Im thinking execution is something like, turn around and let me shoot you. While she was getting her clothes back on, Heidnik came up from behind her and began choking her. Gary Heidnik Ep 003. Episode 04: Gary Michael Heidnik, pt. Mr. Heidnik was a very wealthy man! Heidnik is charged with killing Sandra Lindsay, 24, who died from asphyxiation while chained to a pipe, and Debbi Johnson, 23, who was electrocuted while standing in a water-filled pit. He admitted to witnessing Lindsays death in the basement, and Heidnik dismembering her. He dismembered her body, but had difficulty with her arms and legs. Hed even been charged with spousal rape of Betty Disto, the Filipino mail-order bride he wed in 1985 and who left him in 1986, but not before bearing him a son, Jesse. Heidnik grew up in a broken family, living first with his mother, then with his father and step-mother. [27] The other two were Keith Zettlemoyer in May 1995 and Leon Moser in August 1995. Heidnik was born on november 22 1943 to michael and ellen heidnik, and. If Rivera was going to keep her privileges, she understood, she had to aid in the torture. However, it is harder to tell whether victims know about the human flesh in their food. Hed let her enter the outside world to help him pick up other women and lure them into his home, always keeping her close by his side. Like Rivera, Gary Heidniks followers were victims of his manipulation. [6] His brother Terry also spent time in mental institutions, and attempted suicide multiple times. On November 25, 1986, Heidnik abducted his first victim, Josefina Rivera. He suffered emotional abuse for years, and developed a lifelong problem of bed wetting. However, he did not stay in San Antonio very long and was transferred to the 46th Army Surgical Hospital in Landstuhl, West Germany. Heidnik joined the U.S. Army when he was just 17, and served for 13 months. Gary Michael Heidnik(1943-1999) was the American assassin who kidnapped, tortured and raped several women in Philadelphia, two of whom died at his hands. Heidnik dan Terry sama-sama membenci ibu tiri mereka, tetapi ayah mereka selalu memihak ibu tiri ketika berkonflik. After she was found and returned to the hospital, examination revealed that she had been raped and sodomized, and that she had contracted gonorrhea. Neighbors also complained about the burning flesh smell. Could they have ever imagined that, in the basement under their feet, Gary Heidnik had six women chained up in a pit? Then he threw her into a pit, boarded it up, and sealed her in. He physically assaults them and treats them like his slave prisoners. David Rentas/New York Post Archives /(c) NYP Holdings, Inc. via Getty ImagesGary Heidniks house, where he held his church services and kept six women as prisoners. Askins and Rivera did manage to have a meeting, as shown in Monster Preacher a tense and emotional reunion. Like all of the women Heidnik targeted, Rivera was a prostitute, lured into his home by the promise of money in exchange for sex. She told the outlet she suffers from intense flashbacks and still cant enter any basement. Gary Heidnik was arrested in 1987 after certainly one of his victims lastly managed to flee. He was executed by lethal injection on July 6, 1999, at the State Correctional Institution-Rockview in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. [16] Shortly after his arrest in April 1987, Heidnik attempted to hang himself in his jail cell. Police officers entered Garys House in North Philadelphia and in the basement they found: When Gary was 2 years old, his parents divorced. He was executed on July 6, 1999. Deborah, who was the most rebellious, and constantly battled Heidniks dominance. By 1986, the United Church of the Ministers of God was prosperous and opulent. He never looked at us. Gary Heidnik was a former mental patient and sex offender who had managed to become a wealthy stock investor. After another period in public high school, he dropped out and joined the United States Army when he was 17.[5]. Gary Michael Heidnik was an American murderer who kidnapped, tortured, and raped six women. All Rights Reserved. When she wanted to leave, he tried to strangle her, she said. Heidnik was arrested and charged with kidnapping, rape, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, and interfering with the custody of a committed person. of 148. Deborah Dudley was electrocuted to death, and Heidnik disposed of her body in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey.