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In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland's Torso Murders
On September 5, 1934, while walking along Lake Erie beach near his Cleveland home, Frank LaGassie made a gruesome discovery. Partially buried was the lower half of a woman's torso, legs amputated at the knees. This Lady of the Lake, as she was dubbed by the police and the press, was the first in a terrifying series of decapitation murders that haunted Cleveland for the next few years. From 1934 to 1938, the Torso Killer left the corpses of at least twelve victims in and around the Kingshury Run area of Cleveland. A frightened city turned to its safety director, the legendary Eliot Ness, who focused more energy and manpower on this investigation than any previous police action in Cleveland. But the killer was never arrested, or even officially identified. In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland's Torso Murders is the first detailed, book-length examination of these horrific crimes. Where previous examinations of the Kingsbury Run murders have relied almost exclusively on contemporary newspaper coverage, this compelling account is based on police reports, autopsy protocols, personal interviews with the descendants of victims and investigators, and unpublished manuscripts. Illustrat
312 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
March 17, 2017
[There is apparently a revised and updated edition of this book, which I will be keeping an eye out for.]
This was a much better book than Torso: The Story of Eliot Ness and the Search for a Psychopathic Killer. Badal is a good writer, he's done extensive primary research, and he's not trying to argue an indefensible thesis. He lays the baffling story of the Cleveland Torso Murders (as baffling in their way as The Thames Torso Murders) out clearly and with careful attention both to maintaining narrative and to exploring the sheer weirdness both of the murders and of the (exonerated) suspects.
Ironically, because Badal has a better command of his material, he does a better job of smoothing out the homophobia and racism that Nickel's more awkward book left on display. (The classism is still there. There's nothing you can do about the classism in this story.) And Badal's hero in this book is very clearly Peter Merylo, the Cleveland detective who became obsessed with the Butcher, but who was never able to catch him (and not coincidentally, whose daughter gave Badal open access to the previously untapped wealth of primary material of her father's papers). So Badal is pro-Cleveland police (as opposed to the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office, which behaved disgracefully and which Badal ignores as much as possible). Badal does not talk about racism. And it's telling that his only apparent interest in questions of sexual identity and homophobia is to defend Edward Andrassy from the widespread accusations of being homosexual--instead of taking the stance I would have preferred to see, of pointing out that there's nothing wrong with non-heterosexual preferences, and what does it say about the detectives, the press, and the researchers that they treat it as "deviancy"?
And, to finish out my round of caveats, Badal is very distinctly an apologist for Eliot Ness, always looking for the best interpretation of his actions. He says about the disastrous mistake of the shantytown raid in August 1938:
. . . "wonderfully heroic"? In what alternate universe is there anything even remotely heroic about this ill-thought-out piece of security theater? In his desperate attempt to be seen to be doing something (even though in cold reality there was nothing he or anyone else could do), Ness chose this midnight raid, persecuting the destitute, homeless, and innocent men living in Kingsbury Run. That's not heroic. And it is totally Eliot Ness' just desserts that it backfired spectacularly, creating a PR debacle that his career never recovered from.
So Badal has his biases. As social history of Cleveland during the Kingsbury Run murders, this is not great. But as true crime, in terms of talking about the murders and the investigation--these poor detectives who have no conceptual framework for the Butcher and only the most primitive forensic science to help them, doing the best they can with the methodology they have--it is very good. He is very careful in talking about the victims, only two or maybe three of whom were ever identified, out of twelve or possibly thirteen--and that's the conservative estimate--not just lumping them together as unidentified transients, but remembering that each of them was a human being. And I feel like I came away from this book with a stronger sense of both the murders and the men who investigated them.
So, flawed but well worth reading.
This was a much better book than Torso: The Story of Eliot Ness and the Search for a Psychopathic Killer. Badal is a good writer, he's done extensive primary research, and he's not trying to argue an indefensible thesis. He lays the baffling story of the Cleveland Torso Murders (as baffling in their way as The Thames Torso Murders) out clearly and with careful attention both to maintaining narrative and to exploring the sheer weirdness both of the murders and of the (exonerated) suspects.
