A note to our listeners. Today's episode contains graphic descriptions that may not be suitable
for young audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
Hi, everyone. Welcome to Dying to be Found, the podcast where we dive into the darker
corners of true crime. I'm your host, Deb. Joining me today is the ever curious sister,
Beth. Hi, Beth.
Hi, Deb. I'm really thrilled to be here. Maybe thrilled isn't the right word, but I heard
you have a very interesting case today. The title when you sent it to me and it says shadows
of the gorilla man. I'm just so excited.
Good deal because I know you love the older storylines and that's where we're headed
today. You might see some similarities on the last case we talked about, but it kind
of reminded me slightly of that one, but it's a good one today.
I have no idea about this one. I hadn't heard of this guy either. It was interesting when
I was looking him up because today we're exploring the chilling story of Earl Nelson, also known
as the gorilla man. Earl was one of America's first known serial killers who was active
in the 1920s and his spree was brutal, baffling and left a very dark mark on history. Nelson
was born on May 12th, 1897 in San Francisco, California. He was an only child to James
Farrell and Francis Nelson. Earl's short life was marked by tragedy where his mother died
of syphilis when he was only 10 months old. I think that she contracted it from her husband
because Earl was eventually orphaned by the age of two when his father died of the same
disease. He was eventually raised by a very strict and deeply religious grandmother where
she instilled in her grandson that sex was dirty and often preached fire and brimstone
throughout his entire childhood. This left Earl to be somewhat quiet and submissive towards
adults. Nothing too alarming yet at this age, but by the age of seven, Earl was expelled
from elementary school for what was considered by administrators as having socially bad behavior.
Wasn't really clear on what that behavior was, but it did seem that he was harassing
his classmates somewhat and he also talked to invisible friends. He did quote Bible passages
about the great beast. I don't really find that alarming, Beth, back in the 20s if you're
raised in a religious family. To me, that's kind of normal, don't you think?
Beth Boulton Yes. They did a lot of that back then.
Well, he was also caught peeking on one of his female cousins while she was dressing.
I think when his grandmother died, he eventually went to go live with his aunt. So he had some
cousins there and he had been caught peeking in on one of his female cousins while she
was getting dressed. Again, Beth, don't you think this is natural behavior as you get
a little older, maybe not at age seven, but just reaching that threshold of adolescence?
Beth Boulton Yes.
To me, again, that's somewhat normal. Not normalizing anything he did by all means,
but we'll get there. By his early teens, he did start showing signs of trouble and obsessive
behavior. He had a fascination with death and what other people would consider bizarre
conduct. When he was 10, Earl experienced a traumatic bicycle accident that some believed
caused lasting brain damage. I can see why. He was hit by a streetcar, which left a hole
in his head that never healed.
Beth Boulton A hole in his head?
Beth Boulton Yes. He got a major head injury during that.
Beth Boulton Geez.
Beth Boulton After the accident, Earl suffered from frequent
headaches and memory loss. I get it, especially if you are hit in the frontal lobe area. I
think that has a lot to do with your memory.
Beth Boulton Yeah. I'm just still thinking about that hole
in his head. I just wonder how it never healed.
Beth Boulton I know. I did see pictures. He was beat up in
some of them probably because of, let's just say, his behavior when he was getting the
mug shot. I did not see that hole in the head that people were talking about. I'm sure it
was quite evident if you're face to face with him.
Well, Earl had remained in a coma for six days during that injury, which might have
just been the tipping point to no return because clearly there were already alarming signs
of dark behavior when he was younger. Understanding mental health was minimal and a traumatic
brain injury during the 1920s were often untreated. Now, think about this. It's chilling, Beth,
how many killers that we've talked about, that we've heard about, who have a history
of head injuries.
Beth Boulton I didn't realize that.
