Ed Gein was a serial killer whose crimes came into public light almost 50 years ago. His life has been shown in the third instalment of the Netflix anthology series directed by Ryan Murphy. In the Monster: The Ed Gein Story, the series focuses on ‘Ed Gein’, who was believed to be a notorious criminal in the history of America. He was a 1950s serial killer and robber. He murdered two women, and his Wisconsin farm was turned into an hour of horrors. But he had a soft corner for his alleged girlfriend, Adeline Watkins.
Who was Adeline Watkins?
Ed Gein was romantically involved with Adeline Watkins. In the Netflix series, Suzanna Son is playing the role of his alleged love interest. Talking about the real-life Adeline Watkins’ love story, she once talked about her decades-long romance with the serial killer, but later, took a U-turn from her statements.
It was in November 1957, days after Ed Gein’s arrest, that the 50-year-old Adeline came forward and revealed her love for him. In an interview with the Minneapolis Tribune, Adeline reportedly shared that she and Ed dated for twenty years. Adeline lived in a small apartment with her mother. When the newspaper contacted her, she heaped praise on Ed. She described him as ‘good, sweet and kind.’ Not only this her mother also recalled him as a ‘sweet, polite man’. She explained that he always got her daughter back home by 10 p.m.
Adeline Watkins’ relationship with serial killer Ed Gein
Recalling their time together, Adelina shared that they mostly watched movies on their dates. And they occasionally went to local taverns for drinks. She even claimed that her boyfriend wasn’t a drinker, and it was she who had to take him there. She was quoted as saying:
“I would almost have to drag Eddie into a tavern. He would much rather have gone to a drugstore for a milkshake.”
Adeline Watkins was a simple woman with greying hair and horn-rimmed glasses. The couple reportedly shared a love for reading. She shared that Eddie and she would discuss books, and while they do not read the same ones, they loved talking about them. She also revealed that Ed would love reading books about exotic animals like lions and tigers.
She also revealed that the two even discussed crime and every murder they heard about in their area. Eddie would tell her how the murderer had gone wrong and what mistakes they had made, which she found interesting. She said:
“I guess we discussed every murder we ever heard about. Eddie told [me] how the murderer did wrong, what mistakes he had made. I thought it was interesting.”
Adeline Watkins revealed Ed Gein’s proposal, which she rejected
Adeline Watkins and Ed Gein were in love, and it was on February 6, 1955, more than two years before his arrest, that Ed proposed to her. However, she turned him down, clarifying quickly that nothing was wrong with him, but she was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to live up to what he expected from him. She said:
“I turned him down, but not because there was anything wrong with him. It was something wrong with me. I guess I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to live up to what he expected of me. Eddie was so nice about doing things I wanted to do that sometimes I felt I was taking advantage of him.”
Despite Adeline’s rejection of Ed Gein’s marriage proposal, she expressed that her feelings for him remained the same, and she continued to love him. Soon, the serial killer’s 20-year affair made headlines, and it was all over the country. It seemed that Adeline didn’t expect to make the news, so she retracted her initial statements within days. She contacted the editor of the Plainfield Sun to correct the claims, denying that she was Gein’s ‘sweetheart’ and explaining that they were just friends.
Adeline further claimed that their relationship was purely platonic, and Gein would stop by her apartment on occasions, and sometimes they would go to the theatre to watch a film. Denying being romantically involved with Ed, Adeline claimed that the serial killer was ‘quiet and polite’. But she never called him ‘sweet’, and she never dragged him for drinks. Further, she expressed that she felt sorry for him.
What do you think about Adeline Watkins’ love story with Ed Gein, and her retracting her statements, which went viral?
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