First Female Serial Killer, The Real Life Buffalo Bill & The Casanova Killer

Belle Gunness [NEVER CAUGHT] | SERIAL KILLER FILES #12
Say hello to the first female serial killer of the series. And she was never caught! Belle Gunness was a Norwegian-American serial killer born in 1859. She gained notoriety in the early 20th century for luring men through Lonely Hearts ads and matrimonial agencies to her farm in La Porte, Indiana. Belle is suspected of murdering numerous suitors for financial gain, including collecting life insurance. The exact number of her victims remains uncertain, but estimates range from 14 to over 40. In 1908, her farmhouse burned down, revealing multiple bodies on the property. Belle's fate is unknown, as she was not found among the dead, leading to speculation that she may have fled.

The REAL LIFE Buffalo Bill [UNSOLVED] | #ANATOMYofMURDER #22
Robert Janczewski was every bit as twisted as the infamous movie character he inspired: Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs. On 4 October 2017, 19 years after the murder of Katarzyna Zowada, police arrested 52-year-old Robert Janczewski in Kraków's Kazimierz district. Investigators searched his apartment and found blood in the bathroom. As a result, the bath and frame were secured for further testing. He was a person of interest in 1999 but had not been arrested. Janczewski fit the psychological profile as he was trained in martial arts, knew the victim, visited the victim's grave, and had a history of harassing women. He had previously worked in a dissecting lab, where he dealt with human corpses. He also worked at the Cracow Institute of Zoology, where he could observe the process of preparing animal skins. His employment was terminated the day after he killed all of the institute's rabbits during his shift; he couldn't explain his actions. Janczewski was charged with aggravated murder with particular cruelty. He maintains that he did not know Katarzyna Zowada. As of September 2019, Janczewski has not yet been released. Investigators requested a closed trial.

The Casanova Killer - Paul John Knowles | ANATOMY OF MURDER #13
Known for his good looks and killer charm...and his love for murdering women, Paul John Knowles was an American serial killer active in the 1970s. Known for his charming demeanor, he embarked on a killing spree across several states, targeting both men and women, particularly hitchhikers. His crimes involved robbery, assault, and rape. Knowles left notes at crime scenes, taunting law enforcement. He was captured in 1974 after a high-speed chase, convicted of multiple murders, and killed by an FBI agent in December 1974 during an escape attempt. The total number of his victims remains uncertain.

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Cold Case Western Australia

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Chapters

• 0:00 Belle Gunness [NEVER CAUGHT]
• 6:54 The REAL LIFE Buffalo Bill [UNSOLVED]
• 14:39 [Ad] Cold Case Western Australia
• 15:28 (Cont.) The REAL LIFE Buffalo Bill [UNSOLVED]
• 17:31 The Casanova Killer - Paul John Knowles

