Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “Genesee River Killer” Arthur Shawcross Pt. 1

Episode Date: October 11, 2021

Arthur Shawcross was always a little "off." As a boy, he was unsympathetic and violent, exploding with anger at the slightest provocation. When he was older, fighting in the Vietnam War only intensified his aggressive, unpredictable nature. Arthur returned from service traumatized and harrowed by the experience — but that didn't stop him on his hunt for blood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder, suicide, pedophilia, and rape that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. The first thing Arthur Shawcross noticed about 8-year-old Karen Hill was her honey blonde hair. As the sunlight reflected off of her golden head like a halo, his eyes were drawn to her. He'd always liked that color. It was an autumn day in 1972, and Arthur stood at his usual fishing spot on the bank of the Black River.

But now, watching Karen cross the bridge above him, he formed other plans. The 27-year-old called out to the girl. Arthur had away with kids, and he coaxed Karen into fishing with him, goading and teasing until she agreed. She climbed over the fence and down the hill. Arthur started like he usually did, playfully poking the young girl.

But his nudges turned to pushes, then shoves. Sometimes it was enough for Arthur to see them cry, but not this time. He pushed Karen down, shoving mud and dirt into her mouth to keep her quiet. As Karen struggled helplessly, Arthur tugged her shorts off and raped her. Once he had enough, he took a string dangling from her shirt, and wrapped it around her throat, pulling hard until Karen went limp. Afterwards, Arthur stashed the body under some discarded cement slabs and climbed up the hill back to the bridge. Now he thought it was time for some ice cream.

Hi, I'm Greg Poulson. This is Cereal Killers, a Spotify original from Parkast. Every episode, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today we'll take a look at Arthur Shawcross, otherwise known as the Genesee River Killer. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. You can find episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parkast for free on Spotify. In today's episode, we'll explore Arthur's disturbing childhood habits, his traumatic service in the Vietnam War, and how that experience left him with disturbing urges. Next time, we'll follow Arthur's path as he drops body after body into the Genesis. River, as well as the disturbing pattern that led to his capture.

We've got all that and more coming up. Stay with us. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the lonely hearts killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect business partner because you have Shopify. It's the commerce platform that can help you with literally everything, website design, marketing, shipping, and more. So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that.

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which includes gas, floating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. People lie for all kinds of reasons. A small, innocent fib can help protect you from trouble, spare a loved one from pain, or just get you out of a tedious social engagement. Every day, millions of people deceive one another to little or no consequence. Arthur Shawcross was not one of those people.

No lie was too small or too big for him. He was incapable of telling the same story twice without twisting details, seemingly for no reason, except the sheer enjoyment of deception. For that reason, there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding Arthur's life. But despite the mystery clouding his motivations and crimes, one thing is for sure. From the moment he came into this world, Arthur's Shawcross was different. Arthur was born in a U.S. Naval Hospital in Maine in June of 1945, at least one month before his due date. His parents, Corporal Arthur Sr. and Betty Shawcross, waited anxiously while the doctors monitored the premature newborn.

But after 20 days, the young parents took their son home to Watertown, New York. After this rocky start, Betty still didn't have the happy motherhood experience she wanted. Arthur was a strange baby. He had a perfectly blank expression and rarely cried or laughed. Betty thought this was his personality, just a strange, question. quirk of her young son, but it might have been something more serious, an early sign of a characteristic called inappropriate affect. Vanessa is going to take over in the psychology here and throughout the episode. As a note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, but we have done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to the DSM-5,

