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May 8, 2025 50 mins

In this episode, we dive into the disturbing story of Earle Leonard Nelson, infamously known as The Gorilla Killer. Operating during the 1920s, Nelson left a trail of terror across the United States and Canada, committing at least 22 murders—primarily targeting landladies through boarding house ads. We explore his troubled early life, the psychological factors that may have shaped his violent impulses, the gruesome nature of his crimes, and how his trail eventually led to one of the first cross-border serial killer manhunts in North American history.

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References

A serial killer at your door: The grisly gorilla man murders of Earle Leonard Nelson. (2017, May 12). Retrieved from The Lineup: https://the-line-up.com/gorilla-man-murders-earle-leonard-nelson Beeman, A. (2021, June 15). The Truth about Earle Nelson's Childhood. Retrieved from Grunge: https://www.grunge.com/437742/the-truth-about-earle-nelsons-childhood/ Delong, W. (2018, July 2). 50 years before Ted Bundy, Earle Nelson was the most prolific serial killer in American history. Retrieved from All That's Interesting: https://allthatsinteresting.com/earle-nelson Earle Leonard Nelson. (n.d.). Retrieved from Biographs: https://biographs.org/earle-leonard-nelson Earle Nelson. (n.d.). Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earle_Nelson Earle Nelson. (n.d.). Retrieved from The True Crime Database: https://www.thetruecrimedatabase.com/case_file/earle-nelson/ Gibben, M. (n.d.). Earle Nelson. Retrieved from Crime Library: https://crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/history/earle_nelson/3.html Macdonald, T. (2021, June 15). The surprising way serial killer Earle Nelson was caught. Retrieved from Grunge: https://www.grunge.com/438240/the-surprising-way-serial-killer-earle-nelson-was-caught/ Nelson, Earle Leonard. (n.d.). Retrieved from Serial Dispatches: https://serialdispatches.com/alphabetical-list-of-serial-killers/list-of-serial-killers-n/nelson-earle-leonard/ Rosewood, J., & Lo, R. (n.d.). The Big Book of Serial Killers Another 150 Serial Killer Files of The World's Worst Murderers (Vol. 2). LAK Publishing. The Gorilla in the room: Earle Nelson's Reign of Terror. (n.d.). Retrieved from Factual America: https://www.factualamerica.com/serial-cuts/the-gorilla-in-the-room-earle-nelsons-reign-of-terror

 

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