Richard Speck

On December 6th, 1941 the world welcomed Richard Benjamin Speck, who would become a well-known mass murderer. Speck, having a rather rough childhood, had an extensive criminal background before committing the unspeakable murders that made him famous. After being found guilty, Speck spent his remaining days in Chicago’s Stateville Penitentiary. One can look at Richard’s personal history, crime and criminal history to try and pin him to one criminological theory, when in reality, none will really fit him to a “T”. He was a psychopath who was in great need of psychological help, among other things.
In Kirkwood, Illinois, Benjamin and Mary Speck became the proud parents to a baby boy, named Richard Benjamin Speck. Richard was the seventh of eight children, which was a financial hardship for his mother and father. Richard’s mother, a deeply religious woman, ran her household in the same mannerism as her dedication to religion. She prohibited any use of alcohol and tobacco. In one instance, she greatly chastised Benjamin at a church picnic for having a single beer. To provide for his family, Benjamin would pick up extra hours whenever he could at any of the plethora of jobs he held. Richard’s father had an amazing work ethic, being a farmhand, a logger, a packer and laying roof tiles. Whenever he had a spare moment, Richard’s father would take him on fishing outings where they would spend time together uninterrupted by anything or anyone. Their close relationship was brought to a halt when his father passed away of a heart attack at age 53. This devastated six year old Richard. His life as he knew it would be forever changed.
A few years after the death of her husband, Mary Speck fell in love with Carl Lindberg, a traveling insurance salesman. Carl was the complete opposite of Benjamin Speck, being an alcoholic with a criminal record that expanded over 25 years which included arrests for drunk driving and forgery. After marrying, Richard’s name was changed to