Inappropriate Affect is when someone's reaction to an experience doesn't match the reaction the situation calls for, like laughing at something terrible or looking emotionless during a celebration. Psychologists would later note that as an adult, Arthur displayed signs of inappropriate affectation, but it's unclear what triggered this. The DSM-5 indicates that this lack of expression can be a symptom of larger issues, such as traumatic brain injuries, neurocognitive disorders, and schizophrenia. But since there's no record of Arthur experiencing an early head injury, it was likely one of the latter causes. Had Betty and Arthur's senior sought out a professional opinion,

they might have found the root cause of whatever his issues were. However, they felt no need. This behavior was strange, but it was easy to ignore. After all, Arthur acted like any other child in all other ways. But according to friends and family, there was still something about the boy that made Betty pull back. Once she had more children, she was able to summon warmth and affection for them,

but never seemed to do the same toward Arthur, and he couldn't help but internalize her coldness. For a few years, Arthur's blank stare was the worst of his peculiarities, but when he was five or six, he started speaking in baby talk, clipping his words and softening consonants. Arthur already knew how to speak, but now he chose not to. A 2015 study published in the private, care companion for CNS disorders calls this regression, which is an unconscious defense

mechanism caused by stress, trauma, or frustration. Some psychologists believe those who regress deeper into childhood are searching for the love and security that babies receive. It's likely Arthur saw how Betty treated his younger siblings and wanted that same attention. Unfortunately, this behavior only frustrated and alienated Betty even more. She started scolding, yelling, and spanking Arthur in an attempt to straighten him out. But this only accelerated his unfavorable quirks. So around first grade, Arthur tried something new. He crawled under the house and watched his family search for him, relishing their concern.

Hours later, he jumped out and laughed. He craved this attention, so he devised other tricks to keep the spotlight on him. In school, Arthur achieved this by making noise. and jokes, constantly interrupting lessons to draw all eyes on him. He'd also get up and leave unexpectedly. But this wasn't what worried the teachers the most. It was Arthur's dynamic with the other children. Other classmates thought Arthur was strange. Sure, he could make them laugh, but his baby talk disturbed them. They all avoided him and even started picking on him. Unable to make friends, Arthur created imaginary peers to play with. The seven-year-old summoned a

boy his age and a slightly younger girl with bright blonde hair. When this behavior drew even more bullying from his classmates, Arthur lashed out with violence. He picked on children younger than him and seemed to enjoy making them cry. When he was eight, he even brought an iron bar onto the school bus and used it to hit other kids, lavishing in their terror. After that incident, the school decided to intervene. the request of administrators, Arthur at his first in a series of mental evaluations in May of 1953. But instead of giving straight answers to the specialists, Arthur kept giving different

responses, not caring about the inconsistencies or contradictions. This strategy was likely how Arthur attempted to stay out of trouble at home. He wanted his mother to love him and couldn't always understand why his behavior upset her. So he'd guess what she wanted to hear, even when she accepted her. explicitly demanded the truth. This habit made Arthur a difficult case, even for the professionals. After a full evaluation, the specialist couldn't determine an issue. They did notice Arthur carried bitterness toward his mother, and guess that's where his hostility came from. But beyond that, they couldn't provide any advice. Eventually, the school decided to hold Arthur back a grade. Not only

did he have behavioral issues, but his grades were terrible. However, school wasn't Arthur's biggest problem. No matter how hard he tried, Arthur couldn't get his mother to treat him with the affection he craved. She defended him when he got into trouble at school or with neighbors, but many saw that as more for her benefit than his. Once they were alone, her aloofness made him feel worthless. Eventually, Arthur's resentment toward his mother turned into rage. Around age 10, he decided that he would never let a woman control him. He lashed to his. He lashed to his. out against all women and girls in his life through disobedience, back-talking, and bullying.

Though he couldn't help but want to please his mother, he committed to his bad behavior for the sake of establishing his independence. As he got older, Arthur's constant fights at school became more dangerous. Instead of knowing when to stop, he pummeled his victims until someone yanked him off, and anything could set him into a rage. When he was 12, his older cousin called him stuble. so he waited outside her house for hours, and once she came out, he slammed a baseball bat into her shins. He grabbed an axe and threatened to chop her head off, but her boyfriend knocked the weapon out of Arthur's hands, sending him running home.

Arthur's extended family avoided him after that. One aunt told her daughter to be careful around Arthur because he was going to kill someone someday. His aunt wasn't alone in this worry. In addition to violence, Arthur developed two disturbing interests. First, he loved setting fires. Second, he started hurting animals. Arthur liked to set snares and catch small creatures just to flatten them with a hammer, put them on his dartboard, or drown them.

