Today is Wednesday, October 28, 2020. On this day in 1895, serial killer H.H. Holmes went

on trial for murder in Philadelphia. He'd been caught for killing his associate and

supposed friend Benjamin Pytzel, but Holmes' true body count was much higher, possibly

even in the hundreds.

Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Spotify original from Parkast. Due to the graphic nature of

Today's crimes, listener discretion is advised. Extreme caution is advised for listeners

under 13. I'm Vanessa Richardson, and today I'm joined by our guest host, Richard Rossner

from Dictators. His show examines the rise to power and reign of real life tyrants. He's

here to discuss the context surrounding H.H. Holmes's trial while I'll cover the narrative.

Thanks for having me, Vanessa. Hello, everyone. Today we're covering the fascinating story

of H.H. Holmes, who's widely considered America's first serial killer.

Now let's go back to a Philadelphia courtroom on October 28, 1895.

It had been a long journey, getting to this trial. Countless cons were run, a nationwide

manhunt was launched, and of course many brutal murders were committed. Holmes killed

for profit, usually, but he enjoyed it too. Ever since his days as a medical student,

he'd been fascinated by corpses. Now the chickens had come home to roost. He was arrested

almost a year prior on charges of horse thievery, fair charges, but detectives were really

out to get Holmes for insurance fraud. Arresting Holmes for theft had been a ploy. The police

wanted him in custody because they suspected he was guilty of far worse crimes.

They were right, and eventually their investigation supported their suspicions. In July of 1895, they

found two dead bodies in the cellar of a home that Holmes had rented in Toronto. The daughters

of his former partner in crime, Benjamin Pitzel. Later, the body of Pitzel's eight-year-old

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