Henry Busch had a love-hate relationship with maternal figures. Perhaps it was because he lacked one growing up. He had already killed a 74-year-old family friend when he saw “Psycho” in 1960. Identifying with the film’s main character, Henry left the screening with his 65-year old date sure of one thing: he needed to kill again.
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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Due to the graphic nature of this killers crimes listener discretion is advised. This episode include
discussions of murder and rape. We advise extreme com,
and for children under thirteen. The.
in the last steamy days of a summer of nineteen, sixty twenty eight
Henry bush left anything showing of psycho, and he wasn't alone
on his arm was surely pain
henry and shirley, were a rather odd pairing at sixty five, she was more than twice his age still. They had enjoyed each other's company for quite some time. The night at the cinema marked their first official date and the
klute at all the things you might expect a new coupled to do after the movie.
henry invited, surely back to his apartment, a camp off their evening. He'd always been.
perfect gentlemen, in her presence, when that night, he was the perfect host. The couple enjoyed some
listen small talk, sip, some cold beers began to unwind and then to undress
later that night shirley kissed her date goodbye and asked when they could meet again. Henry played coy sir
during the older woman. Curiously, like the dirt,
derive a movie. He knew
was coming next and it had nothing to do with Roma,
it's the
hi, I'm gregg pulsing. This is serial killers, spotify original from parkhurst. Every episode
We dive into the minds and madness of serial killers today were delving into the crimes of Henry bush
Film sometimes blamed for his actions. I'm here with my coat
I ve been us wretched, saying, hi, everyone
you can find episodes of serial killers and all other spotify originals from par cast for free on spotify in the first
This episode will explore henry's tumultuous childhood years, his time in the military and the possible influence of a media on his psyche.
later will examine henry's life as an eyeglass factory worker, in LOS angeles and his seat.
identity as a ruthless killer belongs,
discuss whether his crimes might have been inspired by a certain famous fictional killer earning him, the nickname, the psycho strangler
got all that in more coming up stay with us
cinema is a powerful media when done well, it depicts nuances of life in a way that paintings and still
photography. Typically, can't film speaks
universal language that influences how people think and act for better and for worse,
post world war, two era audiences developed a taste for violence in movies, and
two new ways of filming onscreen deaths became more visceral and naturalistic
the more realistic the deaths were, the more tickets sold, but many people
worried about what effects at all might have an audiences with divine
its carry over to real life, depending
what site of that particular argument. You land on the answer might lie in the life of Henry bush, while many words
terrified. After watching Alfred Hitchcock psycho Henry was fascinated.
He may well have felt a kind of kinship with the offbeat led norman bates, both bates and
we were of similar age and fiscal tight and both enjoyed complicated release,
ships with their mothers norman.
Famously said. A boy's best friend is his mother, but on the flip side of that coin, Henry
we're really got to know his own details
Henry's childhood are slim, but from what we know, his mothers
suffered an epileptic seizure during his birth in nineteen thirty one after the
He was malnourished for the first six weeks of his life and the consequences of that
might have been more than just physical vanessa. Guided
Take over and the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please keep in mind that
this is not a licence. Psychology is to a psychiatrist, but we ve done a lot of
search for this show thanks greg over a period of decades,
A group of researchers ran a study on children who experienced malnourished meant and the effects that huh
as their personality develop throughout their lives, publishing their fine,
in the journal of childhood psychiatry. The rest
It is reported that children who suffered from male nourishment in the first year of life were at risk for higher
those of new radicalism and anxiety and low.
scores of country, anxiousness and sociability, in other words, even
young age of six weeks, Henry
It was already experiencing the adverse effects of his parents choices its unclear. What action?
we happen to his birth mother after she left him or his father for that matter.
