Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
Gary Heidnik, widely known as the Bishop, abducted six women between November 1986 and March 1987. He held the women in his basement until one of the victims managed to call the authorities. He was then caught in March 1987 and was subsequently found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, six counts of kidnapping, five counts of rape, four counts of aggravated assault, and two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, according to court documents. Heidnik was sentenced to death and executed on July 6, 1999.
The Bishop was reportedly put to death by lethal injection at the State Correctional Institution at Rockview, Pennsylvania. According to CNN, His last meal reportedly consisted of two slices of cheese pizza and black coffee. Gary Heidnik was the last person to be executed in the state of Pennsylvania. The New York Times reported that he was 55 years old and an army veteran who earned a good amount of money in the stock market.
Although he served in the army for about 13 months, Gary Heidnik was reportedly discharged once he was found to be mentally ill, Fox News reported. However, he never managed to get help for his illness. His mother died by suicide in 1970, after which he started the United Church of the Ministers of God, which he ran in his living room. He ordained himself the Bishop and held regular meetings.
Although neighbors and those who attended the church did complain about a strange smell from his house, he was only caught when Josefina Rivera, his first victim, managed to contact authorities while she was in captivity, as per People Magazine.
What did Bishop Gary Heidnik do to his victims?
After he kidnapped Josefina Rivera, Gary Heidnik reportedly kept her locked up and chained in his basement. She was 25 and a mother of three when he abducted her. This was followed by the abductions of Sandra Lindsay, 24, Lisa Thomas, 19, Deborah Dudley, 23, and Jacqueline Askins, 18. All the victims were held in the basement, half-naked and chained.
According to People Magazine, Gary Heidnik was separated from his wife and lost custody of his three children years before. He attempted to impregnate the women he kidnapped and make sure that his children would grow up with him and stay away from external influence. So the Bishop repeatedly raped the victims and tortured them. He frequently inflicted electric shocks onto them.
Two of the Bishop’s victims died during their time in captivity. Sandra Linsay died after she was made to hang by her wrist from a ceiling beam for days together. After she died, Gary Heidnik reportedly cut her remains and fed them to the other victims. He also killed Deborah Dudley, who was put in a pit of cold water with the other victims except Rivera. Rivers was then asked to drop a live wire into the pit, giving them an electric shock and killing Deborah.
According to Oxygen, Josefina Rivera pretended to side with the Bishop and cooperate with him. She helped Gary Heidnik dispose of the dead victims’ remains and assisted him in kidnapping his last victim, Agnes Adams. When he trusted her completely, he let her call home. But Rivera telephoned the police, and the victims were rescued.
“Surviving the Bishop’s Basement” is an episode of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer that aired on Sunday, May 26, 2024, on ID. It explored the crimes of Gary Heidnik.
