Killer Kids: Jesse Pomeroy

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

Esther Ludlow

True Crime, Society & Culture, Crime, Truecrime, Criminology, History, Criminals

4.6 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 5 July 2016

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1872, fear gripped the streets of South Boston as a chilling string of murders unfolded—committed by a boy barely in his teens.

This episode dives deep into the twisted mind of Jesse Pomeroy, America’s youngest known serial killer, whose brutal crimes shocked the nation and left a lasting scar on 19th-century Boston.

We unravel the dark story behind his violent spree, explore his disturbing upbringing, and examine how a child became a monster in plain sight. Was he born evil—or made that way?

📚 Further reading:

– The Wilderness of Ruin by Roseanne Montillo

– Fiend by Harold Schechter

– The Autobiography of Jesse H. Pomeroy written by himself

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This podcast details true crime cases. It contains adult themes and may include descriptions of violence.
0:07.2	It is not intended for children. Listener discretion is advised.
0:14.0	If you follow true crime cases, either current or from the past, I'm sure you've discovered that there are many types of killers.
0:21.3	There are spree murderers, mass murderers, school shooters, and more.
0:26.7	But what seems to horrify and fascinate us the most are the serial killers.
0:31.2	But even more rare than serial killers are child serial killers.
0:35.9	Am I talking about serial killers who target children?
0:38.3	No.
0:39.3	I'm talking about children who are serial killers.
0:43.3	You might be unaware that such a thing even existed.
0:46.3	But as most things we think we know about the monsters out there,
0:50.3	this one is truly chilling.
0:52.3	In Once Upon a Crime's next series, I'll be discussing killer kids, young murderers, past and present.
1:00.8	First up, we'll discuss the youngest serial killer America has ever known.
1:05.3	Jesse Pomeroy, the boy torturer.
1:21.0	Okay. boy torturer. Jesse Harding Pomeroy was born November 29, 1859, in Charlestown, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts, to Thomas and Ruth Ann Pomeroy.
1:26.2	His father was a veteran of the U.S. Civil War.
1:29.3	He was the youngest of two children. His brother Charles was two years older.
1:35.2	Charlestown was home to the Charlestown Navy Yard, which took up one-eighth of the land
1:39.3	and employed many of the local men. Near the Navy Yard, there was an empty plot of land that backed up to the shores of the Charles River. Some of the town's children like to go out to the low beach ringed by willow trees or the fishing pole or just to explore someplace less crowded where they could run and play. The only other playground for the children were the city streets themselves, where most of the youngsters ran freely between
2:01.3	alloys, dilapidated homes, and overgrown yards. Charlestown was connected by a bridge across
2:08.0	the Mystic River to Chelsea, where many of the yard and factory workers found cheap housing.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Esther Ludlow, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Esther Ludlow and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.