Crime Documentary - The Arthur Shawcross story
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Arthur John Shawcross (June 6, 1945 – November 10, 2008), also known as the Genesee River Killer, was an American serial killer active in Rochester, New York.
His first known murders were in 1972 when he killed a young boy and a girl. Under the terms of a plea bargain, Shawcross was allowed to plead guilty to one charge of manslaughter, for which he served 12 years of a 25 year sentence. He killed most of his victims in 1988 and '89 after being paroled early which led to criticism of the justice system. A food service worker, Shawcross trawled the streets of Rochester in his girlfriend's 1984 sky blue Dodge Omni (later using her 1987 Chevy Celebrity), looking for prostitutes to abduct. Shawcross was noted to have had XYY syndrome.
He died in Albany, New York in 2008.
In April 1967 he was drafted by the Army at age 21. After his discharge from the Army, Shawcross moved with his wife from Oklahoma to Clayton, New York. His wife would soon divorce him, and he began committing crimes such as arson and burglary. His offenses earned him a five-year sentence at Attica Correctional Facility, and later Auburn Correctional Facility. After serving 22 months he was granted early release in October 1971, in part due to his role in the rescue of a prison guard during a riot.
Shawcross returned to Watertown, eventually getting a job with the Watertown Public Works Department, and marrying for a third time. On May 7, 1972, he raped and killed 10-year-old Jack Owen Blake (Oct. 18, 1961 - May 7, 1972), his first known victim, after luring the boy into some woods in Watertown, New York. Four months later, on September 2, he raped and killed eight-year-old Karen Ann Hill (1964 - Sep. 20, 1972), who had been visiting Watertown with her mother for the Labor Day weekend. Arrested in October, he confessed to both killings. Under the terms of a plea bargain he agreed to reveal the location of Blake's body; in return he was permitted to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in the Hill case, all other charges were dropped, and he received a 25-year sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility.
After twelve years, inexperienced prison staff and social workers concluded that Shawcross was "no longer dangerous", disregarding the warnings of psychiatrists, who had assessed Shawcross as a "schizoid psychopath". He was released on parole in April 1987. He had difficulty settling down in communities as the neighbors would protest his presence and employers would fire him. He first moved into Binghamton, New York, then relocated to Delhi, New York, with his girlfriend, Rose Marie Walley. When Delhi residents became aware of Shawcross' presence, the couple moved to nearby Fleischmanns, New York, only to be met with hostility there as well. Finally, in late June 1987, Shawcross' parole officer moved him and Walley into a transient hotel.
Arthur John Shawcross (June 6, 1945 – November 10, 2008), also known as the Genesee River Killer, was an American serial killer active in Rochester, New York.
His first known murders were in 1972 when he killed a young boy and a girl. Under the terms of a plea bargain, Shawcross was allowed to plead guilty to one charge of manslaughter, for which he served 12 years of a 25 year sentence. He killed most of his victims in 1988 and '89 after being paroled early which led to criticism of the justice system. A food service worker, Shawcross trawled the streets of Rochester in his girlfriend's 1984 sky blue Dodge Omni (later using her 1987 Chevy Celebrity), looking for prostitutes to abduct. Shawcross was noted to have had XYY syndrome.
He died in Albany, New York in 2008.
In April 1967 he was drafted by the Army at age 21. After his discharge from the Army, Shawcross moved with his wife from Oklahoma to Clayton, New York. His wife would soon divorce him, and he began committing crimes such as arson and burglary. His offenses earned him a five-year sentence at Attica Correctional Facility, and later Auburn Correctional Facility. After serving 22 months he was granted early release in October 1971, in part due to his role in the rescue of a prison guard during a riot.
Shawcross returned to Watertown, eventually getting a job with the Watertown Public Works Department, and marrying for a third time. On May 7, 1972, he raped and killed 10-year-old Jack Owen Blake (Oct. 18, 1961 - May 7, 1972), his first known victim, after luring the boy into some woods in Watertown, New York. Four months later, on September 2, he raped and killed eight-year-old Karen Ann Hill (1964 - Sep. 20, 1972), who had been visiting Watertown with her mother for the Labor Day weekend. Arrested in October, he confessed to both killings. Under the terms of a plea bargain he agreed to reveal the location of Blake's body; in return he was permitted to plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter in the Hill case, all other charges were dropped, and he received a 25-year sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility.
After twelve years, inexperienced prison staff and social workers concluded that Shawcross was "no longer dangerous", disregarding the warnings of psychiatrists, who had assessed Shawcross as a "schizoid psychopath". He was released on parole in April 1987. He had difficulty settling down in communities as the neighbors would protest his presence and employers would fire him. He first moved into Binghamton, New York, then relocated to Delhi, New York, with his girlfriend, Rose Marie Walley. When Delhi residents became aware of Shawcross' presence, the couple moved to nearby Fleischmanns, New York, only to be met with hostility there as well. Finally, in late June 1987, Shawcross' parole officer moved him and Walley into a transient hotel.
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