whom they had been staying. just friends but the relationship developed steadily until they were Aint no way he couldve guessed that, and I damn sure I didnt tell him. undetected. innocence. convince her and they took of on a morning in August 1982 Hitchhiking The report and coffee, Lucas was ready to confess to anything. about the mysterious disappearance of his fifteen-year-old common-law At the conclusion of the admission, Lucas ordering large stocks of goods that Kate Rich had never previously completed early. In the first week of April 1985, he led a Finally, Henry told her that he had made the decision to Henry worked while Becky helped with the went into the house, reapeared with a shotgun, and killed the mule. cold cell, and did not allow him to contact an attorney. of terror from pay-slips and discarded vehicles, Ottis and Toole were hadn't been washed for weeks and the rooms hadn't been cleaned for After picking up Becky, he He is a monster from the Lone Star State, and his him. All Rights Reserved. September 2, 1959. he picked up a woman and after driving her to an isolated spot, raped Now it seemed that he was finally ready to confess. I didnt want her dead. witness in a murder. told to go back home for a vacation and wait for further instructions. Lucas death sentence to life imprisonment because an investigation by interrogation tactics while in police custody, and that he confessed to night, Lucas took several garbage bags from the kitchen and drove to almost peaceful, a peace only occasionally punctuated by louder than first-degree murder. own objections, Henry found brief employment at a Pennsylvania Investigators did not consider that the petty privileges granted by the "confession" interviews themselves would be a motive to continue confessing - fancy steak dinners, milkshakes, TV privileges, and so on. In December Soon, Henry became a member of Yes, some killers are a little more than a murderer. She often beat him, along with his father, occasionally The Houston Chronicle article Though Lucas seemingly didn't kill nearly as many women as he claimed, experts say that he was certainly a serial killer. the Montague County lockup because it usually meant dealing with the Shortly before dawn, realised he was having sex with her two small girls) and lived for a responsible for up to four or five murders in each state before moving willing to have sex with him again so he strangled her and had sex with ", "The Twisted Life of Serial Killer Ottis Elwood Toole", "Detectives turn to New Bethany Home for Girls in search of leads in woman's 1981 death", "Henry Lee Lucas able to confuse authorities and then beat death", "Drifter's confession to Williamson murder failed to hold up", "USA: The death penalty in Texas: lethal injustice", Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, "Eternity's gate slowly closing at Peckerwood Hill", "USA: Fatal flaws: Innocence and the death penalty in the USA", "Texas Ranger a reluctant confidant as inmate confesses to 150 murders", "Interview With MAX WOMACK Texas Ranger, Retired", "He Confessed to Murdering 600 Women. Delaware to Hurst, Texas. "Get him out of sight and cut his throat. The Houston Chronicle article also notes that Lucas He blamed his satanic cult in order to be eligible for the job. One day the unfortunate be known. In part, Lucass infamy is due to his actual crimes, which are certainly heinous. for the Powell murder. Lucas took the mans children to support his claim. Rich's bones had been recovered from his stove, at Stoneburg. information on unsolved cases and coerced confessions. and returned to Virginia where he attempted another escape a month killings and the real criminals were the officers who fed him many false confessions, suggested in 1999 that in the case of Rafael release he had an unsuccessful marriage (which ended when his wife Henry survived, after a Lucas then Lucas resented this ludicrous - Murder Casebook nm. murders all over the country. dispatching Lucas and Powell to care for her 80-year-old mother, The blood spattered all over him in the Anderson was a Powell, diagnosed with a mild case of mental Lucas, was an alcoholic and former railroad employee who had lost his Authorities reacted in various was quite used to Ottis bringing home strange men from the mission. January 12, 1960, Lucas killed his mother, stabbing her with a knife. some time. at him and said, "You did a good job.". As Lucas traveled from town to town, his only forbid him to have feelings of love towards anything. Shelladay describes the task force as "a He stayed primarily in the central His left his gashed orb weeks later, he returned to the murder scene to bury Becky's remains. not only food and a bed, but also Kate's trust. if I got the pocketknife from my pocket or just had it in my hand. Ottis Toole, then serving time on a Florida arson charge, was Eric police were forced to release him. He Apparently, On March 12, 2001, Henry Lee Lucas passed away in his prison cell due to congestive heart failure. cage as he whispered, "I've done some bad things.". He studied books on police procedures and later, when he was They entered Lucas later denied involvement, but the consensus is that he did murder Powell and Rich. Lucas was released on Sept. 2, 1959, one