Mystery Man USA: Biography- Henry Lee Lucas

Source:Mystery Man USA- Serial murderer Henry L. Lucas 

"Henry Lee Lucas (August 23, 1936 -- March 13, 2001) was an American criminal, convicted of murder in 189 cases and once listed as America's most prolific serial killer; he later recanted his confessions, despite professing information only the assailant would know and flatly stating "I'm a liar" in a letter to researcher Brad Shellady. Lucas confessed to involvement in about 600 murders, but a more widely circulated total of about 350 murders committed by Lucas is based on confessions deemed "believable" by a Texas-based Lucas Task Force, a group which was later criticized by then-Attorney General of Texas, Jim Mattox, and others for sloppy police work. Some critics believe his recantations were a tactic to brew reasonable doubt and evade execution.

Beyond his recantation, some of Lucas' confessions have been challenged as probable by a number of critics, including law enforcement and court officials. Originally being taken in on a firearms warrant, Lucas claimed to have been initially subjected to poor treatment and coercive interrogation tactics while in police custody and confessed to his crimes only to improve his living conditions. Amnesty International reported "the belief of two former state Attorneys General that Lucas was in all likelihood guilty of the crimes for which he was sentenced to death".

Lucas's death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1998 by then-Governor George W. Bush. It was the first successful commutation of a death sentence in Texas since the re-institution of the death penalty in Texas in 1982. Lucas died in prison of natural causes. Lucas still maintains a reputation, in the mind of author Sarah L. Knox, "as one of the world's worst serial killers—even after the recanting of the majority of his confessions".

Source:Mystery Man USA

There are serial murderers that are basically pure evil, that kill people for the pleasure of it. Ted Bundy comes to mind, who by a lot of counts had a good childhood and ended up in college and by a lot of counts a very intelligent person. And not to make any excuses or to excuse their crimes, because they are responsible for what they do and should pay the price for their murders. There are serial murderers that could've been reached at some point in their lives and didn't have to end up being serial murderers or even criminals. Jeffrey Dahmer might be an example of that.

And I believe Henry Lee Lucas fits into that category, someone who was clearly not normal mentally, who lacked basic skills to be successful in life. Lack knowledge and intelligence, perhaps have a mental condition, that doesn't allow for them to look at the world, in a way that good everyday people who have consciences and would never murder people or even hurt innocent people, under normal circumstances. 

Henry Lucas had a horrible childhood, two of the worst parents you could ever imagine, a mother who was constantly abusing him. And a father who would let that abuse happen. Lucas's life was almost doomed from the beginning and didn't have much of an opportunity to be successful in life.

Had Henry Lucas had a good or even normal childhood and was raised with love and given the opportunities to be successful if life, chances are he doesn't end up being a serial murderer. And had he not been released from prison in the early 1970s, after already being in prison for murdering his mother because of prison overcrowding, Lucas wouldn't of had an opportunity to become a serial murderer, because he would've killed his mother but no one else. And would've ended up serving the rest of his life in prison for murdering his mother, that perhaps no one would've missed, but no one else.

So the State also has some responsibility here and not making sure that people like Henry Lucas end up serving the rest of their lives in prison and not even being released even for prison overcrowding. That if you are going to release anyone from prison due to prison overcrowding, its non-violent offenders, white-collar criminals, shoplifters, people like that, who haven't physically abused innocent people. 

Henry Lucas I guess was so lonely and pathetic as a person and perhaps tired of living in his own world, that he felt the need to share with others what his world looked like and needed attention and what better way for a criminal to get attention than to murder a bunch of people and claim to murder a bunch of other people, that he didn't murder. And is someone that society also has some responsibility in creating.