True Crime
The Black Panther — Robber, Kidnapper and Serial Killer
The brutal murder of a seventeen-year-old heiress.
Donald Nielson was not your classic serial killer. Some may even classify him as a robber who killed through this criminal activity. Do not be fooled, though; on the surface, Nielson might seem nothing more than an unlucky thief; deep down, he was a psychotic serial killer.
Nielson was born in 1936 under the name of Donald Nappey. He was said to have an above-average IQ. He was ten when his mother died of breast cancer. It is reported that he had an impoverished childhood. His first arrest came in 1948; he was released with nothing more than a caution for theft due to his age.
At eighteen, he married twenty-year-old Irene Tate; she convinced him to leave the army. This short service would help him to become obsessed with war memorabilia, in particular, guns. His daughter was born in 1960 when Nappey would change his name to Nielson. Having been bullied at school due to his surname, he was eager his daughter did not endure the same.
Successful Robber
After many failed business ventures, Nielson would start his criminal ways through house robberies. He committed over four hundred without detection. To confuse the…
