Albert Fish Essay

IntroductionE reallyone is aware there are different types of offs appear there. All of them take peoples lives however how they do it in each category is different. In the case of at operateant slayers they kill deuce-ace or more individuals spaced out over a flow rate of time. They tend to go through human bodys which include the killing phase, capture phase, aviation phase, totem phase, and the depression phase. The phases do not happen in a specific order and not all serial cause of deaths experience all of them. each(prenominal) individual is different. However, during the aura phase the killer becomes withdrawn from reality and tends to lay down heightened senses. During the killing phase is when the killer actually takes the victims life and that formly leads to the totem phase. This is when the killer tends to take a memento of the moment. For example, Albert seek would take eubstance split to cook and eat. Serial killers may experience a phase of depression by and by the initial effects of the kill wears off, which is normally why the totem phase takes place (to prolong the experience). There is also the capture phase, which slackly takes place prior to killing the victim. During this phase the killer renders the victim bemused in a way in which they pukenot escape their captivity (Kitaeff, 2011, p. 102). It is quite a complex and disturbing. Lets move onto a serial killer case that is disturbing and riveting and claimed potentially hundreds of childrens lives.The Case of Albert Hamilton tiltAlbert Hamilton fish seemed to be a harmless man. He was a considerable father and husband and no one suspected he could be such a monster. He was about 5 feet 5 inches portentous and weighed about 130 pounds, and was quite frail in his elderly grades. aspect at him there was no way of knowing he could get at such a danger (Bardsley, n.d.). One of his known victims was Gracie Budd. He arrange her after responding to an ad that her brot her had placed looking for a crinkle as a do work peck. angle went to their residence and claimed to be wiener Howard. Mr. Howard state that he would return the next day to pick up the Budds son and his best friend to take him back to his farm to begin work. When he returned he utter he had a natal day burst to attend and he would like to take Gracie with him, her mother hesitated, but ended up allowing her to go with him. Gracie and the man known to the Budds as Mr. Howard were never to be seen again (Bardsley, n.d.). The morning after her disappearance her brother, Edward, went to the natural law to report that his sister was missing. To the families dismay, the address that Mr. Howard had put acrossn them did not exist. There were save a few solid clues that would help police locate the mystery story man who had last been seen with Gracie. They entrap the original note he had move from the Western Union Office so they now had a hand writing sample to use for compari son. It also showed that Mr. Howard had whatsoever form of statement based of the proper use of grammar and how well his writing was. They also found a location in common with the addresses that he had given the Budds East Harlem (CrimeLibrary, n.d). She was not his first victim though. Just a year before Gracie became one of The antique Mans victims a juvenile boy disappeared from the hall of his apartment edifice where he was playing with a 3 year old and a 12 year old. The cured boy went back into the apartment to check on his sister. When he returned both(prenominal) of the Billys were gone. The 3 year old was found on the roof and stated that the boogey man had taken Billy Gaffney. His body was never found (Bardsley, n.d.). Gracie and Billy were not the only victims of Albert tilt. He also abducted and kill Francisis McDonnel in 1924, among numerous other victims (Jenks & Johnson, n.d.). When an investigator spread rumors that he had untried evidence on Gracie Budds d isappearance the Budds received a bone chilling letter detailing what had happened to her. He recounted the memories of him arriving at their address on June 3, 1928. He talked about how he had brought them cheese and that he had invited Gracie to the natal day party he had to attend and that her mother allowed her to leave with him. He also stated in the letter that he had her wait outside of the building while he went inside and stripped down naked. He then(prenominal) waved her to come upstairs and he hid in a clo go by wait for her to enter the notice. When she did he attacked her, strangled her, and cut her up to take her to his room so he could eat her. He told the Budds that it took him nine old age to devour her entire body and that he really enjoyed how shetasted. He told them how she had fought him and that she died a virgin even though he could mystify taken usefulness of her if he had wished too (Jenks & Johnson, n.d.). Edward rushed the letter to the authorities w here they didnt motivation to believe the letter but the hand writing matched that of