Major Raymond Lisenba

Serial Killer

Major Raymond Lisenba: The Rattlesnake Murderer

Overview

Major Raymond Lisenba, better known under the alias Robert Sherwood James, was an American murderer whose pursuit of life-insurance money placed him at the center of one of California's most sensational criminal cases. Newspapers called him "Rattlesnake James" and the "Rattlesnake Murderer" because he attempted to kill his final wife by forcing venomous snakes to bite her. Although Lisenba was convicted of only one murder, investigators suspected that he had arranged two earlier deaths for similar financial reasons. Lisenba was born on March 6, 1894, in Hale County, Alabama. He later used several names, including Major Lisby, Raymond Lisenba, Robert S. James and Robert Sherwood James. He worked in a variety of occupations before becoming a barber in Southern California. Beneath his outwardly respectable appearance, however, investigators found a history of unstable marriages, insurance policies and suspicious deaths. For historical accuracy, Lisenba is best described as a convicted murderer and suspected serial killer. He was legally convicted of murdering Mary Emma Busch. The deaths of his wife Winona Wallace and his nephew Cornelius Wright were investigated as possible insurance killings, but Lisenba was never convicted in either case.

Suspected Pattern of Insurance Killings

The recurring element in the deaths associated with Lisenba was life insurance. He arranged policies on relatives or wives and stood to receive substantial payments when they died. The deaths were made to resemble accidents, usually involving automobiles, cliffs or drowning. After each incident, Lisenba offered an explanation that appeared to remove him from direct responsibility. Investigators became particularly suspicious because mechanical failure was blamed in more than one automobile crash connected to him. In addition, both Winona Wallace and Mary Emma Busch died by drowning after surviving an earlier injury or attempted method of killing. Insurance investigators examining Busch's death discovered Lisenba's marital history and the suspicious circumstances surrounding Wallace's death, helping authorities recognize a possible pattern. ...

Confirmed Victims: (1)

Mary Emma Busch , Date of Death: August 5, 1935

Suspected Victims:

Winona Wallace , Date of Death: October 8, 1932

Cornelius Wright , Date of Death: 1935

Rattlesnake James - Wikipedia