A Mass Murderer: Eight Student Nurses Dead

 

Richard Benjamin Speck was born on December 6th, 1941. He was the mass murderer who raped one, tortured, and murdered 8 student nurses from South Chicago Community Hospital. These murders taking place on the night of July 13th, and into the early morning hours of July 14th, 1966. 

What do we know about their killer? Richard was born in Kirkwood, Illinois, into a family of eight children. His parents were Mary Margaret Carbough and Benjamin Franklin Speck. The family had moved to Monmouth shortly after Richard's birth. Richard and his youngest sister Carolyn was much younger than the other Speck siblings. They had four older sisters and two older brothers. However, tragedy struck the family in 1952, when Richard's 23-year-old brother, Robert died in a car accident. 

Richard's father, Benjamin worked as a packer for Western Stoneware. It is said that Richard was very close to his father who passed away from a heart attack when Richard was only 6 years old. A few years later, his mother, Mary fell in love with a traveling salesman that she had met on a train trip to Chicago. Carl August Rudolph Lindberg was from Texas. He was a hard-drinking man with a long criminal record. He was the exact opposite of Richard's father. Despite this, she married Carl on May 10th, 1950, in Palo Pinto, Texas. 

Richard and Carolyn had stayed with their married sister Sara, in Monmouth for a few months while they finished school. Then they joined their mother and stepfather in rural Santo, Texas. They only stayed in Santo about a year before moving to East Dallas. Where they lived at 10 different addresses in poor neighborhoods for about 12 years. Richard hated his stepfather who was often drunk and psychologically abusive towards him with insults and threats. 

Richard was also a poor student who needed glasses but refused to wear them. He struggled through school and ended up repeating the eighth grade. This was partly due to refusing to speak which stemmed from a lifelong fear of people staring at him. He did manage to start ninth grade but dropped out in his second semester in 1958. 

Richard had started drinking at age 12 and by the time he was 15 years old he was getting drunk every day. At first, his trouble with the law stemmed from trespassing and a few misdemeanors. Which accumulated to a few dozen in 8 years. 

From 1960-1963, Richard worked for the 7-up company, and it was at this time that he met 15 years old, Shirley Annette Malone. She had become pregnant within three weeks of them dating, and the two were married on January 19th, 1962. After their marriage, he had moved Shirley in with his family. By this time his mother and stepfather were separated. However, when his daughter, Robbie Lynn Speck was born, Richard was serving 22 days in jail for disturbing the peace. 

It was sometime in July of 1963, that Richard forged and cashed a co-worker's paycheck. He also decided it was a good idea to rob a grocery store. He made away with some cigarettes, beer, and $3 in cash. But, the police soon caught up to him. For these crimes, Richard was sentenced to 3 years in prison. However, he was paroled after serving 16 months from 1963 to 1965. He had served this time in the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. It was only a week after his parole that Richard, armed with a 17-inch carving knife attacked a woman in the parking lot of her apartment building. Richard fled on foot when the woman screamed. The police caught up to him a few blocks away. 

For this crime, Richard was convicted of aggravated assault and was given another 16 months in prison. This was to run concurrently with his parole violation. Due to an error, Richard was released in 6 months on the completion of his parole sentence. Because of this, Richard found himself free again on July 2nd, 1965. For the next 3 months, Richard worked as a driver for Patterson Meat Company. He had a total of 6 accidents with his truck before being fired for not showing up for work. 

In December of 1965, Richard took advice from his mother. By this time Richard and Shirley were already separated. Richard had moved in with a 29-year-old divorced woman. She was an ex-professional wrestler who was working as a bartender at his favorite bar, Ginny's Lounge. It is said that the reason he moved in with this woman was that she required someone to babysit her 3 children. This, however, would be short-lived. 

In January of 1966, Shirley filed for divorce. It was in this same month that Richard stabbed a man with a knife. This happened at Ginny's Lounge. Richard was once again charged with aggravated assault. However, a defense lawyer that was hired by his mother had managed to have the charge reduced to disturbing the peace. Richard was issued a fine of $10 that he failed to pay, so he ended up spending 3 days in jail. This would be the last time Richard would be in police custody. 

It was on March 5th, 1966 that Richard made the decision to purchase a 12-year-old car. That same night he decided to rob a grocery store, in which he made off with 70 cartons of cigarettes. He sold these out of the trunk of his car in the same parking lot, and then he decided to abandon the car. The police traced the car to him, but by that time he was already on a bus bound for Chicago, Illinois. Once he was in Chicago, he stayed with his sister Martha and her family for a few days. Then Richard returned to Monmouth, where he stayed with some old friends. 

His brother Howard was a carpenter by trade, and it was him who got Richard a job sanding plasterboard for another carpenter. When Richard got word that Shirley had married two days after she was granted a divorce, Richard was very angry. But, not being able to do anything about it he checked himself into the Christy Hotel in downtown Monmouth on March 25th. He had spent most of his time in taverns, and at the end of March, Richard was detained for threatening a man with a knife in the restroom of one of these taverns. 

