Offender Record · OFF-2026-107
Joseph Kallinger (photo from the Radford University biography)
Joseph Lee Kallinger
Also known as Joseph Lee Brenner III, The Shoemaker
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1935
Custody
Deceased
States
PA, NJ
Custody
Kallinger died on March 26, 1996 at age 60 from a seizure (also reported as natural causes/heart failure).
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
Joseph Lee Kallinger was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1935. He was convicted of three murders committed between July 1974 and January 1975, including the murders of a 10-year-old boy, his own 14-year-old son, and a 21-year-old nurse. He also pleaded guilty to or was convicted of multiple counts of robbery, sexual assault, false imprisonment, burglary, and kidnapping committed with his 12-year-old son Michael. Kallinger was sentenced to life imprisonment in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey and died of natural causes in prison in 1996.
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 Jan 23, 1972, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Child Abuse
Philadelphia Police, Pennsylvania · Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania · Arrested Jan 30, 1972 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Four years probation with mandatory psychiatric treatment; time served
Kallinger was arrested after three of his children went to the police station and accused their father of abusing them, including branding his oldest daughter with a hot iron after she ran away. Both Kallinger and his wife initially denied the charges. Kallinger was found competent to stand trial after psychological examination. He was convicted of three counts of child abuse and sentenced to probation; having already served seven months awaiting trial, he was released.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Kallinger, Joseph; Fathers Who Kill — A Father's Entitlement; CRIME HISTORY – 'The Shoemaker' killed with aid of his son, 10
Offense date Jul 07, 1974, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Murder of Jose Collazo
Philadelphia Police and District Attorney, Pennsylvania · Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania · Arrested Jan 17, 1975 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment
Kallinger and his 12-year-old son Michael lured a 10-year-old boy (Jose Collazo) to an abandoned factory in Philadelphia. Kallinger tortured the child, severed his genitals, and asphyxiated him. Kallinger was tried in Pennsylvania and found guilty.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Kallinger, Joseph
Offense date Jul 28, 1974, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Murder of Joseph Kallinger Jr. (his son)
Philadelphia Police and District Attorney, Pennsylvania · Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania · Arrested Jan 17, 1975 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment
Kallinger and his son Michael chained Kallinger's own son, Joseph Jr. (age 14), to a ladder in a nearly demolished building and lowered him into a flooded basement where he drowned. Kallinger had previously taken out a $45,000 life insurance policy on the boy, but the insurance company refused to pay after suspecting foul play. The body was found in August 1974 under rubble at a demolition site at Ninth & Market Streets in Philadelphia, but the cause of death was initially undetermined. Kallinger later admitted to the drowning.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Kallinger, Joseph; Fathers Who Kill — A Father's Entitlement
Offense date Nov 24, 1974, Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania
Robbery, False Imprisonment, Burglary
Pennsylvania State Police and District Attorney, Dauphin County · Court of Common Pleas, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania · Arrested Jan 17, 1975 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 30 to 80 years in prison
On November 24, 1974, Kallinger and his 12-year-old son forced their way into a house where four women were playing bridge in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania. They restrained the victims and stole $20,000 worth of valuables and cash. Kallinger testified in his trial that God communicated with him. Jury convicted in less than one hour; sentenced to 30-80 years.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Kallinger, Joseph; How Joseph Kallinger's murder spree came to an end
Offense date Nov 24, 1974, Lindenwold, New Jersey
Sexual Assault and Robbery (Lindenwold, NJ)
New Jersey State Police and District Attorney, Camden County · Superior Court, Camden County, New Jersey · Arrested Jan 17, 1975 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 42 to 51 years
On November 24, 1974, Kallinger and his son broke into a second home in Lindenwold, New Jersey after finding the first unoccupied. Kallinger sexually assaulted a woman in the home and stole cash and jewelry.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Kallinger, Joseph; Joseph Kallinger – The Shoemaker
