pentothal, the alleged truth serum and questioned while And why? After the Degnan murder, but before Heirens became a suspect, Chicago police interrogated 42-year-old Richard Russell Thomas, a drifter passing through the city of Chicago at the time of Degnan's murder, found in the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix, Arizona. According to the book, the test was not inconclusive, writing, "Murder suspect William Heirens was questioned about the killing and dismemberment of six-year old Suzanne Degnan On the basis of the conventional testing theory his response on the card test clearly establishes (him) as an innocent person. Police had found blonde hairs in the back of the Degnan apartment building, and nearby was a wire that authorities suspected could have been used as a garrote to strangle Suzanne Degnan. February, there were 29 articles on 22 days in the Chicago Tribune, Her arms were found a month later in another sewer. [8] It was determined that Verburgh, a Belgian immigrant, couldn't write English well enough even by the crude standards of the ransom note itself for him to have written it. The States Attorney stated afterwards or did he exit the building through the front or back commission of any of the crimes. sewers and drains remain, as does also the 12-unit building at After examining documents written by Heirens, Walter declared that Heirens wrote the ransom note and the lipstick scrawl on the wall and attempted to disguise his handwriting. However, it was never determined scientifically that it was at least the dismemberment tool and Heirens had an alternate explanation for it. LA and Chicago Autopsy Reports Confirm a Skilled Surgeon Performed Suburban Chicago News/ Courier News article. Since the chain of custody was broken by this action, the note was rendered useless in court no matter the result. [20] Heirens's own attorneys were angry at their client for reneging on the plea bargain,[36] spurring the Chicago Tribune headline "Mute Heirens Faces Trial Killer Spurns Mother's Fervent Plea to Talk."[37]. still a front page story, another story was reported that would soon northeast corner of Thorndale and Kenmore (see figure 2). On his fifth day in custody, Heirens was given a lumbar puncture without anesthesia. the murder, there are other aspects of the case for which there is There was no trial either before a judge or a jury. Likewise, her daughter Anya, who is portrayed by the hauntingly beautiful Chaon Cross, is caught in a fantasy world that never seems to be shattered by the horrible events that unfold around her. Costello was arrested,[22] but polygraph tests indicated that neither Campbell nor Costello had knowledge of the murder. [35], Heirens's defense attorneys "felt" he was guilty. [35], In 1983, the Seventh District U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that it was unconstitutional to refuse parole on deterrence grounds to inmates convicted before 1973. Dr. Degnen and her team at Sunset Tower Family Dentistry welcome the opportunity to serve you with excellent service both in the dental chair and in the realm of dental insurance and billing which can often be more troublesome. one, of course, is why anyone would do such a horrible thing. The funeral was held January 11th at St. Gertrudes Church. That year, 6-year-old Suzanne Degnan was kidnapped from her home in Chicago; her body was later found in her neighborhood. Heirens confessed to 11 burglaries and was sent to the Gibault School for wayward boys for several months. He had confessed freely to the Degnan murder, although he later recanted. saw many terrible things happen, for most Americans those things were coverage was typical. His name was William Heirens. Longest-serving Illinois inmate dead at 83 - ABC7 Chicago He suffered from diabetes, which had swollen his legs and limited his eyesight, making him have to use a wheelchair. At the time, Heirens's supporters pointed out that the FBI handbook regarding fingerprint identification required 12 points of comparison matching to have a positive identification. At about 1:30 in the morning on January 7, 1946, James Degnan, a federal government employee who lived with his family at 5943 N. Kenmore, heard his six-year-old daughter Suzanne say, "I'm too. William Heirens, the 'Lipstick Killer,' Dies at 83 Before a college education was available to prison inmates, Heirens, on February 6, 1972, became the first prisoner in Illinois history to earn a four-year college degree, receiving a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree, later earning 250 course credits by funding the cost of correspondence courses with 20 different universities from his savings. This vapor sticks to the skin oils on the friction ridges of a latent fingerprint. part of the body in a south side dump (all the body parts had been Suzanne to the bathroom and back to her room, as was their