Charles Albright was born in Amarillo on August 10,1933. The woman said he was a lovely man, but he had an odd love for eyes. Officers had also found jars of animal parts and dozens of taxidermy animals in a rented storage unit. Unbeknownst to him, Axton, who didn't want the government in his business, had listed Charles home as his address on his driver's license: 1035 Eldorado Ave, Dallas, TX 75208. Julie lives in San Francisco and is the youngest of two children. https://artandseek.org/2021/03/18/why-is-there-a-giant-eyeball-in-downtown-dallas-we-take-a-look/#:~:text=The%20Eye%20is%20the%20work,Nasher%20Sculpture%20Center%20in%202014.&text=The%20piece%20is%20modeled%20after%20his%20own%20eyeball. Over the years, he was frequently arrested for theft, forgery and, following the death of his adoptive mother and a visit to his birth mother in 1981, child molestation. When he was a teenager and got his first gun, he made a pastime of shooting small animals such as squirrels and rabbits. In 1961, he was arrested for receiving and concealing stolen goods, but no charges were pursued. His admiration for eyes was evident in these hobbies. Fred was a Dallas grocer, and Delle was a school teacher. She would sometimes put him in dresses and force him to hold dolls. Detective Westphalen asked the medical examiner's field agent on the scene to check her eyes. Several days after Albright's arrest, the forensic lab reported that hairs found on the bodies of the dead sex workers matched hair samples taken from Charles's head and pubic area. He was also physically and psychologically abused by his mother, and she was the one to enroll him in a course for taxidermy later. [15], The Home Box Office (HBO) television network released Albright's story sub-titled "The Collector" on the Autopsy series under episode 5; "Autopsy 5: Dead Men Do Tell Tales", aired 1998. He continued on this way, committing a series of crimes and getting away with probations here and there. Whether or not he was actually the real Eyeball Killer and was responsible for all three murders, or even just that for which he was convicted, is uncertain. After his release from jail, he attended Arkansas State Teachers College and majored in pre-med studies. A waitress found Williams' nude body propped up against a curb. Her eyes, too, were meticulously removed, establishing a pattern for the killer. Albright delivered newspapersin the early morning; apparently, this was a cover-up to visit prostitutes without arousing Dixie's suspicion. In a 1993 interview with Texas Monthly, Albright insisted that he was wrongly convicted but admitted that he had a fondness for eyes. Albright was charged with all three of the Eyeball Killer murders and Rhonda Bowie's killing, an unsolved case from 1988. According to another sex worker, Shirley had been last seen wearing jeans and a yellow raincoat; and she had gotten into a car after getting high on drugs. (1991 File Photo / David Woo) Albright's trial began on Nov. 18 . Up to 16 genes are now known to affect eye color. He created the fiberglass sculpture back in 2007. He had an extensive criminal record that included theft and molestation. According to Texas Monthly, Charles Albright's friends and loved ones were shocked and devastated by his arrest. His defense attorney, Brad Lollar, tried to convince the jury that the case against Albright was based only on the weakest circumstantial evidence. Aug. 21, 1991. [20]. According to his college records, Albright had a master's in biology from East Texas State University and was working on another degree in counseling and guidance with plans to enter ESTU's Ph.D. program in biology. His defense tried to appeal, citing a lack of evidence, but it was overruled. However, after he was found with stolen items, the college expelled him. Coincidentally, these two were living near the dumping grounds for the dead prostitutes. However, if you are morbidly curious like me, take a look yourself, and you'll see just how deviant this handsome, charming, popular neighbor was under his facade. The clerk pulled a mug shot of Charles, a photo showing a well-built white male with salt-and-pepper hair just like the man White had described as her attacker. It has some grey or green shades. Sanpaku gan () or sanpaku () is a Japanese term meaning "three whites," and is use to described eyes with a white portion visible either above or below the colored portion. Charles Albright never testified. Albright believed he still deserved his degree despite his expulsion, so he falsified one. He enjoyed stuffing them and wanted to become a taxidermist. Brown is the most common eye color in the United States, just as it is globally. He said, 'I hate whores! More information on Charles Albright can be found here. Though Albright's wife, who up until then had been unaware of her husband's criminal past, claimed he had been home every night, he was arrested. Even though law enforcement increased patrols in the area where the killer was active, a third victim, Shirley Williams, was found on March 18. Everyone thought he