Earle Leonard Nelson
The Dark Strangler, The Gorilla Man, The Gorilla Killer.
Earle Leonard Nelson, born on May 12, 1897, in San Francisco, California, was a notorious American serial killer—often cited as the first documented serial sex murderer of the 20th century. Raised by a strict Pentecostal grandmother after losing both parents to syphilis by age two, Nelson exhibited bizarre and erratic behavior early on, compounded by a serious head injury from a bicycle accident at age ten. Between February 1926 and June 1927, he embarked on a murderous spree across the West Coast, the Midwest, Eastern United States, and into Canada—responsible for the rape and strangulation of predominantly middle-aged landladies, often found hidden within their homes. Investigators linked him to at least 22 confirmed murders (with some estimates as high as 24 plus one child) through crimes that included necrophilia, brutal post-mortem assaults, and theft of belongings. His downfall came in Winnipeg after victims’ possessions surfaced at pawn and second-hand shops, combined with eyewitness accounts of his appearance at a barber's—leading to his arrest on June 16, 1927. Nelson was convicted of one murder, sentenced to death, and ultimately executed by hanging on January 13, 1928, in Winnipeg.
[1926—West Coast California, Oregon, Washington] Clara B. Newman (60F, San Francisco, Feb 20, 1926), Laura Beale (63F, San Jose, Mar 2, 1926), Lillian St. Mary (63F, San Francisco, Jun 10, 1926), Ollie Russell (53F, Santa Barbara, Jun 24, 1926), Mary C. Nisbet (52F, Oakland, Aug 16, 1926), Beata B. Duhrkoop Withers (35F, Portland, Oct 19, 1926), Virginia Ada Gray Grant (59F, Portland, Oct 20, 1926), Mabel H. Fluke (F, Portland, Oct 21, 1926), Anna Edmonds (56F, San Francisco, Nov 18, 1926), Florence Monks (48F, Seattle, Nov 23, 1926), Blanche Myers (48F, Portland, Nov 29, 1926) [1926—Midwest—Iowa, Missouri] Mrs. John Brerard (Almira Berard)(41F, Council Bluffs, Dec 23, 1926), Bonnie Pace (23F, Kansas City, Dec 27, 1926), Germania Harpin (28F, Kansas City, Dec 28, 1926), Robert Harpin (8 Months, Kansas City, Dec 28, 1926) [1927—East Coast and Midwest USA] Mary McConnell (53F, Philadelphia, Apr 27, 1927), Jennie Randolph (53F, Buffalo, May 30, 1927), Fannie May (53F, Detroit, Jun 1, 1927), Maureen Atorthy (F, Detroit, Jun 1, 1927), Mary Cecilia Sietsma (27F, Chicago, Jun 4, 1927) [1927—Manitoba, Canada], Lola Cowan (14F, Winnipeg, Jun 8, 1927), Emily Patterson (27F, Winnipeg, Jun 10, 1927)
Earle Leonard Nelson
Closed Case
1926, 1927
[United States of America] California, Oregon, Washington, Iowa, Missouri [Canada] Manitoba
Murder
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Serial Killer
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Sexual Assault
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