(A 62-page True Crime Short with photographs) Contract killer, lethal scam artist, loving father, abusive husband, abused son, convicted murderer, jailhouse schemer, liar, TV star. The man they called “The Iceman” was all of those. In 1988 he was sentenced to life for four gruesome murders, but this was just the tip of his iceberg. He had a taste for esoteric methods of death--favoring a cyanide solution in a nasal spray bottle--and body disposal--freezing one of his victims to disguise the time of death. At one point he bragged that his personal body count was over 200, seven times the more likely number.
Still, he has huge following, and a biopic based on his life is about to start shooting this fall. The Iceman told his story in three extremely popular HBO documentaries, which are still broadcast regularly. Why does the Iceman’s story continue to fascinate the public five years after his death and 25 years after his apprehension? And how much of his legend is truth?