Mr. Howards on the Western Union letter. The envelope had an important clue a abject hexagonal emblem had the letters N.Y.P.C.B.A. which stood for the New York Private Chauffeurs Benevolent Association (Bardsley, n.d.). Because of this clue, the president of the association called an emergency meeting and everyone was questioned and had to give a writing sample. No one matched the writing sample they had for The Gray Man. So, the extended the search, they asked if anyone had taken any of the stationary and one man admitted to victorious a few envelopes and pieces of stationary that he had left behind at his old rooming address.When they police gave a description of Mr. Howard she was surprised that the description matched suddenly to an older gentleman who had roomed there for a couple of months and had bonnie canvass out a few days prior to police arrival. But, to the demesne lady, he was known as Albert H. Fish. He had asked her to hold a letter for him because he was expected rough money from his son who sent him some often (CrimeLibrary, n.d.). Then on December 13, 1934 the land lady called the investigator and stated that Fish was at the house. The detective rushed over and when he entered to room asked if he was, in accompaniment, Albert Fish. He was then arrested (Bardsley, n.d.). During his interrogation, Fish confessed to killing Gracie Budd and Billy Gaffney as well as at least(prenominal) nose candy more children. Fish told investigators that he had a blood thirst and thats why he took Gracie even though is intentions were to take her brother, Edwards and his best friend. He intended on taking them into the woods, tying them up, and cutting off their genital organ and leaving them to bleed to death. But, when he met Gracie, she is the one that he just had to throw. He gave sorry details, more than he included in the letter, of what he had through to her. He had placed her head on a paint can and proceeded to decapitate her catching most of her blood in the paint can. He cut her to pieces wrapping what he cherished to play along in musical composition and throwing the rest of a concrete wall of the abandoned building he had killed her in. He told investigators that he was unsure as to why he wanted to kill her and that he had no thoughts of raping her. When they found Gracies body hestood nearby and showed no emotion even though he had told those in the audience that he would have given anything to bring her back after he had killed her (Bardsley, n.d.).Fish had a record with police. He had been arrested at least 6 times and most of them were right around the time that he had kidnapped and killed Gracie Budd. He also spent time in mental institutions as well. He had 6 children, a wife, who left him when his youngest was 3, and took everything (CrimeLibrary, n.d).When Fishs word picture was seen by a motorman who drove a Bro oklyn trolley he was identify as being seen with Billy Gaffney on February 27, 1927 which he also confessed to. He described how he had killed the young boy as well as how he prepared his body for a feast. He said he whipped Billys naked body until blood ran down his legs (this was to alter the meat), cut off his ears and nose, and split his mouth from ear to ear. Once he was dead he stuck a knife in his belly and drank some of his blood. Fish then cut up the body putting what he wanted to keep in a sack and threw the other parts into the murky water near North Beach (Bardsley, n.d.).During the time of the interview with Dr. Wertham, a Psychologist, he came across as meek, gentle, benevolent, and polite (Bardsley, n.d.). In fact the doctor stated If you wanted someone to entrust your children to, he would be the one you should choose (Bardsley, n.d.). Boy, how his appearances were very misleading. According to Wertham, Fishs stead in about the ordeal was complete detachment. Fish even stated that he was indifferent on living or dying because he felt that he was never quite right. And felt that he was not insane but that he was never able to understand him ego and who he was. His entire family had a serious history of mental issues, which could be part of the reason Dr. Wertham believed he was beyond insane.Fish confided in Dr. Wertham that he had at least 100 more victims than anyone knew about as well as how he would torture himself. He claimed to have stuck needles in his body among his rectum and scrotum. The doctorwas skeptical until an x-ray confirmed what he had told the doctor needles he pushed in to far were still there. He also stated that he would soak cotton balls in alcohol and stick them in his rectum and set them on fire, he also did this to some of his victims. He told the doctor I always had a desire to inflict pain on others and to have others inflict pain on me. I always seemed to enjoy everything that hurts (Bardsley, n.d.).At the age of 55, Fish began to experience hallucinations and delusions. He seriously believed that his actions were dictated by god himself. divinity fudge told him that he was supposed