Offense date Dec 1974, Homeland, Maryland
Sexual Assault and Kidnapping (Maryland)
Maryland State Police · Arrested Jan 17, 1975 · Convicted Convicted
In December 1974, Kallinger and his son held Pamela J. (also reported as Pamela Jaske) captive in her home in Homeland, Maryland and forced her to perform oral sex on Kallinger at gunpoint.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Kallinger, Joseph; Joseph Kallinger – The Shoemaker
Offense date Jan 08, 1975, Leonia, New Jersey
Murder of Maria Fasching; Robbery, False Imprisonment, Sexual Assault, Kidnapping (Leonia, NJ)
New Jersey State Police and Bergen County District Attorney · Superior Court, Bergen County, New Jersey (Hackensack) · Arrested Jan 17, 1975 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment
On January 8, 1975, Kallinger and his 12-year-old son forced their way into the home of DeWitt and Randi Romaine in Leonia, New Jersey, overpowering and tying up three initial residents with a pistol and knife. As others arrived at the home, they were forced to strip and were bound with cords cut from lamps and other appliances. Kallinger sexually assaulted multiple victims and ordered a 21-year-old nurse named Maria Fasching to perform oral sex on a restrained male victim. When she refused, Kallinger stabbed her in the neck and back, killing her. A bound victim managed to escape and alert neighbors, who called police. Kallinger and his son fled using a city bus. A bloodstained shirt from the crime scene was traced via laundry mark to Kallinger. He was tried in Hackensack, New Jersey, pleaded not guilty, and was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment on October 13, 1976.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Kallinger, Joseph; Joseph Kallinger – Courtroom Sketches; How Joseph Kallinger's murder spree came to an end
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.
3
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1974–1975
Stated motive
Sexual, Mission or hatred of a group
Range from home
regional
Accomplice
Yes
Confessed
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
7
Died
1996-03-26 · 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.
NJ
New Jersey
approx. Oct 13, 1976 – 1978 · Held in New Jersey custody after conviction; extradited from Pennsylvania to stand trial in Bergen County for Maria Fasching murder
PA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
approx. Dec 1935 – Jan 1937 · Northern Liberties Hospital maternity ward, then private residence
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
approx. Jan 1937 – Oct 1938 · Boarding home
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 1938 – Jan 1975 · Home of adoptive parents Stephen and Anna Kallinger, later shoe repair shop residence
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
approx. 1949 – 1974 · Victim activity: Kallinger engaged in indecent conduct with minors from approximately 1949 onward, forcing boys at knifepoint to remove pants and committing sexual assault on at least four boys in nearby woods
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
approx. 1951 – Jan 1975 · Cobbler/shoemaker at father's shoe repair shop; moved into his own place in 1951 while continuing to work at shop; by 1974 operated shoe repair shop in Kensington where he lived with family
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 30, 1972 – Jun 1972 · Arrested for child abuse; held approximately seven months awaiting trial, then released after conviction and probation sentence
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
approx. Jul 1974 – Jan 1975 · Crime spree with son spanning Philadelphia, Baltimore Maryland, and New Jersey via bus and car; crimes in Lindenwold NJ (Nov 22, 1974), Susquehanna Township PA (Dec 3, 1974), Homeland MD (Dec 1974), and Leonia NJ (Jan 8, 1975)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 17, 1975 – Sep 19, 1975 · Arrested at East Sterner Street row home in Philadelphia; held in custody awaiting trial on robbery, false imprisonment, and burglary charges in Pennsylvania; convicted September 19, 1975
Pennsylvania
Sep 19, 1975 – Oct 13, 1976 · Huntington Correctional Facility, Pennsylvania; awaiting trial on murder charges while serving robbery sentence
Waymart, Pennsylvania
approx. 1978 – Mar 26, 1996 · Farview State Hospital for the criminally insane in Waymart, Pennsylvania; served life sentences from both Pennsylvania and New Jersey; spent last 11-12 years on suicide watch
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
1974 unknown Volkswagen Bus/Minibus – City bus used as getaway vehicle after crime in Leonia, NJ on January 8, 1975
approx. Jan 1975 – Jan 1975
Kallinger and his son fled the Leonia crime scene using a city bus
Timeline
Dec 11, 1935
Joseph Lee Brenner III born at Northern Liberties Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Judith Renner.
