The Truth About America's Youngest Serial Killer Jesse Pomeroy
On April 23, 1874, George and James Power were exploring the beaches around Dorchester Bay in South Boston. Although they initially planned to search for clams, CBS News reports the tide had not receded as far as they expected. As they wandered toward a marsh, searching for other treasures, George and James made a gruesome discovery inside a ditch.
As reported by CBS News, the brothers found the body of a four-year-old boy, who had been mutilated and killed. Authorities confirmed Horace Millen suffered multiple stab wounds, including a deep slash across his neck that nearly severed his head. They also noted a similarly severe wound on his genitalia. The attacker also plunged a "sharp object" into one of Horace's eyes and set his body on fire.
Authorities initially assumed the boy was attacked and killed by an adult. However, further investigation into the incident uncovered two witnesses, who reported seeing "a very young boy" fleeing the scene. The following day, authorities arrested 14-year-old Jesse Pomeroy and charged him with murder.
CBS News reports the community was devastated by the brutal death of four-year-old Horace Millen, and deeply disturbed to learn his accused killer was only 14 years old. Even more disturbing was a recent uptick in brutal murders of children in the region, and the possibility that Jesse Pomeroy was actually a serial killer.
As reported by Gizmodo, Horace Millen was ultimately convicted of killing two children. However, he was suspected of abducting and torturing nearly a dozen others.
Jesse Pomeroy's childhood was far from ideal
Jesse Pomeroy was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, on November 29, 1858, to Thomas and Ann Pomeroy. As reported by Serial Killer Central, Jesse was born with a cleft palate and developed a thick cataract, which made his eye appear opaque white. He was also tall and thin for his age, and had what has been described as "an abnormally large head." It has also been suggested that Jesse Pomeroy was developmentally disabled.
Although he had a close relationship with his mother, Jesse was brutally abused by his father. As reported by Serial Killer Central, Jesse and his brother were routinely stripped naked and beaten "with a switch until they bled." Jesse later used that same switch to beat his first victim.
At school, Jesse Pomeroy was mercilessly bullied by his classmates, who teased him about his physical appearance and called him cruel names.
The Radford Department of Psychology reports Jesse began displaying signs that he was emotionally and mentally disturbed when he was a child. At the age of five, he was reportedly caught torturing one of the neighbor's cats. By the age of 10, Jesse's parents noted their pets, along with a number of neighborhood pets, were disappearing under unusual circumstances. As reported by Serial Killer Central, Jesse's mother suspected her son was responsible and subsequently prohibited Jesse or his brother from having any pets.
Jesse Pomeroy attacked and tortured his first human victim when he was just 12 years old.
Jesse Pomeroy began torturing children when he was only 12 years old
On December 25, 1871, Jesse Pomeroy abducted and tortured his first human victim. At the time, Jesse was just 12 years old and his victim, William Paine, was only four.
As reported by Serial Killer Central, Billy was playing outside his Massachusetts home when Jesse approached the little boy and told him he had a surprise for him. Billy followed Jesse up Powder House Hill to a tiny shack. He was then forced inside, where he was subjected to devastating torture.
As his father had done to him, Jesse stripped the boy naked. He then tied him up, hung him upside down from a beam, and proceeded to whip him with his father's switch. Serial Killer Central reports Jesse Pomeroy fled the scene and left Billy hanging in the shack. Thankfully, Billy's cries for help were heard by two men, who were hunting.
Billy managed to survive the attack. However, he was covered in bruises and open wounds. Although the physical wounds eventually healed, Billy was too traumatized to describe the attack or identify his attacker.
Two months later, Jesse Pomeroy lured seven-year-old Tracy Hayden to the same shack, where he was also stripped naked and whipped. However, as reported by Serial Killer Central, Billy also punched Tracy in the face until his nose and several teeth were broken. He also left the boy with two black eyes, and threatened to castrate him if he told anyone who attacked him.
Jesse Pomeroy's family eventually moved, but the attacks continued
Between December 1871 and July 1872, Jesse Pomeroy abducted a total of four boys and lured them to the Powder House Hill shack, where they were all stripped and beaten. However, as reported by Gizmodo, the attacks became more "brutal and perverse" with each victim.
Although the victims told police they were attacked by an older boy, none of them identified their attacker as Jesse Pomeroy. Authorities conducted an extensive investigation into the assaults. However, by August 1872, the attacks on Powder House Hill suddenly stopped, as Jesse and his family moved to South Boston.
Within weeks of moving to South Boston, Jesse Pomeroy approached 7-year-old Joe Kennedy and lured him to a marsh area near the bay. Once there, he beat Joe and slashed his face with a knife. He then left the boy laying in a pool of shallow water. Serial Killer Central reports he did the same thing to a boy named Robert Gould six days later. However, unlike the other boys, Robert provided authorities with a vital clue about the identity of his attacker. Robert Gould told police the boy who assaulted him had "an eye like a white marble."
Authorities eventually identified Jesse Pomeroy as a suspect in the assaults. Jesse was arrested and ultimately confessed to assaulting a total of eight boys. He was subsequently ordered to remain in a juvenile detention center until he turned 18.
The deaths of Katie Curran and Horace Millen
Although he was supposed to remain in the juvenile detention center until he was 18, Jesse Pomeroy's mother petitioned for his early release. Jesse was subsequently released at the age of 14, after serving only two years. Six months later, he abducted and killed 10-year-old Katie Curran.
As reported by Serial Killer Central, Jesse was working at his mother's store when the little girl walked in the door. After persuading his coworker to run an errand, Jesse lured Katie into the basement, grabbed her from behind, and slashed her throat with a knife. When she fell to the ground, he proceeded to stab her "abdomen and genitals until he could no longer hold the knife in his hands."
Serial Killer Central reports Jesse shoved her lifeless body into a closet, covered her with stones and ash, cleaned up the mess, and went back to work as though nothing happened.
A witness claimed they saw Katie get into a vehicle with a man on the day she disappeared. Unfortunately, the witness' report convinced authorities the little girl was kidnapped and the case was essentially closed without any further investigation. One month later, Jesse Pomeroy killed Horace Millen and left his body in a ditch.
As reported by Serial Killer Central, Jesse was arrested later that same day and charged in the murder of Horace Millen. While in custody he confessed to killing Katie Curran and told authorities where to find her body.
Jesse Pomeroy's torture and killing spree comes to an end
When asked why he committed the heinous crimes, Celebrate Boston reports Jesse Pomeroy said he "couldn't help it."
In an attempt to spare the teen from the death penalty, Jesse's mother insisted her son was insane. During the trial, she testified that Jesse had brain fever as a young child and had ongoing issues with dizziness, headaches, and insomnia. As reported by Serial Killer Central, she also said Jesse "was addicted to extraordinary fantasies that dominated reality."
Another psychiatrist, who testified on Jesse Pomeroy's behalf, said he was "undoubtedly insane," as there was no apparent motive and Jesse did not display any remorse for his actions.
Serial Killer Central reports other psychiatrists, who examined Jesse prior to his trial, argued that the teen's lack of remorse proved he could not be rehabilitated and would pose a threat to society if he were ever released. They also determined Jesse knew the difference between right and wrong and therefore was not legally insane.
Jesse was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to death by hanging. However, as reported by Dime Library, his sentence was commuted to life in prison by then-Massachusetts Governor William Gaston — who refused to sign the death warrant.
Serial Killer Central reports Jesse Pomeroy spent 41 years in solitary confinement, At the age of 58, he was transferred into the general population, where he remained until his death on September 29, 1932, at the age of 73.