Leslie Irvin

Serial Killer

Leslie Irvin: The "Mad Dog Killer"

Background

Leslie Irvin was an American serial killer whose crimes frightened communities in southwestern Indiana and western Kentucky during the winter of 1954 and the spring of 1955. Born in Evansville, Indiana, on April 2, 1924, Irvin had already spent years in prison for armed robbery before beginning the series of killings that made him nationally notorious. Irvin was released from prison in 1954 after serving approximately nine years of a sentence for armed robbery. He returned to the Evansville area, where he committed numerous burglaries and robberies. During several of these crimes, he forced victims into helpless positions and shot them at close range. Six people were killed in four separate incidents between December 2, 1954, and March 28, 1955.

Victims and Confirmed Dates of Death

• Mary Holland, age 33 December 2, 1954 Evansville, Indiana: Holland was working at the Bellemeade Liquor Store when she was attacked during a robbery. Irvin forced her into a back area of the business and shot her in the head at close range. Her body was discovered behind a toilet. Holland was approximately three months pregnant at the time of her death.
• Whitney Wesley Kerr, age 29 December 23, 1954 Evansville, Indiana: Kerr was a military veteran and an attendant at a Standard Oil service station near U.S. Route 41 and East Franklin Street. During a robbery, he was taken into the station restroom, made to kneel and shot in the back of the head. His body was found near the toilet. Some early newspaper reports gave different ages for Kerr, but later accounts identify him as 29.
• Wilhelmina Susanna Sailer, age 47 March 21, 1955 near Mount Vernon, Posey County, Indiana: Sailer was attacked inside her rural farmhouse during a burglary. Her hands were tied behind her back, and she was shot in the head. Her seven-year-old son discovered her body after returning home from school.
• Goebel Duncan, age 51 March 28, 1955 Henderson County, Kentucky: Duncan encountered Irvin during a burglary at the Duncan family farm. He and his son Raymond were taken to a remote part of the property, restrained and shot in the head.
• Raymond Duncan, age 29 March 28, 1955 Henderson County, Kentucky: Raymond was Goebel Duncan's son. He was captured with his father after they interrupted the burglary. Irvin forced the two men away from the family home before binding and killing them.
• Maple Elizabeth Duncan, age 20 March 28, 1955 Henderson County, Kentucky: Elizabeth was a daughter-in-law of Goebel Duncan and the wife of another Duncan son. She was shot inside or near the family residence during the same attack. Her young daughter was present at the property but was not physically harmed.

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Confirmed Victims: (6)

Mary Holland Age: (33), Date of Death: 1954-12-02

Leslie Irvin (serial killer) - Wikipedia