Dec 12, 1935
Placed in foster care after father abandoned mother and she could not provide for him.
Oct 15, 1938
Joseph adopted by Austrian immigrants Stephen and Anna Kallinger, who could not have biological children.
Jan 09, 1940
Adoption made official after mother attempted to bribe the Kallingers for money.
1949
Beginning around age 13, Joseph engaged in sexual misconduct with neighborhood boys, forcing at least four to remove pants at knifepoint.
1951
Joseph moved into his own place and began working full-time at his father's shoe shop; developed first lasting friendships.
1953
Joseph married Hilda after dropping out of school.
Sep 1956
Hilda left Joseph for another man.
1958
Joseph set his own house on fire for amusement and received $1,600 from fire insurance.
Apr 1958
Joseph married for the second time.
Jul 1959
Joseph committed to state hospital for attempted suicide.
Aug 1965
Joseph set fire to his home.
Oct 1967
Joseph set fire to his home.
Jan 23, 1972
Joseph branded his oldest daughter with a hot iron after she ran away from home.
Jan 30, 1972
Joseph arrested for child abuse after three of his children went to police and accused him of abuse; both Joseph and his wife denied charges.
Jun 1972
Joseph found guilty of child abuse and sentenced to four years probation with mandatory psychiatric treatment; released after serving approximately seven months in custody.
Jun 26, 1974
Joseph told his 13-year-old son Michael of his orders from God to murder young boys and sever their genitals and requested his son's help; Michael complied with enthusiasm.
Jul 1974
Joseph took out a $45,000 life insurance policy on his son Joey and younger son.
Jul 07, 1974
Joseph and Michael murdered 10-year-old Jose Collazo in Philadelphia by torturing him and cutting off his genitals.
Jul 28, 1974
Joseph and Michael murdered Joseph Jr. (age 14) by chaining him to a ladder and lowering him into a flooded basement where he drowned.
Aug 1974
Joseph Jr.'s body found dead under rubble at a demolition site on Ninth & Market Streets, Philadelphia; cause of death initially undetermined but Joseph later admitted to drowning him; insurance company refused to honor the claim.
Nov 24, 1974
Joseph and Michael forced their way into a house in Lindenwold, New Jersey but no one was home; they broke into a second home where Joseph sexually abused the woman living there.
Dec 1974
Joseph and Michael held Pamela J. captive in her home in Homeland, Maryland and forced her to perform sexual acts on Joseph at gunpoint.
Dec 03, 1974
Joseph and Michael kidnapped four women during their bridge game in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania and stole $20,000 worth of valuables and cash.
Jan 08, 1975
Joseph and Michael forced their way into a house in Leonia, New Jersey, took 8 hostages, tied them up, and sexually assaulted victims; killed 21-year-old nurse Maria Fasching by slitting her throat when she refused to comply with sexual demands.
Jan 17, 1975
Joseph and his sons Michael (age 13) and James (age 11) arrested at their East Sterner Street row home in Philadelphia after police linked Joseph to the Leonia crime via a bloodstained shirt; James was released after police determined he was not the accomplice.
Aug 1975
Joseph given psychiatric evaluation concluding he knew right from wrong and was competent to stand trial.
Sep 08, 1975
Joseph went on trial in Pennsylvania (second trial, first having been declared mistrial during jury selection) charged with 4 counts of robbery, 4 counts of false imprisonment, and 1 count of burglary; testified that God communicated with him and claimed he was the son of God.
