The actual motivations of these criminals are varied. By definition, a killing will have taken place in as much as the suspected, accused, or convicted perpetrator has been dubbed a want-ad or lonely hearts killer. However, the crime may have involved a simple
robbery gone wrong, an elaborate
insurance fraud scheme,
sexual violence/
rape, or any of several other ritualized
pathological impulses (e.g.
necrophilia,
mutilation,
cannibalism, etc.). Sometimes murder is not the (original) intent, but becomes a by-product of
rape or other struggles; in some cases, murder is committed simply to cover up the original crime. Some, on the other hand, are
serial killers who utilize this
method of targeting victims, either exclusively, or when it suits them.[2]
Notable lonely hearts and want-ad killers
The following accused and convicted murderers and
serial killers are known to have used want ads, personal ads, and/or matrimonial bureaus to contact their victims:
Sheila LaBarre (b. 1959) – serving two consecutive life sentences for two murders on farm she inherited from deceased husband. Boyfriend later died, as did a man who replied to her personal ad.
Harry Powers (1892–1932) – known as "the lonely hearts killer", "the West Virginia Bluebeard", and "the butcher of Clarksburg"[1]
Lonely hearts killers in popular culture
The theme of the want-ad killer or lonely hearts murderer has been popular in
fiction. Examples of dramatic treatments of this theme are listed in chronological order of publication or release:
Pièges (1939) is a French
thrillerfilm directed by
Robert Siodmak, starring
Maurice Chevalier, Marie Déa, and André Brunot. It tells the story of an amateur female sleuth who goes undercover to trap a serial killer who has murdered one of her friends and who stalks his prey via classified ads.
"The Want-Ad Murders", a
novella by Frances M. Deegan, appeared in Detective Story Magazine in March 1944, and was reprinted in Detective Story Annual 1948, edited by
Daisy Bacon, and published by Street & Smith in 1948.
Monsieur Verdoux is a 1947 film written by, directed by, and starring
Charlie Chaplin, and based on the life of the French lonely hearts killer Henri Désiré Landru.
Bluebeard's Ten Honeymoons is a 1960 film that starred
George Sanders as Henri Désiré Landru.
Landru is a 1963 film, directed by
Claude Chabrol and inspired by the Henri Désiré Landru case.
A special two-hour episode of the 1967-70 revival of Dragnet, filmed in 1966 as the
pilot for the new series but not aired until 1969 during the third season, was based on the Harvey Glatman case.[6]
The Honeymoon Killers is a 1970 film fictionalization of the murders committed by Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck.
Sea of Love is a 1989 film drama in which a series of male murder victims are discovered to have each submitted ads in
rhyme for publication in the lonely hearts column of the same magazine. The
police detective on the case convinces his chief to write rhyming ads for the magazine and to investigate any women who reply.
2Shy is a 1995 episode of The X-Files which features a mutant man, Virgil Incanto, who romances fat women in online chat rooms before harvesting their body fat.
Deep Crimson, a 1996 Mexican movie directed by
Arturo Ripstein, was an adaptation of the story of Ray Fernandez and Martha Beck.
Method is a film released in 2004, inspired by and loosely based on the Belle Gunness murders.
Désiré Landru, a 2005 French movie, was an adaptation of the story of Henri Désiré Landru.[7]
Lonely Hearts is a 2006 dramatized film account of the killings perpetrated by Ray Fernandez and Martha Beck.
Cold Case, Season Four, Episode Nine, entitled "Lonely Hearts", was also based on Ray Fernandez and Martha Beck.
^
ab"Lonely Hearts Murderer'". New York Daily News. April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009. Long before there was a craigslist or dot-com dating, there were places where men and women who were too shy or busy to meet face to face could find romance. Calling themselves "matrimonial bureaus," these organizations were known mostly as the "lonely hearts clubs," and they flourished through the middle of the 20th century. [...] (The article is a side-bar to a story about
Philip Markoff, a "Craigslist killer" and it describes the murders committed in 1931 by Harry F. Powers, the so-called "Matromonial Bureau Murderer," also known as "The West Virginia Bluebeard" and "The Butcher of Clarksburg.")
^"Archived copy". Archived from
the original on 2009-05-05. Retrieved 2009-04-23.{{
cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link) Boulder Jane Doe (This article covers a possible Colorado victim of
Harvey Glatman, California’s “Lonely Hearts Killer.”)