crimesandcuriosities: “Being born on a farm, I know the difference between raising something a
crimesandcuriosities: “Being born on a farm, I know the difference between raising something and it just growing. You raise tobacco and vegetables…and pigs and sheep…They got purpose; you tend them. But weeds grown on their own, tended or not. I grew, I wasn’t raised. That’s for damn sure.“ Born in March 1933, Donald Henry Gaskins - often referred to as “Pee Wee” Gaskins - was an American serial killer criminally active for over 30 years. He was notoriously renowned for raping, torturing, mutilating and cannibalising his victims - ranging from infants to adults. Although Gaskins was initially only charged with 8 murders, he confessed to carrying out at least 100.During childhood, Gaskins’ life was plagued with abuse and neglect; he had a number of stepfathers who would beat him severely, and his mother showed very little interest in caring for her children. At just 1 year old, Donald was left unsupervised and drank kerosene, which caused seizures until he was 3 years old. At school, he was also often bullied for his small stature, earning him the nickname “Pee Wee’ among his peers. As an adult, Gaskins stood at around 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed only around 130lbs, and therefore the nickname stuck.At 11 years old, Gaskins dropped out of school and began a life of crime. He joined a small gang, and together the young boys burglarised properties, but the gang was severely beaten and disbanded when it was discovered they had raped a young girl. At 13 years old, Gaskins broke into a house but was caught by a female resident, which resulted in him hitting her on the head and arm with a hatchet. Miraculously, she survived, and Gaskins was sent to a reform school until he turned 18, during which time he claimed to have been repeatedly raped by other male residents. Upon his release in 1951, Gaskins became involved in insurance fraud and later went on to attack another young woman with a hammer after she questioned him about his suspicious activities. The assault was so vicious that the hammer split her skull open, but she survived. While serving a six year prison sentence for this attack, Gaskins felt victimised due to his size, and as a result he murdered the most feared inmate to mark his authority. Although he did succeed in securing the respect of fellow prisoners, an additional 3 years was added to his sentence.After his release in 1961, Gaskins raped a 12 year old and was sent back to prison for a further 8 years, but was paroled in November 1968. It was at this point that he began to murder.His victims included strangers - usually male and female hitchhikers - who he would drive around and search for along coastal highways. He also brutally murdered females known personally to him, such as his 15 year old niece and pregnant next-door neighbour, as well as carrying out revenge killings that he was paid to do by other people. It greatly pleased Gaskins to inflict extreme suffering while keeping his victims alive for as long as possible; for instance, he would allegedly force his victims to watch him eat their flesh, or he would force them to eat their own flesh as a final meal.After his arrest once again in November 1975, Gaskins was sentenced to death, but this was later commuted to life imprisonment due to changes in South Carolina capital punishment regulations. In September 1982, he then killed a death row inmate named Rudolph Tyner, after a relative of Tyner’s victims paid Gaskins to do it. Gaskins handed Tyner a small radio rigged with explosives and convinced him they could communicate by talking into it. When Tyner lifted the radio to his ear, Gaskins detonated the explosives, ending Tyner’s life. For this murder, the death penalty was reinstated.Prior to his execution, Gaskins attempted to commit suicide by slashing his wrists with a small blade that he had kept lodged in his throat and regurgitated. His attempt was unsuccessful, and instead he received twenty stitches and was sent to the electric chair at 1:05am on 6th September, 1991. When asked for his final words, Donald Gaskins stated: “I’ll let my lawyers talk for me. I’m ready to go.” -- source link
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