He shocked America and opened a new chapter in crime with his murder of eight young nurses in 1966. Nearly thirty years later, revelations about his life in prison brought him back into the spotlight.

Richard Speck may be the most notorious mass-murderer in American history. The ferocity and brutality of his crime remains unmatched. But what drove him to commit the murders? BIOGRAPHY? traces Speck's anger to his father's sudden death and his mother's subsequent marriage to an abusive drunk. See how the young Speck was arrested over 40 times before he was 24 and find out why he ended up in Chicago. Then, explore his sordid life in prison, portions of which were recorded in a video which stunned the nation when it was broadcast in 1996. Clips from this video offer a glimpse into Speck's twisted mind.

Interviews with those who knew him as a child--as well as the prosecutor who helped bring him to justice--shed light on the life of a killer whose brutal crime left an indelible mark on America's psyche.

There are also a few film clips available of Gilmore as he spoke to the press or to the courts, and an A&E documentary collected these into an overview of his fight to die rather then face years in prison. Gilmore is a historical case, in that he was the first man to be executed after the U. S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, and because he refused all appeals to which he was legally entitled.