Offender Record · OFF-2026-075
Ed Gein (photo from the Radford University biography)
Edward Theodore Gein
Also known as Ed Gein, The Plainfield Ghoul, The Butcher of Plainfield
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'7"
Born
1906
Custody
Deceased
States
WI
Distinguishing featuresGrowth on left eyelid causing lazy eye; lesion on tongue affecting speech
Custody
Deceased at Mendota Mental Health Institute
Custody record at the facility
Died July 26, 1984, at Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, from respiratory failure at age 77.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Edward Theodore Gein was convicted of first-degree murder in 1968 for the shooting death of Bernice Worden, a 58-year-old hardware store owner in Plainfield, Wisconsin, on November 16, 1957. Gein also confessed to killing tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954. He exhumed corpses from local cemeteries between 1947 and 1952, fashioning items from the remains. Found legally insane at the time of the Worden murder, he was committed to psychiatric institutions where he remained until his death from respiratory failure on July 26, 1984.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Offense date Dec 08, 1954, Bancroft, Wisconsin
Murder (confessed but not formally charged)
Waushara County, Wisconsin · unknown · Docket unknown · Wisconsin first-degree murder statute · Arrested Nov 16, 1957 · Sentence: Never formally charged or tried due to prohibitive costs
Mary Hogan, 51- to 54-year-old tavern owner who resembled Gein's mother, disappeared December 8, 1954. Gein confessed during interrogation following Worden arrest that he shot Hogan with a .22-caliber firearm. Her remains were discovered in Gein's house. Gein stated Hogan was missing for three years before discovery. Never formally charged or tried for this murder due to county budget constraints; authorities only prosecuted the Worden case.
SourcesEd Gein; Ed Gein; Edward Theodore Gein; Ed Gein: the true story of the Plainfield grave robber behind Psycho; Ed Gein
Offense date Nov 16, 1957, Plainfield, Wisconsin
First-degree murder
Waushara County, Wisconsin · Waushara County Court (Bench Trial, Circuit Judge Robert H. Gollmar presiding) · Docket unknown · Wisconsin first-degree murder statute · Arrested Nov 16, 1957 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Not guilty by reason of insanity; committed indefinitely to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane
Bernice Worden, 58-year-old hardware store owner in Plainfield, Wisconsin, disappeared November 16, 1957, after inquiring about antifreeze. Gein shot her with a .22-caliber rifle at her store. Her decapitated, disemboweled body was found hanging upside down in Gein's shed, field-dressed like a deer. Autopsy revealed single gunshot wound to back of head. Gein confessed after arrest and remained initially silent, then confessed on November 18, 1957. Charged November 21, 1957 with first-degree murder; plea of not guilty by reason of insanity entered. Found unfit to stand trial January 6, 1958; committed to Central State Hospital. Trial commenced November 7, 1968; found guilty November 14, 1968 by Judge Gollmar; second sanity hearing found not guilty by reason of insanity; recommitted to Central State Hospital.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Gein, Ed; Ed Gein; Ed Gein; Ed Gein: the true story of the Plainfield grave robber behind Psycho; True Crime Tuesday: The Butcher of Plainfield and the inspiration for Psycho's Norman Bates, Ed Gein; Ed Gein
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
1
Victims convicted
2
Victims confessed
7
Victims suspected
Active years
1947–1957
Stated motive
Sexual, Power or control
Range from home
local
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
Died
1984-07-26 · natural
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
WI
La Crosse, Wisconsin
Aug 27, 1906 – 1914 · Born in La Crosse County; family lived in La Crosse where father worked and family owned grocery store
Plainfield, Wisconsin
1914 – Nov 16, 1957 · Farm on 195 acres (later described as 155 acres) on southwest corner of Archer and 2nd Avenue in rural Waushara County; Ed lived alone on farm after death of parents and brother
Plainfield, Wisconsin
approx. 1940 – 1957 · Worked as handyman, carpenter, babysitter, and farmer
Waupun, Wisconsin
Jan 06, 1958 – 1978 · Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane (later converted to Dodge Correctional Institution); committed January 6, 1958, for mental observation and treatment; remained 10 years until found competent for trial in 1968; after trial November 1968, recommitted; worked as mason, carpenter's assis
Madison, Wisconsin
1978 – Jul 26, 1984 · Mendota Mental Health Institute (minimum-security psychiatric facility); transferred from Central State Hospital in 1978 due to failing health; died there from respiratory failure and cancer on July 26, 1984, at age 77, in geriatric psychiatric ward
Timeline
Aug 27, 1906
Edward Theodore Gein born in La Crosse County, Wisconsin.
1914
Gein family moved from La Crosse to isolated 195-acre farm near Plainfield, Wisconsin, when Ed was 8 years old.
