When we describe famous people, we often hear about musicians, athletes, politicians, actors, singers, songwriters, producers, and so on; however, unlike the usual types of popular personalities, there seems to be a fascination with criminals, especially serial killers. One of America’s most notorious serial killers, Harvey Glatman, has recently regained popularity. Here you will find everything you need to know about him.
Harvey terrorized America in the 1950s, and all his victims were female. The media referred to Harvey as “The Glamour Girl Slayer” and “The Lonely Hearts Killer. He was known for luring his victims into his trap, initially posing as a photographer who was interested in photography and promised to help the young ladies with their modeling careers. Then he took them to his apartment where he would kill them.
Who Is Harvey Glatman?
Harvey Glatman was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York on December 10, 1927, the son of Ophelia and Albert Glatman. His family members were undeniably ordinary people who could hardly attract the attention of the media. His father, Albert Glatman, was a hatter – he made and sold women’s hats. He had a store in the Bronx, and after a while, Albert opened another hattery in Colorado. Harvey, however, drew public attention to his family, and it was definitely not for the right reasons, as he established himself as a notorious kidnapper, robber, and serial killer.
In the nearly 32 years he lived, Harvey Glatman never married or had children. Nor did Harvey Glatman attend college because he did not complete his high school education.
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Everything You Need To Know About Harvey Glatman
The Beginning
Like any other human being, Harvey Glatman was born innocent, and as he grew up, he chose his path. It was his mother who was the first to notice strange and unusual things about him. She noticed a red, scarred line on his neck, which he gave to himself when he tried to make a noose around his neck, pulling sexual gratification out of the unorthodox act. She took him to his family doctor, who mistakenly interpreted his condition as only one phase of his life from which he would definitely outgrow. A few years passed, and Harvey did not get better, but worse.
Back in high school, Harvey was the subject of bullying. He was also shy about talking to girls.
His Crimes and Arrests
While still a student at East High School in Denver, Colorado, he threatened one of his classmates named Eula Jo Hand with a toy gun. He continued to tie her up, gag her, harass and rob her. She reported the incident to the police, and Harvey was then arrested for the first time after his assault on Hand. He was 18 years old at the time, and this prevented him from graduating high school. He was later released on bail from Denver jail by his mother.
After his jail sentence, it was clear that he had not learned from his mistake, as he immediately began to make more trouble. Once again, he committed a similar crime when he assaulted and molested a woman in Boulder, Colorado. Two days after the crime he was arrested by the police and sent to jail for eight months.
He was released from prison in July 1946, and he moved to New York to live with his mother. A month later, Harvey Glatman was arrested for the third time and charged with robbery and assault, which he committed in several cases. In the end, he served 4 years in the notorious Sing Sing prison.
From Molestation to Murder
After Glatman was released from Sing Sing prison, he left New York and moved to Los Angeles in 1957. He posed as a photographer to lure aspiring models to his home and promise them that their photos would end up on the covers of popular pulp fiction magazines. His first victim was Judith Dull, an 18-year-old model Harvey met through a modeling agency. He brought Dull to his apartment, tied her up, took photos of her, and then sexually assaulted the young lady. He then strangled her to death and disposed of her body in the desert.
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His second victim was Shirley Ann Bridgeford. He and Shirley had a rendezvous, then he took her to his home, forced himself on her, attacked her sexually, and took a series of photographs. Then he murdered her and dumped her body near Anza State Park.
Harvey’s third murder victim was Ruth Mercado. As with his two previous victims, he took Mercado to his apartment, sexually attacked her, and photographed her before killing her.
How He was Captured
Harvey Glatman was on his way to add another name to his list of victims when he was arrested. He and the model Lorraine Vigil were on their way to his apartment when the model noticed some inconsistencies and the two of them got into an argument in his car that led to Harvey’s arrest by the patrol police. After his arrest, he confessed to all his crimes and the pictures of his victims were revealed.
How Harvey Glatman Died
Harvey was charged with two counts of first-degree murder; he was found guilty and sentenced to death. He willingly accepted his sentence. His execution took place on September 18, 1959, and he was executed by cyanide poisoning in the gas chamber of San Quentin State Prison.
