Gary M. Heidnik Case Study: #Victim, Pattern, Motive, Signature

Full Name	Gary Michael Heidnik
Alias name	Brother Heidnik
Number of Victims	Six
Span of crime	1976-1987
Types of crime	Abduction, Sexual Assault, Murder
Modus Operandi	Abduction, Torture, Rape
Signature	Ephebophilic (sexually attracted to adolescents) Killer
Traits	Serial killer, Serial Rapist, Abductor
Conviction Status	Sentenced to Death, July 6, 1999

Why was Gary Heidnik Called a Serial Killer?

Gary is known to be a serial killer for two reasons:

Pattern in choosing victims: he chooses certain types of females;
He physically assaults them and treats them like his slave prisoners.

In his adulthood, he abducted six women and killed two of them. He physically abused and r*ped them. He also forced their victim to eat human meat.

How did Heidnik Choose His Victims?

He choose his victims who were:

African–American females
In their teens to mid-twenties.
Females which are mental or intellectually retard.
Or influenced by money.

The sense of being intellectually inferior gives him a feeling of superiority and power over his victims. This feeling/complexity was developed from the influence of his father, who had power and superiority over him.

Heidnik was also believed to be a genius and good at trading in stock markets. This gives him additional power to spend money and superiority over others.

List of Victims of Gary Heidnik

S.No.	Name	Ages (years)	Abducted/Missing
1	Josefine Rivera	23	November 25, 1986
2	Sandra Lindsay (deceased)	24	December 3, 1986
3	Lisa Thomas	19	December 23, 1986
4	Deborah Dudley (deceased)	23	January 2, 1987
5	Jacquelyn Askins	18	January 18, 1987
6	Agnes Adams	24	March 23, 1987

Common Pattern in Gary Heidnik Serial Killer

Following are the patterns in the case:

1. Prisoners for Months: He had six African American female prisoners in his basement, some of whom had been there for several months.

2. Art of Punishing: Heidnik had designed a specific punishment for victims who refused to obey him.

Dark Hole: He dug a hole in the cellar floor and, to discipline someone, he forced them to get into the hole; he then covered the hole with plywood and load it down with sandbags.
Electric Shocks: Heidnik used electric shock as a form of torture. He electrocuted Deborah Dudley to death.

Motive for Kidnapping (MO)? Why did Gary Abduct and Torture his Victim?

Gary Heidnik’s motive was not to murder, but to keep his victims alive and to abuse them physically and sexually. He used to punish them extremely when they did not obey him.

As per reports, the main reason behind the kidnapping is to feel overpowered and superior. This could be due to his childhood’s extreme punishments from his father, such as hanging Gary and his brother by their ankles.

Gary felt powerless, and perhaps he wanted to feel the same power by punishing their kidnapped victims.

How Did Heidnik Live With His Victims For 4 Months?

The story can be divided into two phases: (1) Sandra’s Story and (2) Deborah Dudley Story.

Part One: The Sandra Story

All started with Josefina Rivera.

She was a prostitute and influenced by Heidnik’s money, and came to Gary’s residence just for fun. However, that turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life. Gary cuffed and chained her down and used to have s*x.

Sandra Lindsay, the second victim.

He, like Josefina, cuffed, chained, and had s*x with Sandra too. He also tortured them. Within a few days, Sandra develops a fever and had no energy to fight. Gary tried to force her to eat, but then he suddenly realized that she died for a while.

Gary went on doing something insane.

To dispose of her body, he cut down Sandra’s body. He packed the body parts in white plastics and then freeze them down.

Blender With Human Flesh

He finds a way to get rid of the body. Firstly, he used a food processor to grind up some of the body parts. Secondly, he cook the body parts that he could not grind. Neighbors also complained about the burning flesh smell.

Eat or Starve to Death

Gary started to mix the cooked flesh with the dog food. He used to feed it to his dogs, Bear and Flaky, and to the prisoners. However, it is harder to tell whether victims know about the human flesh in their food.

Phase 2: The Deborah Dudley Story

Deborah, who was the most rebellious, and constantly battled Heidnik’s dominance. To make her obey, he devised special torture.

He put Deborah in a cylindrical dug hole floor and then partially filled it with water. Gary plugged a wire into the outlet and then touched the bare wire end to her hands.

He repeatedly electrocuted her, which finally ended with her life. This time, he didn’t trim her into pieces but dumped the body in pine barrens in a New Jersey Park, far from North Marshall Street.

Gary Emotions starts to Changes

Dudley’s death softens Gary’s emotions towards their victims. He started to treat them better and supplied them with blankets, pillows, and a television.

Part 3: Gary Heidnik Finally Held for His Sins

Gary Heidnik was finally Caught by Police. How?

Josefina Rivera, Heidnik’s first prisoner, had steadily gained Heidnik’s trust through her street-smart ways. Soon, she escapes from tortured room/basement and dialed 911, and gave them all the information.

She told them that she had been held captive in a basement for four months by a man named Gary Heidnik, and that three other women were still there in the basement.

Forensic Evidence Against Gary Michael Heidnik

Police officers entered Gary’s House in North Philadelphia and in the basement they found:

Two females lying on a mattress with bruised bodies.
Each female’s ankle was heavily shackled with a long chain.
Bags of dirt from a board covering a hole.
In the hole, a woman with her hands handcuffed behind her back and her ankle shackled.
In the kitchen, six plastic bags containing human body parts.
Packed human flesh.
Human fatty remains in a burned pan.
The freezer had a human forearm.

How Was His Childhood? How it Changed him to be a Serial Killer?

When Gary was 2 years old, his parents divorced.

Firstly, Gary and his brother Terry, lived with their mother Ellen. She was an alcoholic and soon seemed incapable of caring for them. She looked after them for four years.

When he entered his first grade, Gary went to live with his father Michael who was remarried. His mother remarried three more times before committing suicide in 1970 by ingesting mercury.

Gary’s father was an uncaring and strict disciplinarian. As punishment, he even hung Gary and Terry out the window by their ankles.

Education and Interest: Gary was always interested in the military and finance since childhood. He also went to a military high school for a few years. And continue to explore the financial field through reading articles.

Mental Institution: Gary spent the major part of his life in a mental facility. He was suffering from Schizophrenia. It can cause by childhood trauma. According to reports, he attempted suicide thirteen times.

Note: Schizophrenic is a severe mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally.

Conviction and Punishment

Gary Michael Heidnik was convicted of:

Two counts of first-degree murder
Five counts of kidnapping
Six counts of rape, and
Four counts of aggravated battery (usually involves a physical act or contact with another person without their consent and with the aim to hurt)

Gary Heidnik was found guilty of murder, and for this he was sentenced to the death penalty. He was executed on July 6, 1999.

References:

Agents of Death
Probing the mind of a serial killer [BOOK]
Hostages: Dramatic Accounts of Real-life Events [BOOK]
Factors That Influence Violence and Homicidal Ideation Among Serial Offenders [ScholarWorks]

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