Sep 19, 1975
Jury found Joseph guilty of all charges in Pennsylvania in less than one hour; sentenced to 30-80 years in prison.
Sep 13, 1976
Joseph went on trial in Hackensack, New Jersey for the murder of Maria Fasching and taking hostages; pleaded not guilty and exhibited unusual courtroom behavior.
Oct 13, 1976
Joseph found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in New Jersey for murder of Maria Fasching and related offenses; sentence imposed consecutive to 30-80 year Pennsylvania sentence.
Mar 1977
Joseph set himself on fire in prison.
Apr 1977
Joseph assaulted a fellow inmate and started a fire on his cell block.
1978
Joseph moved to Farview State Hospital for the criminally insane in Waymart, Pennsylvania and attempted to kill another prisoner there.
Mar 1978
Joseph slashed another convict's throat in an unprovoked attack; victim survived.
1985
Psychiatrist testified that Joseph was not faking insanity to escape conviction in the murders of his son and Jose Collazo.
1988
In television interviews Joseph expressed his continuing desire to slaughter every person on earth and commit suicide to become God.
1991
Joseph spent the next 5 years in solitary confinement on suicide watch after attempting to take his own life.
Mar 26, 1996
Joseph Kallinger died in Farview State Hospital in Waymart, Pennsylvania after a seizure at age 60.
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.
News report · Washington Examiner ·
CRIME HISTORY – 'The Shoemaker' killed with aid of his son, 10“On this day, Oct. 13, 1976, Joseph Kallinger, known as the Shoemaker and accused of using his 10-year-old son to help kill and torture unsuspecting families, was convicted of murder.”
News report · Criminal Discourse Podcast ·
Joseph Kallinger – The Shoemaker“On January 17, 1976, 39-year-old Joseph Kallinger is arrested at his East Sterner Street row home.”
Other · University of Virginia Law Library ·
Trial of Serial Killer Joseph Kallinger“In July 1974, Kallinger took another son, Michael, on a spree of burglary, rape and murder across three states.”
News report · Serial Killers Info ·
Joseph Kallinger – Courtroom Sketches“Kallinger was arrested on January 17, 1975 and pleaded insanity, claiming that God had told him to kill, however, he was found sane and able to stand trial.”
Other · Wikipedia ·
Joseph Kallinger“Joseph Kallinger (born Joseph Lee Brenner III; December 11, 1935 – March 26, 1996) was an American serial killer who murdered three people and tortured four families.”
News report · NJ 101.5 ·
How Joseph Kallinger's murder spree came to an end“Joseph was tried and convicted of nine felony accounts in Pennsylvania and, separately, of the murder in Leonia after being extradited to New Jersey.”
News report · Crime Library ·
Fathers Who Kill — A Father's Entitlement“In 1996, he died from a seizure.”
News report · PRIMETIMER ·
Decades later, Joseph Kallinger's chilling prison interview still disturbs viewers“Kallinger was convicted in New Jersey for the murder of Maria Fasching and received a life sentence, along with terms for robbery and attempted rape in other incidents.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Kallinger, Joseph“Kallinger found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.”
News report · UPI Archives ·
Attorney: Kallinger attempted suicide“Kallinger, the subject of the book titled 'The Shoemaker: Anatomy of a Psychotic,' is serving life terms for the slayings of his son, Joseph Jr., 14, and Jose Collazo, 10, in Philadelphia in 1974.”
News report · UPI Archives ·
Kallinger returns to prison“Kallinger is serving two life sentences for the 1974 murders of his son, Joseph Jr., 14, and Jose Collazo, 10, in Philadelphia.”
Court record · New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division ·
Fasching v. Kallinger :: 1986 :: New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division“The plaintiffs are the parents and sister of Maria Fasching, a New Jersey resident who was murdered by defendant Kallinger on January 8, 1975. He was convicted of her murder in Bergen County on October 12, 1976 and sentenced to life imprisonment.”
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