Beth Boulton Yeah. Well, as Earl grew older, his behavior became more erratic. He spent
time in and out of institutions diagnosed with psychosis. But here's the twist. Despite
his alarming behavior, he could be incredibly charming. And some accounts describe him as
an articulate and persuasive person, which he used to gain trust of his victims. And
there's a recurring theme amongst many predators that they seem to blend in normally. So besides
the brain injury, I think there's a recurring theme amongst many predators as well. They
seem to blend in with society and act somewhat normal, even likable, charming. This is what
makes crime so horrifying is because people like Earl Nelson gain the trust of whoever
he's about to attack and they don't see it coming.
Beth Boulton Yeah, I see that in some of the stories we've done in the past where the men
are charming. And oddly enough, I don't remember stories where women are charming.
Beth Boulton So true. There's definitely a difference between the two. Well, by the age
of 15, Earl began hooking up with prostitutes and went on alcoholic binges pretty regularly.
Not sure how he would access that lifestyle. Well, if he's living with his aunt, probably
by his teens, I can see maybe she might have something in the house. Definitely wouldn't
have been there with his grandmother. But going out and finding prostitutes, I mean,
that to me would be a little questionable about his behavior patterns for sure.
Beth Boulton And at age 15, gosh, I don't know if that happens even today.
Beth Boulton People grow up quicker than you think, Beth. Now, on July 25, 1915, Earl Nelson
committed a robbery where he was sentenced to a well known maximum security institution
called San Quentin State Prison at the ripe old age of 18. So he's in San Quentin. You've
heard of that, right?
Beth Boulton Oh, yes, I have. Yeah.
Beth Boulton It's one of the highest maximum security prisons out there. And today it's
called the San Quentin Rehab Center, but it's still a maximum security. So there's some
infamous people that have been at San Quentin over time. Maybe not while Earl Nelson was
there, but Charles Manson, Scott Peterson, and of all people, I know you know who Merle
Haggard is. Did you know he went to prison?
Beth Boulton No, who is he?
Beth Boulton Oh, you don't know who he is. He's a country
singer. I'm going to say probably from the 1970s, maybe the 1980s.
Beth Boulton I don't listen to country music.
Beth Boulton I don't listen to that twangy stuff either. I listen to new country, but
not that old twangy stuff. No way. Yeah, he had been sent there on robbery charges. So
he spent a little bit of time at San Quentin. Now upon his release from San Quentin, Earl
Nelson enlisted in the army. And I'm thinking maybe this might be an attempt to straighten
himself out. That's what people did back then.
Beth Boulton Yeah, that sounds like it could be.
Beth Boulton Well, it didn't because Earl was released only
a few months into his enlistment for multiple AWOL offenses. And in case anybody does not
know what AWOL is, that's Absent Without Leave. He also joined the Navy, but was never searched
for when he also went AWOL there. Naval officials cited mental illness for the reason for discharging
him. So at this point in time, things aren't really working out for Earl. He's going nowhere
fast and he turns to the life of crime that he was soon known for as we go on with the
story, Beth. Now this little tidbit reminds me of our second episode from this season,
The Boston Strangler, also known as The Green Man. Earl Nelson earned the name The Gorilla
Man. He began gaining access to his victims homes by pretending to be a plumber. Doesn't
that sound familiar?
Beth Boulton Yes.
In his very first attempt to commit sexual assault, which was against a 12-year-old girl,
he had entered a family home pretending to be that plumber. And as he entered the basement,
he saw a little girl down there playing with her dolls. When the girl's brother heard her
screaming because she had just been attacked, he had come to her aid. Nelson fled but was
picked up rather quickly on the same day. Good for them for catching up with him fast.
Yes. Yes. He was sent to Napa State Hospital and diagnosed with being in a constitutional
psychopathic state. And in layman terms, Beth, that's another word for being insane.
Okay.
During his stay, Nelson said he heard voices and firmly believed that someone was trying
to poison him. He would often threaten the staff who recommended that he stay at the
institution permanently. I mean, I kind of think that's rather sad. He's leading such
a sad life right now, but I agree if he's hearing voices.
I agree too. When you hear voices, that's usually when you're in the state of being
really bad and he certainly needs treatment.
