Peter Kudzinowski

Peter Kudzinowski (August 13, 1903 – December 21, 1929) was an American serial killer who was linked to at least three murders committed within a four-year span.

Peter Kudzinowski
Kudzinowski on death row
Born	(1903-08-13)August 13, 1903 Dickson City, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	December 21, 1929(1929-12-21) (aged 26) Trenton State Prison, Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
Cause of death	Execution by electrocution
Other names	Ray Rogers Roy Lambert
Criminal status	Executed
Conviction(s)	First degree murder
Criminal penalty	Death
Details
Victims	3-4+
Span of crimes	March 8, 1924 (1924-03-08) – November 17, 1928 (1928-11-17)
Country	United States
State(s)	New Jersey New York (state)
Date apprehended	December 3, 1928
Imprisoned at	Trenton State Prison

An alcoholic, he confessed to his crimes while jailed for public intoxication in order to lift the burden of his conscience, stating he committed his murders in an equal state of intoxication. He was sentenced to death by the state of New Jersey after a quick legal process and spent a year on death row before he was executed in the electric chair at Trenton State Prison.

His crimes coincided with those of fellow serial killer Albert Fish, who also committed at least three murders (and suspected of more) within the same time and area.

Early life

Peter Kudzinowski was born on August 13, 1903, in Dickson City, Pennsylvania, to Polish immigrant parents Paul and Veronica. He is frequently and incorrectly referred to as Polish-born. He was the youngest of four boys and grew up in the Scranton area.

Kudzinowski suffered a skull fracture in the sixth grade after diving into a shallow pool. This had a noticeable effect on his behavior; he refused to go to school anymore. He subsequently worked a stint in the Lackawanna Coal Mine and later held a job in the Lackawanna Railroad yards in Secaucus.

Murders

Harry Quinn

After Kudzinowski was jailed for seven-year-old Joseph Storelli's murder in 1928, he also confessed to two other murders. Kudzinowski murdered 20-year-old Harry Quinn in Scranton on March 8, 1924. The two were friends and were traveling to Spring Brook Township, where Quinn was looking to land a job with the Spring Brook Water Supply Company. Kudzinowski had introduced himself as "Ray Rogers" and "Roy Lambert" to some of Quinn's family members on what turned out to be the last day they would hear anything from Quinn.

After the two of them had an altercation over a bottle of whiskey, Kudzinowski crushed Quinn's head with a rock. Kudzinowski's older brother later recalled that Kudzinowski came to visit him, told him he had been in a scrape, and needed money to leave town, without mentioning what had actually happened. Not having heard from Quinn in a few years, his family members presumed he had abandoned them and had been looking to get in touch with him through newspaper advertisements.

Julia Mlodzianowski

Kudzinowski also admitted to murdering Julia Mlodzianowski, a five-year-old girl from Jersey City, who was at a school picnic at Lake Hopatcong on August 19, 1928, although after he was captured, he told reporters he "had doubts" that he had actually murdered her. He lured her away from her parents before strangling her to death and dismembering her body, which was then disposed of in the Delaware Water Gap.

Joseph Storelli

Kudzinowski met seven-year-old Joseph Storelli in a "half drunk" state late afternoon on November 17, 1928, on First Avenue in East Village, New York. Kudzinowski accosted two other children at the same location, but they ran away. Kudzinowski lured the boy away with the promise of a box of candy and a visit to a motion picture show. He then took him by the Port Authority Trans-Hudson train to Journal Square in Jersey City and finally walked him to the New Jersey Meadowlands near Secaucus. 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, Kudzinowski slashed his throat, covered the body with the boy's overcoat, and left him.

Capture

Kudzinowski was jailed in Detroit for public intoxication. He confessed to Storelli's murder to his jailer, who laughed at him. Kudzinowski was released after sobering up. On December 3, 1928, Kudzinowski drunkenly staggered up to a police traffic booth and told the officer there that he was wanted by the police. Upon being asked whether he meant for murder, he replied "You'll find out." In jail again, Kudzinowski was interviewed by Detroit detectives who obtained the rough edges of his confession. He was primarily motivated to confess by the weight of his conscience, stating "I'm willing to pay the penalty, and the sooner it's over, the better. I had to confess. It was troubling me."

He was quickly transported to Jersey City to stand trial. The state brought in a medical expert, who characterized Kudzinowski as possessing a psychopathic personality. The defense brought its own experts who analyzed the X-rays made after the diving accident in his youth. He was found guilty of first-degree murder on January 17, 1929. When asked if he had anything to say before the sentence was passed, Kudzinowski remained silent. He was sentenced to die in the electric chair at Trenton State Prison in the week of February 24. Kudzinowski stated he was ready to die and felt he would probably commit more murders if he were ever set free again.

