The Eyeball Killer's Horrifying Crimes

Ever heard of the Eyeball Killer? Charles Albright, a seemingly charming and talented man, shocked Dallas in the early 1990s with his gruesome crimes. Here are 10 chilling facts about the man behind the horrifying moniker.

1. Disturbing Childhood

Charles Albright was adopted at a young age by Delle and Fred Albright. Delle, an overprotective mother, sometimes dressed him in girls' clothing and was extremely strict about cleanliness, even taking him to see polio patients to instill fear.

2. Early Eccentricity

From a young age, Albright exhibited unusual behavior. He developed a fascination with taxidermy, particularly the eyes of animals, which his frugal mother made him replace with buttons instead of buying glass eyes.

3. Class Clown

Albright was a well-rounded student, serving in French club, yearbook, choir, and playing football. He was also a notorious troublemaker and class clown. Albright's most memorable prank involved replacing the eyes in his friend's new girlfriend's photo with those of his ex-girlfriend, whose pictures Albright had saved from the trash. He even placed the cut-out eyes around the dorm. Although strange, his fellow students saw it as typical of Albright's inventive pranks.

4. Con Artist

Albright forged his way through life, faking degrees and credentials to become a high school teacher and football coach. He rarely kept a job for more than three months, working as a bullfighter, hairstylist, baseball bat manufacturer, illustrator, and designer for an airplane company.

5. Secret Life

Despite his respectable façade, Albright led a secret life. He frequented red-light districts and had relationships with prostitutes starting from age 15. He was arrested multiple times for minor theft and was even convicted of molesting a 9-year-old girl in 1981, but only received probation.

6. The Murders

In late 1990, Mary Pratt, the first known victim, was found shot in the back of the head with her eyes surgically removed. Over the next three months, two more prostitutes were found dead in the same manner.

7. A Chilling Discovery

In March 1991, after several prostitutes reported assaults by Albright, police obtained a warrant to search his home. Investigators found a .44 Magnum revolver, X-Acto knives, a red-stained condom, Nazi literature, books about serial killers, and dolls with missing eyes. Interestingly, the gun was not the same one used in any of the murders, and even though his house was searched six times, no actual eyeballs were found.

8. Hair Evidence

Albright was meticulous, but not perfect. Investigators discovered hair matching Shirley Williams's on his blankets and inside his vacuum. The prosecution did not have enough evidence to convict Albright of all three murders, but he was found guilty in the murder of Williams and sentenced to life in prison. DNA evidence also tied him to another murder, but he had an alibi, so he was not convicted.

9. Doubts of Guilt

Albright was regarded as a Renaissance man, able to charm women with his musical and poetic talents. Those who knew him found it hard to believe he could have murdered anybody. Albright's friends and lawyers suggested that the real culprit was Axton Schindler, a paranoid truck driver living in one of Albright's rental homes. They maintained that Albright, though eccentric, was harmless and squeamish about violence. Another detail adding to this doubt was that after Albright was incarcerated, another prostitute was found shot in the back of the head with her eyes removed.

10. Life Behind Bars

Despite his conviction, Albright always maintained his innocence. Albright was held at the John Montford Psychiatric Unit, where he mostly engaged in woodworking and reading, until his death at age 87 in 2020.

The story of Charles Albright is a chilling reminder of the darkness that can lurk beneath a seemingly benign exterior. His life and crimes continue to fascinate and horrify those who hear about the Eyeball Killer.

References: See No Evil | Charles Albright "Eyeball Killer, Dallas Ripper and Dallas Slasher | Charles Albright: The Serial Killer Who Collected His Victim's Eyes