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Herman Webster Mudgett (May 16, 1861 – May 7, 1896), better known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes or H. H. Holmes, was an American con artist and serial killer active between 1891 and 1894. By the time of his execution in 1896, Holmes had engaged in a lengthy criminal career that included insurance fraud, forgery, swindling, three or four bigamous ...
H.H. Holmes (born May 16, 1861?, Gilmanton, New Hampshire, U.S.—died May 7, 1896, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was an American swindler and confidence trickster who is widely considered the country’s first known serial killer.
- John Philip Jenkins
Jan 19, 2024 · H.H. Holmes was the alias of one of America’s first serial killers who terrorized Chicago starting in the 1880s. Read about his “murder castle,” name, and more.
- editor@biography.com
- Staff Editorial Team And Contributors
May 7, 2021 · More than a century after his death, Holmes—widely considered the United States’ first known serial killer—continues to loom large in the imagination.
- Meilan Solly
Sep 21, 2023 · H. H. Holmes was America’s “first” serial killer. Underneath the sensational stories of Holmes’ killings is a con man who spent his entire life lying, scheming, and tricking people. While Holmes claimed to have killed 27 people, the real number is somewhere between 9 and over 200.
Nov 30, 2021 · An apparently perfect image of evil in human form — said to believe he was actually turning into a devil while incarcerated — H. H. Holmes is often described today as “America’s First Serial Killer,” an honorific taken from Harold Schechter’s book about his crimes, Depraved.
Jul 26, 2023 · Herman Webster Mudgett, aka Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, is one of America’s first noted serial murderers. He killed at least 27 women during the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (e.g., World’s Fair) in Chicago. In addition to murder, Holmes enjoyed performing extreme forms of torture and mutilation on those he lured into traps.