Ironically, because Badal has a better command of his material, he does a better job of smoothing out the homophobia and racism that Nickel's more awkward book left on display. (The classism is still there. There's nothing you can do about the classism in this story.) And Badal's hero in this book is very clearly Peter Merylo, the Cleveland detective who became obsessed with the Butcher, but who was never able to catch him (and not coincidentally, whose daughter gave Badal open access to the previously untapped wealth of primary material of her father's papers). So Badal is pro-Cleveland police (as opposed to the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office, which behaved disgracefully and which Badal ignores as much as possible). Badal does not talk about racism. And it's telling that his only apparent interest in questions of sexual identity and homophobia is to defend Edward Andrassy from the widespread accusations of being homosexual--instead of taking the stance I would have preferred to see, of pointing out that there's nothing wrong with non-heterosexual preferences, and what does it say about the detectives, the press, and the researchers that they treat it as "deviancy"?
And, to finish out my round of caveats, Badal is very distinctly an apologist for Eliot Ness, always looking for the best interpretation of his actions. He says about the disastrous mistake of the shantytown raid in August 1938:
Whether his actions in the final weeks of August were the knee jerk responses of a man desperately in need of results or the appropriate, well-planned measures of an accomplished professional seems to be a matter of personal interpretation, not to say prejudice. In either case, there remains something both wonderfully heroic and perhaps sadly anachronistic in the image of the onetime G-man standing resolutely in Kingsbury Run, ax handle in hand, overseeing his men on their methodical march of destruction through the shantytown.
(150)
. . . "wonderfully heroic"? In what alternate universe is there anything even remotely heroic about this ill-thought-out piece of security theater? In his desperate attempt to be seen to be doing something (even though in cold reality there was nothing he or anyone else could do), Ness chose this midnight raid, persecuting the destitute, homeless, and innocent men living in Kingsbury Run. That's not heroic. And it is totally Eliot Ness' just desserts that it backfired spectacularly, creating a PR debacle that his career never recovered from.
So Badal has his biases. As social history of Cleveland during the Kingsbury Run murders, this is not great. But as true crime, in terms of talking about the murders and the investigation--these poor detectives who have no conceptual framework for the Butcher and only the most primitive forensic science to help them, doing the best they can with the methodology they have--it is very good. He is very careful in talking about the victims, only two or maybe three of whom were ever identified, out of twelve or possibly thirteen--and that's the conservative estimate--not just lumping them together as unidentified transients, but remembering that each of them was a human being. And I feel like I came away from this book with a stronger sense of both the murders and the men who investigated them.
So, flawed but well worth reading.
February 2, 2020
The fact that the murders went unsolved almost guarantees that this account isn't going to go anywhere (giving us innumerable descriptions of citizens stumbling across body parts, police moving in to search for additional clues, ultimately reaching another dead end, etc.). The lack of evidence in the case isn't the fault of the author of course, but compelling accounts can and have been written about unsolved crimes.
What really grates is the author's condescending tone. He bemoans the inadequacy of previous efforts, gleefully points out every error in the investigation (with the advantage of 70+ years hindsight), constantly engages in speculation while admonishing others for doing so, makes grandiose and self-important pronouncements ("I have been able to clear away much of the fog and render an accurate accounting of this dark chapter in Cleveland history,") and most arrogantly, uses contemporary standards to judge expressions, attitudes, etc. of generations past.
He chastises others for their prurient interest in this sensational material, apparently forgetting that he himself wrote an entire book about the case! If people aren't allowed to show an interest, where is he going to find readers?
The author chides 1930s medical men for being "class conscious and unwilling to believe that someone as well educated or socially prominent as a physician could commit such brutalities" but then marvels at the quality of work compiled by a contemporary researcher despite the fact that "he never attended college."
He touts his exhaustive research, and while it's admirable that the author tracked down the street addresses of some witnesses, that doesn't make the narrative any more interesting to a non-resident.
