Charles Joseph Whitman
| Charles Whitman | |
|---|---|
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Charles Whitman in 1963
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| Born |
Charles Joseph Whitman June 24, 1941 Lake Worth, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | August 1, 1966 (aged 25) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Multiple shotgun wounds (Ruled as justifiable homicide) |
| Other names | The Texas Tower Sniper |
| Spouse(s) | Kathy Leissner (m. 1962–66) |
| Parent(s) |
Charles Adolphus Whitman Jr. Margaret Whitman |
| Killings | |
| Date | August 1, 1966 Family: c. 12:15 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. Random: 11:48 a.m. – 1:24 p.m. |
| Location(s) | University of Texas at Austin, Texas |
| Target(s) | Mother, wife, random strangers |
| Killed | 17 (including David Gunby, who died in 2001, and an unborn child) |
| Injured | 31 |
| Weapons |
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Charles Joseph Whitman (June 24, 1941 – August 1, 1966) was an American mass murderer who became infamous as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, he murdered his mother and wife in their homes, then went to the University of Texas at Austin where he shot and killed three people inside the university's tower. He then went to the tower's 28th-floor observation deck, where he fired at random for some 96 minutes, killing an additional eleven people and wounding thirty-one before being shot and killed by police. Sixteen people were killed in total; a 17th victim died in 2001 from injuries sustained in the attack.
Whitman was born on June 24, 1941, in Lake Worth, Florida, the eldest of three sons born to Margaret E. (Hodges) and Charles Adolphus "C. A." Whitman Jr. Whitman's father had been raised in an orphanage in Savannah, Georgia, and described himself as a self-made man. In 1940, he married Margaret, then 17 years old. The marriage of Whitman's parents was marred by domestic violence; Whitman's father was an admitted authoritarian who provided for his family but demanded near perfection from all of them. He was known to physically and emotionally abuse his wife and children.
As a boy, Whitman was described as a polite, well-mannered child who seldom lost his temper. He was extremely intelligent—an examination at the age of six revealed his IQ to be 139. Whitman's academic achievements were encouraged by his parents, yet any indication of failure or a lethargic attitude were met with discipline—often physical—from his father.
Margaret Whitman was a devout Roman Catholic who raised her sons in the same religion. The Whitman brothers regularly attended Mass with their mother, and all three brothers served as altar boys at the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.
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