1945
Gein's mother Augusta died of stroke complications; Ed boarded up most of her rooms in the family house as a shrine.
1947
Gein began nocturnal cemetery visits and grave-robbing; admitted to exhuming approximately 9 graves between 1947 and 1952, taking body parts to fashion into household items.
Dec 08, 1954
Gein shot and killed Mary Hogan, 51- to 54-year-old tavern owner, in Bancroft, Wisconsin.
Nov 16, 1957
Bernice Worden, 58-year-old hardware store owner, disappeared from her store in Plainfield, Wisconsin; Gein arrested same evening while having supper at West Plainfield grocery store.
Nov 17, 1957
Police discovered Bernice Worden's decapitated, disemboweled body hanging upside down in Gein's shed; additional human remains found throughout his house.
Nov 18, 1957
Gein confessed to killing both Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan.
Nov 21, 1957
Gein arraigned in Waushara County Court on one count of first-degree murder; pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
Nov 23, 1957
Gein admitted to 30-day mental observation period ordered by Waushara County Circuit Court at Central State Hospital.
Jan 06, 1958
Gein declared mentally unfit for trial and committed to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Waupun, Wisconsin, indefinitely.
Mar 20, 1958
Gein's farmhouse in Plainfield destroyed by fire in early morning hours; burned shortly before scheduled auction.
Jan 1968
Gein declared mentally competent to stand trial after 10 years of psychiatric treatment.
Nov 07, 1968
Trial for murder of Bernice Worden began before Judge Robert H. Gollmar without jury; lasted one week.
Nov 14, 1968
Gein found guilty of first-degree murder for Bernice Worden's death by Judge Robert H. Gollmar; separate sanity hearing held.
Nov 14, 1968
In separate sanity hearing, Gein declared not guilty by reason of insanity; recommitted to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
1974
Gein petitioned for release from hospital, claiming recovery of mental health; petition rejected by judge; returned to hospital.
1978
Gein transferred to Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, Wisconsin, due to failing health.
Jul 26, 1984
Ed Gein died at age 77 in geriatric psychiatric ward of Mendota Mental Health Institute from respiratory failure caused by cancer.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Gein, Ed“Edward Theodore Gein was born August 27, 1902 [sic] to Augusta and George Gein in La Crosse, Wisconsin. On November 16 1957 Owner of the local International Harvest Products shop and mother of Deputy Frank Worden, Bernice Worden, 58, disappeared from her store.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Ed Gein“Edward Theodore Gein was born August 27, 1906 – July 26, 1984, was an American murderer and body snatcher. He also confessed to killing two women: tavern owner Mary Hogan in 1954 and hardware store owner Bernice Worden in 1957.”
News report · Biography.com ·
Ed Gein: The Killer & Grave Robber Featured in 'Monster' Season 3“In 1968, he was convicted of first-degree murder in Worden's death but was also declared insane at the time of the killing.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Disappearance of Evelyn Hartley“In November 1957, authorities announced that Gein had been cleared of any connection with the disappearances of both Evelyn and Georgia Weckler, an 8-year-old who disappeared in 1947.”
News report · EBSCO Research Starters ·
Ed Gein“Convicted of one count of first-degree murder; judged not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Waupun; later transferred to the Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison, where he remained until his death.”
News report · True Crime Art ·
Ed Gein: the true story of the Plainfield grave robber behind Psycho“In November 1968 he was tried without a jury before Judge Robert H. Gollmar, who found him guilty of Worden's murder and then, in a second phase, not guilty by reason of insanity.”
News report · Alcatraz East ·
Edward Theodore Gein“Ed was arrested on November 16th, 1957, for shooting Worden with a .22 caliber rifle. During the interrogation, he also admitted to shooting Mary Hogan.”
News report · Female First ·
True Crime Tuesday: The Butcher of Plainfield and the inspiration for Psycho's Norman Bates, Ed Gein“On November 14th, 1968, Gein was found guilty by Judge Gollmar. A second trial dealt with his sanity, with the judge coming to the conclusion that he was 'not guilty by reason of insanity', before ordering his committal to Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.”
News report · Criminal Minds Fandom ·
Ed Gein“He was charged with the murder of Bernice Worden, the other murder having been left out due to prohibitive costs, and pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.”
News report · Simple Wikipedia ·
Ed Gein“On November 21, 1957, Gein was taken to court in Waushara County to be charged with one count of first-degree murder. He said he was not guilty by reason of insanity. Gein was found guilty on November 14, 1968.”
Other government record · Wisconsin Historical Society ·
Ed Gein at State Crime Lab“Ed Gein (1906-1984) signing paperwork at the state crime lab where he was brought for lie detector and other tests. November 19, 1957”
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