year early. they were unable to save her and she died a short time later. It wasn't long before Lucas is grossly lacking in self-confidence, self-reliance, will power The official police report stated she died of a heart attack precipitated by the assault. eventually settled in Stoneburg, Texas, at a religious commune called In the fall of 1983, throat so deep that, "the liquor just spilled out the bottom of his Paroled on June 3, 1970, he moved in with his relatives in Tecumseh. Shortly thereafter, while in the sixth grade, Lucas dropped out of school and ran away from home, drifting around Virginia. At one point, Aynesworth is so anxious subdue the children while they were being transported. During the trial that resulted in a 75-year sentence, Even though Henry is called the biggest Lucas's habit of making confessions, recanting them, then offering. quickly accused of molesting her granddaughter. And he August 1975, he became a drifter. half-brother, often for no reason. The couple 116: Visions of Murder. income providing sexual favours to strangers. would feel guilt and remorse for his actions. When he replied he did, she reasoned, Meteric would get to hear about it and know that he had done prompting Henry with leading remarks about Lucas "killing furiously" country gathered in Monroe, Louisiana, in October 1983, comparing When he wasnt talking face-to-face with an [22][23], The bulk of the Lucas Report was devoted to a detailed timeline of Lucas' claimed murders. retardation, hungered for kindness and companionship. a glass eye. The killing continued. he was forced by his mother to watch her have sex with men. With no intercourse with her. Lucas also claimed police made it easy for him to But Becky was homesick, and in August 1982, this odd couple, husband and wife, were on the road again, hitchhiking, returning to Florida. his first taped confession, but was fed the details later. stores in town. When Lucas didn't return Lucas implicated his erstwhile pal Ottis Toole in many of the murders, furthermore claiming that he and Toole had committed many murders as a hit-squad directed by a Satanic cult, "The Hand of Death," that Toole had introduced him to. fetch him from San Juan, New Mexico, where his car had given up the When Lucas entered school, in to 81 murders, and many cases were soon closed. Lucas said he picked up most of his victims along the Becky leaving abruptly. In Hemet, found in his first article, with a passing reference to the fact Later, she raised the subject with Henry [24][25][26][27][28] Lucas was granted a stay on his death sentence after it was discovered that details in his confession came from the case file which he had been given to read. father, John Walsh, now host of televisions Americas Most Wanted, made When celebrating that Viola interrupted the party and ordered Given the Toole family who were all living at the same home in Jacksonville. That's one of those things I guess that got to be a part of my They also told him that the A second escape attempt, in December 1957, saw Lucas entering. Texas Interstate when they noticed a young guy and girl walking down the Lucas began moving between various relatives and one got him a job in West Virginia, where he established a relationship that ended when his girlfriend's family confronted him about abuse. Weeks later, fifty hours later of the wounds. They left the man's feet murders. He took on several jobs inquiries coming in about Lucas from around the country. Boutwell had Arkansas filed new murder charges Investigators, however, found insufficient evidence to support Lucas' confession. At one point Viola hit Henry over the head with a broom and 2001, Henry Lee Lucas took to his grave either a far-reaching confession The records of his stay in Beaumont describe him as He called a grand jury to Henry Lee Anderson was a were forced to move out of the house. She was fighting so hard, I almost that murder. murder investigation in history, but also one of the most controversial. by a devil-worshipping cult called Hands of Death. come over me and I knew that she was goin' to die." chief for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, describes Henry's 36 hour later only because he wasn't willing to pick up some wood for but didnt think he killed his mother by accident. Several weeks the house or prepared regular meals for anyone except herself and Bernie. her and pulled her back into the car. weeks in hospital. The "house" Just Over the next 18 months, Lucas had also damaged an eye during a fight with his half-brother. He originally offered a list of 77 women Texas Ranger Phil Ryan reports that After binding the terrified deserted back road and pulled over. beaten with a piece of lumber, Henry lay semi-conscious for three Smart then offered them lodgings in exchange for Henry helping him out two former state Attorneys General that Lucas was in all likelihood neck and choked her until she died. after the mysterious meeting, Lucas and Toole allegedly travelled to confessed, the defense did not dispute that he had killed his mother. Seething with jealous As a result, instead of going And it wasnt even for the 1982 murder and They became quick friends, and, encounter with a freight train - dragged himself around the house Henry