#Richard the iceman kuklinski death serial#

As fate would have it, Roy DeMeo saw potential in a young Kuklinski, especially after he had passed his final test, murdering a random target walking down the street for no reason. He was good at it, though, and that meant the only way for his criminal career was upward. 14 His Murders Started Out Of Revengeīeating people up on the mafia’s dime wasn’t going to satisfy the Iceman for long nor was it about to fill his bank account. Later, Richard’s other brother was convicted of sexual assault and murder, which the Iceman brushed off as a consequence of having been raised by the same father. The Kuklinski parents were so vicious in their abuse they actually murdered Richard’s older brother, Florian, covering it up by claiming he fell down the stairs. This religious hypocrisy would get passed on to Richard, who kept going to church regularly as his life of crime took off. Ironically, his parents were extremely religious Catholics, who didn’t see how beating their kids went against the fundamentals of their faith.

#Richard the iceman kuklinski death serial#

Many serial killers come from abusive parents, and the Iceman is no different, having been physically abused by both his parents.

By the time his childhood was over, however, he would have undergone such horrific trauma that it was highly unlikely he’d live a normal life.

15 He Was Abused By His Extremely Religious Parentsīorn the third of four children to Stanley and Anna Kuklinski in 1935, some might argue young Richard started out as innocent as any other newborn baby entering this world. For all the gritty details he loved to share, keep reading to learn 15 terrifying facts about “The Iceman Killer” Richard Kuklinski. Rather than ever showing shame or remorse of any kind, Kuklinski reveled in the attention until his dying day. He did gain the attention of the Family, as in the mafia, becoming the preferred hitman for a number of major crime syndicates. Throughout his more than three-decade career getting paid to break society’s most basic laws, Kuklinski never once rose suspicions in his family or friends, all of whom thought he was a totally normal guy who, at worst, had a bit of a temper. After getting caught, Kuklinski would claim his death count was as high as 250, making him one of the most prolific mass murderers of all time. Of course, there were a few aspects of the Iceman’s life that weren’t unusual for men of his ilk, including a childhood filled with trauma and the thrill he described receiving after doing the unthinkable. What separated Kuklinski from the average serial killer were his motives, methods, and above all, the untraceable professionalism in how he took people’s lives. Being one of the most heartless contract murderers in American history, Richard Kuklinski earned his nickname “The Iceman” primarily through that second definition, although literal ice did play a macabre role in how he committed these crimes. Due to the acts of certain fictional characters known to cometh, however, it has also come to refer to a cold-blooded killer. All “iceman” really means is an individual happens to be in the business of buying, selling, or carving frozen water. Technically speaking, the term “iceman” is far more demure than any person to receive this moniker in modern times.