Charles Michael Albanese

Serial Killer

Charles Michael Albanese: A Detailed Account of His Crimes

Early Life and Background

Charles Michael Albanese was born on June 13, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the elder son of entrepreneur Michael Albanese Sr. and his wife Clara. Known for his ambition, Charles aspired to accumulate wealth with minimal effort. In the mid-1960s, he worked as a car salesman for Norwood Motors Inc. in Morton Grove. His first known crime occurred on February 1, 1965, when he and an accomplice, posing as detectives, broke into the home of Emmett Farrell, a 61-year-old CTA bus driver, and stole $160. A week later, Albanese was arrested and subsequently indicted for armed robbery and auto theft, leading to a five-year probation sentence. Following his conviction, his first wife divorced him, taking their three daughters to Wisconsin. He later married twice more, with his third marriage to Virginia Mueller in 1972.

The Murders

In mid-1980, Albanese began visiting the Leisure Village retirement community in Fox Lake, where his mother-in-law, 69-year-old Marion Mueller, lived with her mother, 89-year-old Mary Lambert. During these visits, he convinced Lambert to transfer her financial assets to Mueller, excluding other relatives. Seeking financial gain, Albanese acquired arsenic from a metal plating company in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, under the pretense of pest control. Over the next few months, he administered small doses of arsenic to Mueller and Lambert. On August 6, 1980, Marion Mueller experienced severe vomiting and diarrhea and was admitted to McHenry Hospital, where she died the same day. Her death was attributed to a heart attack. Twelve days later, on August 18, Mary Lambert suffered similar symptoms and was taken to St. Therese Hospital in Waukegan, where she also died, with her death deemed natural causes. The sudden illnesses and deaths raised concerns about possible contamination in the community, prompting an investigation by the Lake County Health Department, which found no environmental causes. On May 16, 1981, Albanese's father, Michael Joseph Albanese Sr., fell ill with comparable symptoms and died. This pattern of sudden deaths within the family aroused suspicion, leading authorities to investigate further.

Investigation and Arrest

Investigators discovered that Albanese had planned a Thanksgiving trip to Jamaica with his wife and mother, Clara, raising concerns for Clara's safety due to her substantial assets. On November 18, 1981, authorities arrested Albanese at his office in McHenry. He was charged with the murders of his father, mother-in-law, and grandmother-in-law, as well as the attempted murder of his brother and theft from the family business. ...Read More

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Mary Lambert Age: (87), Date of Death: 1980-08-06

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Charles Albanese - Wikipedia

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