H. H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett) was convicted and executed for the 1894 murder of his associate Benjamin Pitezel in Philadelphia, part of an insurance-fraud scheme. He confessed to 27 murders total, including Pitezel's three children, though many of his claimed victims and much of the "Murder Castle" lore have since been shown to be exaggerated or disproven.
H. H. Holmes Castle — Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
Herman Webster Mudgett, later known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes, was born May 16, 1861, in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, the University of Vermont, and graduated from the University of Michigan's Department of Medicine and Surgery in 1884, where he was reportedly involved in body-snatching to supply cadavers and later admitted using cadavers to defraud life insurance companies while in college.
Holmes moved to Chicago in 1886 and took the pseudonym "H. H. Holmes." He worked at, and eventually bought, a drugstore in Englewood owned by Elizabeth Holton. He built a mixed-use building nearby, later expanded to three floors and marketed as a hotel for visitors to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. This building became known through sensationalized press coverage as the "Murder Castle," with contemporary tabloid accounts describing secret torture chambers, gas chambers, and a maze of rooms. According to Wikipedia's summary of modern findings, these claims were largely fabricated; the building's irregular features stemmed from Holmes's fraud disputes with contractors, and hidden rooms were used to conceal furniture bought on credit rather than for violence.
Holmes is linked to the disappearances of several women associated with his business, including his mistress Julia Conner and her daughter Pearl Conner (December 1891), secretary Emeline Cigrand (1892), and Wilhelmina "Minnie" Williams and her sister Anna "Nannie" Williams (1893). Of the 27 murders Holmes later confessed to, only eight are considered confirmed by investigators cited in the Wikipedia account, including the Conners, Cigrand, and Emily Van Tassel (misnamed by Holmes as "Rosine Van Jassand"). Several other claimed victims, such as "Rogers" of Morgantown, Kate Durkee, and glass-factory owner L. Warner, were later found alive, and Holmes's claim to have killed medical-school classmate Dr. Robert Leacock in 1886 is disproven by Leacock's documented 1889 death from natural causes.
Holmes's clearest and legally established crime was the murder of his associate Benjamin Pitezel, killed on September 4, 1894, in Philadelphia as part of a life-insurance fraud scheme. Holmes subsequently gained custody of three of Pitezel's children — Alice, Nellie, and Howard — under false pretenses. He confessed to killing Alice and Nellie by gas asphyxiation in a rented house in Toronto on October 25, 1894, and to killing Howard in Indianapolis around October 10, 1894. Philadelphia detective Frank Geyer traced Holmes's movements and discovered the girls' remains in Toronto and the boy's remains in Indianapolis in 1895.
Holmes was arrested in Boston on November 17, 1894. In October 1895 he was tried in Philadelphia for Pitezel's murder, convicted, and sentenced to death. Following conviction, he confessed to 27 murders and six attempted murders, reportedly paid $7,500 by Hearst newspapers for his confession. He was hanged at Moyamensing Prison on May 7, 1896. His body was exhumed in 2017 for identification testing and later reburied.
Emeline Cigrand, Howard Pitezel, Nannie Williams, Minnie Williams, Pearl Conner, Nellie Pitezel, Benjamin Pitezel, Julia Conner, Emily Van Tassel, Alice Pitezel
Date
1894
Location
63rd Street and Wallace Avenue, Englewood, Chicago, Illinois (site of Holmes's building); murder trial held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Case status
solved
Case timeline
1861-05-16
Herman Webster Mudgett (H. H. Holmes) born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
1884-06
Graduates from University of Michigan's Department of Medicine and Surgery.
1886
Moves to Chicago and begins using the name 'H. H. Holmes'; buys Englewood drugstore.
1887
Construction begins on the building later dubbed the 'Murder Castle.'
1891-12-24
Julia Conner and her daughter Pearl Conner disappear; Holmes later confesses to killing them.
1892-12
Emeline Cigrand, Holmes's secretary, is last seen before disappearing.
1893-07-05
Nannie Williams writes to her aunt about traveling with 'Brother Harry' (Holmes); neither she nor her sister Minnie is seen alive again.
