Edward Theodore Gein, born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on August 27, 1906, was the second child of Augusta and George Gein. Augusta had a strong devotion to religion and was determined to raise her sons with strict moral values. She often warned them about the immoral behavior of women, hoping to discourage any potential sexual interests they might have.
Augusta was a demanding and tough woman, while her husband George was weak and had alcohol addiction. George had no involvement in raising the boys. Augusta started a grocery business in La Crosse when Eddie was born, aiming to save money for moving away from the immoral people in the city. In 1914, they relocated to Plainfield, Wisconsin, to a farm spanning one hundred and ninety-five acres, far from any negative influences that could disturb her family. Eddie’s father passed away in 1940. Eddie did well academically but his true passion was reading.
Due to being effeminate and shy, Eddie was shunned by his schoolmates, resulting in him having no friends. In 1944, his brother Henry died under mysterious circumstances. Then, on December 29, 1945, Augusta passed away after experiencing a series of strokes. (In the Beginning)
Eddie experienced a profound upheaval upon his mother’s passing, losing his sole confidant and closest companion. Subsequently, Eddie began dedicating himself to peculiar pastimes that involved regular nocturnal expeditions to the cemetery. (In the Beginning) These ventures into the graveyard allowed Eddie to keep abreast of the recent demise of local women by perusing the obituaries. Lacking any affinity for socializing with women, he would satiate his desires by paying visits to graves under the moonlit sky. While he later asserted to the authorities that he had never engaged in sexual intercourse with any cadavers (citing their putrid scent), he derived a perverse pleasure from meticulously stripping their skin and donning it as his own.
He had a strong curiosity about experiencing the female body, often fantasizing about being a woman. Women intrigued him due to the power and influence they held over men. (Seriously Weird) Eventually, Gein decided that it was too difficult to exhume corpses alone. He concluded that it would be easier to kill women and bring their bodies to his farmhouse for further “experiments.” The first victim he chose was Mary Hogan, a 51-year-old who ran a saloon in Pine Grove, Wisconsin. On a winter night in 1954, Gein waited until all of Hogan’s customers had left the isolated bar. As she recognized him, Hogan informed him that she was closing.
Gein silently approached Hogan at the bar, positioning a .22 caliber pistol next to her head. He discharged one bullet, instantly ending her life. He proceeded to transfer her lifeless body from the bar to an outdoor sled he had prepared. Gein, who was small in stature, spent several hours pulling the corpse back to his farm (Nash p.64-70). Afterwards, Gein targeted his next victim, Bernice Worden, who ran a hardware store in Plainfield. Beginning in November 1957, he started frequenting the store more often than usual and engaged in conversations with Mrs.
Worden and her son, Frank Worden, who was the town’s deputy sheriff, were mentioned. Gein became aware that Mrs. Worden would be alone in the store when Worden informed him of his plans to go hunting on Saturday. Consequently, Gein proceeded to the store and discovered that the middle-aged women was there by herself.
Gein took a .22-caliber rifle from a gun rack and loaded one bullet into the chamber. Without warning, he shot the woman in the head, causing her death. After that, Gein locked the front door of the store and then dragged Mrs. Worden’s lifeless body out through the rear exit to his farmhouse.
He took the store cash register with $41 inside. Both Mary Hogan and Mrs. Worden bore some resemblance to Ed Gein’s deceased mother. (Nash p. 64-70) On November 17, 1957, after finding Bernice Worden’s decapitated body and other horrifying items in Eddie’s house, the police started a thorough investigation of the rest of the farm and the surrounding area.
Investigators suspected that Eddie may have been involved in multiple murders, including those of Georgia Weckler, Victor Travis, Ray Burgess, Evelyn Hartley, and Mary Hogan. They believed that the bodies could be buried on his land. Excavations commenced at the farmstead while Eddie was being interviewed at Wautoma County Jailhouse. At first, Gein denied any connection to the murders but later confessed to killing Mrs. Worden and disclosed where he obtained the body parts discovered in his house. After days of intense questioning, he eventually admitted to murdering Mary Hogan.
Reiterating his previous statement, he stressed that during that period, he was in a state of confusion caused by the troubled relationship with his mother and his upbringing. Gein displayed conflicting emotions toward women, experiencing both a natural attraction and the unnatural beliefs instilled by his mother. As time passed, these contradictory feelings grew stronger and eventually resulted in a severe mental disorder.
(Skeletons in the Closet) While undergoing further interrogation and psychological tests, Eddie’s farmhouse was searched by investigators, who discovered the remains of ten women. Eddie claimed that eight of these body parts were taken from local graveyards, but the police were doubtful. They suspected that the remains could belong to women Eddie may have killed. To verify their origin, the police needed to examine the graves Eddie had allegedly robbed. (Skeletons in the Closet) Another disturbing discovery on Eddie’s land would later contribute to the question of whether he had indeed committed a third murder.
On November 29th, police discovered human skeletal remains on the Gein farm, suspecting them to belong to Victor Travis, who had been missing for several years. The remains were promptly transferred to a crime lab for examination. Test results revealed that the body belonged to a middle-aged woman, rather than a male like Travis, making it another eerie find from the graveyard. Despite this discovery, the police could not link Eddie to the vanishing of Victor Travis or the three other individuals who had gone missing three years prior.
Eddie was deemed accountable for the murders of Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan, which were disclosed in “Skeletons in the Closet”. The trial commenced on November 6, 1968, at 9:00 a.m., with a bench trial being chosen by the defense instead of a jury trial. The state charged Eddie with one count of murder (Mrs.).
Gein faced charges of first-degree murder and robbery, although the theft accusation was dropped during the trial. The trial followed a bifurcated structure, focusing primarily on the murder charge initially. In the event of a conviction, Gein’s mental state would then be evaluated.
Despite the judge’s knowledge of Gein admitting to shooting Mrs. Worden, Gein continuously maintained that the killing was unintentional. Consequently, the defense aimed to obtain a conviction for second-degree murder or manslaughter. Eventually, on November 14, 1968, the court determined that Gein was guilty of first-degree murder. The judge overseeing Gein’s case announced that on November 16, 1957, Gein was afflicted with a mental illness.
The court determines that the defendant is mentally ill and unable to comply with the law, resulting in a verdict of not guilty due to insanity. Subsequently, he is transferred to Central State Hospital for the Insane. After a lengthy trial and significant financial investment, Edward Gein is eventually brought back to Central State Hospital. Unfortunately, Gein passes away on July 26, 1984, following an extended struggle with cancer (Gollmar, p 83-91).
He was buried in Plainfield cemetery next to his mother, not far from the graves that he robbed years earlier (Gollmar p. 83-91). Eddie Gein’s case and actions caused quite a commotion amongst the media and general population. After the murder facts were revealed, the small town of Plainfield, Wisconsin became internationally known and Gein achieved a celebrity-like status. The town was enraged when he was acquitted on grounds of insanity.
Although the community had little power to affect the court’s decision, it was undoubtedly influenced by Eddie Gein. Gein, a petite and softly spoken killer-cannibal from Wisconsin, served as the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho and the never-ending Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise. While no movie has been exclusively dedicated to Gein (with Deranged being the closest), many films have been proposed or sparked by his case, including Silence of the Lambs (Fraiser p. 91).