The author also suggests that the case might have been solved if modern forensic methods had been employed, but offers profiling (!) as his principal example.
What really grates is the author's condescending tone. He bemoans the inadequacy of previous efforts, gleefully points out every error in the investigation (with the advantage of 70+ years hindsight), constantly engages in speculation while admonishing others for doing so, makes grandiose and self-important pronouncements ("I have been able to clear away much of the fog and render an accurate accounting of this dark chapter in Cleveland history,") and most arrogantly, uses contemporary standards to judge expressions, attitudes, etc. of generations past.
He chastises others for their prurient interest in this sensational material, apparently forgetting that he himself wrote an entire book about the case! If people aren't allowed to show an interest, where is he going to find readers?
The author chides 1930s medical men for being "class conscious and unwilling to believe that someone as well educated or socially prominent as a physician could commit such brutalities" but then marvels at the quality of work compiled by a contemporary researcher despite the fact that "he never attended college."
He touts his exhaustive research, and while it's admirable that the author tracked down the street addresses of some witnesses, that doesn't make the narrative any more interesting to a non-resident.
The author also suggests that the case might have been solved if modern forensic methods had been employed, but offers profiling (!) as his principal example.
January 24, 2015
Between 1934 and 1938, Cleveland, Ohio was gripped by a series of gruesome discoveries. Body parts, often headless torsos, started to appear with alarming regularity, with little or no indication of who they were, how they had been killed, and most importantly, who killed them. Even the hiring of famous G-man Eliot Ness, the 'man who nabbed Capone,' failed to stem the tide of brutal slayings. Then suddenly, the killings stopped, and what few leads police had dissipated into the ether.
James Badal has assembled all of the archival and primary source documents still known to be in existence and presented a thorough and dispassionate account of these infamous unsolved killings. Through it all he points out the astonishing array of circumstances aligned against investigators: little to no physical evidence, the lack of understanding about serial killers (indeed, the phrase was not even in existence at the time), the political spats that led to as many as three separate investigations being conducted simultaneously, and the lack of modern criminology tools that we take for granted today. The case consumed the lives of many in law enforcement for years on end, and in some cases well after they retired. Ultimately the case claimed many victims beyond those found by railroad tracks or floating in the water.
But what of the evidence that did exist, and the leads, however slim? Badal brings to light a small list of suspects, and goes through the merits of each, pointing out both their potential and the considerations against. We're left with one promising suspect, one seemingly clear-cut case of police brutality (and most likely murder), and a lot more questions than answers. One is fairly convinced that Badal has left no stone un-turned, or theory unconsidered, and he does a very good job of letting the records speak for themselves, with little interference. When you've got a highly charged unsolved series of murders that once garnered international attention, that's the most you can ask for. I recommend this to those interested in well-researched true crime that stays away from hyperbole and exploitation of lurid detail. Sometimes mysteries remain just that, and this is a fine example.
James Badal has assembled all of the archival and primary source documents still known to be in existence and presented a thorough and dispassionate account of these infamous unsolved killings. Through it all he points out the astonishing array of circumstances aligned against investigators: little to no physical evidence, the lack of understanding about serial killers (indeed, the phrase was not even in existence at the time), the political spats that led to as many as three separate investigations being conducted simultaneously, and the lack of modern criminology tools that we take for granted today. The case consumed the lives of many in law enforcement for years on end, and in some cases well after they retired. Ultimately the case claimed many victims beyond those found by railroad tracks or floating in the water.
But what of the evidence that did exist, and the leads, however slim? Badal brings to light a small list of suspects, and goes through the merits of each, pointing out both their potential and the considerations against. We're left with one promising suspect, one seemingly clear-cut case of police brutality (and most likely murder), and a lot more questions than answers. One is fairly convinced that Badal has left no stone un-turned, or theory unconsidered, and he does a very good job of letting the records speak for themselves, with little interference. When you've got a highly charged unsolved series of murders that once garnered international attention, that's the most you can ask for. I recommend this to those interested in well-researched true crime that stays away from hyperbole and exploitation of lurid detail. Sometimes mysteries remain just that, and this is a fine example.