Transcript

0:00

Marrying for the money was a sick, twisted art form for this week's serial killer. Today we look at the for profit killer, Belle Gunness. Let's open the serial killer file. Bell was born in 1859, into a large family on a small farm in Norway. Not much is known about her life for certain, and nothing of any note seems to have happened before she reached her twenties. Some sources claim that Bell was pregnant at that time and was attending a dance when she was attacked by a man who kicked her in the stomach. The kick caused Bell to miscarry her baby due to the man's wealth and status. He never saw justice for what he did to her. And from that point forward, she seemed to be a changed person. She seemed to change in a way different than one might expect from such a tragic event. Bell, having grown up poor, was able to eventually save up enough money for her to move to America. She moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she met her first husband and had four children with him. Together, they opened a confectionary store which failed financially and mysteriously burned to the ground. Two of their children fell ill sometime later. Their symptoms were in keeping with acute colitis, but also weren't any different from what a victim of certain poisons might experience. The two children both died from their conditions. Stranger Then her husband fell ill some time later and passed away as well. Interestingly enough, he died on the one day in which two life insurance policies overlapped. Doctors knew Bell's husband had an enlarged heart and chalked it up to just that. Bell applied for the insurance money the day after the funeral. Bell took her money, which amounted to $8,500, which is the equivalent to around $250,000 today, and bought herself a farm in Indiana. She met another man, a widower with two daughters by the name of Peter Gunness. They married in 1902, and around a week later, Peter's infant daughter died while alone with Bell. Eight months later, Peter was dead as well. According to Bell, he burned himself in the kitchen and a sausage grinder fell on his head. Though the death was ruled certainly as murder, Bell was able to convince authorities that she was innocent. Peter's brother had Peter's older daughter taken out of the house. A good thing, too, as it saved the young girl's life. Bell made off yet again with the insurance money. Bell and Peter's short relationship did produce a child. However, a little baby boy by the name of Philip, but all in Bell's family were doomed, regardless as to whether or not they were adopted or biological children. And Bell had her desires. She wanted wealth and hated men. So naturally she put out a personal ad. It read Comely Widow, who owns a large farm in one of the finest districts in La Porte County, Indiana, desires to make the acquaintance of a gentleman equally well provided with a view of joining fortunes. No replies by letter considered unless sender is willing to follow answer with a personal visit. Plenty of men came forward to meet Bell. She would invite them inside, have dinner with them, and of course, discuss money. Men were more than happy to pay for Bell's expenses, such as her mortgage. She'd take their money and the men would inexplicably vanish. Those who happened to be riding by her property at night would sometimes see her digging in her hog patterns. In 1907, with all of her money, Bell hired a farmhand named Ray Lanphier. Around a year later, Bell started having trouble with Ray. It was believed that Ray was deeply in love with her and often took on any task she could possibly ask of him. But Ray wasn't wealthy and had nothing to offer her, so she eventually fired him. She complained that Ray was incredibly unstable and was a threat to the public and even managed to subject Ray to a sanity hearing where he was declared sane and released. Though she claimed her life was threatened by Ray, she went to other authorities, but never to the police, which raised suspicions. Truth be told, this believed that she was setting the stage for her most horrific crime yet and everything soon went up in smoke. On April 28th, 1908, Bell's new farmhand awoke in his bedroom on the second floor of Bell's home to smoke in his room. Upon opening his door, he was met with a wall of flames. He tried calling to Bell and her children, but got no response. He was forced to jump from the second story window, barely escaping. By the time he was able to run and get help, the house was a smoldering ruin. Inside, Bell's three children were found charred in their beds, and a woman's corpse, which had been decapitated, was found charred along with them. Immediately, authorities suspected Ray and he was charged with arson and murder. He was tried a short time later, but evidence weighed in his favor. One crucial bit of evidence was that the headless body of the woman's remains found in the house didn't match the measurements of Bell. Some experts claim that the body found couldn't have possibly been Bell's at all. Ray was still convicted of arson, but acquitted on the murder charges. He was sentenced to 20 years in state prison where he died a year later of tuberculosis. Before Ray died, he claimed that Bell had murdered a number of men and had taken money from them by his count, she allegedly accumulated $250,000, which is near $6.3 million today. That being said, when investigators checked her bank accounts, there was little left in them. She had withdrawn almost all of her money right before the fire. When authorities inspected Bell's property, they dug up body after body. Men, children. Only one child ever escaped living with her. And that was Peter Garnett's oldest daughter, who was taken away by her uncle. Only one man invited to her property as a potential suitor escaped when he caught her before she tried