He spent all of his time in the woods near his house, playing with matches and torturing animals. It's hardly surprising that nobody knew how to be. had a deal with Arthur and the overwhelming amount of trouble he caused. Even as a 12-year-old, most people were afraid of him. Neighbors said that he'd come from Satan because of his cruel nature and chilling, blank stare. Despite this awful reputation, Arthur wanted to be seen as the victim. He'd do anything to push fault off of himself. If he lost a fight, he screamed and cried like a toddler. He never once took a responsibility for his actions. By the time he entered

8th grade, Arthur was three years older than his peers because he'd been held back so many times, and at that stage, he was well known for his disruptive, violent, and bizarre behavior. But the real danger formed quietly inside of Arthur's mind, unnoticed by his family and peers. Throughout his teenage years, Arthur became obsessed with the idea of sex. Well, that's not atypical for many teens. The nature of Arthur's obsession was troubling. He constantly imagine dominating girls through oral penetration, relying on their humiliation for his own pleasure. The main objects of his fantasies were the controlling women in his reality, including his mother, aunt, and sister. While these daydreams remained locked in Arthur's head,

they also hinted at more sinister things to come. A 1989 study in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that serial sexual offenders who start with fantasies, are creating trial runs to act out their urges. This way, they can come close to their desire without too much trouble, and that's just what Arthur did. When fantasies alone stopped fulfilling him, Arthur drilled holes in the wall so he could watch his family members have sex. When this wasn't enough, he spied on the neighbors as well,

but he still wasn't satisfied. Arthur wanted the real thing, no matter what it took. One day in an attempt to fool around with a local girl, he grabbed her crotch and squeezed until she cried. And that likely wasn't the only time Arthur found sexual pleasure in another's pain. Arthur's own account of his teenage sex life involves a smattering of violent sexual experiments, including beastiality. And though it's nearly impossible to know how much truth there is to Arthur's stories, one thing is clear. He was only skimming the surface of his violent desires. As his terrifying habits got worse,

everyone in Watertown and the neighboring communities could only watch and wonder, what would Arthur Shawcross do next? Coming up, Arthur's time at war gives them a taste for blood. Since the beginning of time, people have wanted to believe in an afterlife. Hi, listeners, I'm Shelby Scott, In Mediums, a new Spotify original from Parcast, I take a closer look at the mortal lives of spiritualists who claim to communicate with the dead and the scientists who tried to debunk them.

This eight-episode series looks at paranormal events proven to be hoaxes and those which have mystified even the world's greatest skeptics. Mixing history, mystery, and social psychology, mediums asks how these self-proclaimed psychics pull, off the illusion of interacting with the dead, even under a microscope of criticism. Were they all simply peddling parlor tricks, or was there something truly paranormal going on? Break out your Ouija board, dust off your crystal ball, or light some candles, because Parcast is ready to reveal what's really known about the unknown. Follow the Spotify original from Parcast mediums. Summon new episodes every Wednesday, free and only on Spotify.

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or taking birth control pills. Taking Zepbound with a sulfonel urea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-99-79 or visit Zepbound Stubbound. Now back to the story. By 1962, Arthur Shawcross had a reputation in Watertown, New York, as a dangerous and deplorable young man, and his life was going downhill quickly. His middle school and high school kept holding him back, so by the time Arthur reached ninth grade, he was 17. Seeing no point in continuing his education, he dropped out. Arthur worked menial jobs for a few months, but found it impossible to keep out of trouble.

In December, 1963, he was arrested for burglary and was sentenced to 18 months probation. Still, Arthur's parents held out hope that their son would curb his bad habits once he settled down. And when he met Sarah Chatterton, they believed he had a chance. Arthur met Sarah working at the Family Bargain Center around 1963. Sarah grew up a town away and had never heard of Arthur's dark past. He was well-dressed and funny, and to Sarah, that was perfect husband material. So in September of 1964, the pair got married. But within the first few weeks of married life, Sarah knew she'd made a mistake.