As for henry himself, his early years, are also something of a mystery. It's possible. He spent time
foster care or orphanages, or perhaps he lived with other relatives
we do know is that eventually he was adopted by his half sister may bush and went to live with her family, in los angeles for the most part,
and her husband henry gave him a fairly stable home environment. They lived in the middle of her
What unknown to popular restaurant but may Wasn
particularly affectionate towards her adopted son, so
oh, he had a solid living situation at last henry,
still lack the figure in his life to give him a maternal kind of love, adding
who is growing list of issues Henry's physical?
prince was a little odd as a result,
He was teased a lot at school, whereas peers called him mousy. He also
effort from terrible migraines, which made it difficult for him to concentrate on his classes. So with no four
to speak of nothing in the way of strong parental bonds and ab
any supportive academic outlet, Henry turned to a family friend for comfort
mrs elmira miller. We don't know too much
their relationship, but we do know
the two were close and she became a pseudo mother figure for young henry. Her influence
I'd- have been what allowed him to reach young adulthood without getting into any trouble
we know. Henry's adolescence was rather unremarkable. He didn't
to get into trouble, bunny
he wasn't arrested, but things took a turn in nineteen. Fifty two:
when he joined the military during the korean conflict, its unclear. What
exactly drew the twenty year old to military service. He was
clear, rather shy and withdrawn child, as is often the case with those where the targets of bullying
and he might have been justice quiet as an adult, but its very pos.
Well that in the army, Henry decided to overcompensate in a very
a bloody way
At one point, he was serving at a prisoner of war stockade just outside of inch on korea, Louis
military captured and injured chinese soldier and placed henry in charge of the prisoner. He was only supposed to watch him but
Henry. This was a chance to finally exert power over some one more vulnerable than he while watch
the prisoner limp around on his injured leg and
you got a sudden urge to do something violent. He took his bayonets
and stabbed the defenceless man killing him. It was his
first murder and his first time getting away with it, despite their fresh stab wounds, Henry support
Yours believed the prisoner had succumb to his war injuries and didn't implicate henry the death, though he was
fully discharge or other unspecified contact. Nobody ever knew that he had killed a prisoner of war right
you're their noses, but though he escape
external consequences. The act did stick with him psychologically after
killing the soldier. He apparently started hearing radio static that wasn't really there and the noise
put him in a strange trance like state its possum.
this was a symptom of tinnitus, a condition in which someone experiences ringing noises in one or both their ears,
terry veterans tonight, as can be due to brain damage, from proximity to an explosion and according to it
thousand eight study in the american journal of ideology. It often
goes hand in hand with post traumatic stress. Disorder should be clear
he was never diagnosed with ptsd, but it seems
strange phantom noise stayed within four years. It followed him home
from the war and was there when some time in the late fifties he moved back to his home town, los angeles. At the time
was home to movie stars like Marilyn monroe and Montgomery clift. Henry's own life, though, was anything but glamorous far removed.
the trauma and excitement of war. Henry found low stay.
Work in an eyeglass factory, where he polished lenses again
We don't know too much about what henry was up to during this period. We do know, however, that he developed
some interest in a certain high profile. Criminal, a cereal
rapist, carol, chessman added
I'm chessman was sitting on death row at san quentin penitentiary for multiple counts,
rape and assault, but he appeal:
this case several times and staved off execution, sometimes at the last minute, as nuisance curls case flooded the press, Henry rigour obsessed. He felt
every detail, and, according to us adoptive mother, sympathized with carol Henry even express believe
carol was innocent its high.
to say why he was so fascinated, but it's entirely paul
the bullet henry admired the cereal rapist, who had dismissed his own lawyers and opted to represent himself. He might have
in carol as a victim, someone who stood up to his bullies only
instead of school kids taunting him carol.
tormentor, was the criminal justice system. But it's also
simple that Henry admired carol chessmen for his ill gotten fame and notoriety, given his proxy
need a hollywood in the film industry. This might have been some
king Henry himself wanted an carol
had shown him how to get it
and so seemingly fuelled by some dark inspiration. Henry decided
pay a visit to his long childhood friend, mrs elmira miller, when he not
her door. He had stars in his eyes and
Murder in his heart coming up
warm homecoming gives way to shocking violence
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on the first of may
nineteen sixty twenty eight year old, Henry bush drop by an old family france apartment. So
the four year old elmira miller had known henry, since he was a small boy. She'd been
tender motherly figure to him. When is adopted, mother hadn't, given him the affection he craved, so she was likely pleasantly, sir.