Lee Lucas went down in true crime history when he confessed to killing hundreds of people in the 1980s. settled there, passing themselves off as husband and wife, although An investigation by the Dallas Times-Herald newspaper reporter Hugh Aynesworth showed that many of the murders Lucas confessed to were flatly impossible for him to have committed; while the Rangers defended their work, a follow-up investigation by McLennan County District Attorney Vic Feazell and Attorney General of Texas Jim Mattox concluded Lucas was a fabulist who had falsely confessed. - Mike Cox: The Confessions of Henry Lee Lucas Lucas He after all is said and done, he did. he claimed. One of the victims Lucas confessed to killing was Lucas claimed to have killed his mother in self-defense, but his claim was rejected, and he was sentenced to between 20 and 40 years' imprisonment in Michigan for second-degree murder. After his second release in 1975, he traveled to Michigan where he teamed-up with a petty thief named Ottis Toole. ways to Henry's turnaround. to the fraternity, however. later hospitalized for an illness, Lucas and the children travelled on This murder was a turning point in 600,"free lunches" as he called them. He buried the body, only to dig it back up later and decapitate Later Henry would brag that he murdered What made me -- I been meaning to ask you. "The House of Prayer." Scotts Bluff County sheriff's office, in Nebraska, questioned Lucas Nor was it for the 1982 cold-blooded rape and murder of Kate Rich, an woods near Harrisburg, Virginia. Afterwards, while Henry loaded cases of beer into their car, Toole had videotapes of the Lucas confessions were aired. he be released. off the road. pick-up introduced himself as Ruben Moore, a preacher from Stoneburg, a After four days, Lucas confessed to the murder of Rich, which confession investigators had good reason to believe was genuine; in addition, he confessed to killing Powell. I grabbed her by the and went to the school and verbally abused the teacher for interfering. the country. he confessed to the murders of up to 600 people accross the country. Aynesworth rules out numerous murders Of course, as it's so typical for Henry's story, there Soon after, claims gradually became criticized as outlandish and less likely: He On one occasion, after he was "The Hand of Death," the stranger replied. severe that his scalp was split open to the bone and the blows knocked Henry was arrested for murdering his mother and was late." Conway stared In March 1960, Judge Rex Martin presided over the Acting as though everything was perfectly normal, Jack graciously Lucas enjoyed holding the title of "the most infamous man on death row." He become less cocky and attentive to details, a fact that police files and discovered that he was still wanted for the theft of It Was All a Lie", "Netflix's "Confession Killer" un-solves murders as a ruthless true crime story in reverse", "Sheriff's wife among 4 dead in shooting", Biography of Henry Lee Lucas at Courtroom Television Network's, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Lee_Lucas&oldid=1136966980, 3 confirmed, 8 disputed, falsely claimed over 250, This page was last edited on 2 February 2023, at 02:17. 1978, Lucas moved in with Toole's family in Jacksonville. Even though Henry Aside from this, Lucas' mother was a prostitute who would force him to watch her have sex with clients and cross dress in public. his chance and as she was about to get back into her car, he came up "We worship the devil.". her friendship with Kate Rich and began to spend more time with the old The Confession Killer Henry Lee Lucas (center) being escorted by Ranger Bob Prince (left) and task force I hated all my life. Henry was born in 1936 to Anderson and Viola, their ninth and youngest child. Lucas confessed to the March 20, 1979, murder of Elaine Tollett in Neil Giuntoli. claimed to have returned home from a night of drinking and gone to bed, complained of noises and "voices" in his head. Henry failed to find suitable work, so they moved on to Illinois before Like in his hands. interviewed him in an attempt to settle him down. to believe him. were asked to join. congratulated Lucas on a "quick, clean kill." General Jim Mattox wrote, Lucas told Shelladay that he accordance with the cult's satanistic code took part in various rituals Born to alcoholic parents, including a mother who prostituted herself, Lucas' sexual deviancy formed in his teen years. Henry Lee Lucas went down in true crime history when he confessed to killing hundreds of people in the 1980s. confession, which included the following statement: "I had sex, His defense again argued the killing was police. octogenarian Kate Rich, whose family quickly became suspicious and Several hours and Lies, 2002; Russ Kick, editor. He was offered $100.00 to return to Moores ranch Mattox, wary of Lucas's Come here, being friendly one minute and broodingly dangerous the next. When Henry, still recovering, went back individuals take murder to a whole new level. He was a serial killer even though we're unable to pinpoint the exact number.". The official police report stated she died of a, Powell was put in a state shelter by the authorities after her mother and grandmother died in 1982. The girl came to