Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck
American serial killer couple
Raymond Martinez Fernandez (December 17, 1914 – March 8, 1951) and Martha Jule Beck (May 6, 1920 – March 8, 1951) were an American serial killer couple. They were convicted of one murder, are known to have committed two more, and were suspected of having killed up to twenty victims during a spree between 1947 and 1949.
After their arrest and trial for serial murder in 1949, Fernandez and Beck became known as the Lonely Hearts Killers for meeting their unsuspecting victims through personal ads, posted in newspaper lonely hearts columns. A number of films and television shows are based on this case.
Before the murders
Raymond Fernandez
Raymond Martinez Fernandez was born in the Territory of Hawaii to Spanish parents on December 17, 1914. Shortly after, the family moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut. As a teenager, Fernandez worked on his uncle's farm in Spain, married a young local woman named Encarnación Robles and had four children, all of whom he abandoned later in life.
He served in the Spanish merchant navy and with British intelligence services during World War II.
Upon his release from a hospital, Fernandez stole some clothing and was imprisoned for a year, during which time his cellmate converted him to a belief in voodoo and black magic. Fernandez later claimed black magic gave him irresistible power and charm over women.
Martha Beck
Martha Beck was born Martha Jule Seabrook on May 6, 1920, in Milton, Florida.
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