Episode 100: The Genesee River Killer: Arthur Shawcross - Part 1

Welcome to our 100th episode! For this special occasion we delve into a case in our hometown, discussing the background and atrocities committed by serial killer Arthur Shawcross, otherwise known as the Genesee River Killer. Part I we go over Arthur’s background to get a look into his upbringing and the petty crimes he committed. Some of the information is provided by Shawcross himself, however a lot of the tragic events he would describe were not able to be corroborated. He spent most of his childhood and early adult in the 1950s and 1960s in Watertown, NY, close to Fort Drum. Known as a violent loner, he dropped out of school and kept committing petty crimes, eventually being incarcerated for 3 years. This did little to subside his dark fantasies. In 1972, Shawcross took the lives of his first two victims in Watertown but only served 14 years behind bars for them. He moved to Rochester, NY and unleashed horrors on the cities’ vulnerable sex workers for 2 years before being caught, taking the lives of 11 women. Tune in for our 100th episode where we dive into the psyche of Arthur Shawcross, the Genesee River Killer.   Part 1 & 2 Sources: “Arthur Shawcross” by Biography.com Editors on Biography on October 3, 2023 (https://www.biography.com/crime-figure/arthur-shawcross) “Police Seek Link in Slaying of Prostitutes” by Craig Gordon in The Democrat & Chronicle on March 25, 1988 “Arthur Shawcross' apartment” on Oddspots (https://oddstops.com/location.php?id=202) “Police Identify Body of Woman” in The Democrat & Chronicle on October 29, 1989 “Arthur Shawcross” on Criminal Minds Wiki (https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Arthur_Shawcross) “Service Remembers Slain Women” by Jeff Wilkin and Vincent Taylor in The Democrat & Chronicle on November 21, 1989 “Police: suspect told them body was of his mistress” on UPI Archives on October 2, 1990 (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/10/02/Police-suspect-told-them-body-was-of-his-mistress/1204654840000/) “The Genesee River Killer” by Alyssa Jackson on Reporter on October 3, 2015 (https://reporter.rit.edu/5339/october-2015/the-genesee-river-killer/) “Profile of Serial Killer Arthur Shawcross” by Charles Montaldo on ThoughtCo. on July 3, 2019 (https://www.thoughtco.com/profile-of-serial-killer-arthur-shawcross-973145) “3rd Body Found in Genesee River Gorge area” by Diana L. Tomb The Democrat and Chronicle on November 12, 1989 “Arthur Shawcross, the Genessee River Strangler” by Katherine Ramsland on Crime Library (https://crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/predators/shawcross/innocents_3.html) “Police Identify Body of Woman” by Morning Briefing in The Democrat and Chronicle on October 29, 1989 “Murder At Home: The Genesee River Killer” on True Crime Mama on August 29, 2020 (https://truecrimemama.com/2020/08/29/murder-at-home-the-genesee-river-killer/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) “Police Seek Like in Slaying of Prostitutes” by Craig Gordon in The Democrat and Chronicle on March 25, 1988 “The Arthur Shawcross murder cases” by Rochester Unknown on The Democrat and Chronicle on