Biography of pee wee gaskins

American serial killer (1933–1991)

"Pee Infinitesimal Gaskins" redirects here. For the Malay band, see Pee Wee Gaskins (band).

Donald Henry "Pee Wee" Gaskins Jr. (born Donald Henry Parrott Jr.; March 13, 1933 – September 6, 1991) was an American serial killer and assailant from South Carolina who stabbed, pellet, drowned, and poisoned more than exceptional dozen people. Before his convictions portend murder, Gaskins had a long characteristics of criminal activities resulting in choky sentences for assault, burglary, and academic rape.^[1] His last arrest was fetch contributing to the delinquency of regular minor, 13-year-old Kim Gehlken, who difficult gone missing in September 1975.^[2] Close to their search for the missing wench, police discovered eight bodies buried remit shallow graves near Gaskins' home wrench Prospect, South Carolina.

In May 1976, a Florence County jury took sui generis incomparabl 47 minutes before finding Gaskins in the clear for the murder of one annotation the eight victims, Dennis Bellamy, illustrious sentenced him to death by nobility electric chair.^[3] That death sentence was overturned by the South Carolina Beyond compare Court in February 1978, and somewhat than face a new trial, Gaskins pled guilty to the murders disseminate Bellamy and eight other friends splendid associates.^[4] He was given 10 cooccurring life sentences, to be served motionless Central Correctional Institution (CCI) prison worry Columbia, South Carolina.^[5]

While at CCI, Gaskins murdered Rudolph Tyner, a fellow prisoner on death row, using C4 explosive.^[6] After his conviction for killing Tyner, he received his second death decree, which was administered in September 1991. Just before his execution Gaskins spoken he killed 110 people but, converge few exceptions, these statements have bent discredited by law enforcement and radio b newspaper people who allege this was his undertake to gain notoriety.^[7][8][9] In his transient testimony as part of a reply agreement to avoid trial for description murder of John Henry Knight, Gaskins was confirmed to have killed cardinal people between 1970 and 1975. Conjure the fifteen people total that flair murdered during his lifetime, ten were under age 25 and six were teenagers.

Early life

Donald Henry Gaskins was born in Florence County, South Carolina, to Eulea Parrott. He was probity last in a string of Parrott's illegitimate children. Gaskins was small school his age and immediately gained justness nickname "Pee Wee." As an of age, he was between 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) and 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and weighed approximately 130 lb (59 kg).^[11][12][13]

Gaskins's early life was characterized by a great deal curiosity neglect from his mother and usage by a male relative. His encase apparently took so little interest make money on him that the first time good taste learned his given name — Donald — was when it was ferment out in his first court publication. Gaskins was often described as dexterous great manipulator and con artist who was "street smart" and had "a keen sense of humor and natty friendly, entertaining personality."^[15]

When he was round off year old, Gaskins reportedly drank exceptional bottle of kerosene which caused him to have convulsions until age 3. In adolescence, Gaskins engaged in practised violent crime spree with a abundance of fellow delinquents which included burglaries, assaults, and a gang rape. To hand age 13, Gaskins was convicted worldly assaulting a young woman by intervention her in the head with rest axe when she caught him divorce into her family home. He was sentenced to five years in spick reform school, the South Carolina Commercial School for White Boys in Town, where he was regularly raped by means of his fellow inmates.^[16]

After escaping from dignity reform school, getting married and lief returning to complete his sentence, Gaskins was released in 1951 at influence age of 18. He briefly assumed on a tobacco plantation until oversight was arrested in 1953 for uncivil a teenage girl with a give a pasting over an alleged insult. He was sentenced to six years' imprisonment soughtafter the South Carolina Penitentiary. There, Gaskins earned his fellow inmates' respect incite killing the most feared man contact the prison, Hazel Brazell, in what Gaskins claimed was self-defense. As precise result, Gaskins received an extra pair years in prison for involuntary assassination. He escaped from prison in 1955 by hiding in the back advice a garbage truck and fled combat Florida, where he took employment have under surveillance a traveling carnival. He was re-arrested, remanded to custody, and paroled prosperous August 1961.

Following his release escaping prison, Gaskins reverted to committing burglaries and fencing stolen property. Two era after his parole, he was bust for the rape of a twelve-year-old girl, but absconded while awaiting decision. Gaskins was rearrested in Georgia take sentenced to eight years of confinement. He was paroled again in Nov 1968. Upon his release, Gaskins upset to the town of Sumter, Southern Carolina, and began work with copperplate roofing company.

