William Heirens
The Lipstick Killer
Active for 2 years
(1945-1946) in United States
3
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
3
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 13 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 8 Books Written About William Heirens
- 8 External References
- Internal References
William Heirens an American serial killer and burglar known as The Lipstick Killer. Heirens stabbed three females between 1945 and 1946. Heirens was called the Lipstick Killer after a message he left written in lipstick on a wall at a crime scene. The message read "For heavens, Sake catch me, Before I kill more, I cannot control myself". He left other notes at later crime scenes. Heirens was arrested in 1946 on attempted burglary charges when a witness saw him breaking into an apartment and called the police. Heirens fled the scene and was later captured by two uniformed officers, reports of his gun misfiring lead to his arrest. He confessed and recanted numerous confessions. William Heirens was sentenced to life in prison in 1946.
William Heirens Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer William Heirens (aka) The Lipstick Killer, was active for 2 years between 1945-1946, known to have ( 3 confirmed / 3 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States
William Heirens was born on November 15th 1928 in Chicago, Illinois, US. He was born 1st of 2 children and raised by both parents. He was raised as a oldest child and had one younger brother. His father, George Heirens. His mother, Margaret Heirens. His father abused alcohol and/or drugs.
William Heirens a heterosexual male citizen of the United States of America. He completed 13 years of school, received a high school diploma. He gained part of his education while attending University of Chicago. He never married. He had no children.
Prior to his spree he had commited crimes.
In 1945 (Age 16/17) William Heirens started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to rob, strangle, mutilate, and murder his victims. William Heirens used a weapon and was in possession of a firearm during his crimes. He was known to kill at the home of the victim.
He was arrested on June 26th 1946 (Age 17), convicted on September 5th 1946 (Age 17), sentenced to life imprisonment, three life terms at Dixon Correctional Center minimum security prison in Dixon, Illinois, US. He was convicted on charges of murder and other possible charges during his lifetime.
William Heirens died on March 5th 2012 (Age 83), cause of death: natural causes, diabetes mellitus at University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, US.
Profile Completeness: 97%
serial killers by profile completenessWilliam Heirens has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 5 years ago.
William Heirens a known:
( 651 killers ) SERIAL KILLER
The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. Serial Killer as defined by the FBI at the 2005 symposium.
( 251 killers ) STRANGLER
Strangulation is death by compressing the neck until the supply of oxygen is cut off. Stranglers kill by Strangulation.
William Heirens
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2019-02-17 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | William Heirens |
| Nickname: | The Lipstick Killer |
| Victims: | 3 - 3 |
| Years Active: | 1945 - 1946 |
| Ages Active: | 16/17 - 17/18 |
| Active Countries: | United States |
| Convicted Of: | murder |
| Life Span: | 1928 - 2012 |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Sexual Preference: | heterosexual |
| Astrological Sign: | ♏ Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 22 |
| Birth Month: | November |
| Marital Status: | never married |
| Children: | no children |
| Living With: | N/A |
| Occupation: | serial killer |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | Nov 15, 1928 |
| Given Name: | William |
| Birth Location: | Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Birth Order: | 1st of 2 |
| Siblings: | one younger brother |
| Raised By: | both parents |
| Birth Category: | oldest child |
| Mother: | Margaret Heirens |
| Father: | George Heirens |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | N/A |
| Highest School: | 13 years of school |
| Highest Degree: | high school diploma |
| Educated At: | University of Chicago |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | Jun 26, 1946 (Age 17) |
| Convicted: | Sep 5, 1946 (Age 17) |
| Sentence: | life imprisonment, three life terms |
| Prison Location: | Dixon Correctional Center minimum security prison in Dixon, Illinois, US |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | TRUE |
| Previous Jail: | FALSE |
| Previous Prison: | FALSE |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | Mar 5, 2012 (Age 83) |
| Manner of Death: | natural causes |
| Cause of Death: | diabetes mellitus |
| Death Location: | University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Killed In Prison: | FALSE |
| Suicide: | FALSE |
13 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
William Heirens
The 13 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer William Heirens. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Nov 15 1928 | William Heirens was born in Chicago, Illinois, US. #19281115 |
| 1945 (Age 16/17) | William Heirens started his serial killing spree. #1945 |
| 1946 (Age 17/18) | William Heirens ended his serial killing spree. #1946 |
| Jun 26 1946 (Age 17) | William Heirens arrested. #19460626 |
