Hamilton "Albert" Fish


Albert Fish was born in 1870 to a respected family in Washington, D.C. His father died when Albert was 5 years old and as a result the child was sent to live in an orphanage. He ran away frequently and wet his bed until he was 11 at the orphange. Because of such behavior, Albert became known as a "problem child". Albert's sadomasochistic and unusual behavior was first noticed by his children just after his first wife left him. He began to suffer from hallucinations and became obsessed with religious themes such as sin, sacrifice, and atonement through pain. He forced his own children to paddle his bare buttocks until he bled. Other hobbies and pastimes of Albert's included, but were not limited to, inserting needles into his groin, scrotum, and anus, eating human fecal matter, and inserting cotton balls doused in alcohol into his anus and setting them aflame. Fish was a compulsive child molestor. Prosecutors are certain of his involvement in attacks on over 100 children. Albert, however, claims to have molested nearly 400 children. In 1928, a 12 year old named Grace Budd caught Albert's attention. Over time he earned her family's trust and procured their permission to take her to a birthday party. Instead, he took her to a secluded cabin where he dismembered her body. He saved several pieces to eat later. Six years later, Albert sent a letter to the Budd family confessing that he killed their daughter. He emphasized that she "died a virgin". (He later expressed disappointment that he had not raped or molested Grace Budd.) As a result of the letter written to the Budd's, Albert was arrested. In custody, Albert confessed to the murders of several other children. No final body count could be agreed upon, but it is believed that Albert killed between 7 to 15 children. Fish was found sane and guilty of premeditated murder. His insanity defense was overridden and he was sentenced to death by electrocution. Fish was pleased with this sentence and excited about facing the electric chair due to his sadomasochistic tendencies. He was electrocuted on January 16, 1936 at Sing Sing Prison. It took two jolts to kill him because the 29 needles he had left in his body over the years short circuited the chair.

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