The Butcher of Plainfield: Ed Gein
Many people have seen Psycho, the Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but do they know who inspired those movies? Ed Gein is one of the weirdest murderers there is. He killed two women and dug up corpses from three local graves and used to skin them and use their skin as costumes or “fabric” to make chairs, trash cans, etc. He was born in Wisconsin to an alcoholic dad who died in 1940 and an abusive and religious mother. His mother was very religious and taught Ed and his brother Henery that sex and women were evil. Ed’s older brother Henery died mysteriously in 1944 in a barn fire. When his brother's corpse was found there were bruises on his head and the ME declared his death as an accident. Ed's mother died a year later in 1945. To honor his mother's memory Ed would keep corners of the house dedicated to her. Ed's first victim was Mary Hogan. She was 51 years old and owned a tavern in Pine Grove. On December 8, 1954, she was shot in the head and was taken to Ed’s Shed. three years later he killed Bernice Worden. Fortunately, Bernice's son was a deputy and when he had seen eds mothers body he became suspicious. The police were sent to Ed's house and what they saw was shocking. They saw heads used as soup bowls. Gein was also a cannibal and but necrophiliac (sexual intercourse with the dead)due to the fact that “the bodies smelled”. He confessed to killing the two women however, he might have killed more. Most of his victims were female probably based on how much he adored his mother and choose victims that reminded him of her. It is said that he used their skin to connect with his mother. He had a corset made of woman’s waists and a belt made of woman’s nipples. As well as blinds made from lips, a necklace made of men’s parts. Since Gein’s mother was overbearing it took a toll on him and messed him up. His mother told him women were evil so that was perhaps the root of the problem. It is also likely that around the time his brother died is when Gein started to get a feel for murder. His mothers’ death probably triggered something in him. Gein was arrested in 1957 but was mentally unfit for trial. Almost 10 years later he was put in charge of his own defense and was put on trial. He was only tried for one murder but then he was deemed insane at the time of that murder. Afterward, he stayed in a mental hospital where he stayed until his death in 1984 due to cancer and respiratory problems.
According to other people, he seemed harmless and a calm soul. he even babysat for one of his neighbors they claimed that he sat there eating peaches and watching television. Many murderers are deemed insane most of the time but, couldn't have they been mentally capable of their crime? Their lawyers usually have them plead insanity so they don't have to go to jail. Ed Gein had no known previous medical issues so why did they deem him mentally unstable? There is no real reason for Gein to be insane at the time of the murder. The crime was probably the reason because who in their right mind would kill and skin somebody and use their skin as a costume or fabric. the crime does not fully justify if the person is insane or not. Admittedly we have more resources and a bit more knowledge than the 1960s so the court went on by using what they already know/have. John Wayne Gacy pleaded not guilty due to insanity and the fact that he is a paranoid schizophrenic He later wrote a letter to the judge saying that the plea was made without his approval. He was sentenced to death and was executed in 1994. The insanity plea usually to protect the suspect from getting a harsher crime like life or death sentences. Gein and John Wayne Gacy both had something in common which is necrophilia but is that considered insane? It can be considered as really weird but not insane. Gein was probably insane but there seems to be only one source that claims him and his mom was schizophrenic. Ed Gein was named insane but was that just to get less jail time or was he actually insane based on all the weird stuff he did and made. Ed Gein was also living alone in his house for ten years and no one really knows what he did during the time leading up to the first murder. He could have been doing normal things for the past couple of years. Not many people know what he did during that time.
Ed Gein's mother is often to blame for his behavior based on everything she had put into his mind. He looked up to his mother and was his favorite person in the world. Augusta Wilhelmine Gein was born on July 21, 1878, and died December 29, 1945. As stated before she was very religious and was an abusive mother. Augusta taught her sons the innate immorality of the world, the evil of drinking, and the belief that all women other than herself were prostitutes and instruments of the devil. She reserved time every afternoon to read to them from the Bible, usually choosing graphic verses from the Old Testament dealing with death, murder, and divine retribution. She has also told her sons that they were never going to succeed in life just like their father. Gein had imprinted in his mind that sex and woman were evil so in his mind, he was probably doing his “duty to God”. She moved the family out to a farm so outsiders wouldn’t influence her sons. Gein only had himself and his brother for company. When his mother died and left him alone he wanted another mother figure or another presence with him leading into who he is today.
Davis, Mr. “Case File #001 Ed Gein (The Butcher of Plainfield) | Mr. Davis.” YouTube, YouTube, 23 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFLw90lrKsc.
Jenkins, John Philip. “Ed Gein.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Aug. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Ed-Gein.
“Real-Life Psycho Ed Gein Dies.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 13 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/real-life-psycho-ed-gein-dies.
Show, The Infographics. “America’s Strangest Serial Killer — Ed Gein (The Butcher of Plainfield).” YouTube, YouTube, 2 May 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmW4K1xkvoQ.
