Isabella Mueller (crime writer)
A sadistic killer in American criminal history who spread fear and terror in Dallas in the early 1990s was Charles Fredrick Albright, alias the Eyeball Killer. Charles earned this nickname because he removed both eyeballs from his victims with surgical precision and then took them with him as trophies. One of Charles’ first victims was 33-year-old Mary Pratt, who earned her living as a prostitute. Her body was found by schoolchildren in the front yard of the North Oak Cliff neighborhood on December 13, 1990. Mary had been shot in the back of the head with a Colt .44 Magnum and was naked except for a bra pushed up and a T-shirt. It was only during the subsequent autopsy that it was discovered that Mary’s eyeballs had been removed with extreme precision and taken by the perpetrator as souvenirs. Two months later, on February 10, 1991, the body of 27-year-old prostitute Susan Peterson was found. Like Mary, she was also naked except for a T-shirt, and both her eyeballs were missing. She had also been shot with the same ammunition as Mary. But this time, the perpetrator had shot Mary three times, even though the first shot to the back of her head had already been fatal. Nevertheless, he shot her in the chest and side of the head. It was a classic case of overkill, committed by the perpetrator in a fit of rage because Mary had probably fought back fiercely. Due to the similarity to Mary’s murder, investigators assumed it was the work of a serial killer. On March 18, a teacher at an elementary school reported the third body. This time it was 41-year-old Shirley Williams, a casual prostitute and single mother who was addicted to crack. Her eyeballs were also missing, but this time the killer had not killed his victim with a shot to the back of the head, but had shot her frontally in the temple and face. Before shooting Shirley, however, he had severely disfigured her face with massive blows and broken her nose. Three women who worked as prostitutes died within four months. The investigation was in full swing and, based on witness statements, a composite sketch of the perpetrator was created and published in the media. In fact, a woman recognized the man, who turned out to be Charles Fredrick Albright. Charles Frederick Albright was born on August 10, 1933, in Amarillo and was adopted shortly after birth by Delle and Fred Albright. His adoptive mother was an elementary school teacher who was strict and overprotective of Charles. She was constantly afraid that he would become infected with bacteria, which is why he had to wash and change his clothes constantly. She encouraged his academic performance to such an extent that he was able to skip two grades. Charles was a highly intelligent boy whom Dell taught to prepare animal carcasses in his spare time. The task of removing animal eyes became Charles’ obsession. But Dell was too stingy to replace the animal eyes with glass beads, so he had to use buttons instead. This lack of perfection caused Charles frustration, which led to an obsession with real eyes. Removing the eyes, considered the windows to the soul, not only dehumanized the victims, but also gave him absolute control over them. Charles was so skilled at this that he became a master at taxidermy, particularly enjoying preparing birds. Albright went astray at the age of 13. He was arrested for criminal activities such as theft and aggravated assault. At the age of 15, he finished school and enrolled at North Texas University with the goal of becoming a doctor or surgeon. However, his academic ambitions failed and he dropped out of college. At 16, the police found stolen cash and firearms in his possession and arrested him. A year in prison followed. After his release, Albright enrolled at Arkansas State Teachers College, where he trained to become a teacher. However, he soon had to leave again when stolen items were found in his possession. He immediately began to build his life on deception. Using forged documents, he obtained academic degrees that had never been awarded to him. This even earned him a job as a teacher at Crandall High School in Dallas, where he taught biology and coached the football team. Albright married his girlfriend from his college days, but the marriage broke down in 1965 and they divorced nine years later. He fell into a pattern of criminal behavior and received a suspended sentence for check fraud. His criminal behavior continued when he stole several hundred dollars’ worth of goods from a hardware store. For this, he received a two-year prison sentence, but served only a small portion of it. During this time, he gained the trust of his neighbors and even occasionally took on tasks such as babysitting. He converted to Catholicism and was considered a devout churchgoer. In 1981, another incident occurred that destroyed Albright’s reputation. He had sexually molested the 9-year-old daughter of his acquaintances, whereupon the parents reported him to the police. Charles later pleaded guilty in court to avoid a costly trial, as he himself explained. He received a suspended sentence. Despite this history, he attempted to join the Boy Scouts of America in 1984 but was rejected. In the late 1980s, he moved in with a woman named Dixie, who was a teacher and supported Charles financially. Charles only took a job as a newspaper delivery boy, delivering newspapers early in the morning. His route took him through the red-light district, which he naturally kept secret from Dixie. This ultimately led to his involvement in the murders of several sex workers, whose bodies were found severely mutilated. The forensic examination revealed that the women had been robbed of their eyes with surgical precision. Investigations eventually led to the arrest of Charles Albright in March 1991. Despite a lack of direct evidence, he was found guilty of the murder of Shirley Williams in December of the same year. The analysis of hair samples played a key role in this, but was later refuted by DNA testing. Despite serious allegations, Albright was ultimately convicted of only one murder, as the evidence in the other cases was insufficient. Until his death, however, he remained the prime suspect for these gruesome crimes. Despite his conviction, Charles repeatedly protested his innocence. He is also considered the prime suspect in the murder of sex worker Rhonda Bowie, who was killed in Oak Hill in October 1988 with more than 20 stab wounds. After Charles was found guilty of the murder of Shirley Williams on December 17, 1991, by a jury of nine women and four men after only four hours of deliberation, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He was transferred to the John Montford Psychiatric Prison Unit in Lubbock, where he remained until the end of his life. He died there on August 22, 2020, at the age of 87. Charles Albright’s story is marked by a life full of lies, criminal energy, and ultimately unspeakable horror. His life and deeds left a trail of terror in Dallas and are among the most mysterious criminal cases of that time. Despite his conviction and subsequent imprisonment, many questions surrounding the events remain unanswered to this day. Charles Albright took many of the secrets of his sinister deeds with him to his grave.