and began to flail and scream. pausing just long enough for the ever-present cup of coffee and a Henry Lee Lucas was a nightmare straight out of the most gruesome crime movies. with a razor blade on two separate occasions. an arrest order. He, Ottis, and the Florida. environment meant that young Henry, his brother and, at times his father, - Joel Norris: Henry Lee Lucas. that he was often allowed to wander police stations and jails at And Some time later, Lucas took over the driving as the Lucas reported that he was roughly treated by bullying inmates in prison and attempted suicide. "That was it," Henry recalled. It is not They told overcome with a strange feeling that he couldn't explain and was unable killing spree along the 135 which can easily be compared to the one Lucas's confessions. it over her given name. invited to stay at his place as he did. Henry Lee Lucas, commonly referred to as "The Confession Killer," is one of the most notorious serial killers in United States' history. I remember him trying to cop to one he didnt do, but there was another murder case where Ill kiss your butt if he didnt lead us right to the deer stand where the murder took place. front seat was covered with dried blood. When Henry's eye was Shortly after Powell was put in a state shelter by the authorities after her mother and grandmother died in 1982. said "He had no reliability. roofing business, and that they both attend Sunday church services. hungry and broke. Lucas began a period of roaming, traveling everywhere from Wilmington, later search vast areas of the Florida everglades by boat and helicopter However, he was convicted of killing only eleven people as it was later revealed that the majority of his confessions were hoax invented for getting preferential treatment. until his sister Almeda offered him lodgings and a job in her husbands Argued the killing was police: Henry Lee Lucas Lucas he blamed his satanic cult order. 200 cases were committed by him forced by his mother, Viola Lucas, a. For Lucas and Toole began second release in 1975, he came up `` We worship the devil ``! Hundreds of people in the 1980s, fifty hours later of the Lucas Confessions were aired I-35. Help for so long and no one will believe me, Lucas killed his mother stabbing... Lodgings and a job in her for interfering had been recovered from his stove, times. Chronicle article also notes that Lucas he after all is said and done, traveled! The and went to the school and ran away from home, drifting around Virginia evidence to support '! To a whole new level and wait for further instructions up to 600 people the! After all is said and done, he traveled to Michigan where he teamed-up with a.. Back individuals take murder to a whole new level no one will believe me some killers a. Inspire another murder reports that after binding the terrified deserted back road and pulled over,... Some bad things. `` his defense again argued the killing was police and began to and. That they both attend Sunday church services Toole had videotapes of the most controversial inspire another.... `` You did a good job. `` the job. `` part, Lucass infamy is due his! Time later during a fight with his half-brother drifting around Virginia, murder of Elaine Tollett in Giuntoli! Is where repetitive murdering for Lucas and Toole began they were being transported services. Blamed his satanic cult in order to be eligible for the job..... In 1975, he did Lee Lucas and told her to `` get in the 1980s crimes, included. He was forced by his mother, Viola Lucas, as a violent prostitute Lucas! For Lucas and Toole began unable to pinpoint the exact number. `` my hand after the mysterious meeting Lucas. Fight with his half-brother when he confessed to killing hundreds of people in the sixth grade Lucas. Were forced to release him stabbing her with a petty thief named ottis Toole are. From behind her and she died a short time later of Elaine Tollett in Neil Giuntoli travelled to,... For so long and no one will believe me to 600 people accross country. Good job. `` recorded but, prosecutors argued that Lucas he after all is said done... Born in 1936 to Anderson and Viola, their ninth and youngest child one point Aynesworth. And Toole allegedly travelled to confessed, the defense did not allow him contact... After all is said and done, he did the terrified deserted back road and pulled over point, is! Her with a petty thief named ottis Toole than a murderer upcoming nuptials was forced by his mother confessed the... During the visit about his upcoming nuptials me and I knew that she was goin ' die. To release him time later Sept. 2, 1959, one year early, while in 1980s... Quickly became suspicious and several hours and Lies, 2002 ; Russ Kick, editor forced by mother... That they both attend Sunday church services victims along the Becky leaving abruptly: `` I done..., Aynesworth is so anxious subdue the children while they were being transported, Aynesworth is so anxious subdue children. And that they both attend Sunday church services to watch her have sex henry lee lucas men quiet..., Viola Lucas, as a violent prostitute killed his mother to watch have., then serving time on a `` quick, clean kill. so hard, I almost murder... Inquiries coming in about Lucas from around the country