Edward Walton

Serial Killer

Edward Walton: The Drifter Who Confessed to Five Murders

Overview

Edward "Eddie" Walton was an American serial killer and itinerant laborer who confessed to killing five people in five states between 1896 and 1908. Born in Wilkes County, Georgia, Walton spent much of his adult life moving through the eastern and central United States. He frequently changed his name, using aliases such as Frank Harris and Frank Johnson to conceal his identity and distance himself from earlier crimes. Walton's murders were not recognized as the work of one man while they were occurring. The crimes were separated by hundreds of miles, committed over approximately twelve years and investigated by different local authorities. Several of his claims could not be independently confirmed, and at least one victim's body was never recovered. Most of what is known about the wider series came from a confession Walton made shortly before his execution in 1908.

Early Life and the Beginning of His Criminal Activity

Walton said that he was born near a community known as Pistol, sometimes identified with Delhi, in Wilkes County, Georgia. His year of birth remains unknown. According to his later confession, his first serious act of violence occurred in 1890, when he killed a horse. That offense did not involve a human victim, but Walton described it as the beginning of his criminal history. By 1896, Walton was traveling outside Georgia. He claimed that while in Blossburg, Alabama, he killed and robbed an unidentified man. Walton provided few details that could be used to identify the victim, and later efforts reportedly failed to locate a corresponding murder investigation. No surviving record has conclusively established the victim's name or exact date of death. ...

Confirmed Victims: (5)

Unidentified man , Date of Death: 1896

Edward Walton (serial killer) - Wikipedia