Donald Pee Wee Gaskins, One Of America’s First Serial Killers, Got His Start In South Carolina
It was just four years ago, in 2016, that South Carolinians were aghast by the news of the arrest of serial killer, Todd Kohlhepp, who was eventually convicted of murdering seven individuals between 2003 and 2016. But this wasn’t the Palmetto State’s first brush with the gruesome likes of a serial killer. Back in the 1800s, Lavinia Fisher, an inn keeper in the Charleston area would be found guilty of killing wayward travelers staying at her establishment on the outskirts of the Holy City. The conviction would earn her the title of America’s First Female Serial Killer. But even with their horrifying acts of cruelty and murder, neither Kohlhepp nor Fisher quite measures up to the shocking murder spree of Donald (Pee Wee) Gaskins, Jr.
Donald Gaskins, Jr. was born in Florence County in 1933. At the time of his death, he was dubbed the meanest serial killer in the country and the most prolific serial killer ever born in South Carolina.
He grew to a height of 5'4", earning him the cruel nickname of "Pee Wee."
But names weren't the only negative thing that shaped his mind and sense of self awareness. As a young boy, Gaskins suffered extreme neglect from his mother and abuse from a stepfather.
He endured endless cruelty at the hands of schoolmates who thought it was humorous to tease him about his size and the constant bruises covering his small frame.
Gaskins' murderous obsessions started off with crimes that included rape and assault. Some accounts claim that even his own sister wasn't off limits for a sexual assault committed by Gaskins and two of his friends. Reportedly, Gaskins was 15.
This was only after the three hoodlums grew tired of driving all the way to Columbia to seek out prostitutes. By 1953, Gaskins was sentenced to his second incarceration; this time for a crime spree that included gang rape, robberies, and assault.
In prison, his small stature likely made him a target for rape himself, as a fellow inmate reportedly forced himself on Gaskins repeatedly. He would end up killing his attacker while in prison and getting sentenced to an additional three years.
But Gaskins escaped and fled to Florida where he got a job with a traveling carnival. In short time, he was captured and sent back to prison, where he was paroled in 1961. It was after this stint in prison that his killing spree began — at least the murders for which he was actually convicted.
In total, Gaskins was convicted of killing 10 individuals.
However, during a media interview while on death row, he claimed that number was more like 100 or 110. In the video below, a relative claims he boasted of killing 10-12 people per year.
Robin Jarvis is a travel writer and editor for OnlyInYourState.com with a bachelor's degree in Journalism. Her love for travel has taken her to many parts of the world. She's lived in the Carolinas for nearly three decades and currently resides in Charleston. When she's not working, she loves to cook with friends and check out new adventures. General questions and FAM tours: rjarvis@onlyinyourstate.com.
