339:, where she died from what was deemed "natural causes". The sudden death of the two women sparked fears in the locals, as well as rumors that the village's food and water supply had been contaminated. In response, the Lake County Health Department launched a full-scale investigation in both the sewage system and the restaurants, but all tests returned negative. Due to the lack of any suspicious substances or activity, the investigation was concluded and life slowly returned to normal. Owing to their deaths, Mueller and Lambert's estates, which amounted to around $ 150,000, were transferred to Albanese's wife Virginia.
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treasurer. In what appeared to be an act of gratitude, Albanese began bringing home-made cookies to his father at work, as well as snacks for his younger brother. Just four days after he began doing so, Michael Jr. had to be hospitalized due to severe vomiting and nausea. In the following months, both
Michael Sr. and Michael Jr. were hospitalized on several occasions due to violent illnesses, with the former succumbing to his ailments on May 16, 1981, aged 69. With the death of his father, Albanese inherited his $ 267,373 estate as well as tighter control over the family business.
355:. He then contacted the coroner for Lake County, Robert H. Babcox, who had investigated Mueller and Lambert's death the previous year, after realizing that they also had connections to the Albanese family. With a task force spread across the two counties, each coroner was granted permission from Virginia Albanese to have her relatives' bodies exhumed and tested, with both autopsies revealing a large amount of arsenic in them.
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246:. He was the elder son of entrepreneur Michael Albanese Sr. and his wife Clara (nÊe Kolasinski). Little is known of his childhood, but acquaintances would recall that Albanese was a "spoiled brat who always wanted to be a big shot", an ambitious young man who wanted to earn as much money doing as little work as possible. During the mid-1960s, he worked as a car salesman for Norwood Motors Inc., based out of
363:, on which he would be accompanied by his wife and mother, Clara. Fearing that Albanese would target his mother due to her wealth amounting to $ 500,000, the investigators moved in and arrested him at his office in McHenry on November 18, 1981. He was subsequently charged with all three murders, the attempted murder of his brother and stealing from the company stock.
376:, and was scheduled for May 1982. After deliberation for just over seven hours, the jury found Albanese guilty on all counts on May 18. The prosecution sought a death sentence, saying that despite his lack of a serious criminal history, he deserved to die since he had shown no remorse. Two days later, Albanese was sentenced to die in the
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would often dine with them whenever he could. During these visits, he would gradually convince
Lambert to transfer her financial assets to her daughter, completely bypassing her other daughter and son. Then, unbeknownst to anyone from his family, he contacted the operator of a metal plating company in
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Not long after the tragedy, Albanese attended a meeting with his father on
September 4, 1980, during which an argument broke out between the two, with Michael Sr. saying that he did not want him in the company any more. A few days later, the elder Albanese changed his stance and simply demoted him to
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In mid-1980, Charles began to pay frequent visits to the
Leisure Village retirement community in Fox Lake, where his wife's mother, 69-year-old Marion Mueller, lived with her own mother, 89-year-old Mary Lambert. When doing so, he would often bring little gifts, varying from jewelry and trinkets, and
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After this discovery, the McHenry Police Chief, George
Pasenelli, ordered a background check on all of the Albanese family members, which included Charles. As they delved deeper into his history, they uncovered his criminal record, possible motives for committing the crimes and the fact that he had
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in 1977, and another for non-support of a petition filed in
Chicago in 1980. Despite his legal troubles, Albanese was seemingly happily married, and due to his position as a president at the Allied Die Casting company (which was owned by his father), he earned an annual salary of $ 60,000. In 1978,
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That same
October, Albanese was transferred to Lake County to stand trial in Lambert's murder. In spite of his claims that either his brother or a random killer was actually responsible for all the killings, as well as his attorney's unsuccessful motion to dismiss the charges due to circumstantial
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As two of the three murders were in a different jurisdiction, it was decided that
Albanese would be charged in two separate trials: one in Lake County for the murders of Lambert, his father and the attempted murder of his brother, and another in McHenry County for the murder of Mueller. The first
327:, ostensibly to ask what would be the most efficient method to get rid of some "pests" in his home. On the man's recommendation, Albanese was supplied with arsenic and instructed how to use it, and over the next few months, he administered small doses of the poison in Mueller's food.
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bus driver Emmett
Farrell and stole $ 160 from him. About a week later, using information provided by a neighbor who had written down his car's license plate, Albanese was arrested and positively identified by the Farrells as one of the burglars. Not long after, he was indicted by a
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and violent vomiting, for which she was rushed to the McHenry
Hospital, where she died on the same day. Her cause of death was listed as a heart attack. Only twelve days later, Lambert was taken by a similar illness and rushed to the St. Therese Hospital in
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evidence, Albanese was convicted of Mueller's murder on October 26. Days later, he was again sentenced to death. Albanese also received a 60-year sentence for the attempted murder of his brother and 5 years for two theft counts.
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he requested prime rib, baked potato, garlic bread, coffee, Coca-Cola and pistachio ice cream. Albanese made no final statement, but said "Thank you" to the warden before he was put to death.