eyes to see henriette her doorstep and invite
let him inside to sit awhile with her. It's not entirely
your. What henry's true intentions were at least when he arrived, because at first the nights,
and entirely normal. He went in
I'd and sat on elmira sofa with her and the two had a plus
conversation then these
some time watching tv together, but while they were sitting on the couch, things took a turn
and we started thinking about killing elmira and the radio static in his head drowned out any other noise
He might initially have tried to resist the thought this became harder over time.
static only grew louder as they wrapped up there.
Evening, elmira stood maybe getting ready to mock henry to the door, but he wasn't ready to go when he saw
Let her back was turned. He seized his opportunity
He pounced on the older woman and wrapped his arm around her neck, closing off her windpipe either.
If elmira put up a fight, she was no match for Henry and he strangled
her to death. If Henry felt any regret in the moments after his second murder, he certainly didn't indulge the feeling for long. Instead, he focused his energy on covering up what he'd done,
at the time crime had been rising steadily, in LOS angeles, Henry decided the best way to keep the authorities off his true.
Was to stage a virus body as if she'd been the victim of a random brood
sexual assault, so he tore open her house coat, ripped her undergarments, then
He left her body on the floor before he left. He might have
the windows to make sure. No one would see him leave. Finally, he locked the front door. Then slipped out through the back and went home
probably wondering how long it would take for someone to notices lifelong friend was dead. He didn't,
to wait long, the next day
elmira body was found during a routine medical house call
there. She was sprawled out on the living room floor, her neck covered in population.
red abrasions authority, senator
gives were entirely surprised by the crime. There'd been slew of other
murderous investments angeles recently, an older women had been the most common targets
although it might feel somehow more monstrous to attack. Someone is seemingly frail. As an elderly woman there's a logic,
explanation for why such attacks are common. According to act,
researchers, professors, Myrna, dawson and janis. Joseph women tend to
live longer than men, which makes them more
likely to live alone. In turn.
That leaves them more susceptible to exploitation and violent attacks. This might have been part of why
henry chose elmira as his first victim
as we know, she was living alone and didn't have much other family to speak of. It was
easy murder for henry to carry out and then get away with, not that he was keen to take any chances with his secret.
That's summer, Henry laid low. He continued. His work
the eye glass factory, where he got close with his coworker Magdalena para. The two occasionally had copy together before work.
but by the end of august, Henry was apparently feeling lonely again and desiring more company, like you,
and had with Elmira miller he sauntered in a place close to home his mother's apartment, building there
met sixty five year old, surely pain another tenant in the building, its unclear,
Exactly what henry and shirley's relationship was prior to the start of the summer or how long they'd known each other, but over the labor day weekend, Henry decided to ask her on a date,
A new hot movie had come out and everyone was talking about it, so he invites
did her to a screening of Alfred hitched cox psycho for those not for me,
with the story. The film begins by following a young woman marian crane who goes on the run after stealing some money for her employer in the middle of it
on poorer. She stopped at the fictional bates motel, where she meets the ship.
Slider norman bates and learns about his tumultuous relationship with his mother.
in a now infamous scene, a shadowy figure stabs marion to death, while she's in the shower as the
goes on. We learn that norman was the culprit, and
He assumes the persona of the mother he killed in order to murder women he imagines might make her jealous ass Henry watch this
dark story unfold on the screen, it's possible that had a big impact on the subconscious movies can have a profound effect on the human
psyche, as well as on social interactions. This is partition,
It is true of the way that men interact with women who are objects of miss sovereignty on the silver screen.
