Nathaniel Lipscomb

Serial Killer

Nathaniel Lipscomb: The Dawn Strangler

Overview

Nathaniel Lipscomb was an American serial killer who murdered three women in Baltimore, Maryland, between December 1958 and April 1959. The victims were sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled during attacks committed in or near the neighborhoods where they lived. Because the crimes occurred during the early morning hours, newspapers and investigators referred to the unidentified offender as the "Dawn Strangler" or the "Early Morning Bandit." Lipscomb was born in 1929 in Gaffney, South Carolina. Few reliable details are available about his childhood, but his criminal history reportedly began with voyeurism and theft. He was once jailed for spying on a woman as she undressed and later served time in North Carolina for stealing a bicycle. His behavior became increasingly disturbing, and years before the Baltimore murders, he was investigated in connection with the brutal killing of a woman in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Possible Murder of Mrs. Howard Maxwell

On May 14, 1951, Mrs. Howard Maxwell was attacked inside her home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her four-year-old daughter, Diane Maxwell, was also injured. Police found Mrs. Maxwell suffering from fatal knife wounds, including injuries to her head, chest and throat. Investigators believed she had been attacked while in bed and had attempted to reach or protect her daughter before collapsing. Lipscomb came under suspicion on May 27, 1951, after police stopped a vehicle he was driving. Officers reportedly saw him attempt to discard a dagger, and he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and driving without a license. The following day, Lipscomb confessed to killing Mrs. Maxwell. He claimed that he had entered her home after receiving no response when he knocked and that she attacked him after awakening. According to his account, her death occurred during the resulting struggle. Lipscomb led investigators to a pearl-handled knife that he claimed was connected to the crime. He later withdrew his confession and repeatedly changed his account. Conflicting lie-detector results and insufficient physical evidence prevented prosecutors from establishing a strong enough case against him. He was evaluated by mental-health professionals and described as dangerously impulsive, but he was eventually released from Cherry Hospital in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Mrs. Maxwell's murder was never formally proven to have been committed by Lipscomb, and he was not convicted in that case. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Mae Hall Age: (38), Date of Death: 1958-12-09

Nathaniel Lipscomb - Wikipedia