Henry Lee Lucas

Henery Lee Lucas was born on August 23, 1936 to an alcoholic couple. His mother would work as the neighborhood prostitute to run the house while his father (who had no legs due to a train accident) would just drink all day. The Lucas family had nine children, out of which some were given away to relatives, foster homes, and institutions. But Henry was lucky enough to stay with his parents. Henry and his father were witnesses to his mother's beatings, violent outbursts, and a bunch of men who shared her bed. After his father's death, Henry would always be the subject to his mother's cruelty and beatings. Henry was introduced to bestiality by his mother's live-in lover, "Uncle Bernie." He wanted to know what sex with a human would be like, so at age 15, Henry picked a girl near Lynchburg, strangled and buried her body in the woods when she tried to get away.

Henry had confessed to almost 3,000 murders, one of which was his mother as well. After killing his mother with a kitchen knife, five days later he was arrested and boasted about raping his mother's corpse. Henry had an accomplice, Ottis Toole, who helped in over 100 murders with him. in 1989, Henry was sentenced to death. Henry died in 2001 while he was in prison due to heart failure.

After talking about Nature and Nurture in class i think this is a very good example of both. Since he was born to an alcoholic couple he could have been messed up from day one from his mother drinking while pregnant. Also his home life wasn't the best. He was raised poorly and saw how violent his mother would act, and didn't think anything of it. He never new wrong from right and his parents set a horrible example for him since day one of his life.


"Sex is one of my downfalls. I get sex any way i can get it. If i have to force somebody to do it, i do..I rape them; I've done that. I've killed animals to have sex with them, and i've had sex..While they're alive." -Henry Lee Lucas




CC big country, . (2011). Henry lee lucas- a gruesome tale of murder. Retrieved from http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Infamous--Famous-Henry-Lee-Lucas


Fisher, Mark. (2000). Henry lee lucas. Retrieved from http://www.carpenoctem.tv/killers/lucas.html


Schechter, H, & Everitt, D. (1997-2011). Henry lee lucas: portrait of a serial killer. Retrieved from http://www.houseofhorrors.com/lucas.htm