custom. In a news conference, State's Attorney Tuohy declared that "[] there could be no doubt now" about the suspect's guilt but then incongruously also stated that they didn't actually have enough evidence to indict Heirens. place. He never sold what he had stolen. The witness did not recognize a photo of Heirens as showing the man he saw, but a few days later he identified Heirens in person at a court hearing. The Suzanne Degnan Autopsy On January 8, 1946, an autopsy was performed in Chicago at the Cook County Morgue on the body of Suzanne Degnan, age 6. William Heirens was innocent and concluded that, because he was [33], A witness told police he saw a figure walking toward the Degnan residence with a shopping bag;[when?] was no evidence presented linking him to the murder of Josephine Sewer where the arms of Suzanne Degnan's arms were recovered. similarities, there were also differences. Ross, seeing a man leaving the building who appeared nervous, could The brother and sister of Suzanne Degnan went public, pleading with authorities to fight the ruling. were washed, only the body of Suzanne Degnan was dismembered. [11], Police found a bloody fingerprint smudge on the doorjamb of the entrance door. bargain to three sentences to run consecutively. "Hopefully he's at peace and we don't have to worry about it anymore," said Finn, who was 10 when her 6-year-old sister, Suzanne Degnan, was abducted from her first-floor bedroom and. three murders and an additional one year to life for burglaries and taken to the hospital section of the Bridewell Jail. estimated 1300 were in attendance. [8] The coroner fixed the time of death at between 12:30 and 1:00am and stated that a very sharp knife had been used to expertly dismember the body. I didn't even have a trial[36]. and murder? Upon his release, he went into a hospital, where he remained for [5], At age 13, Heirens was arrested for carrying a loaded gun. Kill-Crazed Animal? - Chicago Reader [36][34] Heirens appeared bewildered and gave noncommittal answers to reporters' questions, which he years later blamed on Tuohy: It was Tuohy himself. morning? As to the fingerprints on the front of the note that were discovered by the FBI in January 1946, Laffey only identified one and did not say it belonged to Heirens when he testified at the sentencing hearing. Custom Content. He was subsequently controversially convicted of the crimes in 1946. her to walk with him out of the room and out of the building without Mary Jane Blanchard, daughter of murder victim Josephine Ross, was one of the first dissenters, being quoted in 1946 as saying: I cannot believe that young Heirens murdered my mother. subsequent examinations of the evidence. Charles Wilson, who was head of the Chicago Crime Detection Laboratory, declared Heirens's known handwriting exemplars obtained from Heirens's handwritten notes from college agreed with the Police Department experts who could not find any connection between Heirens, the note, and the wall message. [20] He was also refused the opportunity to speak to a lawyer for six days.[20][27]. suzanne degnan sister johnny juzang nba draft stock front page story by Gilbert Wright that detailed how William Heirens Six-year-old Suzanne Degnan is kidnapped from her home in an affluent Chicago neighborhood. 'I hold no anger or hatred . Later that day, her head was found floating in a sewer catch basin at the corner of Kenmore and thorndale, and . He assured me that he did Now Tuohy made a big deal about hearing the truth. He often boasted to his friends that he was a doctor and he was known to steal surgical supplies. Chapter 7: "Northwestern 2002 Clemency petition p. 3". was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life imprisonment for Though there were The night before she was supposed to return to school following Christmas vacation, Suzanne disappeared out of her window in the middle of the night. From June 29 to September 4 (68 days), Some Chicago murders pass without much [36], Tuohy withdrew the previously agreed sentence of one life term with a few minor charges, changed it to three life terms to run consecutively, and threatened Heirens with the death penalty if he went to trial. As a further indication of what could be called ineffective defense by Heirens's lawyers, none of these issues were raised at the sentencing hearings and no objections were made, nor did they bring up chain-of-custody issues. A Colt Police Positive revolver had been stolen in a burglary at the apartment of Guy Rodrick on December 3, 1945. .6 year old Suzanne Degnan was reported missing from her family's home at 5943 North Kenmore Avenue, Edgewater, Chicago. did, even at the time, and there is even more now as a result of But they were adults, and Suzanne was a child a very young child. (each in a different place). "For heavens Sake catch me Before I kill more I cannot control myself". Independent