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September 11, 2026Short & citedBlog
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Civic Brief • Murderer

Richard Speck

Richard Speck was an American mass murderer convicted of killing eight student nurses in Chicago in 1966.

Updated September 11, 20261 min readCited sources

Richard Speck was an American mass murderer convicted of killing eight student nurses in Chicago in 1966. He died in prison in 1991.

The Murders

On the night of July 13–14, 1966, Speck broke into a student nurses’ residence in Chicago. He used stabbing, strangling, and slashing to kill eight women. One victim was also raped. A ninth nurse survived by hiding under a bed.

Trial and Sentence

Speck was convicted in 1967 and initially sentenced to death. After the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated the death penalty statute used in his case in 1972, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He remained at Stateville Correctional Center.

Death and Burial

Speck died on December 5, 1991, of a heart attack while in prison. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered in an undisclosed location. No public grave exists.

In short

  • Murdered eight student nurses in Chicago in 1966.
  • Originally sentenced to death but later commuted to life imprisonment.
  • Died of a heart attack in prison in 1991.

Quick questions

Who is Richard Speck?
Richard Speck was an American mass murderer best known for killing eight student nurses in Chicago in 1966.
What did Richard Speck do?
He broke into a nurses’ residence in Chicago and murdered eight student nurses; one victim was also raped before being killed.
When did Richard Speck die?
He died on December 5, 1991.

Sources

  1. Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Speck
    Supports: Birth and death dates, murders, conviction, and prison death
  2. Encyclopaedia Britannicahttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Richard-Speck
    Supports: Biography, eight victims, sentence history, and death in prison
  3. Chicago History Museumhttps://www.chicagohistory.org/first-mass-murderer-richard-speck/
    Supports: Chicago murders, death in prison, and cremation/ash scattering
  4. HISTORYhttps://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-13/a-mass-murderer-leaves-eight-women-dead
    Supports: Eight murders, sentence change after 1972 ruling, and death in prison