Peter Kudzinowski
Encyclopedia
Peter Kudzinowski was a Polish
-born American
serial killer
who committed his crimes in New Jersey
.
.
Kudzinowski killed three children:
Kudzinowski was a suspect in the disappearance of Billy Gaffney, who vanished in 1927; Albert Fish
would later claim to have murdered Gaffney. Both serial killers worked in the same time frame and in the same geographic area and killed children. He was also a suspect in the murder of Irving Pickelny, who disappeared from Brooklyn
in February 1927.
Kudzinowski was captured in Detroit, Michigan
, confessed, and was brought to Jersey City for trial. He was found guilty of first-degree murder on November 17, 1928. He was sentenced to be executed at the New Jersey State Prison
on February 24, 1929 and was executed in the electric chair
on December 21, 1929 in Trenton, New Jersey
.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who committed his crimes in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Biography
Kudzinowski worked as a railroad section hand and as a miner. He had a brother Julian who lived in Greenwood, near Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
.
Kudzinowski killed three children:
- Harry Quinn, near Scranton, in 1924.
- Joseph Storella (1921-1928). Kuzinowski accosted two other children at the same location, but they ran away. Kudzinowski met Storella on First Avenue in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, at about 5:30 in the evening. He took Joseph to a movie then took him by the Port Authority Trans-HudsonPort Authority Trans-HudsonPATH, derived from Port Authority Trans-Hudson, is a rapid transit railroad linking Manhattan, New York City with Newark, Harrison, Hoboken and Jersey City in metropolitan northern New Jersey...
train to Journal SquareJournal SquareJournal Square is a business district, residential area, and transportation hub in Jersey City, New Jersey, which takes its name from the newspaper Jersey Journal whose headquarters are located there. The "square" itself is at the intersection of Kennedy Boulevard and Bergen Avenues...
in Jersey City, New JerseyJersey City, New JerseyJersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
and then walked him to the swamps in SecaucusSecaucus, New JerseySecaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
. When Joseph tried to get away, Kudzinowski knocked him down and hit him several times. Worrying that the boy's cries would attract passing cars, he slashed his throat, covered the body with the boy's overcoat, and left him.
- Julia Mlodzianowski (1923-1928). She lived on Gilchrist Street in Jersey City and was at a school picnic at Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey on August 19, 1928 when she was murdered.
Kudzinowski was a suspect in the disappearance of Billy Gaffney, who vanished in 1927; Albert Fish
Albert Fish
Hamilton Howard "Albert" Fish was an American serial killer. He was also known as the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac and The Boogey Man. A child rapist and cannibal, he boasted that he "had children in every state," and at one time put the figure at...
would later claim to have murdered Gaffney. Both serial killers worked in the same time frame and in the same geographic area and killed children. He was also a suspect in the murder of Irving Pickelny, who disappeared from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in February 1927.
Kudzinowski was captured in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, confessed, and was brought to Jersey City for trial. He was found guilty of first-degree murder on November 17, 1928. He was sentenced to be executed at the New Jersey State Prison
New Jersey State Prison
The New Jersey State Prison , formerly known as Trenton State Prison, is a state prison in Trenton, New Jersey operated by the New Jersey Department of Corrections. It accommodated over 1,900 prisoners as of January, 2005....
on February 24, 1929 and was executed in the electric chair
Electric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
on December 21, 1929 in Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
.
See also
- List of individuals executed in New Jersey
- Capital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United StatesCapital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...