murdering him in his sleep, but never reported her. All in all, it was discovered that Bell had killed over 40 people. And with suspicions that she planned out the elaborate escape she was nowhere to be found. All that remained were the corpses. Bell became a popular part of criminal folklore in America. The sheriff in charge of her case received reports of sightings regularly for the next 20 years after the fire. The true fate of Bell Gunness. Well, that's still unknown. Humans are capable of horrific things. This comes as no surprise. However, every now and then, a case goes beyond being frightful or unsettling. Sometimes a case is so grim and dark that it makes you wish you never knew it truly happened at all. Such is the case of Katarzyna Zada. Catterson in English is Catherine. So that's what she will be referred to as in this video. This will also have a bizarre connection. Later in this video, the circumstances surrounding this case aren't the simplest to pin down. Despite its grave circumstances, it hasn't been a story that's reached out across international media outlets the way many murders of this caliber do for reasons unknown. This is some of the information that could be found. It occurred in Krakow, Poland, in 1998. A 23 year old girl named Catherine Zuwara was supposed to arrive at a doctor's office for an appointment. Catherine had been having issues in life, including suffering from severe depression and universal. Her mind was changing a lot and she couldn't quite find a proper fit for what she wanted to study. She had changed her focus to religious studies, but was moving to leave that behind as well, when suddenly she vanished sometime around November 12th, the day she didn't show up for her appointment. However, Catherine wouldn't remain missing for long, but the outcome was more horrifying than anyone was prepared to expect. Around two months later, in January, a man was boating down a river not far from where Catherine called home when his boat suddenly started having issues moving to the back of the boat. The man inspected his propeller and saw something pale and amorphous, caught in it. So he reached down and struggled to try and get whatever it was free. That's when the blob of light shifted and the man noticed an ear surely shocked. The man contacted authorities. It wasn't a body that got caught on his propeller, however. Not exactly. It was Catherine Zapata's flesh. She had been precisely skinned with some parts missing, such as the limbs and her nipples. The discovery was mortifying. When police examined the flesh, they were able to see areas where it was sewn together, as if to be worn as a suit. This led authorities to believe that they were dealing with a killer inspired by the 1991 movie Silence of the Lambs, where a character known as Buffalo Bill Skins his female victims to make a suit that he can wear. This is where another bizarre connection is made. Catherine is also the name of the girl Buffalo Bill has in the pit in his home that he's planning on skinning as part of his suit in the movie. Whether this is a coincidence or not is unknown. The police determined that the Skins suit had been in the river for around two weeks, and when they searched the river, they were also able to recover a leg. As for the rest of Catherine's body, it was missing and it's remained missing to this day. There wasn't a single trace anywhere that could have even hinted at a location of her body. Not long after Catherine's murder, authorities got a hit on something. A case that was particularly morbid, much like Catherine's. A man by the name of Vladimir who lived in the general area had murdered his father. As if that wasn't bad enough, he went on to skin his father's head. According to Polish sources, he wore his own father's skin over his own head to fool his grandfather, who had poor eyesight. Police figured that they had found Catherine's killer. Vladimir not only committed a crime on par with the one committed on Catherine, but he also went to the same school that she did around the same time. But the exact time frame is unknown. However, he refused to admit to murdering Catherine, and after further investigation, it was shown that Vladimir actually hadn't murdered her. His act was separate. And the similarities, as unbelievable as it sounds, were coincidental. Authorities examined Catherine's life to try and discover what had happened to her. She kept a few people close with no siblings and very few friends, and her father, having passed away a couple of years before her disappearance and murder. There weren't many people out there who were looking out for her. Catherine's changes of heart and depression were likely connected to the loss of her father a short time before she disappeared. According to sources, Catherine urged her father to take a trip into the mountains with her. He decided to go with her and while they were walking along, her father slipped and fell, which damaged his spine. He suffered with an unknown affliction not long after and died as a result. But it's unknown if his prior injuries contributed to that. However, it's said that she blamed herself for his death, and that's when her depression really set in. Though it's been commonly accepted that Catherine was a loner to a degree, Polish media indicates that she became close with a man named Robert Yun Ju Ski, who she spent a fair amount of time with and even changed her appearance for by losing weight and changing her hair. Robert enjoyed taking walks along the river by his house. The river that Catherine's flesh was found in. He spent a lot of time dressing in women's clothing, which by itself isn't behavior indicative of possible violent tendencies. But it's also said that he had a certain disdain for women. He had sex with men and may have wished he was a woman to a degree, that