According to Murderpedia, Earle Leonard Nelson, aka "The Gorilla Man," had a particularly distressing childhood that may have contributed to his unforgivable crimes. After his parents died, he lived with his religiously devoted grandmother where he was hit by a car while on his bike. When he awoke six days later, he began displaying troubling and unpredictable behavior. Nelson's grandmother died when he was 14 and he soon started to exhibit disturbing actions, including sexual acts. He bounced from institution to institution before committing a crime similar to Matt (Tom Bateman) in "Based on a True Story," aka The Westside Ripper.
Nelson attacked and tried to sexually assault a 12-year-old girl named Mary after pretending to be a charming plumber. Notably, in "Based on a True Story," Matt is also a plumber who had a similar experience in his past that forced him to relocate to Los Angeles. The most harrowing similarity lies in the brutal slaughter of 28-year-old Germania Harpin in December 1926. This mirrors the Westside Ripper's bloodthirsty stabbing of 28-year-old Chloe Lake (Natalia Dyer), which sets up the series' bizarre concept.
The Gorilla Man's grisly reputation even inspired Alfred Hitchcock's suspenseful 1943 masterpiece, "Shadow of a Doubt," in which a psychotic killer murders women while remaining hidden in plain sight.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
