On the night of July 13–14, 1966, Richard Speck committed one of the most horrifying mass murders in American history. Speck broke into a townhouse located at 2319 East 100th Street in Chicago, which housed student nurses from the South Chicago Community Hospital. Armed with a knife and a handgun, Speck methodically and brutally murdered eight young nursing students, leaving behind a scene that shocked the nation and changed hospital security forever.
The Victims
Gloria Davy, Patricia Matusek, Nina Jo Schmale, Pamela Wilkening, Suzanne Farris, Mary Ann Jordan, Merlita Gargullo, and Valentina Pasion. These young women were between 20 and 24 years old. Speck tied them up, sexually assaulted them, and killed them using stabbing and strangulation.
One nurse, Corazon Amurao, survived by hiding under a bed. Her later testimony helped identify and convict Speck.
Before the murders, Richard Speck had a long criminal history. He was arrested for burglary, theft, check fraud, and assault. He had been in and out of jail and was known for being a violent alcoholic.
The killing of the eight nurses became one of the worst mass murders in U.S. history. It shocked the nation and changed how hospitals and nursing schools thought about security. Speck’s crime showed how unsafe things could be for young women living in shared housing, leading to major safety changes across the country.
Before the Chicago nurse murders, Richard Speck already had a long history of crime. His record included burglary, theft, check fraud, and assault. He had been in and out of jail many times. People who knew him described him as a violent man with a bad temper and a serious drinking problem.
The murder of eight student nurses in 1966 was the worst crime Speck ever committed. It shocked the entire country. The case became one of the most infamous mass murders in American history.
After the killings, hospitals and nursing schools across the U.S. started taking security more seriously. Speck’s actions showed how dangerous it could be for young women living in group housing. His crimes led to major changes in safety rules and left a lasting impact on how institutions protect their students and staff.
National Maratime Union Hiring Hall
On Friday, July 8, 1966, his brother-in-law Gene drove Speck to the NMU hiring hall to pick up his seaman's card and register for a berth on a ship. Speck lost out that day to a seaman with more seniority for a berth on the SS Flying Spray, a C1-A cargo ship bound for South Vietnam, and returned to his sister Martha’s apartment for the weekend.
Pauline’s Rooming House
This was “Pauline’s” rooming house in the Vets Park neighborhood of South Deering where Richard Speck spent the night of July 11, 1966, just two days before he perpetrated the murders.
Shipyard Inn
Undated picture of Shipyard Inn and the same location in 2024
The establishment gained infamy in 1966 when it was revealed that Richard Speck, the man who brutally murdered eight student nurses, had rented a room there and spent the day drinking at the bar before carrying out his horrific crime. The buiding changed names and owners several times before eventually being destroyed by fire in 2004.
Estimated route walked by Speck.
Scene of the Crime
Then in 1966 and Now taken 2024
At 11:00 PM on July 13, 1966, Speck broke into a townhouse located at 2319 East 100th Street in the Jeffery Manor neighborhood of Chicago. It was functioning as a dormitory for several young student nurses, some of whom were Filipinos. Armed with only a knife he raped then killed the young women, including Gloria Davy, Patricia Matusek, Nina Schmale, Pamela Wilkening, Suzanne Farris, Mary Ann Jordan, Merlita Gargullo, and Valentina Pasion. Speck, who later claimed he was high on both alcohol and drugs, may have originally planned to commit a routine burglary.
Raleigh Hotel Room 806
Built in 1882 as a luxury apartment building, the structure's distinctive red and green terracotta stonework once symbolized elegance in the city's downtown corridor. But by 1966, the Raleigh had fallen far from its original grandeur, converted into a flophouse offering cheap single rooms to transients and those seeking to disappear.
It was here that Speck found sanctuary after the July 14 murders. Hotel manager Otha Hullinger later told investigators that a clean-cut, well-mannered man had approached him seeking accommodation. The stranger, who gave his name as John Stayton, displayed an easy charm that belied his deadly intentions. Hullinger rented him room 806.
Police sources confirmed that "John Stayton" was an alias borrowed from one of Speck's acquaintances back in Texas. For days, as the city reeled from news of the massacre and a massive manhunt spread across Chicago, the killer remained hidden behind the crumbling facade of what had once been one of the city's finer addresses.
Starr Hotel and Specks Suicide Attempt
Undated photograph of Star Hotel and the same location in 2024
On July 15, 1966—just one day after Speck's brutal murder of eight student nurses—Speck had been drinking on the Starr Hotel's fire escape with Gerald Lunsford and another man. The following evening, July 16, Lunsford recognized a sketch of the murderer in the evening paper and phoned the police at 9:30 p.m. after finding Speck in his room at the hotel. Although police records showed the call had been made, they did not respond. Speck then attempted suicide, and the hotel desk clerk phoned in the emergency around midnight. Speck was transported to the old Cook County Hospital and this is where Speck was recognized by Dr. LeRoy Smith, a 25-year-old surgical resident physician, who had read about the "Born To Raise Hell" tattoo in a newspaper story about the murders. The police were called, and Speck was finally arrested.
Trial, Conviction, and Death
The prosecution’s case was anchored by the powerful testimony of Corazon Amurao, the lone survivor who had hidden under a bed during the massacre. Amurao dramatically identified Speck in court, pointing at him and declaring “This is the man.” The defense attempted to argue insanity, claiming Speck had brain damage from previous head injuries and was under the influence of drugs and alcohol during the murders. However, the jury wasn’t buying it. On April 15, 1967, after deliberating for just 49 minutes, they found Speck guilty of all eight murders.
Speck was initially sentenced to death in the electric chair, but his fate changed when the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily struck down capital punishment in 1972. His sentence was commuted to eight consecutive terms of 50 to 150 years in prison – essentially 400 to 1,200 years behind bars. Speck spent the rest of his life in Stateville Correctional Center, where he became something of a notorious figure among inmates. He died of a heart attack on December 5, 1991, at age 49, just one day before his 50th birthday.