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At some later point, he married his second wife, but little is known of their relationship. While still legally married to his second wife, Albanese went on to marry Virginia Mueller in
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been sold arsenic by the metal plating company operator. In the process, the task force learned through a travel agent that Albanese had planned another holiday trip to Jamaica for
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In the following years, Albanese attempted to have his sentence appealed and convictions overturned, but all of them were shot down. On September 20, 1995, he was executed via
294:, where he earned a reputation amongst his neighbors as a man who liked to flaunt his wealth and influence. It was estimated that he owned several expensive cars, including a
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would be the Lake County trial, in which he pleaded innocent on all charges. Due to the pre-trial publicity surrounding the case, the trial venue was moved to
281:. The divorce with the latter woman was finalized the next year. His second ex-wife would file two more complaints against him in the following years: one in
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His first known crime occurred on February 1, 1965, when Albanese and an unidentified accomplice, posing as detectives, broke into the home of 61-year-old
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for armed robbery and several counts of auto theft (the latter under the alias "Charles Romaine"), for which he was convicted and sentenced to five years
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While conducting the autopsy on Michael Sr.'s corpse, the McHenry County Coroner, Alvin Querhammer, noticed traces of arsenic in the man's
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266:. Following his conviction, his first wife divorced him after six years of marriage and moved away with their three daughters to live in
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The first death came about on August 6, 1980, when Mueller began to suffer from
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601:"Executive charged with 3 arsenic killings to gain fortune"
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in two separate trials and ultimately executed in 1995.
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Charles Michael Albanese was born on June 13, 1937, in
776:"Jury sentences Albanese to die in the electric chair"
752:"A jury today sentenced Charles Albanese to die in..."
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214:(June 13, 1937 â September 20, 1995) was an American
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Art Petacque and Thomas Burton (November 26, 1981).
474:"Illinois Executes Man Who Killed 3 For Inheritance"
807:. The Daily Republican-Register. October 27, 1982.
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889:"Killer Albanese proclaims innocence to the end"
632:. Chicago Tribune. August 25, 1991. p. 168.
519:. Chicago Tribune. August 25, 1991. p. 170.
1003:People executed by Illinois by lethal injection
649:"Man charged in arsenic murders of 3 relatives"
820:"Albanese gets 2d death sentence in poisoning"
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963:American people convicted of attempted murder
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791:"Jury selection starting in Albanese trial"
424:List of serial killers in the United States
414:List of people executed by lethal injection
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948:20th-century executions of American people
536:"SUSPECT HELD, 2D SOUGHT AS HOME ROBBER"
998:People convicted of murder by Illinois
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895:. Associated Press. September 20, 1995
805:"Albanese convicted of another murder"
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857:"Convicted killer dies by injection"
666:Anthony Oliver (November 24, 1981).
482:. September 21, 1995. Archived from
953:20th-century executions by Illinois
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419:List of people executed in Illinois
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968:American people convicted of theft
818:Jean Davidson (October 30, 1982).
789:Angela Burden (October 12, 1982).
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367:Trials, imprisonment and execution
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218:who poisoned three relatives with
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444:"ALBANESE EXECUTED FOR 3 MURDERS"
290:Albanese and his family moved to
983:Executed American serial killers
865:. September 20, 1995. p. 14
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738:"Albanese guilty on all counts"
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16:Executed American serial killer
736:Angela Burden (May 18, 1982).
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393:Stateville Correctional Center
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988:Executed people from Illinois
774:Bob Holliday (May 20, 1982).
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409:List of homicides in Illinois
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87:Execution by lethal injection
719:"Arsenic murder trial opens"
717:Bob Holliday (May 4, 1982).
554:"Six Indicted by Grand Jury"
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978:Serial killers from Chicago
923:Albanese v. McGinnis (1994)
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700:"Albanese pleads innocent"
670:. The McHenry Plaindealer.
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918:People v. Albanese (1984)
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630:"Arsenic was the weapon"
517:"Arsenic was the weapon"
347:Investigation and arrest
212:Charles Michael Albanese
42:Charles Michael Albanese
958:American male criminals
668:"Continue Murder Probe"
572:"MURDER, THEY WROUGHT"
486:on November 22, 2021.
688:. November 25, 1981.
655:. November 20, 1981.
653:The Spokesman-Review
277:in 1972, during the
706:. December 1, 1981.
542:. February 6, 1965.
165:Span of crimes
83:Cause of death
822:. Chicago Tribune.
606:Arizona Daily Star
479:The New York Times
321:Elkhorn, Wisconsin
228:sentenced to death
67:September 20, 1995
778:. The Pantagraph.
279:Labor Day Weekend
224:McHenry, Illinois
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69:(1995-09-20)
943:1995 deaths
938:1937 births
374:Bloomington
993:Patricides
932:Categories
842:2021-12-22
760:2022-03-29
582:2022-03-29
454:2023-08-15
430:References
260:grand jury
234:Early life
136:(2 counts)
123:(3 counts)
48:1937-06-13
1008:Poisoners
973:Bigamists
397:last meal
275:Las Vegas
268:Wisconsin
264:probation
169:1980â1981
403:See also
337:Waukegan
332:diarrhea
296:Cadillac
244:Illinois
190:Illinois
185:State(s)
391:at the
314:Murders
308:Jamaica
304:Florida
240:Chicago
220:arsenic
174:Country
156:Victims
151:Details
56:Chicago
899:27 May
121:Murder
105:Motive
353:serum
145:Death
134:Theft
901:2023
871:2021
325:zinc
64:Died
38:Born
837:UPI
755:UPI
306:or
302:in
255:CTA
222:in
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