William Heirens was known as the "Lipstick Killer" who was accused of murdering three women in Chicago in the 1940s. He had a difficult childhood with parents who fought frequently. As a teenager, he began committing burglaries as a way to escape his home life. He was eventually apprehended for a burglary and accused of the murders, though he still claims innocence. The crimes were notable for messages left written in lipstick at one scene and the dismemberment of six-year-old Suzanne Degnan. His interrogation methods, including alleged use of truth serum, remain controversial.

1. William Heirens
“The Lipstick Killer”
Sorrel Devlin Pd. 6

2. Childhood
Heirens was a mischievous boy, but no one
took his foolish antics for anything dangerous.
He had a niche for engineering, always taking
things apart and putting them back together,
and sketching things such as cars and boats.

3. Home Life
Heirens parents fought often about money.
The quarrels started small but then
escaladed violently. Heirens wanted nothing
to do with the arguments and sought ways to
escape them. Some considered him a loner.
Soon the need to escape his home life
introduced him to the world of burglary.

4. Adult Life
Heirens did not have much of an adult life.
Burglary obsession got him into trouble
quickly. While in juvenile detention, he
showed excellent academic skills. He was
accepted into a program at University of
Chicago at the age of 16. A year later he
started to live on campus, away from his
family.

5. Motives?
It is hard to determine a motive to Heirens
killings because he still proclaims his
innocence, but one can determine a few
potential triggers such as his parents flawed
relationship and/or his love of stealing.

6. Methods of Killing
In two of the murders Heirens was
accused of, the women were both
stabbed in the neck.
However, the most notorious mark of
this killer was the message written in
a victim’s lipstick. “For heavens sake
catch me before I kill more.” This
plea was only written once but
shocked all regardless.

7. The Victims:
Josephine Ross: A three time divorce that was found
in June of 1945, naked with a dress wrapped around
her head and multiple stab wounds to the neck
Frances Brown, who did not live very far from Josephine was last seen December 10,
1945. She was found with a butcher knife in her neck and a bullet hole in her head.
Along with her body, the message “For heavens sake catch me before I kill more.”
was written on a wall in her lipstick.
Suzanne Degnan was the most gruesome of the three murders. At six
years old, she was found missing from her room. Soon after her
disappearance, various parts of her dismembered body were found in
different sewers, while a discarded bathtub revealed blood stains and
matching blonde hairs.

8. Getting Caught?
Heirens was apprehended by police for one
of his many burglaries. While in custody he
became the main suspect in the Suzanne
Degnan. He was then found guilty and
charged for the three women's’ murders.
Some say, Heirens included, that he is innocent.
He claims that the police pressured and
roughhoused him into a confession, even going
as far as using “truth serum”. It is true that the
police were in a panic to find the killer of the
child quickly. Heirens innocence is still argued to
this day.

9. Why are serial killers so
difficult to spot?
Serial killers are not easy to spot because they
blend into society. They act polite and
charming, and usually never show any signs
of how unstable they truly are.

10. The Four Types of Crime
Scenes
Organized Crime Scene: the killer has shown signs of planning
and avoids being caught by leaving little or no evidence.
Disorganized Crime Scene: the killer has killed spontaneously
with whatever he/she has on hand with no regard for being
caught
Mixed Crime Scene: the crime scene shows characteristics of
both organized and disorganized crime scenes; possibly
indicates staged scene, two offenders, or an interrupted act
Atypical Crime Scene: a crime scene that does not match any
of the other types, such as decomposed bodies

11. What I Found
Interesting:
The use of truth serum in William’s interrogation was
appalling. His arrest was also shocking because it
seemed as though the police just wanted to place the
blame on him.