A Troubled Childhood
Adopted at just three months old by Delle and Fred Albright, Charles grew up as the only child in a household filled with both love and peculiarities. Delle, a schoolteacher, was highly protective of her son, showering him with attention. However, her overbearing nature also led to disturbing practices. Charles was sometimes dressed as a girl when a specific aunt visited, and Delle reportedly chained him to the porch to prevent him from wandering off. This unusual upbringing may have contributed to the development of his later criminal tendencies.
By the age of 13, Charles had already established a criminal record, including charges for petty theft and aggravated assault. As he grew older, his interests shifted towards hunting and taxidermy, skills that would later play a significant role in his crimes. Encouraged by his mother, Charles became proficient in the art of taxidermy, with a particular fascination for eyes, meticulously selecting the perfect glass eyes for his specimens.
A Life of Deception
Despite his early academic success—Charles graduated high school at the age of 15, thanks to skipping two grades—his life began to unravel in college. He initially pursued a pre-med education at the University of North Texas but was soon arrested for possessing stolen goods, including petty cash and firearms. This marked the beginning of a pattern of criminal behavior and deceit.
After serving a year in jail, Charles attempted to resume his studies at Arkansas State Teacher’s College but was expelled for similar reasons. Frustrated, he resorted to forging degrees, including a bachelor’s and a master’s, to create a façade of legitimacy. He also married his college girlfriend, Bettye Nestor, with whom he had a daughter. However, his inability to hold down a job and his continuous criminal activities strained their relationship, eventually leading to their separation in the mid-1970s and a finalized divorce in 1987.
Throughout his life, Charles dabbled in various careers, from bullfighting to hairdressing, often leaving jobs out of boredom rather than being fired. His criminal activities escalated, culminating in a charge of molesting a friend’s 14-year-old daughter in 1981, for which he received probation after pleading guilty.
The Eyeball Killer Emerges
In the late 1980s, Charles Albright's dark interests took a more sinister turn. He began targeting sex workers in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, earning the moniker "The Eyeball Killer" due to the gruesome nature of his crimes. His first known victim, Mary Lou Pratt, was found in December 1990. She had been beaten, shot in the head with a .44-caliber gun, and her eyes had been surgically removed—a chilling hallmark that would link her case to others.
Susan Peterson, another sex worker, was found in February 1991. Like Mary Lou, she had been shot, and her eyes had been removed with the same surgical precision. The discovery of Shirley Williams, the only African American victim, followed soon after. Her body, found near an elementary school, bore the same gruesome signs—beaten, shot, and missing her eyes.
Despite the horrifying nature of these crimes, the investigation struggled due to the lack of forensic evidence and the absence of the murder weapon. However, a breakthrough came when a friend of Mary Lou Pratt informed the police about Charles Albright’s obsession with eyes and knives. This tip, combined with testimonies from other sex workers who had been assaulted by Charles, led the police to secure a warrant for his arrest.
The Trial and Conviction
In March 1991, Charles Albright was arrested and charged with the murders of Mary Lou Pratt, Susan Peterson, and Shirley Williams. His trial began in December of the same year, but the prosecution's case was largely circumstantial. Despite this, Charles was found guilty of Shirley Williams's murder on December 18, 1991, primarily based on hair evidence found at the scene that visually matched his own.
However, questions about the legitimacy of his conviction have persisted over the years. The gun found in his home did not match the murder weapon, and his girlfriend, Dixie, provided him with an alibi for two of the murders. Additionally, the hair evidence that led to his conviction was later found to be dog hair, not human.
Life in Prison and Death
Charles Albright was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He spent the remainder of his life in the West Texas Regional Medical Center in Lubbock, where he died in August 2020 at the age of 87. Despite being convicted of only one murder, it is widely believed that he was responsible for at least two other deaths.
Albright’s case remains one of the more bizarre chapters in the annals of American true crime, not only for the horrific nature of his crimes but also for the unusual path his life took—marked by a blend of intelligence, deceit, and a deeply disturbing obsession that ultimately defined his legacy as "The Eyeball Killer."