The two thousand nineteen paper university of san diego student, Sarah hank hens, studied the affects them:
he'll gaze in horror and thriller films had on the so called fairer sex celebrated.
Makers such as hitchcock have been critiqued for their objectification.
Immigration and physical, often sexual violence of women in a man's world
hank ins also found that onscreen violence perpetrated against women had a profound effect on.
There are viewed offscreen, that is men who, what
films with abused female characters would be more like
to excuse abusive behaviour in real life and might even be attracted to it?
Their mothers doesn't mean that anyone watching psycho would be inspired to murder, women, Henry
had already been influenced by different real life. Killer
With that in mind, it seems that he was already in a position to empathize with an even idolize violent men, especially if he identified with them in the
norman bates killed his mother because he was jealous of her lover and the attention
she didn't give him. Henry
I have nursed a similar lingering resentment towards his own mother, who apparently
it was not to raise him at least that's likely how Henry felt
whatever was going on in his head as the story and folded before him after the movie
continued on with this date, as if it were a normal evening, he brought surely to his apartment.
Rather they down a few beers from what we know
He made sure she got nice uncomfortable just.
As norman did for marion crane when she checked into the bates motel at some stage, the two had sex
at this point. It seems it was consensual, but
shirley was getting ready to leave the apartment, the status,
turned on and Henry's head as, if, with the flick of a switch
the noise was the loudest it had ever been. It was all he could hear, and
his experience. There was only one thing he could do to silence it. He robbed
his fingers around shirley s neck and squeezed strangling her, but then, instead of
killing her right away. He got another idea henry.
hide surely up and later on the ground, then he got out a sketch
again started, drawing a picture of. Surely he was
odd thing to do in the middle of a murder attempt, but it might be that Henry new
this was a moment he'd- want to remember so he took the time to create a trophy,
We talk about the idea of a serial killers trophies fairly often on this show and for good reason,
there are a myriad of ways. The concept can manifest allowing room for different ways of thinking about them in
Anti ninety eight criminology in law, professor james Alan fox- and
See. Professor Jack Levin wrote about the
idea of serial killer trophies for crime and justice, they explained it like this.
a man who is otherwise lead and unremarkable life. His treasures make him feel proud.
They represent the one and only way in which he may have ever distinguished himself more important. The
souvenirs can become tangible reminders of the good times spent with his victims.
aided by the various items taken from a crime scene, he can still get pleasure between crimes.
By reminiscing, fantasizing and masturbating,
in drawing surely portrait Henry might have been trying to distinguish himself to share a memory with his latest victim. However, once he was finished with his drawing, it was time to complete his plan
he moved forward and rapped his arms around. Surely snack, he squeezed her in the
not for several minutes strangling her to death,
with surely dead at his feet. The radio static and Henry's mind likely subsided, and he began.
to calm down. But
It was only one issue taken care of. There was still the matter of what to do with the body,
probably knew it would be risky to try and stage the same as another rape, but it didn't seem to have any other ideas about how to handle the problem.
That of dealing with the mess he created for himself Henry.
Surely in a sheet and went to sleep
Next morning he went out and bought a sleeping bag stuff, surely body inside and tied them a cop parcel up with a rope in a similar manner to the way he tied her for her portrait hungry.
Didn't leave the apartment again until later that evening, its
clear what he was doing inside for all those hours, whether he was trying to think of a way to get rid of, surely body or whether he was simply going about his day. Whatever he did
He eventually decided to head out leaving his latest victim's body behind to decompose
same day, the native September fifth, he paid,
that too, at like elmira,
Fifty three year old, Margaret Briggs was an older woman who had been a constant figure and Henry's life in other
words. She was another surrogate mother for the young man.
