William Heirens: The 1946 Lipstick Killer Who Haunted Chicago

The summer of 1946 in Chicago was one of fear and fascination. Three brutal murders, a cryptic message scrawled in lipstick, and the arrest of a seemingly ordinary 17-year-old college student captured the attention of a city—and the nation. That young man was William Heirens, later dubbed the “Lipstick Killer”—a name etched into the annals of American true crime history. William Heirens grew up in Lincolnwood.

William Heirens childhood house

The Murders

The first known victim was Josephine Ross, 43, found stabbed to death in her Chicago apartment in June 1945.

Josephine Ross’s Apartment

Josephine Ross (43) died on June 5, 1945.

Evelyn Peterson was attacked on October 5, 1945.

Frances Brown Murder

A few months later, Frances Brown, 32, was shot and stabbed in her home. But what made Brown’s murder especially notorious was the chilling message written in lipstick on the wall:
“For heavens sake catch me before I kill more. I cannot control myself.”

Frances Brown’s apartment

Then came the most horrific of all: in January 1946, 6-year-old Suzanne Degnan was abducted from her bedroom in the middle of the night. Her dismembered body parts were later discovered in sewer drains near her home. The brutality of the crime horrified the public and added intense pressure on police to find the killer.

Suzanne Degnan’s head found at this location

Suzanne Degnan (6) died on January 7, 1946. Her remains were recovered from nearby drains, her funeral was held at a local church, and she was buried in Des Plaines.

The Arrest and Confession

William Heirens was arrested in June 1946 during a botched burglary attempt. A student at the University of Chicago and a known petty thief, Heirens quickly became the prime suspect in the murders. Authorities claimed his handwriting and fingerprints linked him to the crime scenes.

On June 26, 1946, Heirens was arrested while attempting to rob an apartment in Rogers Park, and a shootout continued nearby.

Shootout Location

While in custody, Heirens endured prolonged interrogations, isolation, and even reportedly a sodium pentothal “truth serum” interrogation. After days of intense pressure, he confessed.

However, questions arose almost immediately:

Heirens later recanted his confession, saying it was coerced.
There was no clear physical evidence tying him to all three crimes.
The “lipstick message” handwriting did not conclusively match his.
Some experts believe the dismemberment of Suzanne Degnan suggested surgical skill—something Heirens lacked.

Despite these inconsistencies, Heirens pleaded guilty to all three murders in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison—three terms to be served consecutively.

Life in Prison and Death

William Heirens became the longest-serving inmate in Illinois history. Over the decades, he maintained his innocence and became something of a model prisoner:

He earned a bachelor’s degree behind bars.
He worked in the prison hospital.
He tutored fellow inmates.

His appeals were consistently denied, despite growing doubts about the validity of his conviction. In the 1990s and early 2000s, journalists, legal experts, and even former prosecutors began to question whether Heirens had received a fair trial.

Still, he remained imprisoned until his death in 2012 at the age of 83, after spending 65 years behind bars. He was creamated.

Another lipstick note left by William

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