Killer Cousins: Searching History for Cousins Convicted of Serial Murder

There are many serial killers out there both convicted and ones who have not been caught. Many of these people killed by themselves and some even with lovers, or people that they met in some form of job. Today we will delve into some killing cousins in history. Beginning with the first known killing cousins Micajah and Wiley Harpe (aka: William and Joshua Harpe).

"The Harpe Brothers"

Born in 1768 Micajah was born to John Harpe and Wiley was born in 1770 to Johns' brother William the boys were natives of North Carolina. Micajah and Wiley Harpe (aka: William or Big and Joshua or little) were cousins that passed themselves as brothers around the area. The two boys left their parents in approximately 1775 with plans to become overseers of slaves in Virginia, However their plans changed during the American Revolution. They soon joined an outlaw gang including Indians that roamed the North Carolina countryside. They began raping the daughters of local farmers and pillaging livestock and farmhouses and burning them down. In approximately 1780 this pillaging gang was taken by Captain James Wood who shot Little Harpe during an attempt to rape and kidnap a local North Carolina girl. This is when the boys and their gang became part of the British Army. They fought in several battles around the Carolina border. The very next year they left the army and joined with Cherokee confederates. They finally kidnapped Susan the daughter of Captain Wood as well as another local girl Maria Davidson. Later they were joined by Sally Rice who became the third wife of the killing duo. These women would remain their wives to the bitter end. When these two were committing these murders they often had their wives and children in tow as well. It is estimated that they killed between 30 to 40 people though Micajah confessed to only 20 prior to dying. They are estimating that in his confessed 20 he did not include the number of his own children that he killed. Their deadly rampage began in approximately 1797 and continued into 1799 and stretched between Kentucky and Tennessee. Big Harp died in 1799 by decapitation. When authorities caught him they cut off his head and attached it to an oak tree in Webster county, Kentucky to be displayed. the crossroads became known as Harps Head crossing.

"Hillside Stranglers"

Born in May of 1951Kenneth Alessio Bianchi's was given up for adoption by his seventeen year old alcoholic, prostitute mother. When Kenneth was very young there were strong signs that he would have problems in later life. He was a compulsive liar and had violent tantrums despite being artistic and having an above average intelligence. When Kenneth was in school it seemed that he was an underachiever and would often manipulate his classmates. He also seemed to have a large ego and claimed to have done brave adventurous deeds in order to impress the girls. Even as an adult Kenneth's behavior did not improve. He became a skilled con man and liar. Kenneth had a dream to become a police officer and tried many times to join both the police department or auxiliary pd, only to be turned down. In 1977 Kenneth moved to California from New York to live with his cousin Angelo Buono who was seventeen years older than him. Buono quickly became a sexual role model to Kenneth. Showing him the wild side Buono introduced Kenneth to perverse sexual acts. Kenneth seemed to get his life on track by becoming employed and moving into an apartment of his own then moving in with a girlfriend from work, however he still had a violent temper. Again Kenneth was rejected by the police as well as the police reserves in California. Kenneth and Angelo's killing spree began when they found that they had bought a pimp list from a part time waitress/prostitute, this murder was for revenge in 1977. At first their murders were not looked at seriously because all of the victims seemed to be of a high risk lifestyle, that is until November of 1977 when two girls age twelve and fourteen were found both raped and murdered. They had ligature marks that matched those of the prostitutes. After the eighth murder they stopped for approximately two weeks. In February of 1978 Angelo committed his final murder. Kenneth moved to Washington to be with his girlfriend and newborn son. In May of 1978 Kenneth accepted a position with the Whatcom County Sheriffs Reserve. As well as being a security guard that was responsible for a house whose owners were in Europe. Kenneth committed two more murders in this house. Here is where he made a huge mistake by leaving evidence that could be traced back to himself, when the bodies were found in 1979. At first Kenneth tried to claim that he had multiple personalities, and that the second personality committed the murders. However after seeing several psychologist Kenneth was tricked. After being exposed as a fake, Kenneth agreed to testify against his cousin to be spared the death penalty in Washington state. The Hillside strangler was so named by the media prior to them knowing that there were two people committing these murders, and were so named because many of their victims were found on hillsides, strategically placed by their murderers. Their murder spree began in 1977 and ended in 1979.

"Killin Cousins"

Born in 1951 in a small town in Florida David Gore came from deep southern roots. His younger cousin Fred Waterfield was born some time later in 1952 in the same town. Both wen t to the same schools, and had the same friends. It seemed however that the younger Waterfield however was followed by David. In 1976 David and Freddie put their heads together and decided to combine their favorite sports of hunting and women. At first their attempts were embarrassing, however their reign of murder lasted until 1983. Gore and Waterfield were considered the most prolific of their time. By early 1981 David began working by day with his father as an orange grove caretaker, and by night he was an auxiliary sheriffs deputy. and Fred was managing an automotive shop in Orlando Florida. Fred realizing that with David working as an auxiliary sheriff he offered to pay David one thousand dollars for each pretty girl he could find. David couldn't refuse the offer. The first murder victims however were a 17 year old immigrant and her mother. Fred was not pleased with David because of the mother and only paid four hundred for the teen. Fred left David to clean the mess. The second victim however was a beautiful woman that Freddie was quite happy with. Later David fell under suspicion and was stripped of his badge because of a bright teen girl who refused to get in his car after being stopped. Her father called the police chief and complained. She was one of the few lucky ones. David and Fred were not always successful in their attempts to kidnap women, however when the kidnapping was successful you can bet they for the most part did not walk away. After loosing his badge Gore and Waterfield began cruising the beaches for some of their victims, as well as known hang out areas such as Eola park in Orlando. David was first imprisoned for armed trespassing and was sentenced for five years in prison. he was later paroled in march of 1983. David and Freddie began their rampage again. Later in July of 1983 would be the last murder committed by the killing duo. When one of their victims escaped and police were called for reports of a nude man firing shots at a nude woman. The final killing was this 17 year old female, who by running outside saved the life of her 14 year old friend. Both girls had been raped by Fred and David, however when the 17 year old fled, so did Waterfield leaving Gore to take all the heat. While in custody Gore told of the crimes committed by he and his cousin. Both were convicted, Gore with the death penalty and Waterfield with two consecutive life terms with a specified minimum of fifty years before parole. The duo were suspected to have committed 50 murders, however Gore was only convicted of six, and Waterfield of two.