I’m reviving milds old series every week I’ll be focusing on a certain criminal, what they did, why they did it, where and when. Today’s subject is Donald “pee wee” Gaskins also known as the hitchhiker murderer Where and when? Donald Gaskins lived in South Carolina he was born and raised in Florence county he was born in 1933 and committed his first murder around age 18 Before we look into what he did I think it’s best we look at the why. Gaskins is a prime example of someone turned evil by the people around him. At a young age he was nicknamed “peewee” because of his height and small frame and was constantly beat up and ridiculed for it. His stepfather was abusive as well. At age 11 he quit school to work at a garage there he met two other boys and they formed a group known as the the trouble trio the three of them, burglarized homes, picked up whores and -blam!- younger boys. Eventually they were caught -blam!- one of their younger sisters. As a punishment their parents beat them to the point of near death. The trio broke up shortly after. After this Gaskins continued to rob homes alone until one day in 1946 he robbed the home of a girl he knew This led to a fight and Gaskins being arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. He was then sent to a reform school till age 18. Once he arrived he was attacked and -blam!-. Eventually escaping Gaskins joined a travailing carnival and married a girl there. He returned To the school to finish out his sentence however. All the abuse he received at home from his parents and from the others at his school turned him into a murderer the likes of which South Carolina had never seen. What did he do? Gaskin murdered people who were hitchhiking taking them in his car and then torturing and killing them. He killed 80 boys and girls this way but considering it to be a sport. His “serious murders” were the once committed on people he knew such as his niece and her friend who he beat -blam!- and drowned. Gaskins was also a hired hit man and this is what eventually led to his capture. Gaskins ended up killing at least 80 people though their may be more. The only thing we can no for sure is the Donald “Pee Wee” gaskins was a complete psychopath and one of the most prolific killers in South Carolinian history