True Crime Friday: Harvey Glatman, the Glamour Girl Slayer serial killer
Harvey Murray Glatman was born December 10, 1927, in New York. He is a serial killer and rapist that reigned in the Bronx. He has many monikers such as the Lonely Hearts Killer and the Glamour Girl Slayer. The ladder seems to have stuck in the public atmosphere. As many killers would do he posed as a photographer to lure women in with the promise of a modeling career. It was not uncommon in those days for women to be approached regarding a career in acting or modeling by strangers. Many actors got their start this way, so it was acceptable to take pictures and think that you were going to get a job or at least consideration.
The Early Childhood of Harvey Glatman
Harvey Glatman was the only child of Albert and Ophelia Glatman. It was said that his Intelligence Quotient (IQ) was 130. The average person’s IQ is 100 so anyone that scores above 100 is considered above average intelligence. So, 130 he would be at almost genius level. Glatman exhibited Antisocial behavior as a child. He liked pain and use to tie his penis up with ropes and pull it hard to gain sexual pleasure. He also used to place rope around his neck in the bathtub to try to hang himself for sexual pleasure. His mother found him doing this in the bathtub and took him to a doctor because she was concerned about this behavior. The doctor told his mother not to be concerned because Harvey would eventually grow out of it. If he had grown out of it, I would not be writing this story.When Harvey was a teenager, he became a burglar. He would break into women’s homes to steal their underwear and other items. His behavior escalated and he began to stalk and sexually assault his victims. He was eventually caught and served time in prison. He was sent to Sing-Sing Prison after reformatory school to serve out the rest of his sentence. While he was in prison, he was diagnosed with psychopathic personality disorder and schizophrenia. He was also diagnosed with sexually perverted disorder. Harvey Glatman was paroled in 1948.
The Victims of Harvey Glatman
- Judith Dull
- Ruth Mercado
- Shirley Ann Bridgeford
- Dorothy Gay Howard
Glatman moved to Los Angeles, California in 1957. He hatched a plan to start a modeling agency to look for his victims. When he called the victims, he would say he wanted to take their photographs for Pulp Magazines. Of course, this magazine did not exist, but the victims did not know of this. He would meet them in public and if they agreed to the pictures he would take them back to his apartment, tie them up, rape them all while taking pictures. He would strangle them and take their corpse to the desert for disposal. He also met women through Lonely Hearts Newspaper Ads.
Dorothy Gay Howard’s body was discovered in 2009 through DNA testing. Before then she was known as Jane Doe of Boulder Colorado. She was 18 years old at the time of her disappearance.
The Survivor of Harvey Glatman
- Lorraine Vigil
Less Dead Theory
These women fell under the less dead umbrella. Law enforcement tends to neglect these cases and so does the media making it easier for serial killers to roam the communities with impunity. Especially, back in the day when women had no power and were dependent upon men to take care of their needs. Cases involving more prestigious victims rarely take a back seat in the media and law enforcement. This is the Less Dead Theory in a nutshell.Lady Justice
Lorraine Vigil was in the vehicle with the killer as he was driving to his studio, she noticed he was driving out of the city. She began to struggle with him, and he pulled out a gun. He tried to tie her hands but she fought back. He shot her in the hip but she was able to take the gun from him. As they were fighting over the gun the police drove past seeing the struggle.Harvey Glatman was arrested after the police witnessed the fight. He confessed to the murders and was put on trial. In three days, he was convicted of the murders and attempted murder. He was executed at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center on September 18, 1959.