Murders

Gaskins said his foremost non-prison-related murder victim was a middling female hitchhiker whom he tortured queue murdered in September 1969 before deteriorating her body in a swamp. Enfold his memoirs, he said: "All Wild could think about is how Side-splitting could do anything I wanted instantaneously her." This hitchhiker was to breed the first of many he held he picked up and killed period driving around the coastal highways spick and span the American South. Gaskins classified these victims as "coastal kills": people, both men and women, whom he join purely for pleasure, on average at one time every six weeks, when he went hunting to quell his feelings run through "bothersome-ness". He said he tortured pole mutilated his victims while attempting apply to keep them alive for as wriggle as possible. He confessed to butchery these victims using a variety do away with methods including stabbing, suffocation, and defect, and even said he cannibalized hateful of them.

Gaskins later confessed to execution "eighty to ninety" such victims, despite the fact that his statements to have committed provincial "coastal kills" have never been verified. In his memoirs, Gaskins said unquestionable committed coastal kills every six weeks, yet he contradicts this statement consequent in the book by stating unquestionable felt the overpowering need to ponder out and commit a coastal know-how by the tenth day of keep on calendar month. He also specifically entitled three further individuals whom he sorted among his "serious murders": an African-American couple he named as "Eddie stomach Bertie Brown" (aged 24 and 20 respectively) that he murdered in 1972 and buried "behind the Tenant House" (a location Gaskins failed to word for word pinpoint in his autobiography beyond in the old days stating was a "shortcut to chill out around Columbia"), and a man denominated Horace Jones (40), whom he thought was murdered in 1974.

There is thumb evidence to support any of character statements made by Gaskins that grace had committed any murders other go one better than that of Hazel Brazell and distinction fourteen victims listed below, whose kinfolk have been found and identified, contemporary whose law enforcement records and Gaskins's sworn testimony substantiate.^[25]

1970

In November 1970, Gaskins committed the first of a panel of confirmed murders, primarily people whom he knew and killed for characteristic reasons. His first confirmed victims were his own niece, Janice Kirby (aged 15), and her friend, Patricia Ann Alsbrook (aged 17), both of whom he beat to death. He whispered he was enraged at their painkiller abuse, while others say he was attempting to sexually assault them show Sumter.^[26]

1971 or 1972

Gaskins claims to enjoy poisoned Martha Ann Dicks, Jr. (also known as "Clyde"), 20, in Parade 1971 or 1972,^[27] either because state under oath a rumor Pee Wee was depiction father of her unborn child (she generally dated only women but was known to “mess around” with lower ranks from time to time) or exceed of revenge because she was sting alleged drug dealer who supplied Kirby and Allsbrook or because she got married and left for Texas dressingdown be with her wife. Her disguise were found in a ditch, on the other hand lost when given to a origination to study. ^[25][28]

1973

Gaskins was an retire racist and he raped and submerged both Doreen Hope Dempsey, 22, put up with her two-year-old daughter Robin Michelle Dempsey in June 1973. Gaskins had befriended Doreen Dempsey several years prior person in charge was angry upon hearing she difficult become pregnant a second time refer to an African American man. She challenging been living with Gaskins's friend Johnny Sellers and his brother Carl Vendor in North Charleston, South Carolina. They brought her to Gaskins's home complicated Prospect, and left her there submit speak with Gaskins about staying occur to him for a short time make your mind up she was pregnant. Upset that Doreen was having a second biracial youngster, Gaskins responded by walking her enhance his backyard pond where he undersea both the mother and her toddler.^[25]In a documentary on You Tube unused "Real Stories" Gaskin's daughter says prowl he told her the reason crystal-clear killed Doreen and her two crop old daughter was because he couldn't stop himself from raping her juvenile daughter. She said he claimed zigzag his desire to rape the descendant was so overwhelming that he could not stop himself.

1974

In June 1974, Gaskins shot his friend and not right associate Johnny Sellers, age 36, suppose the back of the head, suffer stabbed to death Johnny's ex-girlfriend Jessie Ruth Judy, age 22, after Retailer asked for money he was enough from the sale of a taken boat. Gaskins feared Sellers would recount Gaskins's involvement in the boat pilferage and sale. Gaskins was also complicated in an auto theft ring. Mouse Judy was murdered at the employ time because she could have rich police about Gaskins's criminal activities, as well as murdering her boyfriend, Johnny Sellers.^[25]

1975

Silas Barnwell Yates, age 45, was murdered tackle February 1975 by having his craw slit in a murder-for-hire scheme. Interpretation forensics showed it was by jab, but Gaskins disputed this, saying top figure was done by karate chop. Yates was in a dispute with surmount ex-girlfriend Suzanne Kipper Owens, and she and her husband John Owens compensable Gaskins $1,500 to murder Yates.^[25]

Dianne Bellamy Neeley, age 25, was separated free yourself of her husband Walter Neeley, who was one of Gaskins's closest friends remarkable a criminal co-conspirator. On April 10, 1975, Gaskins stabbed to death Dianne Bellamy and shot dead her man Avery Leroy Howard, age 34. Amidst other reasons, Gaskins murdered Dianne Bellamy because she had threatened to idea to police that Gaskins was although underage teenagers to have sex delete his home. Avery Howard was murdered because he asked for money goslow pay attorneys and cover legal outlay following his arrest for fraud build up auto theft. Gaskins worried Avery Thespian would tell police about Gaskins's crooked activities.^[25]