First, Arthur reportedly wouldn't have sex with her. Instead, he stayed out walking in the woods, fishing, playing arcade games, and flirting with other women. anything but spending time with her. But that wasn't all Sarah resented about her husband. Arthur hated working and always found a way to get fired for talking back or causing trouble. He much preferred to earn money by faking injuries and collecting workers' compensation. There was only one job Arthur liked, being an apprentice butcher at the local meat market. At first, Sarah likely enjoyed his enthusiasm for the role, but that soon changed.

Arthur talked about killing and blood so much that Sarah began to feel nervous around her new husband. He was totally different from the person she married. But Sarah hoped that her unsettling home life was only a temporary issue. At some point during those first few months of marriage, Arthur finally had sex with his wife, and Sarah became pregnant. Perhaps this gave her new hope for a normal, happy family. Maybe fatherhood would transform Arthur into the man Sarah remember. But any hope she might have had were in vain. In the winter of 1965, Arthur was driving when a teenager threw a snowball at his car.

Arthur slammed on the brakes and chased the boy into his home, breaking down the front door and beating him. When he realized other people were home, he left through the splintered door. After he was caught, Arthur received another six months probation and a court-ordered psychiatric checkup. The mental health experts declared that he was emotionally unstable and that he overreacted to minor stress. This wasn't exactly news to Arthur's family, but it was the last straw for his young wife. She asked for a divorce and full custody of their son, but for Arthur, another life-altering event was just around the corner. As he was finalizing his divorce in April 1967, Arthur was drafted into the military.

Initially, this seemed like a positive influence. The structure appeared to be good for him. Plus, in his new uniform, he caught the eye of one particular woman. Around the time that he was drafted, Arthur fell in love with a bartender named Linda Neri, and this time he was open from the start. He told her about his struggles with his mom and his impatience with school. It was a quick courtship, and though their families wanted them to stall until Arthur finished his service, The young couple couldn't wait.

They eloped, and the day after their private ceremony, Arthur told Linda about his criminal history. This uncharacteristic show of honesty was a new step in Arthur's romantic relationships. Perhaps he felt a special connection with Linda, or maybe he genuinely wanted a clean slate, but it was one of the last conversations he and Linda had before Arthur shipped off to Vietnam in October 1967. It's difficult to know for certain what Arthur's experience in Vietnam was like. His fondness for lies and exaggeration makes it difficult to tell if his grandiose war stories contain any truth, and if so, how much? Arthur would later boast to anyone who'd listen that he went on solo missions to hunt down the enemy, eventually racking up a body count of 39.

He'd been violent since he was a child, and now in the jungles of Vietnam, he had the operation. opportunity to fully test his cruelty. In one of his stories, he raped a woman, shot her, then mutilated the corpse by decapitating her and cutting open her body. But even for such a merciless bully, the war's brutality came with a cost. After almost a year of constant battle and violence, 23-year-old Arthur returned to the U.S. in September of 1968, and despite his posturing, he emerged from the military a very different man. If killing gave him a sense of or vengeance in Vietnam. It ate away at him once he was home. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, it's estimated that over 800,000 U.S.

soldiers who served in Vietnam have had post-traumatic stress disorder in their lifetime. While all these men were exposed to traumatizing events, a 2014 study published in World Psychiatry found that people with pre-trauma mental health issues, like Arthur, are more likely to develop PTSD. He was already prone to impulsive violence due to his mental disorders, both diagnosed and undiagnosed. But war unlocked the darkest parts of him,

and when he returned home, it was hard to quell these violent tendencies. Two days after he arrived in New York, Linda touched Arthur while he was sleeping, and he lashed out, punching her in the face. It seemed violence was now an unstoppable instinct. Arthur sobbed and apologized, but both he and Linda realized this was only the beginning. In a desperate search for relief, Arthur visited the Army psychiatrist and was prescribed medication

that was meant to ease the effects of his PTSD, but nothing changed. Arthur was a ticking time bomb. Linda could sense that something was brooding inside her husband, and she walked on eggshells whenever he was home. She didn't want to be around Arthur when something finally set him off. However, just like Arthur's first wife, Sarah, Linda swallowed any fear she might have had when she realized she was carrying Arthur's baby. She hoped he would get better once the child was born, but she was very, very wrong. During an argument in June 1969, Arthur finally cracked.

