He had a certain elegance : Hannibal Lecter was inspired by a real killer
In 1963, while on assignment to Topo Chico Penitentiary in Nuevo León, Mexico to interview a murderer, a 23-year-old journalist called Thomas Harris got chatting to the prison doctor. He intended to ask him about saving the life of the killer, a Texan named Dykes Askew Simmons, after he was shot in a botched escape attempt, but instead he found that it was the doctor who did most of the questioning.
“Mr. Harris, how did you feel when you looked at Simmons?. Would you say the sunglasses add an element of symmetry to his face?. Do you think that Simmons was tormented on the school playground because he was disfigured?. Have you seen pictures of the victims?. Would you say they were attractive youngsters?”