Leonard Lake

Leonard Thomas Lake (October 29, 1945 – June 6, 1985) was an American serial killer who often used the alias Leonard Hill. Shortly after being arrested for a firearms offense and suspicion of auto theft and fraud, authorities were alerted to the crimes of Lake and accomplice Charles Ng when a confession/suicide note written by Lake prior to swallowing cyanide pills and committing suicide was discovered. Videotapes later found at his house provided evidence that the pair had kidnapped and killed numerous persons; they are believed to have killed from 11 to 25 individuals.

Life

Lake was born in San Francisco, California. His parents separated when he was 6 years old, after which he and his siblings were sent to live with their maternal grandmother. He was reportedly a bright child, but had an obsession with pornography that stemmed from taking nude photos of his sisters, apparently with the encouragement of his grandmother. It was also alleged that Lake extorted sexual favors from his sisters. When he was a child, he enjoyed collecting mice and killing them by dissolving them in chemicals (a technique he would later use to help dispose of his human victims).