Well, he didn't stay at the institution for very long because he broke out of the state
hospital and disappeared back into society. Now that's scary knowing that somebody out
there is living amongst us like Earl Nelson in the general public.
Exactly. That would...
Well, the big wigs at Napa State Hospital felt that it would be best to discharge Earl
rather than having to keep close tabs on him.
What?
Yeah. They decided to just... Okay. He's going to escape and he is known for escaping a lot
of different places. So instead of dealing with that, they just said, we're just going
to discharge him. Let somebody else deal with him.
Geez.
Isn't that crazy?
Yeah.
So Earl was free and it was during this time period that Earl found his true love and actually
got married to a 58 year old woman who resembled his grandmother.
And how old was he then?
I would say that he was probably in his mid twenties.
Oh my gosh.
I know, right?
Mm-hmm.
Well, that marriage only lasted six months and here's why. Earl couldn't hold a job
for more than a few days. So as most responsible husbands would do, he would leave to jot off
in the middle of the night to look for work.
Really? In the middle of the night to look for work?
Yeah. We know what he was up to.
Well, I had mentioned that Earl had suffered from headaches likely due to that bicycle
accident as a child. One day Earl was on a ladder when he suffered a severe migraine.
Now I've had migraines. They're nothing to write home about for sure. I would get up
in the mornings when I was a kid and literally fall to the ground. That's how severe the
headache was.
How old would you have been? I didn't know that you had them.
I was pretty young. I would say maybe around nine, 10, 11.
Are you kidding?
Mm-hmm.
Wow. I need fall to the ground.
I would literally get up out of bed and fall to the ground in severe pain. Earl passed
out, fell off that ladder and of all things, Beth, he landed on his head.
Ouch.
After this accident, Earl began to leave the house wearing one outfit but would return
in another. He actually had an obsession about changing his clothes and not just to change
clothes now. He would dress in something completely acceptable, walk out of the house like he
was just going to maybe run an errand, but then he would show up hours later wearing
something completely filthy or borderline inappropriate. Sometimes he'd come home wearing
a golf outfit, a sailor suit, or even his wife's dresses that he had tailored to make
as his own.
It's like a split personality maybe.
Almost. And then I'm wondering, hmm, where did these outfits come from and what was he
doing? That's scary.
Yeah.
Sometimes Earl would be gone for days, but he insisted to his wife that he had been there
the whole time and never left the house in the first place. Okay. So he's got to be in
a psychotic state. Unfortunately, I don't know what medications were out there at the
time. Interesting, I'm listening to a True Crime podcast and it's about this man called
the Ice Pick Doctor. He was known for all those lobotomies that were really popular
around this time.
Oh yeah. Those horrible things.
I don't know if that would have done him any good, but then again, they didn't really have
a lot of medications either at the time.
No.
It was just too new.
While he was recovering from his new brain injury, and I'm assuming he had received another
one because Nelson simply walked out of the hospital from that injury he had when he fell
off the ladder, his head was still bandaged. And this is when he apparently began to hear
voices again in his head and his murderous behavior began. I don't know. I think with
him coming home in those outfits, I think the murderous behavior probably began a little
sooner than this.
Well, I just think he's troubled and he's troubled and he probably hears voices continuously,
especially not being on medication. So those voices do tell often to kill.
Well, on March 10th, 1925, Earl felt that it was time for a change of scenery and he
made his way from California to Pennsylvania. This is where Earl's crime spree began several
months later. On October 18th, 1925, Earl went on a killing spree where he strangled
three women over the next three and a half weeks. It's probably those voices in the head.
Police put out an all points bulletin for the public to be on the lookout for a dark
complected man, approximately 5'6 to 5'7, with sandy hair that was long on top and short
on the sides. And honestly, Beth, I had told you I had seen some pictures of him. I hate
to say that these criminals are good looking, but he could probably be compared to maybe
Stephen Baldwin, one of the Baldwin brothers.
Oh, yes.
He did have that lighter hair color than the rest of the Baldwin brothers. So that's kind
of what reminded me of him. Well, Earl began moving around, making his way from Pennsylvania
to Missouri, back to California, over to Oregon and Washington State, where he went on a little
bit of a rampage and raped and murdered at least 14 other women in 1926.