He punched Linda over and over until she lost consciousness. realizing what he'd done, Arthur fled his house, leaving his wife on the floor. Her family found her and took her to the hospital. The beating was so severe that Linda miscarried their child. After the incident, Arthur tried to see Linda, but she had made up her mind once and for all. She refused to be with someone who was so ruthlessly violent, so she demanded a divorce. This crushed Arthur. Linda was his one stability in life. life, and now that she was gone, his tether to reality fractured completely. After that, he went on a crime spree, breaking into a gas station and setting several fires.

When police questioned him about the robberies, he admitted to it, plus the arson. He said he set the fires because he was distraught over Linda and didn't know what to do. When discussing the incidents later, Arthur told a slightly different story. He claimed that he was sitting outside when a voice in his head told him to burn down one of the nearby barns. Per usual, neither psychiatrist nor the courts knew what was true and what was a fabrication. But it hardly mattered. Arthur was a dangerous man, no doubt about it. And for his offenses, he received five years in prison.

But even in jail, the prison psychiatrist was baffled by Arthur's mix of potential psychological disorders. Other psychologists had diagnosed him with a wide range of things, from schizoid to schizophrenia, not to mention his PTSD and sexual fantasies. It was clear Arthur was a disturbed person, but nobody knew how or why. By the time Arthur was eligible for parole, it was still unclear what was going on inside his mind. The prison psychiatrist examined him one last time before his parole hearing and noted that Arthur shouldn't be underestimated.

He explained that Arthur would require close supervision and mental health support. It seems the parole board took this as a sign that Arthur was no longer a danger to society, as long as he had outside support and agreed to release him from prison. So Arthur walked back into the world in October 1971. Though he feigned an interest in getting psychiatric help to appeal to the board, Arthur blew off his mandated psychotherapy appointments. For some reason, authority. Nobody's failed to follow up with Arthur or punish him for his parole violations.

Instead of heeding the psychiatrist's warning to keep a close eye in him, they allowed Arthur to slip off their radar. All the while, Arthur's mind wove together traumatic memories and sadistic visions, and soon, merely fantasizing wasn't enough. Coming up, Arthur turns his darkest daydreams into reality. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want.

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You win? Details at yamava.com must be 21-20. Please gamble responsibly. Monopoly is a trademark of Hasbro. Hasbro is not a sponsor. this promotion. Now back to the story. In the fall of 1971, 26-year-old Arthur Shawcross walked out of his prison cell and moved back to his hometown of Watertown, New York. Despite his numerous emotional and personality disorders, plus PTSD, Arthur determinedly avoided psychiatric

help. Instead, the ex-con got a job working at the city's public works department. Then, after a few months, Arthur ran into a girl from high school, 23-year-old Penny Sherbinow. Penny remembered being told to avoid the Shawcross boy, but seeing him now, she couldn't recall why. He was attractive and funny, so when he asked her out, she accepted. After five dates, Penny realized she was pregnant, so she and her two children moved in with Arthur at a complex called the Cloverdale Apartments. The couple married in April of 1972, and just like his previous wives, Penny quickly realized that married life wouldn't be easy. Arthur became distant and spent long periods of time ignoring her completely.

But Penny's children didn't seem to mind Arthur most of the time. He spent most of his time with the kids and even played like one. He frequently joined the group of Clover apartment children at the nearby playground. Arthur liked wrestling and roughhousing, especially with the blonde kids. but he was a grown man and he often took these matches too far. Many of the local parents found him strange, so Arthur had few adult friends, but he was fine with that. Arthur preferred to be with kids or just completely alone,

and in those moments of solitude he liked to go fishing. He packed his gear, attached it to the back of his bicycle, and made for the nearby Black River. But for someone who loved fishing so much, Arthur never came home with any catches. Penny asked him if he was really going fishing or if he did something else with all of his alone time. Of course, Arthur never gave her a straight answer. There was one person who knew for a fact that Arthur was going fishing.

