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a rock and throwing it at her while she tried to escape. Louise was struck on the head and fell on the ground. Thinking she was dead, Santo began praying for her so he could "make her get better". Staula hadn't died yet, but without any help she eventually died from her injuries. Anthony stayed with Staula's body for a while before deciding to leave her body in the open field and flee.
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On June 6, Santo was apprehended for bicycle theft and confessed to the murder as well as that of his two cousins. Santo claimed that on May 11, while in Dedham, he chanced upon 6-year-old Louise Staula. In that moment he claimed to experience a "mad spell" and struck the girl once before picking up
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Despite his confession, the officers and doctors questioning him also determined that he was not connected with Staula's death. They claimed that he was "feeble-minded" and delusional, experiencing hallucinations. Shortly after, an order for his removal was issued by the authorities of Dedham, and
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Police records in
Brooklyn did not support Santo's confession. No boys by the last name Marino had been reported missing around the time Santo claimed to have committed the murders. Santo indicated that his cousins lived at 461 Carroll Street, but other tenants could not confirm that anyone by the
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In May 1908, the body of six-year-old Louise F. Staula was found in the
Charles River meadow which was behind her house. Ten fist-sized rocks were found near the body, five had bloodstains. Police theorized that she had been stoned to death based on her injuries.
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to kill Frank after injuring him with the rocks. Santo claimed that he buried Frank's body in the woods, but could not remember what had become of James' body. He also could not recall an exact date, only that it was around March 1, 1908.
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According to Santo's confession, he led his two cousins on a long walk in the woods in
Brooklyn near 6th Street. When the boys weren't looking, he threw large rocks at their heads. James was killed by the rocks, but Santo used a
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in Italy. Sometime prior to the murders, he had begun showing signs of mental illness. His parents claimed that he contracted scarlet fever when he was around six years old and that "his mind been afflicted" since that time.
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On June 6, 1908, Anthony Santo (age 14) was apprehended and questioned regarding the theft of a bicycle. He confessed to murdering his two cousins, Frank and James Marino (ages 18 and 12 respectively) in
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man who confessed to murdering two of his cousins and another girl in the span of three months during "mad spells". He was eventually diagnosed as having
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Santo was submitted to the
Taunton Lunatic Asylum. It is assumed that he died there, but the date of death remains unknown.
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where he lived with another cousin. He then began work as a water boy, helping with the construction of a sewer.
454:"Lad Tells Police He Killed His Two Cousins In March: But Brooklyn Police Can Find No Record of Family He Names"
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Not much is known about Santo's life prior to his immigration to
America, but it is known that he was born
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434:"Startling Confession: Made By Lad of Fourteen - Tells Police he is Responsible for Two Murders"
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302:"Suffering From Illusions: Boy Declared Himself Responsible For Death of Louise Staula"
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414:"Admits Another Murder: 14-Year-Old Boy Startles Norwood, Mass., Police With Crimes"
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348:"Says He Slew Cousins: Boy Accuses Himself of Killing Brooklyn Youths with Stones"
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474:"Confessor Not Guilty: Police Believe Boy Is Suffering from Hallucination"
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371:"Boy Confesses Murder: Says He Killed Two Cousins With Stones"
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name Marino lived in the building in at least the last year.
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About a month before Louise Staula's death, Santo moved to
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Found incompetent to stand trial; sent to mental asylum
325:"14-Year Old Italian Confesses Murder Of His Crimes"
279:"14-year-old Italian confesses murder of his chums"
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256:List of serial killers in the United States
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188:as well as six-year-old Louise Staula in
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565:Italian emigrants to the United States
494:"Boy Was Suffering From Hallucination"
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230:Arrest, confession and imprisonment
539:The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers
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196:Murder of James and Frank Marino
148:- date of death unknown) was an
560:20th-century American criminals
16:Italian-American serial killer
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391:"Little Girl Stoned To Death"
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479:The Morning Journal-Courier
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518:Waterbury Evening Democrat
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100:March – May 1908
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570:Suspected serial killers
514:"Will Be Sent to Asylum"
210:Murder of Louise Staula
234:Santo was captured in
162:Taunton Lunatic Asylum
50:Taunton, Massachusetts
46:Taunton Lunatic Asylum
330:The Washington Times
96:Span of crimes
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307:The United Opinion
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64:Conviction(s)
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555:1890s births
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177: 1894
142: 1894
549:Categories
262:References
168:Biography
250:See also
186:Brooklyn
154:American
119:New York
114:State(s)
236:Norwood
150:Italian
105:Country
87:Victims
82:Details
541:, 2000
190:Dedham
137:(born
146:Italy
35:Italy
41:Died
32:1894
29:Born
144:in
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