Execution

His father, Paul, had suffered a complete breakdown upon learning of his son's deeds, with his health reportedly declining very rapidly and "aging in years." Paul Kudzinowski died on June 23, while Kudzinowski was held on death row. He lost an appeal on October 14. A final appeal to Governor Morgan Foster Larson of New Jersey to have his death sentence commuted to life in prison on grounds of insanity was denied on December 17. Kudzinowski appeared unfazed by his conviction, but on the night of his execution by electric chair on December 21, he appeared nervous and was unable to repeat the prayers uttered by his priest immediately before death. He requested ice cream for his last meal and declined to make a final statement.

Aftermath

Storelli's father later took his family back to Italy, leaving behind only Joseph's older brother, who ended up serving a year in prison and who was at one point arrested for robbing a high-stakes card game. He was eventually shot and killed by police during a routine inspection.

Kudzinowski was considered a suspect in the disappearance of Billy Gaffney, who vanished in 1927. Albert Fish would later claim to have murdered Gaffney. Kudzinowski and Fish committed their crimes in the same time span and geographic area, and both killed children. He was also a suspect in the murder of Irving Pickelny, who disappeared from Brooklyn in February 1927.

See also

• List of serial killers in the United States

References

Sources

Census

• "Paul Kudzenski", United States census, 1900; Dickson Ward 2–3, Lackawanna; page 19B, line 76, enumeration district 18.
• "Peter Kojonski", United States census, 1910; Moosic Ward 4, Lackawanna; roll 1357, page 44A, line 13, enumeration district 39.
• "Peter Kudzinowski", United States census, 1920; Moosic Ward 4, Lackawanna; roll 1578, page 15A, line 19, enumeration district 73.
• "Veronica Kutzinowski", United States census, 1930; Moosic, Lackawanna; roll 2050, page 12A, line 19, enumeration district 169.

Newspapers

• "Prisoner In Detroit Jail Reveals Crime". Scranton Republican. December 6, 1928.
• "Youth Boasts Of 2 Slayings". Detroit Free Press. December 6, 1928.
• "Unearth Slain Boy In Jersey Marshes". The Sentinel. December 6, 1928.
• "Tried to Lure Two, Boy's Slayer Says". The New York Times. December 8, 1928.
• "Big Guard to Meet Boy's Slayer Here". The New York Times. December 9, 1928.
• "Boy Killer Welcomes Death Chair". Daily News. December 9, 1928.
• "Pleasure of Crime Worth the Chair". Daily News. December 10, 1928.
• "Boy-Killer Spirited to Jersey City Jail". The New York Times. December 10, 1928.
• "Crime Worth Death in Chair, Boy's Killer Brags". Daily News. December 10, 1928.
• "Fiend Admits Killing Girl, 6". Daily News. December 11, 1928.
• "Kudzinowski Re-enacts Murder". Daily News. December 11, 1928.
• "Slayer Confesses to Third Murder". The New York Times. December 11, 1928.
• "Slayer Re-Enacts his Third Murder". The New York Times. December 12, 1928.
• "Boy's Slayer Brought Here on Secret Tour". The New York Times. December 13, 1928.
• "Doubt Kudzinowski Made Full Confession". Scranton Republican. December 14, 1928.
• "To Ask Sanity Test For Slayer of Boy". The New York Times. December 16, 1928.
• "Slayer Of Boy Panic Stricken In Court Plea". Daily News. December 21, 1928.
• "Slayer Of Boy to Get Mental Examination". The New York Times. December 21, 1928.
• "Kudzinowski Trial Jan. 9". The New York Times. December 28, 1928.
• "State Rushes Trial of Slayer of Boy". The New York Times. January 10, 1929.
• "Five Experts Call Slayer Not Normal". The New York Times. January 11, 1929.
• "Finds Boy's Slayer Guilty in an Hour". The New York Times. January 12, 1929.
• "Boy's Killer is Calm at Sentence to Die". The New York Times. January 17, 1929.
• "Father of Kudzinowski Dies". Scranton Republican. June 24, 1929.
• "Slayer of Boy Loses Jersey Appeal". The New York Times. October 15, 1929.
• "Denies Slayer's Appeal". The New York Times. December 18, 1929.
• "Former Local Man Is Calm Awaiting End". Scranton Republican. December 21, 1929.
• "Fiend Slayer Of Boy, 7, Goes Cringing To Chair". Daily News. December 21, 1929.
• "Slayer of Boy Dies in Electric Chair". The New York Times. December 21, 1929.
• "Card Game Hold-up Surprised by Police". The New York Times. June 12, 1934.
• "Shot by Policeman, Dies". The New York Times. February 18, 1936.

Online

• "State v. Kudzinowski, 147 A. 453 (N.J. 1929)". Supreme Court of New Jersey. October 14, 1929. Retrieved December 4, 2019.