Read
April 14, 2015Really well done and well researched book, I know he has been working on this subject for years The Reviewer who mentioned he didnt talk much about the New Castle Murders during the same time? Its because he has an entire book on them. As well as the sad suspect who was scapegoated. Also well researched and excellent books.
Really good piece of work well worth the read. Although fair warning, he does include very graphic police photos and it might be a bit much for the squeamish.
Really good piece of work well worth the read. Although fair warning, he does include very graphic police photos and it might be a bit much for the squeamish.
January 24, 2016
A must read for lovers of Cleveland history, true crime, Elliot Ness, and Jack the Ripper!
June 29, 2025
If they found out who he was and I was alive back then, it’d be on SIGHT!
June 5, 2025
This book was fascinating, extremely well researched and terribly graphic. The Torso Murders of the 1930s is one of the world's greatest mysteries (in my opinion) and it made it even more fascinating to be from Cleveland! I am what you would call ~morbidly curious~ and I appreciated the fact that this book did not shy away from the horrible and gruesome and included all the crime scene photos. If I'm reading a book about true crime and I know there's crime scene photos out there I will 100% be looking them up so it was morbidly convenient that there were pictures frequently in each chapter.
I will say, the only thing for me that kept this book from a 5 star rating is the last 30% or so did start to drag pretty hard. At this point in the timeline all of the murders had been committed and the author was essentially walking the reader through all of the (failed) police efforts to determine a culprit for these crimes. While this shows incredible dedication and research on the author's side, as a reader (knowing this case has never been solved) this seemed pretty redundant and repetitive for a large portion of this book.
With that being said, this book is fascinating and gruesome and everything in between. A must-read for true crime consumers and fans of dark history!
I will say, the only thing for me that kept this book from a 5 star rating is the last 30% or so did start to drag pretty hard. At this point in the timeline all of the murders had been committed and the author was essentially walking the reader through all of the (failed) police efforts to determine a culprit for these crimes. While this shows incredible dedication and research on the author's side, as a reader (knowing this case has never been solved) this seemed pretty redundant and repetitive for a large portion of this book.
With that being said, this book is fascinating and gruesome and everything in between. A must-read for true crime consumers and fans of dark history!
November 1, 2019
The Cleveland Torso Murders of the 1930s were both a fascinating and frightening occurrence that has not gotten the same attention as other unsolved murder cases in the 20th century. It is still an open case and I'm not certain any book will get closer to solving the murders from this long ago. But this book is a well laid out set piece of Cleveland during that time, and the police and forensic work that went into the case. Sometimes non-fiction books can put a better scare into a person than fictional books. This is one of them.
March 2, 2009
This book takes in-depth look into one of America's first serial killers (before the term even existed) and explores who the killer might have been. In the Wake of the Butcher is a little frustrating; it should have been better. It is odd that this story isn't up there with other killers like the Zodiac or Son of Sam because it is just as distrubing and far, far more violent (Jack the Ripper's actions seem to be on par). The inclusion of pictures is important in most of these style of true-crime books, but the graphic nature of the photos seemed greater than that of a shooting or simple knife attack. I knew a little bit about the story from the comic adaptation of some of the events and decided to investigate a little more. The author's choice to downplay Eliot Ness' role (which in reality might have not as great as implied by other books/websites) is a strange one because all of the sudden, Ness is played up in the final section. The final section on the suspects is where the book really seems to go wrong. It is structured very stange, and since the author brought up some suspects during the course of the book, a section where he introduces "important" suspects seems like he wasted the reader's time at the beginning since the insanity of this story is who the prime suspect is and why he was never caught.
August 9, 2017
Pretty gnarly book. Great pictures of what was left of the victims. Depending on what your idea of great is. This is definitely not a book for the squeamish. And if you get freaked out easily, this book might make you add a half dozen bolt locks on all your doors, even though this particular killer didn't break into houses. Or did he? Nobody knows. A very well written and to the point book about a truly terrifying killer that never got close to being caught. 4.5 stars.