[3][13]. But soon, those tendencies were about to reach new depths. Common Pattern in Gary Heidnik Serial Killer. Chad Pradelli reports during Action News at 11 p.m. on May 4, 2018. You people dont have any sensitivity at all, she said, banning all cameras from the City Hall floor where the trial is being held. All I could remember was, like, a film projector of things that were going on in my life, Rivera would later say. Michael and Ellen divorced by the time young Gary was only three. His troubles continued through high school, where he remained isolated and socially stunted before joining the Army after graduation. A suspect identified as Gary Heidnik, 43, is led from the Philadelphia Police Department's sex crimes unit, March 25, 1987, following his arrest outside a rowhouse where three naked women were. [17], At Heidnik's arraignment, he claimed that the women were already in the house when he moved in. Sus padres se divorciaron en 1946, cuando l apenas tena tres aos. Heidnik dismembered her body but had problems dealing with the arms and legs, so he put them in a freezer and labeled them "dog food." Preacher Gary Heidnik kidnapped six women and held them captive in his basement, where he raped and tortured them for months in one of Philadelphia's most horrifying crimes. The D.A. Josefina Rivera was 25 years old in November 1986 when Heidnik kidnapped her. Gary Heidnik was born on November 22nd,1943, in Eastlake, Ohio. The marriage rapidly deteriorated after she caught him abed with a trio of other women. He owned a Rolls Royce and beat Uncle Sam on his income taxes by making himself the. You would think death would be the end of your torture, yet Heidnik wasnt done with Sandra yet. After their parents divorced in 1946, the Heidnik children were raised by their mother for four years before being placed in the care of their father and his new wife. . Heidniks trial for the atrocities kept his name and his victims names in the news but what happened to the women after the trial ended and Heidnik was executed for his crimes? Im thinking execution is something like, turn around and let me shoot you. Three of the women were still on punishment. A few days before, hed let them watch TV and one had angered him by saying she was so hungry that the dog food in an ad looked good enough to eat. Shed get dog food, Heidnik told her, and she and the other two women would eat it with Lindsays body parts mixed it (though some sources refute this account and say that Heidnik made it up to support an insanity defense later). They said they were fed dog food mixed with human remains during their captivity. He made them sleep in a tiny, boarded-up pit in the basement. 22 boomhauer710 1 yr. ago A lot of people came, one of his neighbors recalled. Gary Heidnik was born on November 22, 1943, in Eastlake, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, to Michael and Ellen Heidnik. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! 2. The only light that seeped in came through the thin cracks between the wood covering overhead. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'forensicreader_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',120,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-forensicreader_com-medrectangle-4-0');He choose his victims who were: The sense of being intellectually inferior gives him a feeling of superiority and power over his victims. Art of Punishing: Heidnik had designed a specific punishment for victims who refused to obey him. Heidnik was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in July 1999. PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Four women testified Tuesday about horrors they encountered in a basement torture pit where self-styled minister Gary Heidnik chained them to pipes, raped them and used the cooked remains of a victim as a warning. He had a younger brother, Terry. Kirkpatrick called Heidnik "an astute investor who knew exactly what he was doing. Gary Heidnik had great potential. Gary Michael Heidnik Alias Brother Heidnik Football Head Brother Bishop Gender Male Birth Date November 23, 1943 Place of Birth Eastlake, Ohio Date of Death July 6, 1999 (aged 55) Place of Death SCI Rockview, Pennsylvania Occupation U.S. Army soldier (discharged) Nurse Pathology Unclassified Killer Serial Rapist Ephebophile Abductor [8] Unknown to Heidnik until his ex-wife requested child support payments in 1987, he had impregnated Disto during their short marriage. Gary Heidnik het nie 'n maklike kinderjare gehad nie. Based on interviews, police reports and court transcripts, this is . In the following weeks, they would be joined by three more women Lisa Thomas, 19, Deborah Dudley, 23, and Jackie Askins, 18. from www.brianphickey.com But then she met gary heidnik and the next four months became a living nightmare. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! In 1986, Gary Heidnik kidnapped and tortured six black women in the basement of his North Philadelphia home. I think the plan you did was the best one were here, Askins conceded to Rivera. Heidnik was one of the inspirations for the Buffalo Bill character in Thomas Harris Silence of the Lambs. Peruto said that Heidnik made up the story to support the insanity defense. In the kitchen, six plastic bags containing human body parts. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! We published on topics on fingerprints, questioned documents, forensic medicine, toxicology, physical evidence, and related case studies. Gary felt powerless, and perhaps he wanted to feel the same power by punishing their kidnapped victims. Josefina began to suffer from Stockholm syndrome. In 1986, Heidnik took his first victim, a known prostitute named Josefina Rivera, who later helped him obtain several others. So Gary Heidnik collected people. [4] Peruto said that Heidnik started the rumor of cannibalism in public, and that in fact, there was no evidence of anyone eating human flesh. He was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in July 1999. (David Maialetti/Staff) Read more Heidnik was a loner in school, choosing not to interact with other students or even make eye contact. Gary Heidnik captured the woman conventionally cited as his first victim, Josefina Rivera, in 1986. On March 23, 1987, Heidnik and Rivera abducted Agnes Adams. Two years earlier, a read more, This Side of Paradise is published, immediately launching 23-year-old F. Scott Fitzgerald to fame and fortune. . Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren. He kidnapped 24-year-old sex worker Agnes Adams, which horrified the women in the pit. Ken Englade writes in his book, 'Cellar of Horror: The Story of Gary Heidnik', that Heidnik's mother, Ellen, who was diagnosed with bone cancer and was suffering from the effects of alcoholism, died by suicide by drinking mercuric . He used to punish them extremely when they did not obey him. Hed even let her sleep outside of the hole. With the help of the Filipino community in Philadelphia, she was able to leave Heidnik in January 1986. His father would humiliate him by forcing him to hang his stained sheets from his bedroom window, in full view of their neighbors. To make her obey, he devised special torture. Gary Michael Heidnik est n le 22 novembre 1943 Cleveland, Ohio, tant le fils de Michael et Ellen Heidnik, qui ont eu plus tard un autre fils, Terry.Gary Heidnik n'a pas eu une enfance facile. In October 1971, Heidnik incorporated a church called the United Church of the Ministers of God, initially with only five followers. He also appears in the beginning of the Criminal Minds episode "Cradle to Grave" (S5, E5). Dudley was the next to die after Heidnik filled the pit with freezing water and put the women except Rivera in it. Shortly afterward, Heidnik was arrested and again charged with assault, indecent assault, spousal rape and involuntary deviant sexual intercourse. One of the torture methods Heidnik was fond of, was electric shock. Gary Heidnik captured the woman conventionally cited as his first victim, Josefina Rivera, in 1986. His victims were prostitutes of African American origin and he became known as "the baby sower" as his goal was to create what he called "a baby farm." There was a lot of stuff she did she didnt have to do. On March 26, 1804, President Thomas Jefferson attends a public party at the Senate and leads a diverse crowd in consuming an enormous loaf of bread dubbed the mammoth loaf. It can cause by childhood trauma. Gary Heidnik was every bit as twisted as the infamous movie character he inspired: Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs. He had a younger brother, Terry. The Ecletic Collection/YouTubeGary Heidniks mugshot taken after his arrest in 1987. Parts of at least one woman were found wrapped in garbage . Heidnik is mentioned during the initial profile of an episode of Criminal Minds, "Aftermath" (S2E5), where the UnSub parallels Heidnik's manipulation over various women. A military neurologist reported that Heidnik was showing symptoms of mental illness, and two months later, he was transferred to a military hospital in Philadelphia and honorably discharged from military service. Contents 1 Childhood 2 Adulthood 3 Criminal activities Gary Michael Heidnik was born on November 22, 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio, being the son of Michael and Ellen Heidnik, who later had another son, Terry. He was the firstborn of Michael and Ellen Heidnik. On the contrary, if she disobeyed him, she would lose all of her privileges. