Glennon Edward Engleman

Serial Killer

Glennon Edward Engleman: The Killing Dentist

Overview

Glennon Edward Engleman was an American dentist, contract killer, and serial murderer whose crimes stretched across Missouri and Illinois for more than two decades. Born on February 6, 1927, in St. Louis, Missouri, Engleman eventually became known as the "Killing Dentist" because he maintained a respectable dental practice while secretly participating in murder-for-profit schemes. His known crimes began in 1958 and continued until 1980, with investigators ultimately connecting him to at least seven deaths. Money was at the center of many of Engleman's crimes. Rather than selecting strangers at random, he became involved in carefully arranged plots in which a victim's death could produce life-insurance payments, an inheritance, or relief from a financial problem. Several women associated with Engleman became involved in his schemes, and prosecutors portrayed him as a manipulative figure who persuaded others that murder could solve their financial difficulties. His methods varied considerably, including shootings and explosives, making the individual killings initially appear unrelated.

Early Life and Dental Career

Engleman served in the United States Army Air Corps before attending dental school with assistance from the GI Bill. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 1954 and established a dental practice in the St. Louis area. Patients and neighbors saw a professional man with a conventional occupation, a sharp contrast to the criminal activity investigators would later attribute to him. His dental career also gave him access to people whose personal and financial circumstances he could learn about. Over time, a network of former wives, girlfriends, patients, employees, and acquaintances became intertwined with his criminal cases. Later court testimony described Engleman openly discussing murder as a method of obtaining insurance money and claiming that he had successfully used such schemes before. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

James Bullock Age: (27), Date of Death: 1958-11-17

Dentist by Day Serial Killer by Night - Glennon Edward Engleman ...