A social history profile of Richard Kuklinski

¶ … Iceman Confessions: A Social History Profile of Richard Kuklinski

IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

Reason for Referral:

Richard Kuklinski was referred because of his involvement in multiple murders. A member of Newark's DeCavalcante crime family and New York City's Five Families whose job was that of a hitman, Kuklinski is believed to have murdered upwards of 100 people. According to his self-reports, Kuklinski began murdering people at the age of 13. Kuklinski was convicted of five murders in 1988, which resulted in consecutive life sentences. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to an additional murder.

family History

Richard Kuklinski was born April 11, 1935 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was born to Stanley Kuklinski and Anna McNally Kuklinksi. Stanley Kuklinski, an abusive alcoholic who worked as a brakeman for the railroad. Stanleybeat his children and his wife, eventually causing the death of his oldest son, Florian. His mother Anna McNally Kuklinksi, was the victim of tremendous domestic violence. While she was a victim, she was also a perpetrator; she helped her husband hide the cause of death of their son Florian, after he murdered him, by telling the police that Florian had fallen down the stairs. She also beat her children with broomsticks. Kuklinski was one of four children. Three of the four siblings were significantly linked to violence, Florian, who died as a result of his father's violence, and his brother Joseph who was convicted of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl.

As one might imagine, Kuklinski's relationship with his parents was negative. He describes disliking his father and called described his mother as "a cancer." Not only was Stanley an alcoholic who beat his children without any provocation, he eventually abandoned the family. Anna's violence was not as random; it appears to have been aimed at preventing him from engaging in criminal behavior and was tied to her religious fervor. The family was Catholic and Kuklinski was emerged in the religion as a child, even serving as an altar boy. The family was in the lower socioeconomic class, and, while Kuklinski had a stable environment during his childhood, that environment was a housing project.

birth and Early Development

Despite his troubled childhood, there is no record the Kuklinski had any of the childhood problems generally associated with a sociopath or psychopath. There are no known problems during birth or pregnancy. There is no record of serious childhood illness or hospitalization. Furthermore, there is no known history of firestarting or bedwetting. However, Kuklinski did have a well documented history of abuse towards animals. He tortured and killed cats and dogs with some regularity.

marital and Relationship History

Kuklinski had a single marriage. He was married to Barbara Pedrici from 1961 until he died in 2006. The marriage, though it had troubles, lasted 45 years. There were no intentional separations between the couple. However, they did live apart for a significant period of time due to the fact that Kuklinski was married to his wife at the time of his incarceration, and they remained married until he died in prison in 2006. There is a significant history of domestic violence in the marriage, with the children reporting abuse as well. The couple had three children, two daughters, Merrick and Chris, and a son, Dwayne. There is a significant history of violence towards the children.

education History

Kuklinski's educational history was very lacking. He stated in his interview that he had an 8th grade education. His attitude towards school seems varied. He attended a Catholic grammar school as a child, and he was an altar boy, suggesting somewhat positive feelings towards school. On the other hand, he dropped out of school before completing his education. He did indicate negative feelings about this because of how it impacted his earning potential as an adult. There was not sufficient information available to determine what his grades were when he was in school. Moreover, there is no indication that he was involved in special education when he was in school.

employment History

Prior to becoming involved in higher-level organized crime, he worked as a pool shark and other low-level criminal activity. Then he began working in a pornography lab, which introduced him to organized crime. He eventually became a mob hit man. He worked more than 30 years as a hitman for the mob, as well as narcotics, pornography, and arms dealing. He never really lost his position. Instead, his "employment" ended when he was arrested on December 17, 1986, and eventually convicted for these murders. He seemed to have a functional working relationship with his mob associates, although his death is suspected to have been the result of murder because of his upcoming role in a trial against another mob boss.

medical History

Kuklinski's medical history is unremarkable. He had no known medications, no significant medical complaints prior to his death, no history of serious illness, no known major surgeries, no known history of seizures, no known history of broken bones, and no known history of head injuries. Therefore, it seems unlikely that there was a physiological foundation for his behavior.

alcohol and drug history

At the time of his incarceration, Kuklinski appeared to be completely sober. However, he did have a history of problem drinking. He presumably began drinking at some time in his teens. His drink of choice was not specified. How much and how often he drank was not specified. However, by his 20s, his drinking was considered problematic. There is no evidence that he either sought or obtained treatment for alcohol or drug use, but he was able to function for several years. .

legal history

Kuklinski was charged with five counts of murder, six weapons violations, attempted murder, robbery, and attempted robbery in 1987. Although there are some indications of serial-type murders in his youth, Kuklinski is not considered a serial offender, but rather a violent offender who killed for money. His history of murder began at the age of 14 and lasted through his lifetime, though the murders underlying his charges occurred towards the end of his life. In 1988, he was convicted of five counts of murder and sentenced to consecutive life sentences for those crimes. In 2003 he pleaded guilty to an additional charge of murder and received a 30-year sentence for that crime. He was not eligible for parole prior to his death. His convictions are believed to represent only a small portion of his actual crimes; he is believed to have committed upwards of 100 murders.

Mental Status and Behavior Observation (must have subheading):

Appearance, Attitude, and Activity

Kuklinski was a tall, physically imposing man. He was over 6 feet tall and over 300 pounds. He seemed physically fit, despite his immense size. He had several tattoos on his body at the time of his prison interviews. He had a beard and was balding. Otherwise, he presented a clean-cut disposition. His attitude was very soft-spoken, even when discussing horrific events. However, he did make it clear to the interviewer that, despite being incarcerated at the time of the interview, he still posed a threat to the interviewer.

Thought Process, Thought Content, and Perception

His thought process seemed coherent, with no obvious defects in cognition or reasoning. While he was relating horrific events and his thought content was disturbing, there did not appear to be an element of violent fantasy in his thoughts. His perceptions seemed to reflect normal perceptions about what occurred. In fact, when describing a murder in his youth, he acknowledges that the slight for which he killed the man was not a significant one.

Speech and Language

His speech is soft and he speaks in a manner above his 8th grade educational level. His language did not contain an inordinate amount of cussing or swear words. He also did not engage in significant overt threats in his language. He seems very aware of the power of words, apologizing when he knows his words will be offensive, even when it is clear that he does not care if his words are offensive.

Cognition, Insight, and Judgment

Kuklinski's judgment, insight, and cognition seem relatively unimpaired. His recollections are clear and he offers insight into the reasons behind certain crimes, including his involvement in those crimes. However, examining his behavior one sees a problem in his thought processes; as he felt law enforcement becoming more of a risk, he began to kill people close to him and engaging in increasingly sloppy behavior that led to law enforcement being able to gather evidence against him.

Summary and Impression:

Kuklinski's presents as a remorseless criminal, who neither hopes to get better nor believes that he will get better. Although incarceration will limit his potential target population, it is unlikely that incarceration would have prevented him from harming people in the prison population. Moreover, depending on the degree of contact with people in organized crime, he may have posed a continuing danger to the general population.

Kuklinski seems to be a devoted father and husband, but his relationship with his family was an unusual source of moral conflict. While he maintained that he would not hurt a child or women, his history of violence against his family betrays those ideals.

Treatment Recommendation:

Kuklinski's presents as a remorseless criminal, who neither hopes to get better nor believes that he will get better. It seems unlikely that any course of treatment would be successful. The best recommendation is incarceration and separation from the general population, to protect others from his continuing threat.