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Tragically, not all of the women would make it out alive. After she was found and returned to the hospital, examination revealed that she had been raped and sodomized and that she had contracted gonorrhea. Though tragic, Heidnik's victims showed incredible strength and an incredible will to live. How Deborah Dudley Was Killed In Pit By Gary Heidnik, Inside Monster Preacher: Showrunner On Survivors Of Gary Heidniks Torture Coming Face To Face, 'Monster Preacher' Production Designer On Gary Heidnik's 'House Of Horrors', Rivera was able to gain Heidniks trust and convince him to let her speak to her family. By January 1987, he had kidnapped another four women, whom he held captive in a pit in the basement of his house at 3520 North Marshall Street in North Philadelphia. most rebellious, and constantly battled Heidniks dominance. Even more so than that of Dudley, the most horrible death in that basement was the death of Sandra Lindsay, a mentally disabled woman who Gary Heidnik lured in shortly after Rivera. Heidnik eventually murdered and dismembered two victims. She was a mother of three who had struggled with drug addiction and was working as a sex worker, which is how Heidnik initially got her into his home. Read More: Dean Corll [The Candy Man Serial Killer]: Forensic Case Study. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. But was this brutal killer of the 1980s actually insane? Heidnik was born in 1943 to Michael and Ellen Heidnik and was raised in the Eastlake suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. At his home on Philadelphia's gritty north side, Heidnik had been keeping -- torturing -- four other women in his basement. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Gary Heidnik did not have an easy childhood. To dispose of her body, he cut it up in pieces. He was cremated and is the last person to be executed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as of 2019. With Eric Gunn, Doris Quest, Kevin Yon, Mary Keith Roe. Throughout the course of their brief marriage, Heidnik forced his wife to be an onlooker while he performed intercourse with other women. In 1970, his mother who had been diagnosed with bone cancer and was suffering the effects of alcoholism, committed suicide by drinking mercuric chloride. He tried to kill himself the following January and his family tried to get him off death row in 1997, but all to no avail. The other women began to panic and scream when they realized Sandra was dead. Motive for Kidnapping (MO)? His parents divorced in 1946, when he was just three years old. Proudly powered by WordPress Their daughter, Maxine Davidson, was born on March 16, 1978, and was also immediately placed in foster care. He dragged her body down the stairs into the basement where he shackled her limbs together with chains, then sealed the bolts in with superglue. In October 1962, Heidnik was transferred to a military hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder and was honorably discharged from military service. On May 5, 2018, a special report titled "Gary Heidnik's House of Horrors, 30 years later" was aired,[15] and featured an interview in which Askins recounted that Heidnik wrapped duct tape around the mouths of the victims, and stabbed them in their ears with a screwdriver. This time, he didnt trim her into pieces but dumped the body in pine barrens in a New Jersey Park, far from North Marshall Street. Heidnik served in the Army for thirteen months. American kidnapper, rapist, and murderer (1943-1999), State Correctional Institution Rockview, List of most recent executions by jurisdiction, List of white defendants executed for killing a black victim, Race and capital punishment in the United States, "House Of Horrors: Serial Murder in Philadelphia", "Black Women Report of Sex, Torture, Murder At Hands of White Philadelphia 'Bishop', "Gary Heidnik's House of Horrors, 30 years later", "Cyril "Tony" Brown pleads not guilty in captivity case", "Torture-Murderer Heidnik Remains In Serious Condition", "Horrors' Killer Gets His Wish Victims' Kin Watch As Gary Heidnik Gets Lethal Injection", "All About Hannibal Lecter - Facts and Fiction", "Korn's Jonathan Davis collabrates with unknown Scandi-industrialists SKYND | Gigwise", "The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories", Modus Operandi - Episode 105: Gary Heidnik: O Cordeiro Assassinos, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gary_M._Heidnik&oldid=1142403854, 20th-century executions of American people, People convicted of murder by Pennsylvania, People executed by Pennsylvania by lethal injection, People with schizoid personality disorder, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking reliable references from July 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 05:36. Heidnik's brother. Gary Heidniks mugshot taken after his arrest in 1987. Rivera, she killed Debbie and we all could have gotten out of there alive. Never acknowledged us. Gary et son frre ont t pris en charge par leur mre pendant quatre ans, mais plus tard, ils ont dmnag dans . PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Gary Heidnik's attorney said the murderer's interview on the ''60 Minutes'' news program is the only one he wanted to grant before being executed. . Gary Heidnik had not acted 100% alone. All I could remember was, like, a film projector of things that were going on in my life. According to reports, he attempted suicide thirteen times. 19: 19: Gar 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. Sometimes, he would wrap duct tape around their mouths and slowly jam a screwdriver into their ears, just to watch them squirm. As for Heidniks cult, its hard to say how much they knew. If she did what he said, hed bring her hot chocolate and hot dogs and let her sleep outside of the hole. Gary Heidnik Police digging in Heidnik's basement. The sign on the front of his house read, United Church of the Ministries of God. One room in his house was partially wallpapered with money. She lives in Atlantic City, New Jersey with her husband, Chris Lyle, and loves walking to the beach and collecting sea glass. Soon, she escapes from tortured room/basement and dialed 911, and gave them all the information. On March 24, 1987, after helping Heidnik abduct a seventh victim, she managed to convince him to let her go for just a few minutes so that she could see her family. Gary Heidnik heads to court in Pittsburgh dressed in a brightly colored Hawaiian shirt. Victims Deborah Dudley Jacquelyn Askins Agnes Adams Lisa Thomas Josefina Rivera p home last updates contact [..] Debbie Dudleys family, her sisters need to know exactly what happened to her in the basement.". He used to feed it to his dogs, Bear and Flaky, and to the prisoners. [7] Disto also accused Heidnik of repeatedly raping and assaulting her. FR Author Group at ForensicReader is a team of Forensic experts and scholars having B.Sc, M.Sc or Ph.D. degrees in Forensic Science. Gary Michael Heidnik (November 22, 1943 July 6, 1999) was an American murderer who kidnapped, tortured, and raped six women, and held them prisoner in his basement in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. [18] At trial, Heidnik was defended by A. Charles Peruto, Jr., who attempted to prove that Heidnik was legally insane. Agnes and Josefina agreed, and once out if sight, Josefina found the nearest phone and dialed 9-1-1. In this oral history, his victims, his attorney, his relatives speak. The story of Gary Heidnik ends as one would hope, with justice being served. [11] Their daughter, Maxine Davidson, was born on March 16, 1978, and immediately placed in foster care. 1. On March 24, 1987, Heidnik and Josefina kidnapped 24 year old Agnes Adams. A decade earlier, while he was still in prison, Heidniks legacy in pop culture was secured when the character of Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs was based on him. He worked at a Veterans Administration hospital in Coatesville, but was fired for poor attendance and rude behavior towards patients. He was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in July 1999. From August 1962 until his arrest in March 1987, Heidnik spent time in and out of psychiatric hospitals and had attempted suicide at least thirteen times. Torture chamber uncovered in Philadelphia, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/torture-chamber-uncovered-in-philadelphia. Less than two years read more, Italy attacks the British fleet at Souda Bay, Crete, using detachable warheads to sink a British cruiser. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. When Philadelphia police arrested Gary Heidnik in 1987, they found a dismembered head in a stockpot of water on his stoveand three more women chained up in a basement prison pit, where he'd been torturing and raping them. In 2018, the band SKYND released a song which was based on the events, featuring Jonathan Davis from Korn.[31]. Within a few days, Sandra develops a fever and had no energy to fight. The two married in Maryland on October 3, 1985, but it wasnt to be a happy marriage after she found him in bed with three other women. [26] He remains the third of only three people who have been executed in Pennsylvania since the resumption of the death penalty. After this look at the depraved crimes of Gary Heidnik, read about Robert Pickton, the murderer who fed his victims to pigs, or Ed Kemper, the killer whose crimes are too disturbing to even describe. [22] In January 1989, he attempted suicide with an overdose of prescribed thorazine. He then dragged her body upstairs and cut it into pieces. Note: Schizophrenic is a severe mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. on Unsplash. Gary Heidniks house, where he held his church services and kept six women as prisoners. How it Changed him to be a Serial Killer? When one kind female student asked, Did you get the homework done, Gary?, he yelled at her and told her she was not worthy enough to talk to him. He was a bright boy though, with an I.Q. On January 18, 1987, Heidnik abducted Jacqueline Askins. Peter Frederiksen, The Clitoris Collector | The Scare Chamber, Javed Iqbal