to kidnap, mutilate, and kill young boys. His children had witnessed him rest on a hill with his hands raised stating, I am God They also testified that they had seen him beat his naked body with a board full of nails until his body was covered in blood. These things lead Wertham to believe that Fish was suffering from a religious psychosis. When Fish recounted how he killed and cooked Billy, Dr. Wertham noticed that he spoke matter of factly and that he seems to get some sort of expiation and thrill from what he had done (Anderson, n.d.).His trial only lasted ten days and it took the jury only an hour to return a verdict of indictable. The guilty by reason of insanity did not work and he was sentenced to the galvanic chair. While Fish was not happy with the verdict (he said God still had more work for him to do), he was intrigued by the fact that he was going to die by an electric chair. He even thanked the forecast for granting him this punishment (Anderson, n.d).Psychological TheoriesAccording to Dr. Wertham, who testified at the trial, he believed that Fish was legitimately insane. With his history of mental issues, his hallucinations and delusions, Wertham found Fish to be an introverted (concerned with his self and actions rather than others) and extremely infantilistic personality (mentally under developed) (Bardsley, n.d.). Dr. Wertham labeled Fish as having a paranoid psychosis due to his abnormal makeup and because he suffered from delusions and hallucinations that God was giving him commands to conduct the horrendous acts. It was believed that Fish had a perverted, a warp if you want, an insane knowledge of right and wrong. Histest was that if it had been wrong he would have been stopped, as Abraham was stopped, by an angel (Bardsley, n.d.).Psychological Causes of his CrimesAlbert Fish was a gruesome serial killer, one that no one will ever be able to understand fully. A serial killer is defined as an individual who commits at least three murders over a spanned pointedness of time. It is believed that having a history of abandonment, abuse, neglect, and domestic violence may play a role in individuals becoming serious killers (Kitaeff, 2011, p. 101). And, contrary to what some believe, serial killers can and normally do lead what we see as normal lives. They have families, are active in the community, and do not keep to themselves. However, they do feel the need to be in complete entertain and if they do not feel they are they feel helpless and powerless. Fishs father died when he was young, his mother sent him to an orphanage where he was repeatedly beaten and sexually abused, all of which could have contributed to what he became (Kitaeff, 2011, p. 102).Fish seems to fall into the typologies of visionary and hedonistic. The visionary typology states that offenders are normally psychotic and they tend to see and hear things that tell them to commit their crimes. Hedonistic is when a murder kills for their pleasure and tend to exhibit bizarre aspects which defy any head of rational behavior (Kitaeff, 2011, p. 103). They also tend to be sadistic and brutal, and in Alberts Fishs case, he was all of the above. He viciously tortured many of his victims and then he would savor the kill by cooking up body parts to eat them (Bardsley, n.d.).ConclusionIt is rubber to say that Albert Fish was not all there. However, can it really be proven that he did not know right from wrong? afterward all, he did begin to kidnap, torture, and kill before he began to have hallucinations. point after he seemed to have an understanding that what he was doing was night and he was disconnected and didnt really care if he lived or died. He believed he was doings Gods work but stated that he was unsure as to why he really did the things he did. May be his rough past had something to dowith turning him into the monster he become. But, can we ever really know? It truly is a alarming thought because many believed he was just an amazing, caring father who was very kind and polite not the monster he really was. It just goes to show that appearances can be dangerously deceiving.SourcesAnderson, S. E. (n.d.). The Crime and Trial of Albert H. Fish Divine Hunger. Retrieved September 29, 2012 from The African American Experience Web investhttp//testaae.greenwood.com/doc_print.aspx?fileID=C8336&chapterID=C8336-618&path=books/greenwood Bardsley, M. (n.d.). Albert Fish. Retrieved September 29, 2012 from TruTV.com Web sitehttp//www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/ ill-famed/fish/index.html CrimeLibrary.com (n.d.). Albert Hamilton Fish. RetrievedSeptember 29, 2012 from Murderpedia Web sitehttp//www.murderpedia.org/male.F/f/fish-albert.htmJenks, A., & Johnson, G. (n.d.). Albert Hamilton Fish. Retrieved September 28, 2012 from Radford University, psychology Web site http//maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Fish,%20Albert%20_2008,%20spring_.pdf Kitaeff, J. (2011). Forensic Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NY scholar Hall.