SHAWCROSS, Arthur John

Arthur John Shawcross earned his serial killer nickname, “The Genesee River Killer”. He murdered 11 women in upstate New York between 1988 and 1989. That’s an average of one victim every 59 days.

Like many serial killers, Shawcross says he had a terrible childhood, full of bullying, conflict and sexual abuse. He blames his mother for much of his behavior. But, like many serial killers, Shawcross is a bloody liar. It becomes difficult to know what is true and what is a lie. Shawcross probably doesn’t even know anymore.

His parents, of course, deny his accusations about his childhood trauma. Especially the incest. But Shawcross told many lies to police psychiatrists during the investigation. He would change his stories often when speaking with detectives and other professionals.

He claimed as a US soldier he had beheaded a woman and had 39 confirmed kills during the Vietnam War. Shawcross never saw combat in Vietnam as he was a Supply and Parts Specialist.

He claimed he had multiple personalities, including being his sister and his mother. In fact, at one point, he blamed the mother personality for making his kill his victims. When that got him nowhere, he dropped the ruse.

Shawcross started murdering in 1972. On May 7, 1972, 10-year-old Jack Owen Blake disappeared. Jack’s mother contacted police and told them to look at Shawcross. They told her “that only happens on TV.” (She sat in on Shawcross’ 2nd trial.) Blake wasn’t found until after the next child murder.

On September 2, 1972, Karen Ann Hill is found murdered. She was raped and strangled and suffocated in the dirt under a bridge in Watertown. Shawcross was picked up the next day and, under questioning, told them where to find Blake’s body.

On October 17, 1972, Shawcross pleads guilty to the manslaughter of Hill. Blake’s death is rolled into the Hill trial. He is sentenced to 25 years, but is released after 15.

It took almost a year for Shawcross to kill again, but this time, he targeted adult women. He began his murder spree on March 18, 1988. Dorothy Blackburn was the first woman killed. Shawcross blamed her for her death: he claimed she bit him during consensual sex. Likely, she fought back during a sexual assault. Either way, he strangled and dumped her body.

On July 9, Anna Marie Steffan is strangled. Again, Shawcross blamed the victim: she said she was, or had been, pregnant. In fact, she had given birth 24 hours before. It’s not clear what happened to the baby. Her body was found 2 months later.

Some time between May and July, Shawcross killed Dorothy Keeler, a woman he was dating. It was her fault, she was going to tell his wife about the affair. She would be found in October, after Shawcross had returned to the murder scene. He had removed her head. By the time Keeler is found, the unknown killer has been given the name “The Genesee River Killer.”

Next was Patty Ives, a prostitute he was having sex with. He says consensual, but then says he killed her because there were people nearby, so likely it was rape.

Shawcross next killed June Stott. It was October 23, two days after Keeler’s body was found. Shawcross was raping her and when she screamed, he strangled her. She was not a prostitute. Her mutilated body was found 4 days later. Shawcross would later claim he ate part of her vagina, but threw up.

On November 5, Marie Welch was strangled in Shawcross’ car. He blamed her, saying she took papers out of his wallet and put it back, without him knowing.

Just a few days later. Franny Brown is murdered in Shawcross’ car after he got angry with her. It was almost a month later when she was found, mutilated.

Two days after Brown was found, Shawcross kills Liz Gibson, blaming her after she scratched his eyes.

On December 15, Darlene Trippi is strangled because Shawcross can’t get an erection. He blames her, saying she laughed at him. Two days later, June Cicero is asphyxiated, mutilated and dumped. Shawcross said she threatened to expose his murderous ways.

During the murders, Shawcross visited a Duncan Donuts shop where police would frequent. He would ask how the investigation was going.

December 26, 1989, is the last time Felicia Stephens’s boyfriend saw her alive. Shawcross murdered and mutilated her too. Shawcross returned to her body and was seen by police in the area, dick in hand. Her body is found January 4, 1990 and Shawcross is picked up for questioning.

Shawcross starts talking. The bodies of Welch and Trippi are found after the killer directs police to their bodies. By January 23, 1990, Shawcross is indicted for 10 murders. During the investigation, Shawcross made outrageous claims, often under hypnosis. He had multiple personalities, one personality was a reincarnated cannibal, and one was his mother.

Shawcross confessed under hypnosis to eating, then vomiting up, June Stott’s genitals. At the same time, he confessed to eating the decomposing flesh of Jack Blake in 1972. However, he had never mentioned it before hypnosis. And he is a known liar about cannibalizing women and children in Vietnam. His cannibal confessions can easily be disregarded. Hypnosis is not an irresistible force that can prevent someone from lying.

Also under hypnosis, Shawcross said he slept next to 5 different victims after killing them. He did not say why. The hypnotist was paid at least $24,000 for her work. In 2 different counties.

On December 13, he is found guilty after the jury deliberated for only six and a half hours. He gets 25 years per victim, for a 250 year sentence.

On March 29, 1991, Shawcross pleads guilty to the murder of Gibson. He gets 25 years, to run concurrent to the other sentences.

Multiple sentences that add up to longer than a human lifespan, such as Shawcross’ 250 years, serves two purposes.

First, it recognizes that each victim was equally important and worthy of the same punishment. You need only to ask Jack Blake’s mother about why that is important to families.

The second, forward-looking reason, is that things can happen outside of a judge’s control, to change a sentence. For example, Shawcross was paroled in 1987 when most authorities thought he should stay in jail.

For the 250 year sentence, if Shawcross was up for parole on the first murder, the sentence for the second murder would begin, keeping him behind bars. If murder charge #3 is vacated for some reason, then his sentence for #4 would kick in, keeping him in jail. If he bribed a Parole Board member for early release on charges #5, then the sentence for #6 starts. He stays in jail.

You might think those things wouldn’t happen, but Shawcross committed his murders while on parole for raping and murdering 2 children. Things happen. Long sentences make sure he never gets out. Except by dying.

On November 10, 2008, Shawcross died in a prison hospital from cardiac arrest.