An article about the Torso Slayer - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Kane · 10-26-2010, 08:23 AM

It was three quarters of a century ago when the Torso Slayer first struck. I came across a recent article about it. As you will recall, the Torso Slayer (also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run) was the focus of two Unsolved Mysteries the segments. First in the 1990-91 season, and the second one was during the 1992-93 season. The latter focused on whether the Torso Slayer was the same person who killed Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dahlia.

The Torso Slayer case is known to be the only case Eliot Ness never solved.

http://www.cleveland.com/entertainme...ers_conti.html

Guardian · 11-03-2010, 12:02 PM

Nice article. I remember clearly the night this case first aired on UM. I was watching it with my grandpa. Even at age 10 the case fascinated me. UM was a weekly ritual at my grandparents home and started my interest in mysteries and true crime at an early age. Something about this case is just so creepy. I am surprised there are not more articles on the web about it. I do hear a movie is finally in the works though. Hopefully they don't screw up the story.

scm80 · 11-03-2010, 06:52 PM

I have a comic about this and there was plans at one point to turn it into a film. However, it was cancelled. Still, I believe we will one day see this turned into a flick!

Guardian · 11-03-2010, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scm80

I have a comic about this and there was plans at one point to turn it into a film. However, it was cancelled. Still, I believe we will one day see this turned into a flick!

Actually, if you are talking about Torso by Brian Michael Bendis, it is once again scheduled to be made. I spoke to Bendis almost a year ago at the Emerald City comic con and he says they have been in talks back and forth for years now. I have been checking that Internet Movie Data Base .com website that is out there and it has been on again, off again for some time. At present, it is back on there under the title "Ness". David Fincher (he directed "Zodiac" and "Seven") is set to direct. Currently Matt Damon is attached to play Ness, but I think that may not be set in stone just yet.

XCalibur · 11-04-2010, 05:10 PM

Always thought this was one of the most chilling and fascinating cases on Unsolved Mysteries. Actally gave me nightmares as a kid.

I am surprised its not discussed on here more. Perhaps because whoever committed these murders is almost certainly dead so I guess that takes a little of the luster out of it. But its still intriguing just the same.

The Torso Slayer, like Jack the Ripper was active back when the methods of law enforcement fo tracking serial killers was still pretty crude, so in those days serial killers could hold areas hostage with fear for a long time, not that they stil can't today but law enforcement has a much better idea how to track them now.

It even stated in the segment how Elliot Ness was really not sure how to track someone like the Torso Slayer, since he was used to hunting down mobsters and bootleggers. Even so, he adjusted fairly well and still might have found the killer just never had enough evidence to prove it. Sweeney seems to be the strongest suspect, but there is no way to know for sure.

I always wondered why Unsolved Mysteries never mentioned Sweeney's name during the segment. He's been dead for over forty years, they wouldn't be libel, unless Sweeney still has family alive who didn't want his name connected with the Torso Slayings.

Kane · 11-04-2010, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XCalibur

I always wondered why Unsolved Mysteries never mentioned Sweeney's name during the segment. He's been dead for over forty years, they wouldn't be libel, unless Sweeney still has family alive who didn't want his name connected with the Torso Slayings.

Although it was acknowledged in the Eliot Ness segment that Ness suspected someone from a socially prominent family, Francis Sweeney was not specifically outed as a suspect until many years later. Also, when the Torso Slayer case was discussed in the Black Dahlia segment, Robert Stack mentioned that Eliot Ness never publicly named the TS suspect. Hence no mention of Sweeney's name in either segment.

JackKerouac1989 · 11-04-2010, 10:16 PM

one thing that was not mentioned in the segment but was extremely disturbing that I read about this case online was the fact that for several of the victims the decapitation was the cause of death!!!

It takes a sick person to murder someone and then to cut up their body, but this reaches a whole new disturbing level when someone cuts off someone's head while their still alive.
It's too bad this guy was never caught.