January 31, 2019
Well-researched and written account of the crimes, investigation, and aftermath. Besides just the murders themselves this gives a great snapshot of what life was like during the great depression in a typical larger city. And the complete confusion and terror that gripped the city in a time before serial killers were even considered a possibility to most people. Almost everyone involved is long dead and this will probably never be solved but this book at least does a great job of preserving what is known from the records and descendants of those in the area at that time.
October 3, 2017
The best book around about this infamous and unknown killer that struck and murdered right under Cleveland's Safety Director Eliot Ness' department during the early and late 1930s. The gruesomeness of the killings, the cunningness and the complete lack of motive from the killer(s) still completely baffle any detective and true crime reader. Astounding book which, besides reporting on the murders, will paint a grim picture of the poorer districts of Cleveland in that decade. Remarkable book.
July 31, 2020
This was a very detailed account of the infamous Cleveland Torso Murders. The author used contemporary newspaper articles, interviews with some of the investigators, and the never before seen files and notes of one of the main police investigators. It also included some theories about who the unidentified murderer may have been. I liked the author's writing style, too. I think most true crime fans will really enjoy this book, one of the few on this topic.
May 17, 2025
Very informative and takes readers through the ways investigative work was done before modern tools. I would not recommend if you are squeamish especially since there are multiple photos of mutilated bodies.
I definitely think Eliot Ness' secret suspect was the culprit, but two innocent men dying in order to pose the idea of a solved case is horrible
I definitely think Eliot Ness' secret suspect was the culprit, but two innocent men dying in order to pose the idea of a solved case is horrible
May 9, 2023
By far the best account of this series of unsolved murders. Other books tend to concentrate more on the career of Eliot Ness rather than the actual crimes. Be warned though, the book contains many somewhat gratuitous photographs of human body parts. Not pleasant viewing.
May 14, 2025
A very gruesome read. It's unbelievable what people do to each other. I feel that the author had a somewhat biased opinion of those in less fortunate circumstances. It is unfathomable that this case was never solved.
July 9, 2018
Newest edition best on the Torso Murders. They will probably never be solved, but this is close to it.
August 6, 2019
Meticulously researched and documented, excellent resource on the Cleveland Torso Murderer.
January 23, 2020
Extremely well - researched, which could not have been a simple task. As intriguing as any Ripper book, especially for those who love a good unsolved murder story.
March 30, 2020
I don’t think anyone can be too confident in knowing who the killer was, but Francis E. Sweeney was definitely the Torso Murderer.
June 4, 2021
Excellent detail and presentation. Highly recommend.
February 17, 2024
I don't know if it was the paper that the book was written on or what, but I had a struggle to get into this book. It seems to move at a very slow pace.
January 20, 2025
Book based on reports written so a lot of names. Made it confusing to follow. Good read about mystery that was never solved and left questions as to who did do it.
April 4, 2023
Interesting read about a mystery that I was always curious about.
August 11, 2024
Some of the photos were graphic.
May 13, 2025
There were so many typos (in the updated version) and the writing is clunky. Well researched.
July 27, 2008
How many people outside of NE Ohio are aware that a wave of horrific unsolved crimes, rivaling -- if not exceeding -- the wave of terror committed by Jack The Ripper in Victorian London plagued Cleveland in the 1930s? The Torso Murders are up there in "unsolved crimes of the century" standing and are unresolved to this day.
An unknown killer, given the sobriquet "Butcher of Kingsbury Run" ran amok in a frenzy of violence between 1935 and 1938, when the killings stopped abruptly. The Butcher's work may have begun in 1934 or even earlier and some researchers now include "The Lady of the Lake" whose remains washed ashore near Euclid Beach in autumn of that year as one of the Torso Murderer's first victims. Other evidence suggests similar murders were committed as far away as Erie, PA. Many theorize that the Butcher rode the rails during the lingering depression years and selected his victims because many were indigent and would not be quickly missed.
