Stephen Dee Richards: The Nebraska Fiend
Background
Stephen Dee Richards, also known as "The Nebraska Fiend" and "The Ohio Monster," was born on March 18, 1856, in Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia). He later moved to Ohio with his family, eventually settling in the Quaker village of Mount Pleasant. In 1876, Richards left his home and headed westward to seek his fortune. He found work at a local asylum, where he claimed to have lost all empathy for other people.
Crimes
Richards confessed to committing a total of nine to eleven murders in Nebraska and Iowa between 1876 and 1878. His first murder occurred in late 1876, two weeks after arriving in Kearney, Nebraska. He went on to commit several other murders, which he later claimed were done in self-defense.
Victims
- Mary L. Harlson and her three children - Murdered in early November 1878 in Buffalo County, Nebraska.
- Peter Anderson - Neighbor of the Harlson family, also murdered in 1878.
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Account