1894-07
Holmes arrested and briefly jailed in St. Louis on charge of selling mortgaged goods; meets outlaw Marion Hedgepeth.
1894-09-04
Benjamin Pitezel killed by Holmes in Philadelphia as part of insurance fraud scheme.
1894-10-10
Howard Pitezel allegedly killed by Holmes in Indianapolis.
1894-10-25
Alice and Nellie Pitezel killed by Holmes in a rented house in Toronto.
1894-11-17
Holmes arrested in Boston.
1895-06
Detective Frank Geyer begins tracing Holmes's movements and locates remains of the Pitezel children.
1895-08
The Englewood 'Castle' building is damaged by an arson fire.
1895-10
Holmes tried and convicted in Philadelphia for the murder of Benjamin Pitezel.
1896-05-07
Holmes hanged at Moyamensing Prison, Philadelphia.
2017
Holmes's body exhumed for identification testing and later reburied.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Bailey Sarian / 1 hr 5 min
A Murder Castle in America?! - Self Made Psycho H.H. Holmes | Mystery & Makeup | Bailey Sarian
People
Emeline Cigrand
VICTIM
Worked as Holmes's secretary; disappeared in December 1892 and was confirmed as a murder victim after her skeleton was found.
Howard Pitezel
VICTIM
Son of Benjamin Pitezel; allegedly killed by Holmes in Indianapolis around October 10, 1894.
Nannie Williams
VICTIM
Younger sister of Minnie Williams; disappeared in 1893 and was confirmed by investigators as a murder victim.
Minnie Williams
VICTIM
Former actress and Holmes's stenographer/mistress; disappeared in 1893 and was confirmed by investigators as a murder victim.
Pearl Conner
VICTIM
Five-year-old daughter of Julia Conner; disappeared with her mother on December 24, 1891, and was confirmed as a murder victim of Holmes.
Nellie Pitezel
VICTIM
Daughter of Benjamin Pitezel; killed alongside her sister Alice in Toronto around October 25, 1894.
Benjamin Pitezel
VICTIM
Holmes's accomplice, killed on September 4, 1894, in Philadelphia as part of an insurance fraud scheme; his murder was the basis for Holmes's conviction.
Frank Geyer
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Philadelphia Police Department detective who investigated Holmes and located the remains of the three missing Pitezel children.
Julia Conner
VICTIM
Holmes's mistress; disappeared December 24, 1891, and was later confirmed by investigators as a murder victim of Holmes.
Emily Van Tassel
VICTIM
Worked at Holmes's drugstore; disappeared in 1891/1892 and named by Holmes in his confession under an alias; her murder is listed as confirmed.
H. H. Holmes
CONVICTED
Convicted and sentenced to death for the 1894 murder of Benjamin Pitezel; confessed to 27 murders total, including three Pitezel children.
Alice Pitezel
VICTIM
Daughter of Benjamin Pitezel; killed by asphyxiation in Toronto around October 25, 1894, per Holmes's confession.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
mugshot
Dr. Henry Howard Holmes (Herman Webster Mudgett)
Credit: though likely a mugshot. · Public domain · Source
mugshot
H. H. Holmes
Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source
crime scene press
H. H. Holmes Castle
Credit: Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Source
unclassified
Full confession of H. H. Holmes (page 1 crop)
Credit: The Journal (New York), April 12, 1896 · Public domain · Source
H. H. Holmes (born Herman Webster Mudgett) was convicted and executed for the 1894 murder of his associate Benjamin Pitezel in Philadelphia, part of an insurance-fraud scheme. He confessed to 27 murders total, including Pitezel's three children, though many of his claimed victims and much of the "Murder Castle" lore have since been shown to be exaggerated or disproven.
Where did the murder happen?
63rd Street and Wallace Avenue, Englewood, Chicago, Illinois (site of Holmes's building); murder trial held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Who was convicted?
H. H. Holmes (Convicted and sentenced to death for the 1894 murder of Benjamin Pitezel; confessed to 27 murders total, including three Pitezel children.).
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