Lonely hearts killer

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A lonely hearts killer (also called want-ad killer) is a criminal who commits murder by contacting a victim who has either posted advertisements to or answered advertisements via newspaper classified ads and personal or lonely hearts ads.[1]

Varied motives

The actual motivations of these criminals are varied. By definition, a killing will have taken place in as much as the suspected, accused, or convicted perpetrator has been dubbed a want-ad or lonely hearts killer. However, the crime may have involved a simple robbery gone wrong, an elaborate insurance fraud scheme, sexual violence/rape, or any of several other ritualized pathological impulses (e.g. necrophilia, mutilation, cannibalism, etc.). Sometimes murder is not the (original) intent, but becomes a by-product of rape or other struggles; in some cases, murder is committed simply to cover up the original crime. Some, on the other hand, are serial killers who utilize this method of targeting victims, either exclusively, or when it suits them.[2]

Notable lonely hearts and want-ad killers

The following accused and convicted murderers and serial killers are known to have used want ads, personal ads, and/or matrimonial bureaus to contact their victims:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Lonely Hearts Murderer'". New York Daily News. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009. Long before there was a craigslist or dot-com dating, there were places where men and women who were too shy or busy to meet face to face could find romance. Calling themselves "matrimonial bureaus," these organizations were known mostly as the "lonely hearts clubs," and they flourished through the middle of the 20th century. [...] (The article is a side-bar to a story about Philip Markoff, a "Craigslist killer" and it describes the murders committed in 1931 by Harry F. Powers, the so-called "Matromonial Bureau Murderer," also known as "The West Virginia Bluebeard" and "The Butcher of Clarksburg.")
  2. ^ 'The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers' by Harold Schechter.
  3. ^ "The Want Ad Killer" by Ann Rule, 1983 ISBN 0-451-16688-4. (This book is about the serial killer Harvey Carignan.)
  4. ^ Brown, Robin (2007-08-31). "Backstory extras: The Lonely Hearts murder case". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware (published 2007-07-17). Archived from the original on 2007-08-31.(This article deals with Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck of Delaware)
  5. ^ Shields, Pierrette J.; Mott, Jill P. "Boulder Jane Doe". Longmont Times-Call. Archived from the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2009-04-23. Boulder Jane Doe (This article covers a possible Colorado victim of Harvey Glatman, California’s “Lonely Hearts Killer.”)