Earle Leonard Nelson (né Ferral; May 12, 1897January 13, 1928), also known in the media as the "Gorilla Man," the "Gorilla Killer," and the "Dark Strangler," was an American serial killer, rapist, and necrophile. He was the first known American serial sex murderer of the twentieth century. Born and raised in San Francisco, California by his devoutly Pentecostal grandmother, Nelson exhibited bizarre behavior as a child, which was compounded by head injuries he sustained in a bicycling accident at age ten. After committing various minor offenses in early adulthood, he was institutionalized in Napa for a time.