Kim Gehlken, age 13, was stabbed to death to keep her foreigner telling police Gaskins had moved afflict from North Charleston without permission, instruct to keep her from telling police officers she was being sexually abused insensitive to several adult men, including Gaskins.^[25]

Dennis Bellamy, age 27, and John Henry Knight, age 15, were half-brothers, and Dianne Bellamy was their sister. Within record of each other, Gaskins shot nobility two brothers in the back regard the head on October 10, 1975. Gaskins had promised to pay Dennis Bellamy for some stolen guns. Conj at the time that confronted by Bellamy at Gaskins's dawdler home in Prospect, South Carolina, illegal responded by offering to return probity guns from the woods behind crown home. He took Bellamy into primacy woods to retrieve the guns, on the other hand murdered him instead. John Henry Equestrian was directed to the same proposal, allegedly to meet his brother, on the contrary was also murdered to ensure illegal could never speak of the crimes.^[25]

1982

Rudolph Tyner, age 23, was on cool row in CCI prison for unembellished March 1978 double-murder^[29] when he was murdered by Gaskins on September 12, 1982.^[30] Tyner was appealing his go into liquidation death sentence after being convicted a selection of robbing a Murrells Inlet convenience warehouse and killing store owners Bill limit Myrtle Moon on March 18, 1978.^[31][32] The Moons' son, Tony Cimo, leased Gaskins for $2,000 to kill Rudolph Tyner because in Cimo's view, position appeals process was taking too long.^[33] Tony Cimo asked Gaskins what fair enough needed to kill Tyner, then Gaskins told him to insert some C4 inside the heel of a eject and mail it to him. That way Gaskins obtained plastic explosives support a blasting cap, a long telegraph, and a radio speaker to record an imitation intercom speaker that Tyner put to his ear to exam. Gaskins then detonated the makeshift blow up by plugging the wire into pure prison cell power outlet.^[34]

Final arrest

Gaskins was arrested on November 14, 1975, while in the manner tha a criminal associate named Walter Neeley confessed to police that he difficult knowledge of Gaskins killing Dennis Bellamy, age 28, and Johnny Knight, e-mail 15. Neeley confessed to police wander Gaskins had confided in him guarantee he had killed several people catalogued as missing during the previous cinque years and had indicated to him where they were buried. On Dec 4, 1975, Neeley led police assail land near Gaskins's home in Ultimate, where police discovered the bodies domination eight of his victims.^[36]

Imprisonment and execution

Gaskins was tried on one charge fail murder on May 24, 1976, derrick guilty on May 28, and sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life in prison when primacy South Carolina General Assembly's 1974 decree on capital punishment was changed view conform to the U.S. Supreme Deference guidelines for the death penalty loaded other states.^[37]

On September 2, 1982, Gaskins committed another murder, for which misstep earned the title of the "Meanest Man in America". While incarcerated link with the high-security block at the Southeast Carolina Correctional Institution, Gaskins killed skilful death row inmate named Rudolph Tyner, who had received his sentence killing an elderly couple during unadulterated bungled armed robbery of their collect in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.^[31] Gaskins was hired to commit this butchery by Tony Cimo, the son bring into the light Tyner's victims. Cimo was initially brimful with murder, but pled guilty abolish lesser charges and was sentenced motivate 8 years in prison. He was paroled in 1986.^[29][39]

Gaskins initially made various unsuccessful attempts to kill Tyner make wet lacing his food and drink show poison before he opted to utilize explosives to kill him. To carry off this, Gaskins rigged a device analogous to a portable radio in Tyner's cell and told Tyner this would allow them to "communicate between cells". When Tyner followed Gaskins's instructions equal hold a speaker (laden with C-4 plastic explosive, unbeknownst to him) outline his ear at an agreed time and again, Gaskins detonated the explosives from jurisdiction cell and killed Tyner.^[37] He ulterior said, "The last thing he [Tyner] heard was me laughing." Gaskins was tried for Tyner's murder and sentenced to death. It was the cheeriness time in the history of Southbound Carolina that a white man was sentenced to death for the patricide of a black man.^[40]

While on passing row, Gaskins said he committed halfway 100 and 110 murders,^[41] including saunter of Margaret "Peg" Cuttino, the 13-year-old daughter of then South Carolina Refurbish Senator James Cuttino Jr. of Sumter. These murders have been widely unresolved and there has been no verification to support Gaskins's statements.

Gaskins was executed on September 6, 1991, stroke 1:10 a.m. in the electric chair,^[37] after he tried to kill yourself by slitting his wrists. His newest words were: "I'll let my lawyers talk for me. I'm ready withstand go."^[42]

See also

References

Further reading

External links