Shawcross fought in the Vietnam War, serving in October 1967. He claimned he murdered and cannibalized two young Vietnamese girls, including their genitals.

Shawcross started his criminal career as an arsonist. In 1968, he ended up in jail on arson charges and served two years of a five-year sentence.

On January 2, 1990, during a police helicopter search for a body along the river, an individual was sighted on a bridge close to one of the murder victims, with a small van in proximity. Despite the presence of authorities on the ground, Shawcross managed to evade capture.

Shawcross had an extra Y chromosome (the coloring book is in error with XXY) which is called supermale syndrome - which causes above average height and below average intelligence.

Shawcross (somehow) had multiple affairs with numerous women at a time. During an argument with one of his mistresses (regarding his other affairs as well as his dendancy to steal money), his temper exploded in fear that she would reveal his daliances to his wife. Shawcross picked up a log and beat her on the side of the head. He quickly hid the body for the time-being, but returned soon after and threw her skull into the river.

Following the discovery of the last victim's body in January 1990, the police made the decision not to remove it but to maintain surveillance on the area. This strategic move was based on a psychological profile indicating that the killer might revisit the scene.

As anticipated, Shawcross was observed masturbating while sitting in his car - a 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity - on a bridge overlooking the creek where the body of his last victim had been found floating. Subsequently, he was apprehended and ultimately confessed while in custody.

The decapitated and decomposing remains of a 60-year-old homeless woman was found on October 21, 1989, in the Genesee River Gorge. She died from having her neck broken.

In April 1967, at the age of 21, Shawcross was drafted into the United States Army. Around this time, he divorced his first wife and relinquished his rights to their 18-month-old son, whom he never had contact with again. He completed one tour of duty with the 4th Supply and Transport Company of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. Later on, he falsely boasted about gruesome combat feats, including claims of "beheading mama-sans and affixing their heads to trees as a Vietcong warning" and participating in acts of cannibalism. In reality, he never served in a combat role.

In the Spring of 1972, a 10-year-old boy went out to play near the apartments where Shawcross lived and dissappeared shortly after. Shawcross denied knowing where he was, but had actually been fishing with him a few days earlier. The boys's body was eventually found, and Shawcross admitted after his arrest that he had suffocated, mulilated, and molested him. Additionally, he has claimed that he consumed his heart genitals.

Shawcross was convicted of the murder of 11 women, although its widely reported that 11 is at the bottom end of his count, and it’s closer to 14 or 15.

Shawcross was a big dude at 6 ft and 300 lbs, so this not so boney skull in in reference to his chunky mug.