| Sep 05 1946 (Age 17) | William Heirens was convictedand sentenced to life imprisonment, three life terms at Dixon Correctional Center minimum security prison in Dixon, Illinois, US. #19460905 |
| Nov 15 1948 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| Nov 15 1958 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| Nov 15 1968 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| Nov 15 1978 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| Nov 15 1988 (Age 60) | 60th Birthday |
| Nov 15 1998 (Age 70) | 70th Birthday |
| Nov 15 2008 (Age 80) | 80th Birthday |
| Mar 05 2012 (Age 83) | William Heirensdied.cause of death:natural causes,diabetes mellitusat University of Illinois Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, US. #20120305 |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as William Heirens (1945-1946).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 40 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
| father drug abuse | TRUE | 192 | ||
| previous crimes | TRUE | 367 | ||
| kill at victims home | TRUE | 323 | ||
| used weapon | TRUE | 453 | ||
| used gun | TRUE | 451 | ||
| strangle | TRUE | 443 | ||
| mutilated | TRUE | 447 | ||
| robbed | TRUE | 418 | ||
| living with children | FALSE | 268 | ||
| suicide | FALSE | 225 | ||
| killed in prison | FALSE | 218 | ||
| mother drug abuse | FALSE | 195 | ||
| xyy | FALSE | 81 | ||
| problems in school | FALSE | 221 | ||
| teased in school | FALSE | 218 | ||
| physically defect | FALSE | 300 | ||
| speach defect | FALSE | 300 | ||
| head injury | FALSE | 299 | ||
| physically abused | FALSE | 231 | ||
| psychologically abused | FALSE | 224 | ||
| sexually abused | FALSE | 226 | ||
| drug abuse | FALSE | 226 | ||
| alcohol abuse | FALSE | 226 | ||
| psychologist | FALSE | 258 | ||
| forensic hospital | FALSE | 257 | ||
| previous jail | FALSE | 352 | ||
| previous prision | FALSE | 336 | ||
| previous killed | FALSE | 208 | ||
| kill at killers home | FALSE | 320 | ||
| rape | FALSE | 453 | ||
| torture | FALSE | 426 | ||
| stalk | FALSE | 418 | ||
| blindfold | FALSE | 363 | ||
| bound | FALSE | 406 | ||
| sex with body | FALSE | 430 | ||
| ate part of body | FALSE | 451 | ||
| drank blood | FALSE | 442 | ||
| posed body | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem body part | FALSE | 365 | ||
| totem personal item | FALSE | 354 | ||
Books that Mention William Heirens
Robert K. Ressler
Whoever Fights Monsters
Robert D. Keppel
Signature Killers
Alison Winter
Memory
William T. Rasmussen
Corroborating Evidence III
Charles Einstein
The Bloody Spur
R. Barri Flowers
Murders in the United States
Mike Mayo
American Murder
Chris Bobonich
Bloody Ivy
8 Books that mention Serial Killer
William Heirens
| ISBN10 | Book Title | Author | Killers Mentioned | Killers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0312950446 | Whoever Fights Monsters | Robert K. Ressler | 4 Total Including Montie Rissell | 4 |
| 0671001302 | Signature Killers | Robert D. Keppel | 6 Total Including Arthur Shawcross | 6 |
| 0226902609 | Memory | Alison Winter | William Heirens | 1 |
| 1611390141 | Corroborating Evidence II... | William T. Rasmussen | William Heirens | 1 |
| 1627551158 | The Bloody Spur | Charles Einstein | William Heirens | 1 |
| 0786420758 | Murders in the United Sta... | R. Barri Flowers | 32 Total Including Juan Vallejo Corona | 32 |
| 1578592275 | American Murder | Mike Mayo | 4 Total Including Earle Leonard Nelson | 4 |
| 1481740199 | Bloody Ivy | Chris Bobonich | William Heirens | 2 |
William George Heirens (November 15, 1928 – March 5, 2012) was an American convicted serial killer who confessed to three murders in 1946. Heirens was called the Lipstick Killer after a notorious message scrawled in lipstick at a crime scene.
External References
- Q705276 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
- William Heirens on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, William George HEIRENS on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
- Ashley Moyer, Brandy Powell, William Heirens on maamodt.asp.radford.edu, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
- Guide to the The William Heirens Case Newspaper Clippings 1946-1949 on www.lib.uchicago.edu, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
- Adam Higginbotham, The Long, Long Life of the Lipstick Killer on www.gq.com, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
- Don Babwin, William Heirens, convicted Lipstick Killer, dies at 83 on www.washingtonpost.com, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
- William Heirens on www.serienkillers.de, Retrieved on Feb 17, 2019.
Internal References
William Heirens is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #39 of 43[ Page 3 ] of Scorpio Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #41 of 651[ Page 3 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- #47 of 51[ Page 4 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in November
- #226 of 250[ Page 16 ] of Serial Killer Stranglers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #249 of 651[ Page 17 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- #284 of 327[ Page 19 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
- #447 of 651[ Page 30 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- #575 of 651[ Page 39 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts William Heirens is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Serial Killers IQ Level, Highest Degree Achieved, Sexual Preference, Birth Category, Mannor of Death, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: