Ottis Toole
| Ottis Toole | |
|---|---|
Toole's 1983 mugshot
|
|
| Born |
Ottis Elwood Toole March 5, 1947 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Died |
September 15, 1996 (aged 49) Raiford, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cirrhosis |
| Resting place | Florida State Prison Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Criminal charge | Arson, First-degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death commuted to life in prison |
| Criminal status | Deceased |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 6 or more |
|
Span of killings
|
Unknown–1983 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Florida and Texas |
|
Date apprehended
|
April 1983 |
| Imprisoned at | Florida State Prison |
Ottis Elwood Toole (March 5, 1947 – September 15, 1996) was an American drifter who was convicted of six counts of murder. Like his companion Henry Lee Lucas, Toole made confessions he later recanted, but which resulted in murder convictions. The discrediting of the case against Lucas for crimes in which Toole had offered corroborating statements created doubts as to whether either was a genuine serial killer or, as Hugh Aynesworth suggested, both were merely compliant interviewees whom police used to clear unsolved murders from the books. Toole received two death sentences, but on appeal they were commuted to life imprisonment. He died in his cell from cirrhosis, aged 49. Police attributed the murder of Adam Walsh to Toole on the basis of recanted statements. Lucas had backed Toole's confession to the Walsh murder, claiming he had been in possession of the victim's severed head.
Ottis Elwood Toole (sometimes misspelled "Otis") was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. Toole's mother was abusive; Toole claimed she would dress him in girls' clothing and call him Susan. His father was an alcoholic who abandoned him. Ottis claimed that as a young child, he was a victim of sexual assault and incest at the hands of many close relatives and acquaintances, including his older sister and next door neighbor. He claimed that his maternal grandmother was a Satanist, who exposed him to various Satanic practices and rituals in his youth, including self-mutilation and graverobbing and dubbed him "Devil's Child." Toole claimed this abuse began when he came out as gay to his family.
He was often designated as suffering from mild mental retardation, with an I.Q. of 75. He also suffered from epilepsy, which resulted in frequent grand mal seizures. Throughout his childhood, he frequently ran away from home and often slept in abandoned houses. He was a serial arsonist from a young age and was sexually aroused by fire.
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