Charles Joseph Whiteman was a serial killer who killed hundreds of people. He murdered roughly seventeen people in a mass shooting at the University of Texas, in addition to his mother and wife. His father’s mistreatment of his entire family was a major factor in shaping his criminal mindset; he suffered greatly as a result of his parents’ poor relationship. During his time at the University of Texas, he and some of his pals were arrested for poaching deer. He was rumored to be envious of his wife, a biology teacher who made more money than he did. Furthermore, he was financially reliant on his father, which fueled an inferiority feeling in him. Despite his wife’s repeated requests for him to see a psychiatrist, he refused. In addition, he was psychologically damaged when his parents divorced following a tumultuous marriage. During his counseling session with Dr. Heatley, the University of Texas Health Center’s staff psychiatrist, Charles revealed his fantasy of shooting people from the top of a tower. The doctor suggested that he go to another counseling session, but he was uninterested. He was killed in a confrontation with police on the University of Texas campus.
Childhood and Adolescence
Charles Joseph Whiteman was the eldest of three sons born to Charles A. Whitman, Jr. and Margaret in Lake Worth, Florida. Because of his father’s vicious temperament, his brothers and mother suffered greatly. Sacred Heart grade and junior high schools were where he acquired his early education. He got an Eagle Scout after joining the Boy Scouts. He enrolled at St. Ann’s High School in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 1955 and graduated in 1959.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on July 6, 1959. He spent eighteen months at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as part of his training.
He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Sharpshooter’s Badge for his outstanding performance in the training program. In addition, he was awarded the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal. He applied for and passed a scholarship program with the United States Navy and Marine Corps in order to become a commissioned officer. He attended a preparatory school in Bainbridge, Maryland, to study mathematics and physics after receiving approval from the selection committee. He passed it with flying colors, allowing him to go to the University of Texas to study engineering.
He enrolled at the University of Texas, Austin, to study engineering in September 1961. In 1963, he was reassigned to the Marine Corps as an enlisted man due to his poor performance. He enrolled at East Carolina State College in 1964. He was relieved of his duties on December 4 of the same year. He returned to the University of Texas to study engineering in the spring of 1965.
He afterwards worked for Standard Finance Company as a bill collector for a brief time. He went on to work as a teller at Austin National Bank after that. He began working part-time with Central Freight Lines in 1965. He also worked for the Texas Highway Department as a traffic surveyor. His mother moved into an apartment in Austin in 1966, unable to bear the pain of her abusive husband. Her apartment was not far from where Charles had previously resided.
Incarceration & Offenses
Charles went to his mother’s apartment on the evening of July 31, 1966, and stabbed and shot her. In a note, he attempted to justify his actions by claiming that he had relieved his mother’s pain. He returned home after murdering his mother. He typed a letter in which he stated his intention to end his wife’s life. He stabbed his wife to death while she was sleeping.
He hired a dolly and purchased the requisite weaponry and ammunition on August 1, 1966. He plotted a mass murder from the top of a tower at the University of Texas, dressed in khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki khaki He took the elevator to the top floor of the tower after entering the university. He encountered receptionist Edna Townsley in the tower’s observation deck area, where he injured her with the butt of his rifle and hid her body under a couch.
He met some visitors on their way up the steps and shot one of them to death within a short period of time. From 11:48 a.m., he began firing from the tower’s outside deck, shooting many students in the South Mall gathering center.
It was a history professor who first noticed the firing and reported the student murders to the Austin Police Department. The news of horrific killings sparked a flurry of activity on campus.
All active police officers, off-duty cops, and Texas Department of Public Safety officers descended on the university campus to handle the situation. He used the waterspouts on each side of the tower as loop holes while exchanging gunfire with the cops. Officers Ramiro Martinez and Houston McCoy, armed with a.38 pistol and a shotgun, walked to the observation deck and noticed Charles.
Personal Experiences of Charles
On August 17, 1962, he married Kathleen F. Leissner. Kathleen worked at Lanier High School as a biology teacher. On July 31, 1966, he stabbed her to death, the same day he murdered his mother. He was killed in an altercation with police at the University of Texas. On the observation deck, police officers Ramiro Martinez and Houston McCoy noticed him and shot him.
Estimated Net Worth
In the years 2020-2021, his net worth increased dramatically. So, at the age of 25, how much is Charles Whitman worth? Charles Whitman’s main source of income is as a successful actor. He is from the United States of America. Charles Whitman’s net worth, money, salary, income, and assets have all been calculated. In 2021, he will have a net worth of $5 million.
Trivia
This legendary killer requested that his brain be examined in order to determine the indicators of a physical cause for his mental disorders in his suicide note. He had a brain tumor, according to the postmortem report. Doctors were unsure whether or not the tumor had any impact on his heinous conduct.