Manhattan John Does are six men who were killed between 1976 - 1977 in Manhattan New York.
Case
Between 1976-1977, six unidentified man, were dismembered and their torsos put in plastic garbage bags, which allegedly had wording connecting it to the NYUMC's neuropsychiatric unit. They were then dumped into the Hudson River near Greenwich Village. Very little information on the victims is available, but clothing found on the victims came from stores in Greenwich Village that catered to LGBTQ+ community.
Due to lack of identifications and exact causes of death, the killings were considered "Circumstances Unknown Pending Police Investigation" or "The CUPPI Murders". The killings are also known as the "The Bag Murders".
The prime suspect in this case was a former X-Ray technician and alcoholic named Paul Bateson. Bateson, who also served as an extra in the film, The Exorcist, was on trial for the brutal murder of film critic Addison H. Verrill Jr. at the time of his accusation. He was said to brag of killing gay men, similar to how the unidentified men were killed, for fun. Transcripts and non-publicized information on the trial and evidence police had against Bateson for the killings has since been lost, but he was still convicted on March 5, 1979 for Verrill's murder and was released in 2004, with his parole completed in November 2008. Bateson’s current whereabouts are unknown, but a "Paul F. Bateson" with the same birthdate and a Social Security Card to Pennsylvania was reported to have died in September 15, 2012.
Sources
- Paul Bateson on Wikipedia
- The New York Times
- Esquire Magazine