Wow. That's a lot of women in such a short span of time.
It is. And he financed his journey with the money that he stole from all of his victims.
Let's talk about how Earl Nelson earned the nickname Gorilla Man.
Yes, let's do. I'm very anxious to hear this.
Well, it's kind of disturbing, Beth. Earl was called the Gorilla Man because, although
he was considered to be a small stature, I told you he was 5'6 or 5'7, he developed
rather large hands and had incredible upper body strength, which was clearly used in his
brutal attacks. He often strangled his victims with his bare hands and witnesses described
his hunched posture and almost animalistic movements. Imagine seeing somebody talking
to themselves, hearing voices out in public and using animalistic movements. That is kind
of creepy. Very.
Well, his first known murders did begin in 1926, but it didn't stop there. By 1927,
Earl was now 30 years old and not showing any signs of slowing down. Over the next year,
he claimed at least 22 victims across the United States, mainly in the Midwest and also
Beth coming into Canada. Wow. He targeted landlady's where he posed as a prospective
renter, and also carried a Bible that helped gain trust. Then he would charm his way into
their homes, and he was always polite. Okay, so I'm thinking a little bit narcissistic
here. He would also talk mostly about his deep faith in Christian beliefs, and then,
well, Beth, he'd strike. His ability to move across the state and national borders made
him especially difficult to catch. Law enforcement in the 1920s didn't really have that communication
system like we do today, so each case seemed to be isolated at first. Nobody was talking
to each other. They were just investigating something locally. On June 28, 1927, Earl
Nelson crossed the border into Canada for the last time, making his way to Winnipeg,
Manitoba. It wasn't until his distinctive MO, the strangulation and specific targeting
of landlady's, became clear that police started connecting the dots. Even with the patterns
emerging Beth, Earl managed to stay one step ahead. And he seemed to you because he was
an escape artist. His downfall though came in 1927 after murdering a woman in Winnipeg.
He left behind a critical piece of evidence, which was a distinctive belt that belonged
to him. Witnesses and surviving victims helped to identify him through that belt, and he
was captured shortly thereafter. Wow, a belt of all things. Yeah, I mean, if it was distinct,
if they were handmade back in the day, not everybody's going to have the exact same
belt. True. During their investigation, police searched Earl's home and discovered one of
his victims under his bed. I know, and he had slept on that bed too. Not only that,
Beth, he had mutilated his victim in the same fashion as Jack the Ripper. Oh my gosh. Now,
I mean, we do have an episode out there that if you're listening, you should go listen
to that. It's episode 69 from July 2023. Police quickly arrested Earl, but what special
talent have I been saying over and over again once he's been locked up? Well, he's a good
escape artist. That's right. And nothing's changed here because Canadian authorities
posted Earl's picture along numerous towns bordering the US, assuming that Nelson would
make his way back into the States. So I'm envisioning this pretty well because when
I was up in Canada with you, we just looked across the river and there was America. So
I could see how easy that would be back in the 20s to probably bounce between the two
countries pretty easily. But it wasn't long before a man fitting Earl Nelson's description
entered a general store in Killarney, Manitoba, which was just five miles from the US border.
The clerk recognized Earl as the guerrilla man from the flyers that had been passed out
and discreetly called the police. Wow. I know. Good for him. Yes. Earl was quickly arrested,
but he told authorities at this time that his name was not Earl Nelson. It was Virgil
Wilson and he stuck to that story for a while. Virgil was so relaxed and cooperative when
the police arrested him that the authorities thought they had arrested the wrong guy. There's
his charming persona. Yeah. Well, they did not arrest the wrong guy. They actually had
the right guy. And while the authorities left this Virgil Wilson handcuffed in his cell
to go speak with the police chief, they returned to find him gone in the handcuffs dangling
from the bars. What? Yeah. He had found a rusty nail on the floor inside the cell and
used it to free himself out of those handcuffs. Oh my gosh. A rusty nail. A rusty nail within
reach. He's a smart guy. Well, they say these criminals have high IQs. I never saw anything
about that, but clearly I think he's probably up there. Of course, panic spread quickly
and the town went on red alert for this escaped convict who we really know is Earl Nelson,
but he had actually laid low until the very next morning where he had attempted to get
out of Dodge and catch a train he thought was headed back to the US. Only it wasn't.