he may have taken extreme measures that could have had especially gruesome results. He stalked, harassed and spied on women, some of whom were his own neighbors. Aside from this, Robert spent time working as a dissector in a religious hospital's morgue. He also worked for the Institute of Zoology, where he dealt with skinning animals. On top of this, he was also abusing and killing animals. He was fired from the Institute of Zoology after he butchered every last one of the experimental rabbits in the Institute. He was known to have had a violent temperament, and considering the fact that he wasn't truly interested in women, his relationship with Catherine may have very well been artificial. Perhaps he had a plan for her that she had no idea about. Perhaps he was grooming her, having her change her appearance to better fit how he would envision himself as a woman. It's impossible to know exactly what was going through his mind, but Robert would remain under the police's radar. Years began to pass with no justice, nor even a new discovery in regards to Catherine and 25, police discovered a human torso in a park which looked like it could connect to Catherine. But it was never linked to her. More years passed all the way until 2017, when finally the police came across a new suspect, the man allegedly linked to Catherine back when she disappeared. Robert Yang Ju ski. According to Polish sources, some of Catherine's blood was found in Robert's bathroom nearly 20 years later, and the testing came up as a conclusive match to Catherine. However, this is all begun a difficult process. While Robert has been arrested and detained, prosecutors know that they'll need more evidence. And due to how much time has passed, the possibility of new evidence has dwindled substantially. Robert remains the best possible suspect for the murder of Catherine Zapata, but there haven't been any very recent updates regarding a trial or sentencing. It's unknown if her killer will truly face justice at all. Leaving her loved ones in a foggy haze of questions, hope and worry. kill the Casanova killer known for his good looks and violent tendencies. Paul John Knowles was an unpredictable serial spree killer throughout the 1970s. From an early childhood of delinquency and foster homes, Paul's upbringing led to a series of at least 18 murders that continued until his death at only 28 years old. Though 18 murders are documented, it is claimed that the body count goes all the way to 35. So how did he do it and why? Well, all that and more as we explore the anatomy of murder. Paul, John Knowles went through childhood, never truly having a place to call home. Hopping from foster home to foster home in Orlando, Florida, a lack of consistency and familial love are nothing but recipes for disaster. His petty crimes in early childhood progressed into adulthood. Landing Paul in jail numerous times for crimes such as burglary. Unfortunately for Paul, he never learned his lesson, no matter how many times he was incarcerated. At 19 years old, he was in prison that referred prison a stronghold that dawn to the name the four walls of rye before his time spent in prison weren't all that bad. During one extended visit of the correctional facility, he became pen pals with Angela Kovic, a woman who felt deeply for him while he only viewed her as an opportunity. If he could get this woman to fall in love with him, he might have had a way out. She could bring in money to buy him out of his cage by paying legal fees, faking emotions, and turning on his charm seemed to be a small price to pay to escape. Paul was able to persuade Angela of his feelings for her and eventually proposed to her while still in prison. Angela accepted Paul's proposal, and for the Casanova killer, everything was going according to plan. However, this would not last long. While Paul was finding a way to California to move in with her, Angela visited a psychic who gave her an ominous foresight. She was told there was a new violent presence in her life. Astonished by her meeting with the psychic, she dumped old Casanova before he could finalize his move. This was the spark that ignited the killer within. Allegedly, three lives were lost that same night. But these are not confirmed. What we do know is that within two months, Paul went back to Florida and very shortly after got involved in a violent bar fight in which he was arrested. However, he managed to escape with his adept lock picking skills. His escape led to his first documented victim, Alice Curtis. A 65 year old woman was an innocent victim while she was keeping to herself inside her. How she had something Paul wanted a car and money based on her house's convenient location. Paul invaded her house on July 26, 1974. During their confrontation, he gagged her as he robbed her of her valuables. She choked on the gag and her own dentures and died that night. While Paul staged his getaway with the car, a Dodge Dart on his way to abandoning his stolen vehicle just a week later, on August 2nd. Paul came across two girls who he worried witnessed his acts. These girls were Lillian in my lot, Anderson, ages 11 and seven, and his desperate paranoia. He abducted the girls to eliminate witnesses when they were discovered to be missing by parents and police. They were certain that the children did not merely walk off. Both the Andersons have thyroid issues and needed to take medicine regularly. These girls were never found. Paul was able to abduct, rape and murder the girls, and after disposing of the bodies in a nearby swamp, move on to his next kill. Just one day goes by and another victim claimed Marjorie. How had a television that Paul wanted. And he always gets what he wants. Another home invasion leads to another strangulation, and this time with a nylon stocking. The Casanova killer got his television. And