Documentary · Crime

Charles Whitman - The Texas Sniper

The former alter boy who slaughtered 14 people including his mother

Texas sniper Charles Whitman's story stands out for many reasons, not least of which being that it features a co-star - the University of Texas Tower from which he fired almost unimpeded for 96 minutes. On the surface, Charles Whitman would have seemed as steady and upstanding as the tower itself - he came from a wealthy, prominent family in Lake Worth, Florida, was a gifted student, an accomplished pianist and an Eagle Scout. But this veneer could not be further from the truth as this look inside his warped mind reveals. On August 1st 1966, Charles Whitman climbed the University of Texas Clock Tower with his high-powered rifles and killed 14 people and wounded 31 others. Interviews with those who knew him well and excerpts from Whitman's own writings reveal how his murderous personality was formed and why his violent nature remained hidden for so long.