10 Careless Mistakes That Got Serial Killers Caught
2. H. H. Holmes Recruited Accomplices In Insurance Fraud
Often dubbed "America's first serial killer", H.H. Holmes was operating in the United States around the same time as Jack the Ripper was carving up the streets of London. While nowhere near as intriguing or prolific as Jack, researchers estimate that Holmes killed over 200 people.
Holmes would seduce women, have them make him the beneficiary of their life insurance policies, then murder them. His hotel, now known as the Murder Castle, had quite a few visitors and employees (employees who also had him listed as their life insurance beneficiary) disappear over time, as well.
A fairly intelligent man, murder was not the only crime he fancied. He also sold the bodies of his victims to medical schools. He stole other bodies to use in fake insurance schemes, collecting life insurance money for deceased individuals that never existed.
His undoing? Involving others in his mischief. Holmes convinced Ben Pitezel to fake his death to collect a life insurance payout — Holmes ended up killing him for real. Another associate who helped Holmes with this scheme ratted him out to investigators and Holmes was promptly arrested.