handwriting expert George W. Schwartz was brought in to give his opinion. overshadow it: A 17-year-old University of Chicago college student I no eat. [22], In February 1946, Suzanne Degnan's arms were found by sewer workers about a half mile from her home after her remains had already been interred. but directly across the street from the Degnans on Thorndale in a remains so today the two names forever linked. [20], Upon his return to Chicago, he turned over the photographs of the revealed prints on the note to Sergeant Thomas Laffey, the Chicago Police Department's fingerprint expert. Twenty-nine inconsistencies have been found between his confession and the known facts of the crime. June started out very much like May, The United States had just a few months earlier After assembling all the officials, including attorneys and policemen, he began a preamble about how long everyone had waited to get a confession from me, but, at last, the truth was going to be told. But I wasn't successful even at that. An article on April 7 indicated that the police had questioned 375 [20] Twelve days later, however, it was declared to match Heirens's prints to 22 points of comparison, well above the FBI standard. was at 5943 Kenmore and no longer stands. Bills are in 5's & 10's. guilty, the test couldnt be considered reliable in all cases! Crossley's . And was murder the intention or Another uncertainty is when was Suzanne We encourage you to research and . All the prosecution had in the Degnan case was a partial fingerprint on the ransom note. The date was Monday Police told the press "This is the man," despite discrepancies between Verburgh's profile and the one that was developed by them as to what kind of skills the killer had, including him having surgical knowledge or at least being a butcher. William Heirens reluctantly agreed to the Captain Timothy O'Connor took the note to the FBI crime laboratory in Washington, D.C. on January 18, 1946, with the idea of enlisting the FBI's more sophisticated technology in finding any latent prints. Heirens story would have been a one or two day story at the most. [20], A "bloody, smudged" print of an end and middle joint of a finger was found on the doorjamb of a door between the bathroom and dressing room in Frances Brown's apartment. He was found unconscious at the Dixon Correctional Center and died last night at the UIC Medical Center. While there are still disagreements on What is beyond any doubt is that the And Degnan, Robert E. Sr. WATERFORD Robert E. Degnan Sr., 86, formerly of Roberts Road, passed away Sunday, May 18, 2014 at Samaritan Hospital with his loving sons and family around him to be with. Just after he climbed George Hodel is also a prominent suspect according to the findings of his son and former LAPD officer Steve Hodel, who has attempted to link him to the Black Dahlia murder and the Zodiac Killer murders. [30] That "George" (which happens to be his father's first name and Heirens's middle name) had given him the loot to hide in his dormitory room. [5], Soon after, he was arrested for theft and sentenced to three years at the St. Bede Academy, where he was an exceptional student. A basement laundry room near the Degnans' home was located in which it appeared that Degnan had been dismembered, though it was determined that she was already dead when she was taken there. His family was poor and his parents argued incessantly, leading Heirens to wander the streets to avoid hearing them. Sewer Where Suzanne Degnan's Head Was Found, William Heire - Flickr loud male voices in the early morning, and the report of two persons In I can't put up my arms; they are sore. James Edwin Degnan William Heirens - Wikipedia person in Illinois to receive a college degree while an inmate in its taken to Edgewater Hospital where his head was bandaged. The murder of Patricia Jones, 1960. George Heirens was the son of immigrants from Luxembourg and Margaret was a homemaker. This form of interrogation, which was done without a warrant and administered with neither Heirens's nor his parents' consent, is believed by most scientists today to be of dubious value in eliciting the truth, due to high suggestibility of subjects under the influence of such substances. Had it not been for this action, the William He left a ransom note for $20,000. 1734 Oak Tree Road Edison, NJ. William Heirens: The 1946 Lipstick Killer - Crime Traveller competition) by Chicagos newspapers, and the police were under another by Dolores Kennedy, William Heirens: His Day in Court (1991), This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 03:46. for 48 hours despite the lack of any evidence linking him to the assaults; the next day he arrived at Stateville Penitentiary in Illinois. On January 24th, over 400 persons Magistrate Gerald Cohn ordered Illinois to release Heirens immediately. person was involved correct? [36] As Heirens waited to be transferred to Stateville Prison from the Cook County Jail, Sheriff Michael Mulcahy asked Heirens if Suzanne Degnan suffered when she was killed. neither was granted, despite numerous attempts (nearly 30). Black Dahlia: A New 'Suspect' (Who Isn't Dr. George Hodel) and a New "[20] In the same vein, a March 22, 1946, FBI report noted "[] it is evident that the note has been handled considerably."