Carroll Edward Cole American serial killer Date of Birth: 09.05.1938 Country: USA

1. Biography of Carroll Edward Cole
2. A Troubled Life
3. A Serial Killer Emerges
4. The End of Carroll Edward Cole

Biography of Carroll Edward Cole

Carroll Edward Cole was born on May 9, 1938, in Sioux City, Iowa. He grew up in a troubled household, witnessing his mother engage in sexual activities with other men while his father was away fighting in World War II. His mother would often physically abuse him to prevent him from revealing her actions to his father. This upbringing instilled a deep hatred towards women in Cole.

A Troubled Life

Cole faced constant teasing in school due to his feminine name, leading him to primarily use his second name, Eddie. At the age of 10, Cole drowned a classmate in a lake. The death was initially ruled as an accident until Cole confessed to the crime many years later.

After leaving school with average grades but a high IQ of 158, Cole became a drifter, changing one troubled job for another. He struggled with alcoholism and frequently found himself behind bars for various crimes, including theft, vagrancy, arson, and auto theft. He made several suicide attempts and was admitted to psychiatric hospitals multiple times, where he admitted to his violent fantasies of killing women. Despite being diagnosed as a psychopath, he was released as a patient with a personality disorder, as psychopathy was considered untreatable at the time.

A Serial Killer Emerges

Aside from the accidental drowning mentioned earlier, Cole's first known victim was Essie Buck, whom he met in a tavern in San Diego, California, on May 7, 1971. He strangled her to death in his car and disposed of her body in the trunk. Two weeks later, he killed another unidentified woman and buried her in a forest.

In July 1973, Cole married Diana Pashal, a bartender and fellow alcoholic. Their turbulent relationship often resulted in arguments and physical fights, during which Cole would target and kill women. He allegedly dismembered one of his victims and even consumed her flesh.

In September 1979, Cole strangled his wife, and her body was discovered eight days later by a suspicious neighbor. However, the police mistakenly attributed her death to alcoholism, releasing Cole without charges. By 1980, Cole had remarried and was living in Las Vegas. He continued to murder three more women before being arrested for the murder of his last victim.

The End of Carroll Edward Cole

Arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder, Cole confessed to all his crimes. He claimed to have killed at least 14 women over a span of nine years, often under the influence of alcohol.

He was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection on December 6, 1985, in Nevada. Cole chose not to appeal his sentence.