no matter what their relationship was. Henry
into margarets house, with very clear intentions, made obvious by the fact that
brought manacles and a knife with him in common,
ass to his earlier attacks, which might have been explained away as impulsive attacks. He saw
margaret with sinister intent, of course,
I didn't know that someone Henry
peered out her doorstep. She invited him inside with open arms, just
like with elmira, did to settle down in the living room to catch up on their lives, while flipping through tv channels, lol,
to a familiar sense of security. He contemplated telling Margaret about what he done, how he had
murdered shirley
The moment was almost over before it began and re shook off
the impulse and returned to his plan. Why? Henry
ignored. His desire to confess is an interesting question and one that's hard to answer,
but perhaps he simply reacted badly to the unwanted attack of conscience,
the time when he might have needed it. Most margaret showed him love and comfort, but instead of accepting at this my
triggered Henry more in an article
about the mind of serial killers. Associate professor John parentage suggest that fear of rejection can be their underlying motivation. This often stew
from being badly mistreated or neglected by apparent rather than risk history repeating itself, Harrington argues that they'd rather eliminate the possibility or, more specifically, the person who might reject them
so Henry decided not to tell margaret about what he had done and instead kept the secret berry
and as soon as he made up his mind, the urge to kill came back with a vengeance. It was time to finish what he'd come here to do. Coming up and attack doesn't go quite as planned. Now back to the story
on the night of september fifth, nineteen sixty twenty eight year old Henry bush was innocent. Margarets apartment experience,
a familiar desire to kill almost by rote, he locked his
we're on across his aunts neck, yet margaret did something. Henry probably wasn't expecting she fought back hard
the fifty three year old, flung her body from side to side pulling henry so forcefully that they knocked over furniture. But although Margaret put up with
She was no match for her nephew mobile
after Henry wrestled, her to the ground, Margaret lost consciousness, and then she finally stopped breathing
still reeling from the unexpected tussle. Henry
still no time moving onto the next step in his plan, he
rubbed his knife and slice through margarets clothes and cut through her breast in the process, which are clear
this was intentional or not. It was simply a slip of the knife.
First, we can tell he was only trying to make it look like she'd been attacked by a sexual predator as he had with elmira miller after that
spent the night in the apartment with margarets body,
because he didn't want to wake her neighbours by leaving the we hours of the morning yet
since the sun started peeking through her curtains illuminating, her body henry knew it was time to leave. He residence
for the day and grab Margarets person car keys, then he left his aunts, mutilated body on the living room floor drove away from
building and headed to work me
while the lapd linked elmira murder to a string of other disturbing murder, rapes throughout the city, just
Henry intended, but investigators had few leads to follow.
Might help them solve the case. The one thing
did have, however, was a description of the man who matched henrys appearance bernard
Are you sure how they got this information, but they knew oh, my was assailant stood about six feet. Tall way did at around one hundred fifty pounds and was close to thirty years old mean,
while that man drove to work where he met up with his friend and coworker Magdalena para. Henry was
likely on edge that morning? He just kill,
two women in a span of just a couple of days, and it seems
still had the urge to kill more, but as far as we
oh Magdalena, didn't notice any difference in her friend, so that is
to go on their usual jaunt to a local cafe to grab a cup of coffee before they clocked in for the day, only
time their regular spot was closed. So Henry said
Did they try another coffee house not too far from where they worked thinking, nothing of it
Magdalena accepted his offer and got into the passenger seat of henry's car, but how
didn't start the engine instead
he lunged magdalene, his throat ass soon ass. She closed the door attempting to strangle her,
but just like without Margaret things didn't go. Quite is Henry planned magdalene us
reamed and plug back fiercely. Thankfully
car was unlocked. So she opened the door scrambled out of a seat and took off running ass, fast ass. She could Henry
try to start is car intending to go after her, but instead he
flooded. The engine. Refusing
let her get away so easily henry,
at the of the vehicle and raised after Magdalena on foot
by then. She was already a good distance down the road, so he had to run fast
the the chase attracted the attention of a couple of truck drivers on the same road. They saw a woman running screaming for her life and a man
in pursuing her it was clear to them
what they needed to do then pulled up,
for enjoying the pursuit once they caught
to him they physically restrained Henry, allowing
delaying it to get away then
just waited for the authorities to arrive soon.
