Violent crime has actually been on a downward trend lately across much of Texas, but that doesn't mean our state is free of a gruesome past. In fact, most people aren't aware that the serial killer who confessed to more murders than anybody in history lived in Texas for the majority of his crimes. He terrorized the rural Montague County area throughout the 1980s, believing to have had a hand in dozens of homicides (although he confessed to over 3,000 and was only convicted of 11). The story of Henry Lee Lucas, also known as "The Confession Killer" and "The Highway Stalker," is full of twists and turns, and you won't believe it happened right here in small-town Texas.

Lucas had a very troubled childhood. His father died of hypothermia after his legs were severed in a railroad accident, and his mother was a prostitute who forced him to cross-dress in public.

His first murder was committed in Michigan. He killed his mother after a heated argument about whether or not he should move back home to take care of her as she grew older. He served 10 years of his 20-40 year sentence before being released in June of 1970 due to prison overcrowding.

He fled to Ringgold, Texas with his mentally handicapped niece, 15 year-old Freida Powell, to work for a sick woman named Kate Rich. Rich's family kicked them out after a short time because they weren't doing their jobs to the best of their ability and were writing checks on Rich's account.

Lucas and Powell took to the streets and hitchhiked, eventually being picked up by the minister of a commune called "House of Prayer" in the nearby community of Stoneburg. After living in the commune for some time, Powell went missing. Lucas claimed she became homesick and left at a truck stop, but later admitted to murdering her.

This is a snapshot of Lucas being interrogated about the murder of Powell. He confessed to killing both her and Kate Rich as well as over 3,000 other people - obviously many of these claims were false, but his involvement in 11 homicides has been proven.

Lucas was sentenced to death for one murder, the killing of an unidentified woman dubbed "Orange Socks." Doubt about his culpability arose when it was discovered that the details he told police came from the case file, which he was given to read. George W. Bush commuted his sentence to life in 1998, however Lucas died in his cell three years later of heart failure anyway.

Below is a documentary with actual footage from interrogation rooms as well as interviews with those closest to Lucas and the law enforcement officers involved in his case. It's incredibly interesting, and I highly recommend watching it when you get a chance.

Did you know the story behind this infamous Texas serial killer? If you thought it was fascinating, be sure to check out our article on the Texas Killing Fields.