Hold My Sweet Tea
Where True Crime collides with chilling ghost stories and Southern folklore. Join us, sip sweet tea, and uncover shocking tales of murder, mystery, and the supernatural, all with a healthy dose of Southern charm and a touch of sass!
Hold My Sweet Tea
Ep. 58-The Meanest Man in America: Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins
The story of Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins unfolds like a horrifying fairy tale – a broken little boy from South Carolina who grew up to become "the meanest man in America." Standing at just 5'4", this diminutive figure carved a path of destruction that few serial killers have matched, claiming over 100 victims during his reign of terror.
Born in 1933 to a mother who drifted between abusive men, young Donald experienced unimaginable trauma that shaped his twisted worldview. By age 11, he had abandoned school, already harboring deep hatred toward women. His journey through reform school, where he was viciously victimized, only hardened his violent tendencies. The podcast traces his evolution from troubled teen to calculating killer with chilling precision.
What makes Gaskins particularly fascinating is his methodical approach to murder. He categorized his killings as either "recreational" (random victims he tortured for pleasure) or "serious" (targeted murders of acquaintances and family members). His sadism knew no bounds – forcing victims to consume parts of their own bodies, occasional cannibalism, and even purchasing a hearse to transport corpses while joking openly about his intentions. The hosts explore the disturbing psychology behind these behaviors while examining the nature versus nurture debate that inevitably surfaces in cases like this.
The episode reaches its climax with Gaskins' final act of violence – constructing a bomb inside a radio to kill a fellow inmate while serving a life sentence. Despite his desperate last-minute attempt to avoid execution by slashing his wrists, Pee Wee Gaskins met his end in the electric chair on September 6, 1991. Through thoughtful discussion of childhood trauma and its consequences, the hosts pose difficult questions about what creates a monster and whether some people are simply born with darkness inside them.
Follow us on social media or email us at steeped@holdmysweettea.com to share your thoughts on this chilling case. And remember – just because someone is small in stature doesn't mean they can't be incredibly dangerous.
Sources:
Kirby, Wolford, Hayward, Department of Psychology, Raiford University, Donald Henry Gaskins Jr. "PeeWee", https://web.archive.org/web/20121224205708/http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Gaskin%2C%20Pee%20Wee.pdf
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, October 15, 1990, Gaskins v. Mckellar, https://web.archive.org/web/20081007141112/http://www.altlaw.org/v1/cases/535927
Montaldo, Charles, October 23, 2019, Serial killer Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins, One of the most prolific killers in U.S. History, https://web.archive.org/web/20201111164611/https://www.thoughtco.com/donald-pee-wee-gaskins-973165