The story of one of America's first known serial killers will haunt your nightmares

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Docs Say Serial Killers Have Specific Genes
Docs Say Serial Killers Have Specific Genes

The "Beast of Chicago", H.H. Holmes, confessed to 28 murders -- but many experts suspect he may have had a hand in the gruesome deaths of as many as 200 people.

Herman Webster Mudgett was born on May 16, 1861, in New Hampshire to a prominent family. It's said that from a young age, skeletons and death fascinated him.

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He was a bright boy, and studied medicine at a small school in Vermont before getting accepted into the University of Michigan Medical School.

During his time at medical school, his truly wicked side began to emerge. He stole cadavers from the medical labs and crafted a sneaky scheme.

He would take out insurance policies on the deceased, and would then burn or disfigure their bodies. He would then take the remains and plant them to make it appear like an accidental death -- leaving him free to collect the money tied to the policy.

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After passing his medical exams, Mudgett moved to Chicago in 1885 and got a job working in a pharmacy under the name Dr. Henry H. Holmes. When the owner of the drugstore passed away, Holmes convinced the widow to let him buy it. The widow soon mysteriously vanished and was never seen again.

Shortly before the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, Holmes raised enough money to begin building the World's Fair Hotel which was quickly dubbed "The Castle."

The 60-room hotel had many unusual and bizarre features. Inside the house were doors that led to nothing, rooms without windows, trapdoors, hidden passageways and rooms with gas jets so he could easily asphyxiate his unsuspecting victims.

During the 1893 Columbian Exposition, Holmes opened up the hotel for visitors to the fair. Many of the young women who entered the building never left.

In an incredible stroke of luck, Holmes was eventually arrested over an insurance fraud scheme. Police uncovered the murders as they conducted a search of his home.

He reportedly told police, "I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than a poet can help the inspiration to sing."

Holmes was hanged on May 7, 1896, in Philadelphia. He asked to be buried 10 feet underground and wanted his coffin to be encased in concrete, because he feared grave robbers would try to steal his body.

Holmes' life has been the subject of several books, including "The Devil in the White City" by Eric Larson. Leonardo DiCaprio is set to play the infamous killer in the film adaptation.

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