Richard Speck FBI Files

Description

Richard Speck: A Chronicle of Crime and Confinement

May – June 1966: Richard Speck is suspected in the death or disappearance of five other women, though he is never formally charged with these crimes.

July 13, 1966:

• Richard Speck, aged 25, is fired from his job at a boatyard after a fight with a ship’s officer.
• Before leaving work, he borrows money to purchase alcohol and drugs.
• After injecting himself with an unknown drug, and armed with a gun and knife, Speck approaches a Chicago south-side townhouse rented by nine student nurses.
• He forces his way inside by telling the woman who answers the door that he needs money.
• Speck ties up the six people already in the house.
• Three other women arrive at the house and are also captured.
• Speck becomes increasingly agitated.
• He leads the women singly and in pairs to different rooms, where he stabs and strangles them.
• He rapes the final victim before murdering her.
• One woman manages to hide under a bed, undetected by Speck.
• After Speck leaves, the hidden woman calls the police and provides a partial description, including that he has a distinctive “Born to Raise Hell” tattoo.

A Few Days After July 13, 1966:

• A massive manhunt is instituted for the perpetrator.
• Richard Speck slashes his wrists.
• He is arrested when a doctor treating him at Cook County Hospital recognizes his “Born to Raise Hell” tattoo.

Post-Arrest (Date Not Specified):

• Richard Speck is convicted of the murders.
• He is sentenced to death.
• His sentence is later resentenced to 400 years in prison.

1988:

• A video tape is made by an Illinois prison inmate at Statesville Correctional Center.
• The video features Richard Speck and two other unidentified inmates.
• On the tape, Speck acknowledges that he killed the nurses (contradicting his trial claim of no memory due to drugs).
• The video shows Speck flashing money, appearing to inhale drugs, and engaging in sex with another inmate while wearing women’s underwear and appearing to have enlarged breasts from taking female hormones.
• Speck is heard saying, “If they only knew how much fun I was having they would turn me loose.”

1991:

• Richard Speck dies at the age of 48 of a heart attack while still incarcerated.

Late 1995:

• Bill Kurtis, a news anchor for WBBM Channel 2 in Chicago and a host/producer of documentaries for A&E and PBS, is given the 1988 video tape.

Cast of Characters

• Richard Speck: The central figure of the events, a mass murderer who killed 8 student nurses in Chicago in July 1966. He was 25 at the time of the murders. He had a distinctive “Born to Raise Hell” tattoo. He was convicted and initially sentenced to death, then resentenced to 400 years in prison. He died in 1991 at age 48 from a heart attack while incarcerated. A 1988 video shows him acknowledging the murders and engaging in various illicit activities in prison.
• Nine Student Nurses (Eight Victims, One Survivor): The victims of Richard Speck’s murders in July 1966. Eight were murdered, and one managed to survive by hiding under a bed. The survivor provided a crucial description of Speck, including his tattoo.
• Ship’s Officer: The individual with whom Richard Speck had a fight, leading to Speck being fired from his job on July 13, 1966.
• Doctor at Cook County Hospital: The medical professional who treated Richard Speck after he slashed his wrists and recognized his “Born to Raise Hell” tattoo, leading to Speck’s arrest.
• Illinois Prison Inmate (Unidentified): The individual who made the video tape of Richard Speck in 1988 at Statesville Correctional Center.
• Two Other Unidentified Inmates: Inmates who appeared alongside Richard Speck in the 1988 video, participating in some of the filmed activities.
• Bill Kurtis: A news anchor for WBBM Channel 2 in Chicago and a host/producer of documentaries for A&E and PBS. In late 1995, he was given the 1988 video tape of Richard Speck.