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“G” is for Gaskins, Donald Henry (1931-1991)

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“G” is for Gaskins, Donald Henry (1931-1991). Serial Killer. A native of Prospect in Florence County, Gaskins is considered to be one of South Carolina’s most notorious murderers and career criminals. Barely five feet tall, he was nicknamed “Pee Wee.” From youth he was in trouble with the law. While investigating Gaskins for several suspected murders in North Carolina, authorities uncovered several bodies buried near Prospect. Gaskins would eventually confess to killing more than one hundred people. Initially accused of five murders in Florence County, his 1975 death sentence was overturned by the South Carolina Supreme Court. While serving consecutive life sentences, Gaskins killed another inmate. In 1983 he was convicted and sentenced to death. In 1991 Donald Henry Gaskins was executed in South Carolina’s electric chair; his remains were cremated and scattered in an undisclosed location.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.