Strangled, Dismembered and Burned | The Scare Chamber, The Torture and Murder of Kelly Anne Bates, Alexandra Wiwcharuk: The Girl in Saskatoon, Practicing Cannibalism | The Scare Chamber, Alexandra Wiwcharuk: The Girl in Saskatoon | The Scare Chamber, David Parker Ray and his Toy Box of Torture, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Heidnik was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to death. This gives him additional power to spend money and superiority over others. The gruesome details of what he did to the women made headlines: He beat them and put screwdrivers in their ears to damage their hearing. declined to press charges against Rivera, though, as she had saved the women in the end and been forced by Heidnik to participate in the crimes a unique form of torture for her. Disobeying him was dangerous. Necronomipod - Episode "Gary Heidnik"[32], Murderous States Of Mind - Episode #3: "Gary Heidnik AKA The Monster Preacher"[33], The Minds of Madness - Episode #100: "Pit of Darkness"[34][circular reference], True Crime Obsessed - Episode "Monster Preacher". IT WAS 11 at night, dark as coal, when kidnapper Gary Heidnik stopped his Cadillac Coupe DeVille in a remote wooded section of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Heidnik had a third child with another woman, Anjeanette Davidson, who was illiterate and mentally disabled. The fact that he successfully amassed approximately $550,000 through his brokerage account was used to prove that he was an astute investor, and therefore not insane. The apparent reason why Heidnik chose his victims 6abc Philadelphia/YouTube After a short-lived marriage marked by abuse and infidelity, Gary Heidnik started kidnapping women, most of them sex workers, and keeping them in his cellar, where he would rape and torture them. Ultimately, accomplice or not, Josefina Rivera saved them all. The victims went through hell before the end, whether it was murder, or escape. To dispose of her body, he cut down Sandras body. Gary Michael Heidnik (November 22, 1943 July 6, 1999) was an American criminal who kidnapped, tortured, and raped six women (murdering two of them), while holding them captive in a self-dug pit in his basement floor, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Excerpts from a 1991 interview with Gary Heidnik. Serial Killer Gary Heidnik: The Real-Life Buffalo Bill Who Fed One Of His Victims To His Prisoners. Why did he Abduct and Torture his Victim? Meanwhile, Rivera had successfully fooled Heidnik, who took her along to dispose of what was left of Dudleys remains in the woods and on his expedition to capture another girl. Nonetheless, Heidnik performed well academically and tested with an I.Q. I fell asleep and it burnt. Bags of dirt from a board covering a hole. His drill sergeant graded him as excellent in basic training, however when he applied for several specialist positions, he was rejected. Enfance. Rivera was able to gain Heidniks trust and convince him to let her speak to her family. But not any longer. During basic training, his drill sergeant graded him as "excellent." Next was Lisa Thomas (19), kidnapped on December 23, 1986, Deborah Dudley (23), kidnapped on January 2, 1987, and Jacqueline Askins (18), on January 18, 1987. On September 15, 1986, she gave birth to a son, who she named Jesse John Disto. Director Maya Washington (reenactment unit) Stars Aimee K. Bryant Gary Heidnik wasnt just an unhinged sadist, willing to torture, murder, and cannibalize a basement full of women. A hospital neurologist diagnosed Heidnik with gastroenteritis, and noted that Heidnik also displayed symptoms of mental illness, for which he was prescribed trifluoperazine (Stelazine). Gary plugged a wire into the outlet and then touched the bare wire end to her hands. Lisa Thomas, who was 19 when she was freed from the torture chamber in Heidniks house more than a year ago, said Heidnik pretended to be a police officer coming to the womens rescue, then beat his captives when they screamed for help. Instead they just stuck a needle in his arm. The shock was so painful that one of the women, Deborah Dudley, was electrocuted to death. Askins attended the execution, as did Lindseys family and Dudleys family. Rivera, meanwhile, told The Philadelphia Inquirer she returned to sex work for a year after the trial, but eventually gave up both prostitution and drugs for good. When Josefina Rivera finally got to a Philadelphia phone booth on March 24, 1987, she had a frantic message for police. He didnt say anything. [25] As of 2022, he was the last person to have been executed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Gary started to mix the cooked flesh with the dog food. Shes close with her two sons, now adults, and is on medication to deal with her anxiety and trauma, according to a 2014 HuffPost article.