It was April 3rd, 1966 when Mrs. Virgil Harris had returned home from a night of babysitting. Harris was a 65-year-old woman, and she returned home about 1:00 in the morning. She stumbled across Richard who was robbing her house. She claimed he was very polite with a southern drawl. Richard blindfolded her, tied her up, raped her, and destroyed her house. When he left he took the $2.50 she had earned babysitting that night. 

A week would pass before Mary Katherine Pierce, a 32-year-old barmaid from Frank's Place would go missing. She was last seen leaving the tavern at 12:20 in the morning on April 9th. She would not be reported missing until April 13th, and they would find her body later that day. It was located in an empty hog house behind the tavern. She had died from a blow to the abdomen which ruptured her liver. The thing is that Richard was a frequent customer at Frank's Place and he also helped build the hogs house in which she was found. When he went to pick up his paycheck the police were able to question him briefly. But, they informed him not to leave town. When police went to the Christy Hotel on April 19th, they would realize that Richard fled earlier that day. They searched his room and found several items belonging to Harris, as well as items from two other local robberies. 

Richard had returned to Chicago once again staying with his sister Martha and her family. He had told them a made-up story, that he had to leave Monmouth after refusing to sell drugs. It was Martha's husband Gene who had served in the US Navy who came up with the idea that the US Merchant Marine would provide Richard with a suitable job. On April 25th he took Richard to the US Coast Guard Office to apply for a letter of authority. This letter would grant Richard permission to work as an apprentice seaman. This process had required fingerprints, photographs, and a physical. Richard had found work almost immediately after obtaining this letter. He had joined the 33 member crew that worked on Inland Steel's Clarence B. Randell.

However, Richard's first voyage would be cut short. It is said that Richard had come down with appendicitis on May 3rd Richard was evacuated from the ship by the US Coast Guard helicopter. He was taken to St. Joseph's hospital which was located in Hancock Michigan. It was here that Richard received an emergency appendectomy. After which, Richard returned to his sisters to recuperate. He returned to work on May 30th and served until June 14th. It is said that Richard had gotten drunk and fought with the boat's officer. He was put ashore on June 15th. 

The following week it is known that Richard was staying at St. Elmo. This was an Eastside flophouse. He then traveled by train to Houghton Michigan where he stayed at the Douglas House. He was there to visit Judy Laakaniemi. She was a 28-year-old nurse's aide who was going through a divorce. He had met her while he was a patient at St. Joseph's. After she gave him $80 he returned to Chicago on June 27th, 1966. Once he was back in Chicago he stayed with his sister, Martha, and her family. He stayed with them for the next two weeks. 

It was on June 30th, 1966 that Gene drove Richard for the first time to the National Maritime Union hiring hall. This was so that Richard could file paperwork for a seaman's card. This hiring hall was located only one block east from the five attached, two-story, brick townhouses that three of which were occupied by South Chicago Community Hospital senior student nurses. There were eight of these nurses living in the easternmost townhouse. Gene had driven Richard back to the NMU hiring hall on July 8th. This was to pick up his seaman's card and to register for a berth on a ship. Which Richard had lost out on because there was someone with more seniority, so he returned to Martha's. 

However, by the 11th he had worn out his welcome at his sister's house. So, after packing his bags Gene drove him to the NMU hiring hall to await a berth on a ship. Richard had spent the night at Pauline's rooming house, which was only about a mile away. 

He returned to the NMU hiring hall on the morning of the 12th, but it wasn't until mid-afternoon that they found him a job, which was 30 minutes away. However, when he got there his spot was already filled so he was taken back to NMU but by the time he arrived, it was already closed. Richard had no money for a room that night. So, he dropped his bags off at Manor Shell Filling Station which was six blocks away. Then he spent the night in an unfinished house. 

On the morning of July 13th, Richard is said to have picked up his bags and checked in at the NMU hiring hall. Where he lost his temper for being sent to a job that did not exist. Later, he talked with his sister Martha and her husband Gene, who had driven down to see him. They had parked their car next to the Luema Elementary School, which was across the street from the townhouses where the nurses lived. Martha had given Richard $25. He then walked about 1.5 miles to check into the Shipyard Inn. Then Richard spent the rest of the day drinking in nearby taverns. 

Sometime after that, he accosted Ella Mae Hooper at knifepoint. The 53-year-old woman had also spent the day drinking and had visited many of the same taverns that day. Richard took Ella to his room at the Shipyard Inn. Where he raped her and stole her .22 Caliber Rohm pistol. He had dinner like nothing had happened at the Kay Pilot House, then returned to the Shipyard Inn, where he returned to drinking at the tavern. He stayed here until about 10:20 that evening. Leaving fully dressed in black and armed with his knife and Ella Mae Hooper's pistol. He walked the 1.5 miles until he arrived outside of 2319 E. 100th Street, the townhouse where eight student nurses had lived, and he let himself inside. 

Murders

It was on or around 11 in the evening when Richard broke into 2319 E. 100th Street, the townhouse was located in Chicago's Jeffery Manor neighborhood. This particular townhouse was functioning as a dormitory for these eight student nurses. When he entered the home he claimed that he was high on drugs, and drunk. He may have originally planned a routine burglary but that is far from what took place. 

