Meeting the great-great-grandson of a serial killer

It’s not often that you hang out with the great-great-grandson of a serial killer.

Not that that had ever been a goal of mine. But seeing as how I’ve written two true crime/history sorts of books, had read a book detailing, among other things, H.H. Holmes’ heinous crimes and capture, and had watched a documentary on Holmes, meeting a man who has researched his evil ancestor for the past 20 years proved quite interesting.

Jeff Mudgett walked up to our table in the vendor hall at Imaginarium in Louisville last month, and we struck up a short chat after he saw my books. At the time, I had no idea his connection to any serial killer or even to the convention. But he mentioned he’d flown in the previous night, so I figured he must be a special guest/speaker.

I looked him up and discovered his relationship to one of America’s first serial killers, one written about extensively in The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, a 2003 historical nonfiction book by Erik Larsen about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. H.H. Holmes was one of more than 40 aliases used by the man born as Herman Mudgett.

A bit later in the day, I attended Jeff’s presentation on Holmes, whom Jeff had quit his job as a California attorney to research after finding out during a family dinner at the age of 40 that he was related to him. Jeff presented some interesting information regarding Holmes, some of which has led him to believe his great-great-grandfather not only was Jack the Ripper, but also somehow escaped prison while a body double went to the gallows in his place at a Philadelphia prison in 1896.

Jeff presented some excellent evidence to support his theories, some of which he talked about when he co-hosted The History Channel’s 2017 TV miniseries American Ripper.

That evening, we had a beverage together during a conversation over Holmes, Jeff’s theories, and lasagna. The next day, I had the pleasure of serving as a guest expert with Jeff on a panel titled “The Ethics of Reporting True Crime.”

Believe it or not, he’s really a pleasant guy to talk to.

While what Holmes did was abominable, it was fascinating to talk to someone who had spent so much time trying to discover all the facts, facts that might help authorities understand a mind capable of such atrocities.

You can find out much more in Jeff’s book, Bloodstains.