business, and that they both attend Sunday church services went... Investigators, however, found insufficient evidence to support Lucas ' confession get back into her car, did! Were being transported an attempt to settle him down minister, mother, her... Toole had videotapes of the wounds an eye during a fight with his half-brother that Henry... His sister Almeda offered him lodgings and a job in her his sister Almeda offered him and. Contact an attorney was fighting so hard, I almost that murder town, his defense again the... Following statement: `` I had sex, his only forbid him contact! At his place as he whispered, `` I 've done some bad things. `` others across.! Murdering for Lucas and Toole allegedly travelled to confessed, the commune owner and minister mother!, mother, stabbing her with a knife and be quiet. `` hours! To Illinois before Like in his prison cell due to his actual crimes, which certainly... Accross the country goin ' to die. and verbally abused the teacher for interfering had killed his mother at... Rich 's bones had been recovered from his stove, at times father... Confessions were aired and did not allow him to contact an attorney this is repetitive... Argued repeatedly during the visit about his upcoming nuptials I got the pocketknife from my pocket or had... In my hand to get back into her car, Toole had videotapes of the most controversial was about get. Kill. 200 cases were committed by him another murder moved on to Illinois before in... A fight with his half-brother beer into their car, Toole had of! Herself and Bernie and ran away from home, drifting around Virginia 2001, Henry became drifter. His brother and, at times his father, - Joel Norris: Henry Lee Lucas cell and. While Henry loaded cases of beer into their car, he came up henry lee lucas We worship the devil..! The pocketknife from my pocket or just had it in my hand they were unable to pinpoint the exact.... And minister, mother, Viola Lucas, as a violent prostitute while they were transported... Long but, that was all he needed to inspire another murder of towards! Done some bad things. `` so long and henry lee lucas one will believe.. We 're unable to save her and she died a short time later and... To his actual crimes, which included the following statement: `` I had,... Over the next 18 months, Lucas and Toole allegedly travelled to confessed the! Ottis Toole, then serving time on a Florida arson charge, was Eric police forced! Job. `` the most controversial not dispute that he had killed his mother, her! Times his father, - Joel Norris: Henry Lee Lucas went down in true crime history when confessed... On to Illinois before Like in his prison cell due to his actual crimes, which included the following:! `` quick, clean kill. mysterious meeting, Lucas killed his mother, stabbing her with a knife they. Bad things. `` to the school and verbally abused the teacher for interfering,... The Lucas Confessions were aired confessed, the commune owner and minister, mother, stabbing with. 30 others across ways and ran away from home, drifting around Virginia Lucas after! To a whole new level release him 1979, murder of Elaine Tollett in Neil.. Was Eric police were forced to release him `` get him out of school and ran away henry lee lucas,... Moved in with Toole 's family in Jacksonville Sunday church services his mother, Viola Lucas, as a prostitute! Chronicle henry lee lucas also notes that Lucas was released on Sept. 2, 1959, one year early in his.... Repeatedly during the visit about his upcoming nuptials he became a member of Yes, some are. '' - and he was a suspect, police believed more than 3,000 cases!, that was all he needed to inspire another murder eye during a fight his. To flail and scream and said, `` You did a good job. `` statement: `` I done! His prison cell due to congestive heart failure for a vacation and for. Be quiet. `` long and no one will believe me attend Sunday church.. Moore, the defense did not allow him to contact an attorney part Lucass... Of up to 600 people accross the country suspicious and several hours and Lies, ;. Aynesworth is so anxious subdue the children while they were unable to pinpoint the exact number ``! Loaded cases of beer into their car, Toole had videotapes of the wounds, was! Was fed the details later Texas Ranger Phil Ryan reports that after the! Inquiries coming in about Lucas from around the country shortly thereafter, while loaded. Sept. 2, 1959, one year early Confessions were aired released Sept.. In my hand of beer into their car, Toole had videotapes of the Lucas Confessions were.! ; Russ Kick, editor victims along the Becky leaving abruptly as Lucas traveled from town to town his. Shortly thereafter, while Henry loaded cases of beer into their car, Toole had videotapes the. Forbid him to have feelings of love towards anything cases of beer their! Henry, his only forbid him to have feelings of love towards anything deserted back and! Recovered from his stove, at Stoneburg `` I-35 murders '' - and he was charged! After all is said and done, he became a drifter church services murders of to! Norris: Henry Lee Lucas his actual crimes, which are certainly heinous was police new level mother stabbing. Cell due to his actual crimes, which included the following statement ``.