Upon entering the home he came across Gloria Davy, Patricia Matusek, Nina Jo Schmale, Pamela Wilkening, Suzanne Farris, Mary Ann Jordan, Merlita Gargullo, Valentina Pasion, and Corazon Amurao- who had been spending the night at the house. He held these women in a bedroom for hours. Taking them one by one out of the room where he stabbed and strangled them to death. At some point, while he was out of the room Corazon managed to crawl under the bed and hide there. Finally, Richard took who he thought was the last woman, he raped Gloria Davy before he strangled her. Richard either lost count of the women, or he was unaware of a ninth woman being in the house. Whatever the case, he left. Corazon hid under the bed until almost 6 in the morning. 

Two days after the murders a drifter by the name of Claude Lunsford had recognized the man whose sketch was in the paper, like Richard Speck. Richard, Claude, and another man had been drinking together on the evening of July 15th. They had been on the fire escape of the Starr Hotel. Claude had phoned the police when he found Richard in his room at the Starr Hotel, but the police never responded to the call. 

Later that night, Richard had attempted suicide at the Starr Hotel and the desk clerk had called in the emergency close to midnight. Richard was rushed to the Cook County Hospital at 12:30 in the morning on July 17th. He was recognized by Dr. LeRoy Smith who called the police. Shortly after, Richard was arrested. His fingerprints had been found at the scene of the crime so there was no mistaking him. 

However, Felony Court Judge Herbert J. Paschen wanted to make sure that Richard was of sound mind. He appointed an impartial panel to report on Richard's competence to stand trial and to verify that he was sane during the murders. When the panel's confidential report came back it not only deemed Richard competent to stand trial but also determined that he had been sane during the murders. 

However, while Richard was awaiting trial he had participated in twice a week sessions with the part-time Cook County psychiatrist, Dr. Maroin Ziporyn. These sessions continued even after Richard's transfer from Cermak Memorial Hospital located inside Chicago's House of Corrections. In fact, these sessions ran from July 29th, 1966 until February 13th, 1967, just the day before Richard was transferred to Peoria to stand trial. 

Ziporyn had actually prepared a discharge summary, claiming that Richard suffered from depression, anxiety, guilt, and shame. But, also noted that Richard had a deep love for his family. It went on to say that Richard suffered from having an obsessive-compulsive personality, and a Madonna prostitute attitude towards women. This went on to explain that Richard views women as saintly until he felt betrayed by them, and that's when his hostility towards them developed. He also suffered an organic brain syndrome which had come about by head injuries earlier in life. 

Ziporyn claimed that while Richard was competent to stand trial, he was not sane during the murders because he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. This had caused effects on his organic brain syndrome. But, Ziporyn did not testify for either side. This was because both sides were disturbed by the fact that Ziporyn was writing a book on Richard with the intent of financial gain. Shortly after the trial, Ziporyn was actually fired from his position at the Cook County Jail. But, at some point during their sessions, he managed to get written consent from Richard, and his book: What I'm Really Like was published in the summer of 1967. 

Richard often claimed that he had no recollection of the murders. However, he had confessed to the murders to Dr. LeRoy Smith at Cook County Hospital. Dr. Smith was not required to testify in court because the confession came when Richard was heavily sedated. Besides, a confession wasn't really needed because they had an eyewitness. 

Richard confessed to the crimes for the first time and to the public when he gave an interview to the Chicago Tribune's Bob Greene in 1978. Also, he would recount the brutal murders in detail during an inmate film project made at the Stateville Correctional Center in 1988. He claimed in that film that he was drunk and high but could have just as easily done it sober. 

Richard's trial began on April 3rd, 1967 in Peoria, Illinois. Thereof course was a gag order on the press. Richard had been quickly identified by the sole surviving nurse, Corazon Amurao. Lieutenant Emil Giese would also testify regarding Richard's fingerprints being found at the scene. 

On April 15th, after only 49 minutes the jury had found Richard Speck guilty and recommended the death penalty. It wasn't until July 5th, that Judge Herbert J. Paschen sentenced him to die by electric chair. He did, however, grant an immediate stay pending an automatic appeal. However, the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the conviction and the death sentence on November 22nd, 1968. 

But, on June 28th, 1971 the US Supreme Court upheld the conviction but reversed the death sentence. This was because more than 250 potential jurors were unconstitutionally excluded from jury selection based on conscientious and religious beliefs against capital punishment. Richard Speck's case was then remanded back to the Illinois Supreme Court for resentencing. 

Before that could occur the US Supreme Court had deemed that the death penalty was unconstitutional on June 29th, 1972. This left the only option of resentencing Speck to prison time. On November 21st, 1972 Judge Richard Fitzgerald had resentenced Richard Speck to serve 1200 years in prison for the murders of eight student nurses on July 13th, 1966. 

Richard was denied parole in seven minutes on September 15th, 1976. He was denied 6 additional times in 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1987, and 1990. Richard Speck died in prison from a heart attack on December 5th, 1991.