A neighborhood boy, 10-year-old Jack Blake, sometimes joined him on the banks of the Black River. Arthur first met Jack and his younger brother Pete by the river in the spring of 1972, and Arthur appreciated the company. He went home with the two boys to ask their mother permission to take them fishing, but she refused. She didn't want her kids hanging out with a stranger. At first, Jack protested, but Arthur told him to listen to his mother, nodding politely at the boy's parents before heading out. But the next time Arthur saw Jack and Pete, it was like that conversation never happened. They fished while Arthur told them about his time in Vietnam, leaning hard on the graphic details of his killings.

He also showed the boy's pictures of naked women. Arthur took a special interest in Jack, constantly reaching out to ruffle his blonde hair. That afternoon, they walked to a different fishing spot in a stone quarry. Arthur held Pete's hand while Jack walked ahead of them. Arthur called out to the older boy asking him to come back. When he didn't, Arthur lifted Pete up and held him over the quarry wall, threatening to drop him.

Frightened, Jack ran back, but once Arthur put Pete back on the ground, the two boys sprinted away. Arthur watched them go, but kept his eye on Jack's golden head. He wanted to see the 10-year-old again, and unfortunately for Jack, that opportunity arose quickly. According to witness accounts, on May 7, 1972, Arthur was home when he spotted Jack roaming outside near the Cloverdale apartments, looking for another friend who lived there. Arthur called out to the boy, who was likely suspicious after their last encounter. It's impossible to know for certain what happened next. Maybe Arthur convinced Jack to join him on a fishing outing again,

and the boy willingly walked with him at least partly through the woods. At one point, Jack must have tried to leave, and Arthur snapped. He chased Jack through the trees for a moment, easily catching the 10-year-old. Once in control, Arthur beat the young. boy, then raped him. When he finished, Arthur realized he needed to silence Jack or else face another stay in prison. It isn't clear exactly how Arthur ended the boy's life. He might have strangled Jack, closing his hands around the boy's neck and squeezing until the child finally went limp. Or he might have beaten the child to death. Either way, when Arthur stepped away from

the body, he found some tree bark and debris to lay over the corpse. Panting and covered in mud, Arthur stumbled out of the woods near a gas station, stopping to talk with the owner before heading home. When Penny asked where he'd been, his reply was the same as it ever was. He was fishing. While Penny didn't suspect otherwise, Jack's mother knew as soon as her son went missing who was to blame. She called the police to report her missing child

and told them to investigate a creepy guy named Art who lived in the Cloverdale apartment complex. Over the next few days, local law enforcement found someone who had seen Arthur leading Jack into the woods. And after checking Arthur's record, the police were suspicious. They spoke with him at his apartment twice, and each time he told them different stories. But no matter how suspicious Arthur appeared, the police just didn't have the grounds for arrest. With no body, there was no physical evidence to tie him to Jack's disappearance. The whole community was wary of Arthur, but there was nothing that could be done.

So Arthur went back to his routine of playing with Penny's kids and fishing. On September 2nd, Arthur was standing on the banks of the Black River when he saw a little girl crossing a bridge right above him. Eight-year-old Karen Hill had the same blonde hair as Jack. Maybe her hair even reminded Arthur of his childhood imaginary friend. Now here she was in the flesh. Arthur called out to Karen and asked if she wanted to join him, and she agreed. She climbed down to the shore.

