Arthur John Shawcross: The Genesee River Killer
Background and Early Criminal History
Arthur John Shawcross was an American serial killer whose crimes occurred during two separate periods in New York State. Born on June 6, 1945, in Kittery, Maine, he grew up primarily in Watertown, New York. He later served in the United States Army and was stationed in Vietnam, although many of the dramatic combat stories he told after returning home were disputed or disproved. Before becoming known as a murderer, Shawcross committed offenses involving burglary, theft and arson. He served approximately 22 months of a five-year prison sentence before being released in October 1971.
After returning to Watertown, Shawcross found employment with the city's public works department and attempted to establish an ordinary domestic life. Within months, however, he began committing the crimes that first identified him as a dangerous killer. His initial known victims were two children murdered in Watertown in 1972. These killings were separated from his later Rochester murder series by more than 15 years, most of which he spent in prison.
The Watertown Child Murders
On May 7, 1972, ten-year-old Jack Owen Blake disappeared after Shawcross lured him into a wooded area in Watertown. Jack had reportedly gone fishing with Shawcross before his disappearance. Shawcross sexually assaulted and suffocated the child, then concealed his body. Jack remained missing for approximately four months. After Shawcross was questioned in connection with another child's murder, he revealed information that led investigators to Jack's remains in September 1972.
On September 2, 1972, eight-year-old Karen Ann Hill was visiting Watertown with her mother during Labor Day weekend when she encountered Shawcross. He took Karen near the Black River, sexually assaulted her and killed her by suffocation or strangulation. Her body was discovered beneath or near a bridge. Witness information connecting Shawcross to Karen shortly before her death gave investigators a stronger case than they had possessed in the disappearance of Jack Blake.
Shawcross was arrested shortly after Karen's murder and confessed to killing both children. Despite the seriousness of the crimes, prosecutors faced difficulties because much of the evidence connecting him to Jack's murder depended on his confession. Under a plea agreement reached in October 1972, Shawcross pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. He received an indeterminate sentence carrying a maximum of 25 years.
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