- Born
- Died
- Birth nameCharles Joseph Whitman
- Nickname
- The Texas Tower Sniper
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Charles Whitman was born on June 24, 1941 in Lake Worth, Florida, USA. He was married to Kathleen Frances Leissner. He died on August 1, 1966 in Austin, Texas, USA.
- SpouseKathleen Frances Leissner(August 17, 1962 - August 1, 1966) (her death)
- He was an accomplished pianist by the age of twelve.
- He is portrayed by Kurt Russell in The Deadly Tower (1975).
- A former Marine sniper, Whitman went to the top of a bell tower at the University of Texas-Austin campus and, with a high-powered rifle, shot and killed 14 people and injured dozens more on August 1, 1966. He began his killing spree at 11:50 a.m. and it ended at 1:24 p.m., when his position was stormed by Austin police officers Houston McCoy and Ramiro Martinez, who shot him dead.
- During the autopsy it was discovered that he had a brain tumor which may have caused the bizarre behavior of August 1, 1966.
- Immortalized in the song "The Ballad of Charles Whitman" by Kinky Friedman.
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