The photos in this book are horrific...and too much for me. However, I have always had a grim fascination with this case and have wondered why it does not receive more attention. Besides a compelling tale of unsolved murder this case also brings in a legendary crime fighter...none other than Elliot Ness. Ness was brought to Cleveland from Chicago after his success with nailing Al Capone, to serve as Safety Director. It was felt that someone of Ness's stature would show serious intent to solve these horrors as an anxious population waited in vain for answers.
The Butcher proved to be an arch nemesis for Ness. Ness received taunting correspondence as Safety Director from a person who claimed to be the killer (shades of the evil trickster, Jack the Ripper taunting Scotland Yard). Although Ness claimed knowlege of the Torso Killer's identity, he never had enough evidence to name names. This case would start a period of downward spiralling for Ness, whose star began to fade. Ness would eventually die in anonymity after descending into alcoholism.
If unsolved crime is your forte, it is hard to think of a more fascinating case.
An unknown killer, given the sobriquet "Butcher of Kingsbury Run" ran amok in a frenzy of violence between 1935 and 1938, when the killings stopped abruptly. The Butcher's work may have begun in 1934 or even earlier and some researchers now include "The Lady of the Lake" whose remains washed ashore near Euclid Beach in autumn of that year as one of the Torso Murderer's first victims. Other evidence suggests similar murders were committed as far away as Erie, PA. Many theorize that the Butcher rode the rails during the lingering depression years and selected his victims because many were indigent and would not be quickly missed.
The photos in this book are horrific...and too much for me. However, I have always had a grim fascination with this case and have wondered why it does not receive more attention. Besides a compelling tale of unsolved murder this case also brings in a legendary crime fighter...none other than Elliot Ness. Ness was brought to Cleveland from Chicago after his success with nailing Al Capone, to serve as Safety Director. It was felt that someone of Ness's stature would show serious intent to solve these horrors as an anxious population waited in vain for answers.
The Butcher proved to be an arch nemesis for Ness. Ness received taunting correspondence as Safety Director from a person who claimed to be the killer (shades of the evil trickster, Jack the Ripper taunting Scotland Yard). Although Ness claimed knowlege of the Torso Killer's identity, he never had enough evidence to name names. This case would start a period of downward spiralling for Ness, whose star began to fade. Ness would eventually die in anonymity after descending into alcoholism.
If unsolved crime is your forte, it is hard to think of a more fascinating case.
August 2, 2014
This book runs through a series of unsolved murders in Cleveland from 1934 to 1938. The killings were characterized by the dismemberment of the victims by a seemingly practiced hand and draining of blood of the victims. Body parts and clothing were often scattered about, some heads never recovered, and only the first 2 of the 12 victims were ever identified. Cleveland Safety Director Eliot Ness was pressured so much he razed and burned down a hobo shantytown and conducted warrantless searches of residences in areas where victims' body parts often were found.
The murders are explored chronologically, followed by discussions of suspects. The most interesting suspect is revealed last, and this material is lauded on the book's cover as the reason for this revised edition. Apparently law enforcement kept the existence of this suspect under wraps for decades, and records as well as the buildings where the suspect lived, worked, and killed are now nonexistent. Therefore, there is no resolution although the suspect certainly seemed promising. One negative of the book is the author does not discuss whether the suspect could have been involved in similar dismemberment murders in Pennsylvania before and after the time span of the Cleveland killings, although he did discuss possible links between both sets of killings earlier in the book.
There are plenty of raw photographs of various victims.
The murders are explored chronologically, followed by discussions of suspects. The most interesting suspect is revealed last, and this material is lauded on the book's cover as the reason for this revised edition. Apparently law enforcement kept the existence of this suspect under wraps for decades, and records as well as the buildings where the suspect lived, worked, and killed are now nonexistent. Therefore, there is no resolution although the suspect certainly seemed promising. One negative of the book is the author does not discuss whether the suspect could have been involved in similar dismemberment murders in Pennsylvania before and after the time span of the Cleveland killings, although he did discuss possible links between both sets of killings earlier in the book.
There are plenty of raw photographs of various victims.
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