how dies at the age of 49. Eventually, the killing stopped being an afterthought and became part of the thrill for Paul. His notoriety was going to his head, and he began to kill purely for sport. This marks the demise of 13 year old Imogene Sanders, a hitchhiker from Georgia, unfortunate enough to come across this psychopath with no ulterior motive of Paul. She was raped and murdered. The exact time of her death is unknown, but she originally went missing. On August 1st, 1974. A short lull of bloodshed lasted until August 23rd, where Paul invaded yet another home and with a telephone cord, strangled Cathy Pearce to death while her three year old son watched the entire thing happen. While reports say he left the child unharmed, being forced to witness the murder of your loving parent in cold blood can obviously lead to permanent psychological trauma. It would be a miracle if the boy ended up turning out okay. Women were not the only victims of the Casanova killer's bloodlust. In early September, a night out at the bar and a couple of beers turned deadly. Paul shared a few drinks in Lima with Ohio resident William Bates, which eventually led to Bates being strangled, robbed and murdered. His wallet and car stolen from him. BATES nude body wasn't found until October, lost in the woods. It was here that Alice's Dodge Dart was finally put to rest as well. Two weeks later, on September 18th, two more lives were fed to the monster that was Paul John Knowles. While some people enjoy going into the great outdoors while camping in Nevada, breathing in the fresh air and fascinating your bond with nature, it also opens you up to the dangers of nature. While usually we refer to wild animals as beasts, Paul might suffice for something just as dangerous. After maxing out poor William Bates credit cards, he had to find a place to stay for a short while. This meant another invasion. Unlike the previous murders, this elderly couple was not strangled to death, but shot in their small retreat in the woods. But he was far from finished. The next murder shows that no matter where we are, danger might be imminent. Three days later, 42 year old Sherilyn Hicks merely stopped by the side of the road to sightsee. And again, Texas, after her motorcycle broke down completely unprovoked. The Casanova killer shows up seemingly out of nowhere to help her. He snatched her up, raped her, and strangled her to death. Her mangled body was then dragged through barbed wire. After your first broken heart, sometimes it feels impossible to recover. We all do crazy, sometimes violent things when we're upset. But eventually the heart moves on and we find someone else. This happened for Paul. He met a woman by the name of Anne Dawson, and the couple hit it off and traveled together for about a week. Then he got sick of her and did away with her on September 29th, leaving no traces of a body. Three weeks later in Connecticut, Karen Wine and her 16 year old daughter were bound, raped and strangled to death with a nylon stocking. While there isn't much information about this murder, what Paul ended up stealing leads to an important turn of events. The only thing missing from the wine's house was a tape recorder. Three days later, the Casanova killer struck again. On October 19th, Doris Harvey's home was invaded, and the 53 year old woman was shot with her husband's rifle, taking extra time to be meticulous. Paul wiped his prints from the gun and placed it by her body. There was no evidence to trace the murder to him. Moving back to Florida, Paul picks up two hitchhikers, which would have been his next targets. Luck was on their side, however, when a police officer pulled Paul over for a traffic violation. Lock was also on Paul's side, however, and the officer left with only a warning. Anxious from the police confrontation, he let the hitchhikers go and called the lawyer. He refused to surrender to the police, but met with his lawyer to provide a confession recorded with the tape recorder taken from the wine's home. November 6th led to one of the more disturbing murders. He was invited to the home of a man named Carswell Carr, where Paul was going to stay overnight, and the two decided to have a few drinks. During this, Paul stabs Carr as well, but he dies from a heart attack. The fun didn't stop there for Paul. There was a 15 year old daughter there too. Who he strangled to death. Following this, Paul unsuccessfully attempted necrophilia on the 15 year old girl's body. The last murders were of patrol Trooper Charles Eugene Campbell and James Meier. Campbell noticed the stolen car Paul recently acquired after abandoning Bates vehicle, but couldn't successfully arrest the killer. Paul got the best of him, took him hostage and took his patrol car until he could find a less conspicuous car to drive. Owned by James Meier, who became the second hostage, he took his handcuffed prisoners to a secluded area in Pulaski County, Georgia, and shot them both in the head at point blank range. Paul's rampage ends as he attempts to drive through a police roadblock, causing him to lose control of his car and crash into a tree. After an intense chase by police officers, attack dogs and helicopters. He's caught by none other than your every day armed citizen. Subjugated in a citizen's arrest until the cops arrive. While in custody, Paul confessed to 35 murders, though only 18 of these were verified. The Casanova wouldn't go down without a fight, however, and he met his demise on November 18th during transfer to a high security prison with a paper clip in hand. Paul breaks free of his handcuffs and attempts to escape by reaching for an officer's revolver. His arrogance led to him being shot dead by FBI Agent Ron Angel. Ending the tyranny of Paul. John Knowles for good. you for listening. 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