A review of Talking with Serial Killers: World's Most Evil
By Leah Z, BOHII Intern 2025
Talking with Serial Killers: World's Most Evil is a true crime book by Christopher Berry-Dee that investigates world-famous serial killers by exploring their crimes alongside interviews conducted by the author.
A captivating chapter of this book explores the crimes of William Heirens, otherwise known as The Lipstick Killer, spanning from 1945 - 1946. At 17 years old, he was found guilty for 3 murders in 1946 in Chicago’s North Side. Notably, through his own investigations and interviews with Heirens, Berry-Dee proclaims that Heirens’ conviction was solely based on circumstantial evidence. Passing away in 2012 at 83 years old, Heirens was Chicago’s longest serving inmate. This reignited debate regarding his innocence, focusing on the extremity of police interrogation and wrongful convictions.
Heirens was caught attempting to steal money from a stranger in an apartment building and was taken in for questioning. Determined to prove that Heirens was the Lipstick Killer, with no factual evidence to prove this claim, the police denied him food or sleep and isolated him from his parents and an attorney to get a confession. Under the effects of several drugs, excruciating pain, and deliriousness, Heirens suggested that a man named “George” could have committed the murders. The police determined that Heirens suffered from multiple personality disorder, claiming that George was an alter ego, and accepted this as an admission of guilt. In order to avoid the electric chair, Heirens agreed to a plea deal and pleaded guilty.
While many people claim that Heirens is guilty because “an innocent man would not plead guilty to a crime he didn’t commit”, they fail to acknowledge the circumstances in which guilty confessions are made. For many victims of wrongful convictions, they are often intimidated, persuaded, or tortured into giving false confessions to avoid further brutality and death by police, who often care more about putting a name to the crime and closing the case as opposed to solving the crime integrally.
After conveying the facts of the case, the evidence used during the trial, and interviews he conducted with Heirens, the author concludes the chapter by stating that he himself is not convinced of Heirens’ guilt. After doing my own independent research, I am certain that this case was poorly handled by the investigating police officers that were determined to solve a high-profile case as soon as possible. While we will never know the truth of what happened, Heirens was let down by the American justice system and spent most of his life behind bars for a crime he may not have committed.
Access Talking with Serial Killers: World’s Most Evil here