Profile of a Serial Killer: Albert Fish

Name: Albert Hamilton Fish
Date of Birth: May 18th, 1870
Date of Death: January 16th, 1936
Cause of Death: Electrocution

If you know anything at all about real-life serial killers, you know that they are all vicious, monstrous creatures who cannot even be described as human. Even if you know nothing specifically, you understand this fact. But there were none -- and hopefully never will be -- quite like Mr. Albert Fish. He was the craziest, most vile one of the bunch. Not only was he a serial killer, but he was a pedophile, cannibal, and a sado-masochist with some very disturbing quirks. He stated that he grew up in an orphanage that was run with fierce brutality. He was known to scream "I am God!" into the skies, and he later told authorities that the voices in his head made him do it.

By all outwardly appearances, Fish seemed more than normal. He was a grandfatherly figure: a very polite and sweet old gentleman that people trusted and depended on. He was a werewolf, hiding behind a false skin until he found the perfect moment to pounce on his victims. In one case, he employed a young man as a farm-hand. The family loved him, treated him with respect, invited them into their home for lunch, and thought of him as a grandfather to their children. So it was only natural that when he said he had a child's birthday to attend that they agreed to let their young daughter accompany him. She was never seen again, but Fish was kind enough to send a letter to the girl's mother explaining exactly how he cooked her and what she tasted like. He was known to force his six children to beat him with a paddle until he bled, and he also pierced his own skin with long needles--somewhere around twenty of them were found in his pelvic region. He also like to shove alcohol-doused cotton balls into his rectum and light them on fire. When arrested, he admitted to molesting over four-hundred children.

Fish tried for an insanity plea, and despite several psychiatrists agreeing to this statement, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. There are a couple of rumors surrounding his execution. One is that he was not only untroubled by this, but that he liked it and found the idea to be "sexually thrilling." The other is that the execution was not successful on the first try due to the several needles that he'd put inside of his body and left there. It is said that he actually had to be electrocuted twice.

No matter who you hear or read about, there has never been another as terrifying and disturbing as Albert Fish. The scariest part is that he seemed so kind and gentle, and that people trusted their children to this monster. But, yet again, that was his goal.