meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers

THE MAD SCULPTOR-Harold Schechter

True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers

Dan Zupansky

True Crime, News Commentary, Documentary, News, Society & Culture

42.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 May 2014

⏱️ 80 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Beekman Place, once one of the most exclusive addresses in Manhattan, had a curious way of making it into the tabloids in the 1930's: “SKYSCRAPER SLAYER,” “BEAUTY SLAIN IN BATHTUB” read the headlines. On Easter Sunday in 1937, the discovery of a grisly triple homicide at Beekman Place would rock the neighborhood yet again—and enthrall the nation. The young man who committed the murders would come to be known in the annals of American crime as the Mad Sculptor.

The charismatic perpetrator, Robert Irwin, was a brilliant young sculptor who had studied with some of the masters of the era. But with his genius also came a deeply disturbed psyche; Irwin was obsessed with sexual self-mutilation and was frequently overcome by outbursts of violent rage.



Irwin’s primary victim, Veronica Gedeon, was a figure from the world of pulp fantasy—a stunning photographer's model whose scandalous seminude pinups would titillate the public for weeks after her death. Irwin’s defense attorney, Samuel Leibowitz, was a courtroom celebrity with an unmatched record of acquittals and clients ranging from Al Capone to the Scottsboro Boys. And Dr. Fredric Wertham, psychiatrist and forensic scientist, befriended Irwin years before the murders and had predicted them in a public lecture months before the crime.



Based on extensive research and archival records, The Mad Sculptor recounts the chilling story of the Easter Sunday murders—a case that sparked a nationwide manhunt and endures as one of the most engrossing American crime dramas of the twentieth century. The book evokes the faded glory of post-depression New York and the singular madness of a brilliant mind turned against itself. THE MAD SCULPTOR-The Maniac, The Model and the Murder that Shook the Nation-Harold Schechter

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I am so over this situation, Peter. I'm unbumble to find something real. You know, like someone

0:07.5

you can count on, someone who actually cares about what you think. I just want someone

0:12.5

who's ready for that long-term kind of love. Whether you're looking for your next boyfriend,

0:18.9

girlfriend, casual date or just someone who truly gets you, it's waiting for you unbumble.

0:25.6

Locked Talk, baby.

0:40.8

You are now listening to True Murder, the most shocking killers in true crime history and

0:46.4

the authors that have written about them. Gacy, Bundy, Domer, the Night Stalker, BTK,

0:54.4

every week, another fascinating author talking about the most shocking and infamous killers

0:59.2

in true crime history. True Murder, with your host, journalist and author, Dan Zufanski.

1:16.4

Good evening. Beakman Place, once one of the most exclusive addresses in Manhattan, had

1:23.6

a curious way of making it into the tabloids in the 1930s. Skyscraper Slayer, Bruce Lane

1:31.0

in Bat-Tubb, read The Headlines. On Easter Sunday in 1937, the discovery of a grizzly

1:39.1

triple homicide at Beakman Place would rock the neighborhood yet again and enthrall the

1:44.7

nation. The young men who had committed the murders would come to be known in the annals

1:49.7

of the American crime as the Mad Sculptor. The charismatic perpetrator, Robert Irwin,

1:56.7

was a brilliant young sculptor who had studied with some of the masters of the era. But

2:01.1

with his genius also came a deeply disturbed psyche. Irwin was obsessed with sexual self-mutilation

2:08.1

and was frequently overcome by outbursts of violent rage. Irwin's primary victim, Veronica

2:14.7

Gideon, was a figure from the world of pulp fantasy, a stunning photographer's model whose

2:20.0

scandalous semi-newed pin-ups would titillate the public for weeks after her death. Irwin's

2:26.4

defense attorney, Samuel Liebelwitz, was a courtroom celebrity with an unmatched record

2:31.2

of acquittals and clients ranging from Al Capone to the Scotsboro boys. And Dr. Frederick

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

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

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

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.