Richards was born in West Virginia in 1856. His family would later move to Ohio, eventually settling in the Quaker village of Mount Pleasant. In 1876, Richards left his home and headed westward with the intention of seeking his fortune. For a time, he found work at a local asylum; he claimed that during his time there, he lost all empathy for other people. When Richards later confessed to his crimes, he claimed to have committed his first murder sometime in late 1876, two weeks after arriving in Kearney, Nebraska. He would go on to commit several other murders, which he later claimed were done in self-defense. Richards fled after murdering Mary L. Harlson and her three children, but was captured in Mount Pleasant. In 1879, he was convicted of the murders of the Harlson family, as well as the killing of neighbor Peter Anderson, and hanged.
Friday, November 05, 2021
Stephen Dee Richards
Stephen D. Richards or Samuel D. Richards (March 18, 1856 – April 26, 1879), also known in the media as The Nebraska Fiend, Kearney County Murderer, and The Ohio Monster, was an American serial killer who confessed to committing nine murders in Nebraska and Iowa between 1876 and 1878.
