This website was produced as a visual documentation for the famous and deadly puppet master ‘The Marionettist’. Or formally known as Aaron Shaw, Leandro Banks, Clare Stein, Lea Mason, Anthony Hatfield, Brian Mclaughlin, Carter Beard and Zachery Watson. What does it mean for one person to have eight different names? The Marionettist had an incurable condition ‘DID’ or Dissociative identity disorder. What this meant for him was that he was living in a body with eight other people whom all had their own histories, personality’s and possible deadly traits. During his life, one of his personality’s murdered multiple individuals. Each of his personalities also controlled a puppet which he used for them to talk through. this is his collection. But which one was the murderer, one can only wonder.
I picked my victims like I picked my own puppet, It could always be controlled.
The Confident Dragon, so rightfully named was his primary personality, Aaron Shaw, he was confident, well liked and approachable. When using this personality, he would do puppet shows for kids in hospital, work at a local veterinarian and host the annual community holiday parties. He was overall widely respected by the community. Unfortunately, this was also the default personality the murderer would revert to after a kill, because Aaron wouldn’t remember anything he had done previously, and being interviewed as a suspect it would always be Aaron. During his trial many members of the local community stood up in protest when The Puppet Master was sentenced for life, but many didn’t understand why.
The Crazied Bee, was Leandro Banks a stunt double for some famous actors in Hollywood. Hard to keep in contact with, when Mr Banks took a hold of his personality he would leave town for months at a time. I’m sure those in Hollywood thought he was strange a man, one who would talk with a bee puppet on his hand, but he always returned to town in one piece. There have been linked disappearances in key locations where Mr Banks had been working in Hollywood, but no supported evidence to link The Crazied Bee.
The Lonely Elephant, was introduced to the police as Clare Stein, discovered during his adolescence he had adopted a female personality with severe depression. After his parent’s death in a fatal car crash he had to live in the towns barely operational orphanage, where the staff had informed police at a much later stage, during investigative work that he was bullied because of his mental illness and fondness for puppets. The other children could not understand why he was so different. The lonely Elephant was the only puppet to ever be given to him. He received this puppet from a young staff member named Clare. Who later that year disappeared herself, no evidence linked him to the crime at that stage.
The Deadly Mantis, was later found to be purchased during his collage years, Lee Mason was the personality which formed, an interview with another student who was in his biology class said, “Lee was a hotshot, although he wore a stupid mantis puppet on his hand 24/7 he could still get the ladies”. This was deeply upsetting to investigators during the year 2018, the year he was convicted, to find that in that year thirteen students had been reported missing in the same collage he attended, they have still not been found, and their disappearances still have not been linked to Lee. Although during an interview with The Confident Dragon personality, Aaron Shaw, he always believed if any of his personalities was a murderer, it would be him, as he disliked Lee the most.
Anthony Hatfield known by his personality The Cheeky Monkeys, was the friendliest of all personalities to run into. Even during investigations into the life of The Marionettist, investigators would leave the department hoping they would be talking to him instead of the other personalities. And his therapists say he was a delight to talk to when he was Anthony. Past all of this praise, he was a party animal, linked to every major party and event as DJ Monkey Man, with the key unique feature which was linked to his sightings by wearing two monkey puppets on both of his hands. But although he was all round well liked man, there is no telling how many of his overall victims could has attended these parties never to return.
The Sleepy Spider, better known as Brian Mclaughlin, was never introduced to the public, but it was a puppet seized during the raid of the warehouse he was found in during his final days on the run. Aaron introduced this puppet to the investigators as Brain. He was the puppet he would sleep with at night. One of the only puppets to have individual control of each finger. During the analysis of this puppet at a later stage it was found to contain traces of chloroform, which may have been used to subdue his victims. You would only be able to talk to The Sleepy Spider personality if you interrupted his deep sleep.
Carter Beard, known as The Sensitive Hedgehog was obtained before he departed overseas. With Carter not only would his personality be more sensitive, but he physically changed his appearance. Grew out a long beard and only wore outfits obtained during his time travelling. He was also a known Buddhist, and to his friends he was, “The mellowest guy you’ll ever meet”. During investigations into his different personalities and their links to numerous murder cases nothing could be even remotely linked to The Sensitive Hedgehog, but during his time spent overseas there was no way of telling.
The Ferocious Dragon, Zachery Watson, is the personality of a little boy, whom through investigation would should have been himself as a child. When he was apprehended, he was Zachery, pleading that he didn’t know what was going on or where he was standing in the middle of a crime scene. His intelligence in this state is as much as an 8-year-old, and during this personality stage he is normally at home by himself, the local sheriff have released a statement that on more than one occasion he has called the department as Zachery wanting to dob on someone, but always ended up hanging up beforehand.
Even though The Marionettist has passed away, there are still so many unanswered questions and mysterious surrounding this serial killer. And due to the multiple personalities he had in his head, living multiple different lives, it is almost impossible to pin point how many deaths he has on his hands and which of his personalities was guilty. But if you want to know the full story, including how he was arrested, you can visit us and the collection in the flesh at the national gallery of ‘Crooks, and Criminal’s Night’ May 23 to June 13.