'Pee Wee' Gaskins: A Serial Killer

Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins is a notorious serial killer in the state of South Carolina. Born Donald Henry Gaskins March 13, 1933, Florence South Carolina. Gaskins has always been troubled, even at a young age. All throughout his childhood he was teased. Gaskins obtained the nickname Pee Wee when his schoolmates gave it to him because of his small body frame. Gaskins was known for getting into fights with people whom he attended school with. Life at home was rough too, growing up Gaskins’ mother was known for having many suitors who she would have sex with in front of Gaskin, many, if not all the suitors would also abused Gaskins. In 1943 when Gaskins was ten his mother married Hinnant Hanna he too, abused Gaskins. A year later at age eleven

Gaskins preferred females, but he wouldn’t just victimize females, he also victimized males. In 1975, Gaskins found eighty boys and girls along the highways in North Carolina and killed them. Doreen Dempsey, a woman who thought of Donald Gaskins as a friend was leaving town and decided to get a ride from him. Gaskins drove her to a wooded area where he then raped and killed her. After killing her Gaskins proceeded to rape, sodomize and kill her two-year-old

This made it easier to not get caught. Then one day after murdering three people when their automobile broke down, Gaskins finally needed some help, so he called Walter Neely to drive the victim’s automobile to Gaskins garage so he could repaint it and sell it. Gaskins was also hired as hit man, a woman named Suzanne Kipper paid him fifteen hundred dollars to kill her ex-boyfriend, Silas Yates. On February 12, 1975 Gaskins kidnapped and murdered Silas Yates. Diane Neely, a woman who had helped with the killing of Silas Yates, and her boyfriend decided to blackmail Gaskins. They demanded money for their silence. Gaskins quickly took care of Diane and her boyfriend.

On April 27, 1976, Gaskins and Neely were charged with many accounts of murder. Come May 24, 1976 Gaskins was also convicted of murdering Dennis Bellamy and was sentences to death. Not wanting his life to expire, Gaskins confessed to other murders that he had committed. Unable to deal with the coercion Neely showed the police Gaskins “private cemetery”. Police Officials found the bodies belonging to Diane Neely, Johnny Knight, Dennis Bellamy, Avery Howard, Doreen Dempsey, and her