was going to exceed far in life. Once it was time to put the finishing touch on his work, the eyes, Charles would go to his local taxidermy shop to pick out the perfect pair. Previously it was thought that eye color is inherited according to a simple Mendel's law, that is, eye color is determined by just one gene. After his release, he befriended some of his neighbors and was eventually asked to babysit their children. They were the most lifelike things he's ever seen in a painting in his life. The killings in Dallas, Texas, were the first of their kind as no murderer had ever removed their victim's eyes with such surgical precision. In the end, the jury found Charles Albright guilty of murder in December 1991. In that case, the Dallas police could file charges for attempted murder, get a search warrant, and look through his property for evidence that might connect him to the three murders. ", In 1984, he applied to be a leader in the Boy Scouts of America and was rejected.[5]. Charles Albright was a seemingly normal man who was known to be charming and underemployed. She was an African-American sex worker who worked on a corner just a few miles from the Star. When he was 19, he manipulated a girl, Bettye Nestor, into giving him keys to the entire college. His killings started with Mary Lou Pratt and then continued with Susan Beth Peterson and Shirley Williams, all shot in the head. How the trial unfolded Designed, printed & shipped from California. If you found this page interesting or useful, please share it. Family: He married his college girlfriend, a schoolteacher, and they had one daughter before divorcing in 1974. When he was eleven, he was given a gun and began killing small animals in the backyard. Detective Westphalen advised Matthews and Smith to show Brenda White a lineup of six mug shots, with Albright included in the mix. Serial killer known as the Dallas Ripper sentenced to life without parole for killing three women in 1991. Eye Color: Crystal blue. Charles Albright, a killer with a weird fascination for eyes, landed in prison for a lifetime. When a number of prostitutes reported that he had assaulted them, it was enough for the police to get a search warrant for Albright's home. Life history [ edit] Childhood [ edit] The Joule hotel purchased it as part of their expansive art collection. He also lived there in the early '90s with his girlfriend, Dixie. He is incarcerated in the John Montford Psychiatric Unit in Lubbock, Texas.." Charles Albright - Wikipedia. People. Albright's paintings are palely lit, brutally raw, representations of figures ravaged physically and emotionally by the effects of aging and disease. First, she opened Pratt's right eyelid and then opened the left. When they discovered that the body had no eyeballs, they realized they were dealing with the same killer. After being in trouble with the police several times, he came into the spotlight for the murders in the early 90s, where he was accused of murdering and surgically removing the eyes of several prostitutes working in Dallas, Texas. He changed his last name from Buchinsky after taking a drive with his buddy, Steve McQueen. While visiting with friends who were church members, he sexually molested their young daughter. Charles Albright (Rodrique Ngowi, AP Images) January 11, 2021 11:11 AM EST. This man later shot Pratt, which made Rodriguez run for her life and into truck driver Axton Schindler's house. Birthday: November 3, 1921, Ehrenfeld, PA. Died: August 30, 2003. Charles Albright was born in Amarillo, Texas on August 10, 1933. A few days before, she said a trick pulled alongside her, and she got into his dark station wagon. McCarthyism (and Steve McQueen) Caused Name Change. Moreover, when police showed Schindler's and Albright's photos to dozens of sex workers, none recognized Schindler, but many recognized Albright. When the police started probing Schindler's background, they learned that Rodriguez had mistaken the attacker for her savior as the house where Schindler lived belonged to another man Charles Albright. At the age of 17, he was found guilty of theft for stealing some handguns and $380 in cash and served six months in prison. Nevertheless, his motive in killing the sex workers could have stemmed from rage towards both mother figures. Soon, she supported him financially and paid all of his bills. He began dating someone else and had tossed out all the photos he had of his ex-girlfriend. Born in August 1933, he was adopted from an orphanage by strict parents. Charles Albright was born in the middle of Silent Generation. . In the vacuum, there were hairs that were consistent with those of Shirley Williams, though there weren't enough to perform a DNA analysis with the technology of the time. It can be concluded that the murderer beat her before he killed Pratt. Despite her odd and often excessive punishment, she wanted Charles to succeed. Nothing about him was suspicious until he started targeting prostitutes. His relationship with Dixie was one of the most romantic times of his life, taking her on classy dinner