Robert Hansen

Two notorious serial killers in American history were housed at Anamosa in their early years. John Wayne Gacy, in 1969-70, and Robert Hansen, in 1961-63.

Hansen was convicted of burning down the school bus garage in Pocahontas. He reportedly committed the crime as revenge for how he felt he was treated in high school. While in prison at Anamosa, he was diagnosed manic-depressive.

From Wikipedia: "In his youth, Hansen was painfully shy, had a stutter and suffered severe acne that left him permanently scarred. Throughout childhood and adolescence, he was described as a quiet loner who had a difficult relationship with his domineering father. Hansen took to practicing both hunting and archery, often finding refuge in those pastimes."

In 1967 he and his second wife moved to Anchorage, Alaska. In 1971, the first rape allegation against him was made. He served 6 months of a 5-year sentence.

Between 1971 and 1983, Hansen is believed to have abducted, raped, and murdered 17 women, many of them sex workers. On some occasions he would fly the victim in his plane into the wilderness, set them loose, and then hunt them down and kill them. After one of his victims escaped, he was captured and sentenced to 461 years imprisonment.

He died in prison in 2014 at age 75.

His case has been the subject of many books, movies, and documentaries including the book "Butcher, Baker" and the movie, "Frozen Ground," starring Nicholas Cage and John Cusack.

More information is available on Wikipedia.