Back in the early 1990s, a man by the name of Carroll Edward Cole became known as the "All Dogs Go to Heaven Killer." Cole was a serial killer who claimed to have murdered around 35 people, many of whom were women. He earned his nickname because of a disturbing detail that emerged during his trial: he would often strangle his victims with their own stockings or pantyhose, which he referred to as "dog collars."
The Early Years of Carroll Edward Cole
Cole was born in Sioux City, Iowa in 1938. He was the youngest of three children, and his childhood was marked by poverty and abuse. His father was an alcoholic who would often beat Cole and his siblings, and his mother suffered from mental illness. In his early years, Cole was already exhibiting signs of violent behavior. He would torture and kill small animals, and he was once caught trying to rape a young girl.
The First Murders
Cole's first known murder was that of a six-year-old girl named Karen Hill in 1948. He was only ten years old at the time. Cole strangled the girl with a piece of wire and left her body in a ditch. He was never caught for this crime, but he later admitted to it while in prison for other murders.
Throughout his teenage years and early adulthood, Cole was in and out of trouble with the law. He was arrested for burglary, assault, and rape. In 1960, he was convicted of statutory rape and sentenced to ten years in prison. It was during this time that he began to receive psychiatric treatment for his behavior.
The Killing Spree
After serving his sentence, Cole was released from prison in 1970. He soon began a killing spree that would last for over a decade. He would target women who were alone at night, often strangling them with their own stockings or pantyhose. He would then leave their bodies in remote locations, sometimes posing them in sexually suggestive positions.
Cole was finally caught in 1980, after he was arrested for the murder of a young woman named Ellen Holman. He was sentenced to death for her murder, but while in prison he began to confess to other murders. In total, he claimed to have killed around 35 people.
The Legacy of the "All Dogs Go to Heaven Killer"
The case of Carroll Edward Cole is a disturbing reminder of the danger that serial killers pose to society. Cole's early years were marked by abuse and neglect, and it's possible that if he had received proper treatment for his behavior, his killing spree could have been prevented.
Today, the legacy of the "All Dogs Go to Heaven Killer" lives on. His case is studied by law enforcement and criminologists as an example of the mind of a serial killer. And while Cole was executed in 1985, the memory of his victims lives on.