Perhaps Karen tried to leave after talking to Arthur, recognizing that he was creepier than the average stranger. But she was no match for her captor. After leading Karen into the woods, Arthur pinned her down, then beat and raped her, shoving mud into her. her mouth to keep her quiet. When he was done, he strangled her to death with her own shirt strings. Arthur discarded Karen's body near a drainage pipe along the Black River, not far from where he killed her. Nearby were slabs of cement, likely left behind after some past construction. Arthur laid

them over the small body, then climbed up the same hill Karen had descended. Swinging himself over the bridge's railing, Arthur spotted a teenager from his apartment, complex and offered to take the boy out for ice cream, he wanted to have an alibi in case police came sniffing around again. However, the investigation moved quicker than Arthur anticipated. Karen's mother alerted police that evening, who then released the girl's description to the public. Immediately, someone called and said they saw a young girl climbing over a fence by the Black River. When pressed, they said they also saw a bike leaning against the fence. Following this tip, police found Karen that night, and Detective Charles Kubinsky quickly suspected Arthur

Shawcross. Not only was Arthur the primary suspect in Jack's disappearance, but the detective knew that he often biked to the river. When Kubinsky called him into the station for questioning, Arthur walked in calmly. He wanted to look like he was cooperating. So he said he was willing to talk without a lawyer present and told the cops everything he'd done the day Karen was murdered. He took care to emphasize his ice cream trip with his neighbor. By Arthur's logic, that specific incident explained why people had seen him and his bike near the bridge. As Kibinski asked him to tell the story a few more times, Arthur kept changing details and contradicting himself. Several times when Kubinski asked a hard question, Arthur shut down completely and just stared blankly at the table.

This defense mechanism likely had more to do with Arthur's dissociation than any rational strategy. but it was effective. Krabinski couldn't get Arthur to admit to anything remotely close to a confession. While Arthur avoided questions, officers tried to find enough physical evidence to tie him to the murder. A bloodhound traced Karen's scent on the bridge back to his Cloverdale apartment. Plus, they partially matched Arthur's bike to the one scene near the crime scene. Meanwhile, inside Watertown's police department building, Arthur refused to acknowledge this evidence. He kept quiet, but he couldn't keep that up forever.

He was taken home at 2 a.m. before being brought back to the station just over two hours later for more questioning. During this time, he never asked for a lawyer. By the morning, he was getting tired and wasn't sure if or when he could leave. Finally, at 9 a.m. on September 3rd, Arthur realized he was stuck, and he started talking at last. He told Kabynski that he probably committed Karen's murder, but he didn't remember doing it. By his own account, Arthur had a history of blackouts surrounding traumatic or graphic situations, so it's possible he was telling the truth. In 2014, the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law

published a study on the controversies of amnesia claims by violent offenders. Prosecutors will often say the defendant is avoiding responsibility, by pretending not to remember. However, the study found that there is a strong association between violent crimes and amnesia if the offender has a history of dissociation and if the crime is motivated by emotional arousal, both of which fit Arthur's background.

And while Kubinsky pressed Arthur for a more solid answer, he didn't budge. Unable to extract a full confession, Kubinsky changed his tactics. If he couldn't get Arthur to confess to killing Karen, maybe he could finally put to rest the murder of Jack Blake. He softened his approach, telling Arthur he knew it wasn't his fault, and Arthur responded to this coddling immediately. He wanted to be seen as the victim, and now that Kibinski was allowing him to take on that role, he felt more comfortable talking. He admitted he might have been with Jack near the railroad tracks.

That's all Arthur said. But it was enough. A witness had already called the Watertown station to report he'd seen Arthur coming out of the woods near a gas station the day that Jack disappeared. With Arthur's admission, he'd been near the railroad tracks, plus that tip, the police finally had an approximate location for Jack's body. Even without a full confession from Arthur,

investigators knew that finding the body might unlock key evidence. So they combed the woods again with Arthur's vague tip in mind. On September 6, 1972, the Watertown police found Jack Blake's corpse. After four months, the decay was so bad that most useful information had been destroyed. There had clearly been a struggle, and there were signs the boy had been raped. But apart from that, the police couldn't determine who killed him or how. Without any evidence strong enough to charge Arthur with murder, prosecutors made an important decision. They couldn't risk losing both cases, so they offered to lower the murder.