Guardian · 11-15-2010, 02:55 AM

A bit off topic, but since i mentioned it before, I checked again on the website I mentioned where the movie info was posted. The info I was referring to is now not on the regular viewing section of the films page. It now seems to have been moved to the pro section of their sight which you have to pay to view. I do not pay for this service so I am uncertain if it is still there or not. But their message boards are still talking about the info I posted. Hopefully the film will get made and be good.

10-26-2010, 08:23 AM	#1
Kane Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 07, 2001 Location: MA, United States Posts: 3,367	An article about the Torso Slayer It was three quarters of a century ago when the Torso Slayer first struck. I came across a recent article about it. As you will recall, the Torso Slayer (also known as the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run) was the focus of two Unsolved Mysteries the segments. First in the 1990-91 season, and the second one was during the 1992-93 season. The latter focused on whether the Torso Slayer was the same person who killed Elizabeth Short, aka The Black Dahlia. The Torso Slayer case is known to be the only case Eliot Ness never solved. http://www.cleveland.com/entertainme...ers_conti.html

11-03-2010, 12:02 PM	#2
Guardian Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 19, 2010 Location: WA Posts: 522	Nice article. I remember clearly the night this case first aired on UM. I was watching it with my grandpa. Even at age 10 the case fascinated me. UM was a weekly ritual at my grandparents home and started my interest in mysteries and true crime at an early age. Something about this case is just so creepy. I am surprised there are not more articles on the web about it. I do hear a movie is finally in the works though. Hopefully they don't screw up the story.
	__________________ For every mystery there is someone, somewhere, who knows what happened. Perhaps... it's you...

11-03-2010, 06:52 PM	#3
scm80 Scott UM Occasional Poster Join Date: Oct 21, 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 45	I have a comic about this and there was plans at one point to turn it into a film. However, it was cancelled. Still, I believe we will one day see this turned into a flick!

11-04-2010, 05:10 PM	#5
XCalibur Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 16, 2010 Location: Belfast, Va Posts: 981	Always thought this was one of the most chilling and fascinating cases on Unsolved Mysteries. Actally gave me nightmares as a kid. I am surprised its not discussed on here more. Perhaps because whoever committed these murders is almost certainly dead so I guess that takes a little of the luster out of it. But its still intriguing just the same. The Torso Slayer, like Jack the Ripper was active back when the methods of law enforcement fo tracking serial killers was still pretty crude, so in those days serial killers could hold areas hostage with fear for a long time, not that they stil can't today but law enforcement has a much better idea how to track them now. It even stated in the segment how Elliot Ness was really not sure how to track someone like the Torso Slayer, since he was used to hunting down mobsters and bootleggers. Even so, he adjusted fairly well and still might have found the killer just never had enough evidence to prove it. Sweeney seems to be the strongest suspect, but there is no way to know for sure. I always wondered why Unsolved Mysteries never mentioned Sweeney's name during the segment. He's been dead for over forty years, they wouldn't be libel, unless Sweeney still has family alive who didn't want his name connected with the Torso Slayings.

11-04-2010, 10:16 PM	#7
JackKerouac1989 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 18, 2010 Location: nj Posts: 78	one thing that was not mentioned in the segment but was extremely disturbing that I read about this case online was the fact that for several of the victims the decapitation was the cause of death!!! It takes a sick person to murder someone and then to cut up their body, but this reaches a whole new disturbing level when someone cuts off someone's head while their still alive. It's too bad this guy was never caught.

11-15-2010, 02:55 AM	#8
Guardian Member Forum Regular Join Date: May 19, 2010 Location: WA Posts: 522	A bit off topic, but since i mentioned it before, I checked again on the website I mentioned where the movie info was posted. The info I was referring to is now not on the regular viewing section of the films page. It now seems to have been moved to the pro section of their sight which you have to pay to view. I do not pay for this service so I am uncertain if it is still there or not. But their message boards are still talking about the info I posted. Hopefully the film will get made and be good.