After the lapd showed up to arrest henry of course,
had no idea. He was a serial killer at this point
All they would have known was what Magdalena Para told them that her friend had attacked her in his car,
based on that account. Henry bush might be nothing more than a would be sexual predator
might have reassessed him when they found a knife and a pair of handcuffs on him. Suddenly,
weedy young man seemed even more sinister than any one might have imagined
Henry himself demonstrated that, in short order on the way to the poor
His station he willingly confessed to his previous crimes without any prompting specific.
Well. He said I might as well tell you. I killed some women
times. I have a very strong urge to kill
Needless to say, the investigators were left stunned by the revelation. It's not exactly
clear why Henry confessed from newspaper article
detailing the incident. It seems the twenty eight
rolled was smiling ass. He did, which suggest that he didn't confess out of fear or pressure in
tat. He might have actually wanted to tell police what he done. It's almost as if he was proud of it. Studies on truthful cereal,
pillar confessions are rare, as they don't happen, often, but it's possible that part of henry
motivation for both his murders and subsidies
confessions was
Desire for fame in a paper on the creation of quote called
sure monsters. Research
Julie waste writes that some killers may consider cereal murder a path to fame, giving them a sense of domination and immortality. With that in mind, we could interpret Henry
actions as those of a man who wanted to be remembered forever. I get character in a film in his confession.
Henry even went so far as to announce that there was a body in his apartment and another one in the building his foster mother lived in by this stage. He had no intent
hiding anything he done not anymore. After that it was time to base the concept
answers of his actions in the fall
nineteen sixty the state of california charged Henry bush for murder and assault with the intent to commit murder with bonafide confession and plenty of physical
evidence tying him to the crimes. It should have been an easy
case to win, however,
Henry's lawyers were determined to put up a fight first, they had
diagnosed with schizophrenia personality disorder. Then they tried to push
the narrative that motion pictures were to blame for the murders, not the killer himself,.
The defence brought in an expert in forensic hypnosis, a technique used to try to get a complete picture of a witnesses state of mind. In other words, their job was to separate the facts from
witnesses, emotions, but in this case
The idea was to argue a very specific story about henry bush that the films
psycho had induced in him an accidental trans state assent.
The argument was that the film worked as a form of mind control, and this caused Henry.
the attack is victims. Thankfully, the jury didn't by the far fetched idea.
apart from anything else, there was the glaring issue that Henry had attacked his first victim before the film was even released, and so
in nineteen sixty one Henry bush was convicted of murder,
following year, he was sent to the gas chamber at san quentin state prison. He was thirty years old.
Sixty years since his death henry
Shhh remains a footnote on the legacy of psycho, arguably alfred hitchcock greatest film. Despite
the outcome of his trial. His case did raise an interesting question. Should the film
any responsibility for henry's actions should stop
Retailers tell us in any medium accordingly,
celebrated master of suspense himself, no
asked about Henry's case hitchcock said the movie itself couldn't cause the person
kill any more than any other film where you see people killing each other. They see it
westerns every night and
himself dismissed any connection to the classic. He always insisted that he didn't know why he killed his victims and although we
can try our best to puzzle that out all
We can really do. Is gas
the
thanks again for turning into serial killers will be back soon with a new episode, you can find all episodes of serial killers and all other spotify originals from her cast for free on the spot. A fine we'll see you next time.
He's safe out there serial killers is this: a spotify original from parkhurst executive producers include max and ron cutler scientist
and by Michael motion
Production assistance by IRAN, shapiro trent, williamson, nick johnson and curly mad in this.
but a serial killers was written by colleagues. Ridgeway edited by Stacy me. Making joel Callin fact checked by Mary. Math is research. My brain petersen, chelsea wood and produced by bruce couteau page serial killer
stars, gregg, pulsing and vanessa richardson.
Transcript generated on 2023-06-19.