murder charge in the Karen Hill case to manslaughter in return for his confessions to both murders. Arthur agreed to the deal and accepted a sentence of 25 years with the chance of parole. In his confession, Arthur said Jack followed him fishing and that he was only trying to get the young boy to go home. Angry, he hit Jack and killed him instantly. This story didn't account for the clear signs of struggle and rape, but when asked why Jack's body was naked, Arthur only shrugged and said he didn't know and denied any responsibility. For anyone who suspected Arthur, this was completely unacceptable. To them, his unbelievable story was like rubbing salt in a wound. Arthur was going to prison no matter what. He had nothing to

lose, but still, he chose to withhold the truth. Arthur was sent to prison, and for the first few years, he reacted horribly to his imprisonment. He fought, argued, and refused to attend group therapy with the other inmates. Like every other expert he'd baffled before, the prison psychiatrist had no idea what to make of Arthur. His symptoms and stories changed so quickly. It was impossible to pinpoint his mental disorders or how to treat them. In some records, doctors wrote he was only mildly depressed and anxious. In others, he was a dangerous schizophrenic pedophile. Arthur's file was full of contradictions and confusion. But with a manslaughter charge instead of murder, Arthur was redeemable in the eyes of the law,

no matter what his file said. After just five years behind bars, Arthur was eligible for parole. He applied several times, but each time he was swiftly denied. It seemed that at last, the parole board recognized how dangerous he truly. was. After so many rejections, Arthur realized he needed to change his attitude if he wanted to gain freedom. So he started taking classes to earn the high school diploma he never got. He also worked some of the odd jobs around the prison and started acting more friendly and social. Most importantly, Arthur agreed to attend the prison's group therapy sessions, but he wasn't an active participant. When he did speak, he contradicted himself, constantly mixing up fact and fiction.

In some sessions, he'd say he was molested by his sister as a child. In the next, he'd retell the same story as if it were just a fantasy. The same thing happened with the stories of Vietnam, his relationship with his mother, and his crimes. For a decade, Arthur continued to confuse and horrify the prison psychiatrist, but slowly he learned what answers they expected and tailored his responses accordingly. It was yet another deception, but the psychiatrist bought it. From their perspective, Arthur was finally showing signs of rehabilitation. Each time he applied for parole, he improved in the eyes of the board.

In the spring of 1987, 41-year-old Arthur stood in front of the parole board for the sixth time. In only seven minutes, he convinced them that he was no longer dangerous and that he was invested in continuing his mental and emotional progress. It didn't matter that Arthur's file was full of psychiatric warnings and concerns. In April of 1987, he was released after 14 years and six months in prison. And though we fooled the parole board, Arthur still contained the same rage, pain, and cruelty he always had. Throughout his time in prison, from group therapy to parole meetings, Arthur never truly apologized or showed sustained remorse for killing two children,

partly because he wasn't sorry, partly because he wasn't done yet. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back soon with part two on Arthur Shawcross, where we'll follow the devastating aftermath of his prison release. For more information on Arthur Shawcross, amongst the many sources we used, we found the misbegotten son, a serial killer and his victims, the true story of Arthur J. Shawcross by Jack Olson, extremely helpful to our research.

You can find more episodes of serial killers and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. Have a killer week. Serial Killers is a Spotify original from Parcast. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound designed by Michael Motion, with production assistants by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Joshua Kern.

This episode of Serial Killers was written by Kit Fitzgerald, with writing assistance by Georgia Hampton and Joel Callan, fact-checking by Bennett Logan, and research by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood. Serial Killers stars Greg Poulson and Vanessa Richardson. Hi, I'm Shelby Scott, host of Mediums, a new Spotify original. from Parcast. You can join me Wednesdays as I dive into the world of spiritualism and the women that defined it. We'll explore everything from obvious con artists to 150-year-old mysteries. It'll be a fascinating journey, so be sure to follow my new podcast mediums, free and only on Spotify. Want to hear something spooky.

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Listen now on Spotify or wherever you get your podcast. A beloved 75-year-old man washing up getting ready for bed is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive invite, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcasts this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.