How Many Victims Did Serial Killer Ed Gein Have—And Did He Kill His Brother Henry?

Netflix’s disturbing new true crime series, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, dives into the life of prolific serial killer and grave robber Ed Gein (played by Charlie Hunnam), who became known as the “Butcher of Plainfield.” How many victims did Gein have, and did he really kill his brother, as depicted in the series?

The Ed Gein Story is the third installment in Ryan Murphy’s successful anthology series Monster, which previously explored the crimes of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, who murdered their parents in 1989 and initially tried to make it look like an organized crime hit.

Gein made his mark on Hollywood, inspiring Robert Bloch’s novel Psycho, which Alfred Hitchcock turned into the 1960 film of the same name. In The Silence of the Lambs, the film’s villain, Buffalo Bill, skinned victims just like Gein. He also influenced The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, one of the most popular horror films. Director Tobe Hooper said in a 2015 interview that he first heard about Gein as a child from relatives in Wisconsin.

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Across its eight episodes, The Ed Gein Story shows how Wisconsin’s mild-mannered recluse, Eddie Gein, who lived quietly on a decaying farm, became one of the most horrific killers in history. “Driven by isolation, psychosis, and an all-consuming obsession with his mother, Gein’s perverse crimes birthed a new kind of monster that would haunt Hollywood for decades,” Netflix’s Tudum teased.

But how many victims did Ed Gein actually have, and what’s the truth behind his brother’s death? Here’s everything that’s been reported about the Plainfield killer’s harrowing past. Warning: The following article discusses graphic crimes that some readers may find disturbing.

Who Was Ed Gein?

Ed Gein was an American serial killer and grave robber who murdered several women in the 1950s. He was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1906, and his family moved to a rural farm in Plainfield, Wisconsin, during his youth. Ed had a complex relationship with his parents; he admired his mother, who maintained strict discipline in the household, while he alleged that his father physically abused both him and his older brother Henry.

Ed’s life began to deteriorate following the deaths of his family members. His father, George, died of heart failure in 1940. Four years later, his brother Henry also died. Then, in 1945, Ed’s mother suffered two strokes. He cared for her after the initial stroke, but the second stroke was fatal, and she was gone.

Ed continued to live in the family home, and he kept his mother’s untouched room in pristine condition. According to History.com, he started studying anatomy and stealing women’s corpses from local cemeteries.

How Many Victims Did Ed Gein Have?

Serial killer Ed Gein confessed to murdering two victims: Mary Hogan and Bernice Worden, who resembled his late mother. Initially, he wasn’t on the town’s radar when Hogan went missing in the mid-1950s.

Gein’s first known victim was Hogan, a 51-year-old tavern owner whom he shot and killed in 1954. She remained missing for three years until investigators later discovered her skull and facial skin in the killer’s home.

His second victim, Worden, was last seen alive in her hardware store on Nov. 17, 1957. Gein visited the store the previous night and, according to Worden’s son, was expected to return the next morning to purchase antifreeze. Records confirmed that he did buy the antifreeze — the receipt was the last one Worden wrote that day.

When Worden’s son arrived at the store later that day, he discovered a pool of blood on the floor and immediately notified the police. According to USA Today, Gein had previously asked Worden out on several occasions.

When authorities searched Gein’s home, they entered his shed to discover Worden’s naked, headless corpse hanging and mutilated. Throughout the house, they also found human skulls he repurposed as soup bowls, lampshades and costumes made from human skin, a belt made from human nipples and mutilated female body parts, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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Did Ed Gein Kill His Brother Henry?

The first episode of Monster depicts Gein murdering his 43-year-old brother Henry after Henry expresses a desire to escape their controlling mother. In the show, Gein hit Henry with a piece of wood, drags his body into the woods, and stages a brush fire to conceal the murder.

In reality, Henry and Ed were burning marsh vegetation away from their farmhouse in May 1944. The fire got out of control, and firefighters were called in to help fight the blaze. Henry, who was 43 at the time, went missing. His dead body was later found, and he had sustained severe burns. His official cause of death was asphyxiation leading to heart failure, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Officials ruled out foul play at the time.

Although Monster dramatizes Gein murdering his 43-year-old brother, Ed never confessed to this crime. However, suspicions about his involvement grew after the killings of Hogan and Worden came to light — especially since Ed was the one who alerted town officials to the fire where Henry’s body was discovered.

Was Ed Gein Convicted For His Crimes?

Following his 1957 arrest, Gein was charged with first-degree murder. He entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity and was subsequently diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Deemed mentally unfit to stand trial, Gein was committed to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Waupun. However, 10 years later, in 1968, Gein was deemed mentally fit to be tried in the case.

He was found guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of Worden, but because he was deemed legally insane at the time, the verdict was not guilty by reason of insanity. He returned to Central State Hospital before he was transferred to Mendota Mental Institute in Madison, according to A&E.

Gein was never brought to trial for Hogan’s murder, nor was he charged with any crimes related to Henry’s death or other potential victims. He died in 1984 at age 77 from complications of lung cancer.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the official trailer below.