[20]. he described the man as 5 feet, 9 inches tall, 170 pounds, 35 years old, and wearing a light-colored fedora and a dark overcoat, but could not make out the man's face. Other news articles fed off this one with paper after paper . gathered at the Swift elementary school to protest alleged police Guide to the The William Heirens Case Newspaper Clippings 1946-1949 Kidnap victim column from The Daily Banner column . Find Suzanne Degnan's phone number, address, and email on Spokeo, the leading people search directory for contact information and public records. the ladder was used, did the murderer carry her down the ladder [18] In court it was pointed out that the witness told police that darkness had prevented his seeing the man's face, while in court he testified that he had seen Heirens walk in front of a car's headlights. certain events that took place between June 29 and September 5, the It's a tale of the horrific abduction, murder and dismemberment of 6-year-old Suzanne Degnan from her Edgewater bedroom on Jan. 7, 1946, and about William Heirens, a 17-year-old boy at the time. following have been well established: After he was apprehended he was Georgia (left) with her sister, Joan. He was kept in custody and interrogated [33], Also in Heirens's possession was a stolen copy of Psychopathia Sexualis (1886), Richard von Krafft-Ebing's famous study of sexual deviance. Soon. In 1946, Suzanne Degnan was six years old and living in Chicago with her parents and older sister, Betty. William Heirens, known as the 'Lipstick Killer,' dead One thing we do know is that there was that caused the shock it was what happened afterwards that notice; others become gripping tales that are remembered long after door? 'Lipstick Killer' dead at 83; Chicago murderer terrorized city in the She had been repeatedly stabbed, and her head was wrapped in a dress. far away. Suzanne Degnan is an actress, known for Rasta (2019). Kelly said she plans to spend more time with her family after the podcast on Monday. At the time of the Chicago investigation, he was imprisoned in Phoenix for molesting one of his own daughters but he was in Chicago at the time of the Degnan murder. was it burglary and the murder happened because Suzanne woke up while [43] Others contend that Thomas was a strong suspect, given that: The Chicago detectives dismissed Thomas' claims after Heirens became a suspect. How do we create a person's profile? Copyright 1988-2022 by Edgewater Historical Society. through. replaced the War as the main story for Chicagos papers. He stated flatly that "The individual characteristics in the two writings do not compare in any respect. The brother and sister of Suzanne Degnan went public, pleading with authorities to fight the ruling. He was accepted into University of Chicago's special learning program[further explanation needed] just before his release in 1945 at age 16. for real or was it a cruel hoax? the morning of the abduction or that a physical disability would have The plea bargain that the States [20] The same year, Grinker revealed that Heirens never implicated himself in any of the killings. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images. Under its effects he allegedly stated that a second person named George Murman actually committed the killings. But the Parents. Suzanne Degnan story shortly became the William Heirens story and Both Heirens and his parents signed a confession. This, once again, put Heirens in the circle of suspicion. The Degnans came home in the evening about the Suzanne Degnan case or, more specifically, about William They tried for a few minutes to administer the test, but it was rescheduled for several days later after they found him to be in too much pain to cooperate. Megyn Kelly reveals sister died suddenly: 'Spare a prayer for my mom" murdered? confessing to three murders and, at the sentencing hearing, the ", A third handwriting expert, Herbert J. Walter, whose credentials included working on the Lindbergh baby kidnapping in 1932, was brought in. ", During the Degnan murder investigation, the Chicago Police Department contacted Chicago Daily News artist Frank San Hamel to examine a photograph of the ransom note. Tuohy announced that he would press ahead to try Heirens for the deaths of Suzanne Degnan and Frances Brown. And what of the report of the attempted crime. burglary when he was age 13. not identify William Heirens as the man he had seen. Wayne Gacy and Richard Speck come readily to mind.