A Brush with Infamy

The staff at History Nebraska, including staff at the Ford Center, have spent the last year or so talking a lot about “curiosity”.  We’ve had workshops and discussions about why people are curious, what they are curious about, how to increase and nurture our own curiosity to make our jobs easier and our output better.  One of the discussions was on topics that people are universally curious about.  These include things like: themselves (people everywhere are curious about themselves!), things we don’t talk about in polite society (think death, sex and money), food, babies, unattainable things, and as this blog post will highlight, the odd, strange, and morbid.  A couple of weeks back, the popular True Crime/Comedy podcast “My Favorite Murder” came to Omaha for a live show.  That sparked our curiosity about a painting that was treated at the Ford Center several years ago.  It was brought in by a man named Dave Sample, who gave us permission to share the story behind his unusual painting.  


Before treatment photo of painting with cartoon dog, fence, doghouse, signed by Richard Speck  after treatment photo of painting of cartoon dog, with fence, doghouse, signed by Richard Speck

Before (left) and After (right) Treatment photos of painting by Richard Speck.


The painting above looks innocent enough.  A happy little puppy frolicking in the a yard with a cheery blue sky above.  What could be odd or strange about that?  Well, the man who painted it was none other than notorious murderer Richard Speck!  What was a killer doing painting puppies for children?!  I won’t go into the gruesome details of the crimes committed by Speck, whose story can be found anywhere on the internet, but he was responsible for the deaths of eight student nurses in Chicago in 1966.  Because of the media frenzy around the case, it was decided that Speck could not receive a fair trial if it remained in Chicago.  Therefore, the trial was moved 150 miles southwest to Peoria, IL.  And that’s where we meet Dave’s father, Jerry Sample.


black and white photo of Jerry Sample in police uniform

Official police portrait of Jerry Sample, c. 1960s.


According to Dave, his father was a Peoria County deputy in charge of running the county jail at the time.  While Speck was on trial, Jerry provided him with painting supplies to help pass the time.  In all, Speck painted four pictures for the Sample family, the painting above for five-year-old Dave, one for each of Dave’s two brothers and one for their mother, which he describes as “more of an abstract theme”.  The paintings for all the boys “were of the dog variety”.  Dave’s painting and the one painting for his brother Jerry are currently hanging in Dave’s wife’s office.  She is a criminologist at UNO and he thought they would make interesting conversation pieces for her students and visitors to her office.  He is certainly right!  


painting of cartoon dog and turtle on the road, signed by Richard Speck

Painting by Richard Speck for Dave’s brother, Jerry.


Thank you to Dave Sample for his help in this blog post and sharing this curious story with us!

You May Also Enjoy

Send a Valentine to your Valentine from Valentine: History of the Cachet Program

Send a Valentine to your Valentine from Valentine: History of the Cachet Program

Beaten and Battered: Conservation of a Field Drum, War of 1812

Beaten and Battered: Conservation of a Field Drum, War of 1812

Marker Monday: DeWitty – An African American Settlement in the Sandhills

Marker Monday: DeWitty – An African American Settlement in the Sandhills

About NSHS

The Nebraska State Historical Society was founded in 1878 by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed NSHS from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Director Daryl Bohac. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for NSHS.

Explore Nebraska

Discover the real places and people of our past at these NSHS sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of NSHS members.

NSHS Education

Learn more about the educational programs provided at our museums, sites, and online.

Education Digital Learning Resources

Find games, lists, and more to enhance your history education curriculum.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Listen to our Podcast

Listen to the articles and authors published in the Nebraska History Magazine with our new Nebraska History Podcast!

Nebraska Collections

NSHS's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

NSHS's Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

NSHS Services

Digital Resources

Find all of our digital resources, files, videos, and more, all in one easy-to-search page!

Support The Historical Society

Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to the Nebraska State Historical Society help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of NSHS.

Volunteers are the heroes of NSHS. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.