dates and charming her with stories about art and nature. Birth City: Prague. The autopsy on Williams' body revealed that the surgery had been rushed. "Charles Frederick Albright (born August 10, 1933) is an American killer and diagnosed psychopath from Dallas, Texas, who was convicted of killing one woman and suspected of killing two others in 1991. FASCISM. Due to the publicity of the local killings, the Eyeball Killer changed his tactics this time. The medical examiner reported that the killer had removed both of her eyes with surgical precision and had apparently taken them with him. [9] She had facial bruises and a broken nose, and had been shot in the face and through the top of her head. '[2], The Eyeball Killer was authored by John Matthews (the Dallas police officer who with his partner Regina Smith was instrumental in identifying Albright as the murderer) and newspaper journalist Christine Wicker. For example, Charles "accidentally" set his chemistry teacher's dress on fire. Serial killer known as the Dallas Ripper sentenced to life without parole for killing three women in 1991. Texas Monthly notes that after the violent encounter, Rodriguez fled to her friend Axton Schindler's home. A medical examiner's field agent pulled back her eyelids and discovered that her eyes were missing.[2]. In 1965, he and his wife separated, divorcing in 1974. Neighbor testified that Albright was a very pleasant neighbor who often gave gifts and did free electrical work. George H. W . Instead, she let him use buttons; psychologists later theorized that essentially being forbidden from using eyes played a part in forming Albright's criminal pathology. He received a life sentence for killing Williams, but prosecutors dismissed the charges regarding Pratt and Peterson. Charles Albright's birth flower is Gladiolus Your login session has expired. Your pupil is the small black opening in the center. Unfortunately, the gun found in his house turned out not to be a match to the one the Eyeball Killer used in the killings of Pratt and Williams. After the shocking situation at the examiner's office, Westphalen urgently contacted the FBI's Violent Crimes Apprehension Program Unit. Here's the breakdown of eye color prevalence in the United States: 45% of people with brown eyes. Though DNA evidence also linked him to Rhonda Bowie's murder, the charge was dropped since he had an alibi. Also known as 'The Eyeball Killer', Albright was convicted of murdering one woman and suspected of killing two others in 1991. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960-1961. The killer, Lollar said, was probably Axton Schindler, who conveniently skipped town the week of the trial. As fear grew in the streets, the killer moved confidently among his pool of potential victimssavvy but vul Charles Albright was targeted as a suspect for the killings when a woman reported to police that he and Mary Pratt were acquainted. There was no telling where he would strike again. Then he graduated from high school at 15 years old and attended North Texas University, wanting to become a medical doctor. On March 19, 1991, another prostitute namedShirley Williamswas found dead, this time from the Avalon Motel, a few miles away from the Star Motel. Officers hurried to the county's identification division and asked for Albright's criminal record. Although they never found a murder weapon or the victim's eyes, a search of Albright's home turned up X-Acto blades and an anatomy book. Madeleine Albright, the 64th U.S. secretary of state and the first woman to ever serve in the role, has died of cancer, her family said. 562 With Christopher Slade, Charles Albright, Skip Hollandsworth, Jerry Jenkins. In 1981, his mother Delle had died, Charles was 48. White told officers, "Well, I'm going to get my black ass out of here. Oak Cliff Advocate Magazine reports that Matthews discovered that the vacant lots had the same owner, Fred Albright. However, he was found guilty of murdering Shirley Williams and sentenced to life in prison. He delivered newspapers in the early morning, apparently to visit prostitutes without arousing Dixie's suspicion. She had hairs not matching her own in her hand, which indicated she grabbed her attacker's head and put up a fight before being shot. Without hesitation, White pointed to Charles's picture and said that it was the man who had attacker her. But Toby Shook, a prosecutor working for the Dallas County DA's office, held a trump card. The pre-teen was so fascinated with the shiny eyes of all shapes, colors and sizes that he would beg his mother to allow him to play with them as most children would . Before he could grab her, White shot a stream of Mace into his face, threw open the door, and jumped out while the car was still in motion. Once again, the killer had removed the eyes, but there were some differences from the two previous murders. But,official sourcesreported that he was fascinated by the human eye until his death. receiving a sentence of ten years probation and no jail time. 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