Most Terrifying Things About America’s First Serial Killer

Lack of Medical Knowledge Proved His Guilt

After Holmes never paid up for a scheme that involved a former cell mate from one of his previous arrests, Holmes’ cellmate snitched and lead police right to his door. Though Holmes confessed to insurance fraud, it was his lack of medical knowledge that gave away the fact he was a cold, hard murderer.

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H.H. Holmes claimed that he got Pitezel’s body from a doctor in New York who had shipped it to Philadelphia. He claimed that he managed to fit Pitezel’s body in a trunk because of his medical knowledge. Unfortunately for Holmes, his story didn’t quite add up and the inspector remembered that the body was in full rigor mortis when it was discovered. This meant the body was fresh and not shipped from Philadelphia like he had tried to claim. When the inspector asked Holmes what techniques he used to stiffen a body after rigor mortis was broken, he had no answer.