The Despicable Life of Carl Panzram

An American serial killer, rapist and burglar, who was the mastermind behind heinous crimes conducted during the early 1900s.

Content warning: Sexual violence and rape.

Before proceeding, this blog contains references to sexual assault. I will reference it once for context and then use assault in its place throughout the article.

Throughout history, scary stories have been written to serve as warnings to the youth and general society- to frighten them into good behavior. But what happens when the bogeyman is real? The story of Carl Panzram is one filled with tragedy and terror that spans decades and continents, leaving a trail of bodies and horrors in its wake…. But I bet you didn’t even know his name. He doesn’t deserve that anyways.

Carl Panzram was born June 28th, 1892 in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. His parents were German immigrants, Johann and Mathilda Panzram who owned a failing farm and “had so many children, they didn’t know what to do.” The kids were starving, and suffered frequent beatings. They went to school during the day, and stayed up late into the night working on the farm. Most of the time, the children were functioning on just two hours of sleep per night.