Gary Michael Heidnik
was born in 1943. Throughout his life he had many occupations including: soldier,
nurse, landlord, minister, and stock speculator. He was discharged from the U.S.
Army in the early sixties due to a mental disability. After his release attempted to
commit suicide several times and thus spent considerable time in various Pennsylvania
mental institutions. At one point he founded his own church, the United Church of
the Ministries of God, of which he appointed himself bishop. During this same period
he began playing the stock market and managed to build a portfolio that made him a half a
million dollars. In 1985 Heidnik married a Filipino who soon left after being
assaulted.In all,
Heidnik kidnapped six women which he had managed to imprison in his basement undetected
for four months. One of the women escaped and went to the police. At first
they didn't believe her story of torture and murder. On March 25th, 1987 the police
finally searched Heidnik's house. Thus verifying the woman's grizzly story.
Convicted of murdering two women, Heidnik was sentenced to death. While on death
row, Heidnik made several suicide attempts. He was executed by lethal injection July
6th, 1999, after all appeals prompted by his daughter failed.
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