Authorities caught up with Earl a few hours later in a neighboring town inside Canada,
which would have been his last attempt to evade the police. Officials and local townspeople
caught sight of Earl trying to hide behind a nearby grain elevator and they all closed
in on him. So the mob came a running. Good, good. Yeah, very good. Strengthen numbers
for sure. Nelson's trial was swift. He was identified by numerous eyewitnesses in his
pending charges with more than 40 people identifying him as the gorilla man in police photographs
or police lineups. Earl was eventually convicted on November 4th, 1927 of killing 22 women,
although authorities believed this number to be much, much higher. Oh wow. It took the
jury only 48 minutes to find Earl guilty of all charges where he was sentenced to death.
On July 13th, 1928, Earl Nelson was hung in Winnipeg, Manitoba. But even in his final
moments eyewitness reports stated that Earl had shown no remorse, insisting until the
very end that he was innocent of all these charges. Now, isn't it eerie though Earl's
case forces us to confront the terrifying reality of human nature. He wasn't a shadowy
figure lurking in alleyways, Beth. He walked amongst his victims. He smiled at them, made
eye contact, had conversations and gained trust with them. And that's what makes stories
like this so unsettling. They're a reminder that even evil isn't always obvious. That's
right. Now, before we wrap up, you know, you don't get a ton of information from cases
like this way back a hundred years ago. Well, I have one thought. I think his case underscores
the importance of mental health awareness and better systems for identifying and treating
those with violent tendencies. If someone had intervened earlier in his life, maybe
things would be more different. Absolutely. That's a very good point, which leads me to
our teachable moment today. I'm actually going to tell you before you have to ask. Good.
Mental health is the cornerstone of a safe and thriving society. And ever since COVID
Beth, I think mental health awareness has increased and it's become a more talkable
problem that people are dealing with. And I think that's very good. There's lots of
different resources out there for people, but mental health professionals play a vital
role in ensuring that individuals struggling with severe psychological challenges receive
the care they need. One critical aspect that I found that this responsibility is determining
when a patient is truly ready to reenter society safely. Unfortunately, especially in this
case, premature discharge from inpatient settings can place individuals and those around them
at risk. Like when the state hospital just gave up on Earl and said, okay, we're not
going to deal with him escaping from our facility anymore. Let's just let him go back out into
society. That would be negligence in today's terms. For sure. Yeah. So clearly medical
professionals found it extremely difficult to keep tabs on Earl while he was committed
to Napa State Hospital. But this is a great example to say that it is essential to recognize
that mental health recovery is not a one size fits all process. Keeping patients in inpatient
care until professionals are confident that they can function safely benefits everyone.
And this approach allows for accurate assessments, the development of coping mechanisms and the
implementation of proper support systems. By ensuring patients have reached a stable
and healthy state before discharge, we do reduce the risk of harm towards others. This
isn't really about restricting freedom, Beth. That's not really what I'm talking about here.
It's about prioritizing care, safety and long term recovery. And that's my teachable moment.
That was really good. I think it's important to state again that this isn't about restricting
freedom. Not at all. People have to be looked after and yeah, I've always said mental health
definitely is an illness. You can physically see when somebody has physical illnesses,
you cannot see mental illness. It is something within mental health professionals. They're
doing a good job out there, especially in today's society, but they definitely need
to really take their job seriously and give those people the help they need until they
can function in society. Agreed. Okay. Well, that is the story of Earl
Nelson. We would love to receive feedback from our listeners on this storyline or any
of our other episodes. If you have a storyline you would like to hear, email us at dying
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True Crime Podcast. And that's a wrap. That is a wrap. Talk to you soon. Bye.
Bye.