Who Was Adeline Watkins? All About Ed Gein's Alleged Girlfriend, Who Once Called the Murderer 'So Nice'

It’s been almost 50 years since Ed Gein’s gruesome crimes were uncovered, but now caller questions person been brought to ray astir nan infamous serial slayer and nan female who reportedly loved him: Adeline Watkins.

Monster: The Ed Gein Story is nan 3rd installment of nan Netflix anthology bid created by Ryan Murphy. This time, nan bid focused connected Ed Gein, 1 of nan astir notorious criminals successful American history. Known arsenic nan “Butcher of Plainfield,” Gein was a 1950s serial slayer and sedate robber who murdered astatine slightest 2 women, exhumed aggregate corpses and transformed his agrarian Wisconsin workplace into a “house of horrors.”

After his apprehension successful 1957 for nan sidesplitting of Bernice Worden, a section hardware shop owner, constabulary discovered a grotesque postulation of keepsakes, furniture, clothing and family items made from quality remains astatine his farmhouse. The lawsuit shocked nan federation and Gein became a popular civilization boogeyman whose crimes inspired galore scary films, including The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, and The Silence of nan Lambs.

In his individual life, however, Gein was linked to Adeline Watkins, portrayed successful nan bid by Suzanna Son, who described him arsenic “good and kind.” After he was arrested, she claimed nan 2 had been together for decades earlier later retracting her statements.

Here’s everything to cognize astir Ed Gein’s alleged girlfriend, Adeline Watkins.

Watkins initially claimed they had a 20-year romance

In November 1957, conscionable days aft Gein’s arrest, Watkins, a 50-year-old female from Plainfield, Wis., famously claimed she had a decades-long romance pinch nan serial killer. In an question and reply pinch nan Minneapolis Tribune, she reportedly said she and Gein dated for 20 years.

Watkins, who lived successful a mini flat pinch her widowed mother, had thing bad to opportunity astir Gein, describing him arsenic “good and saccharine and kind.” Her mother said nan same, calling him a “sweet, polite man” and explaining that he ever had her girl location by 10 p.m. aft their dates.

According to Watkins, their dates typically consisted of going to spot a movie, but they occasionally went to section taverns for drinks, though she confessed that Gein wasn’t overmuch of a drinker.

“I would almost person to resistance Eddie into a tavern,” she said. “He would overmuch alternatively person gone to a drugstore for a milkshake.”

They shared a emotion of reference

Watkins, who was described by nan Minneapolis Tribune as “a plain female pinch graying bangs and horn-rimmed glasses,” told reporters that she and Gein shared a emotion of reading.

“Eddie and I discussed books,” she said. “We ne'er publication nan aforesaid ones, but we liked to talk astir them anyway,” she added, saying that Gein enjoyed books astir exotic animals, for illustration lions and tigers, arsenic good arsenic Africa and India.

Aside from literature, Watkins told reporters that nan 2 often talked astir crime, though not immoderate that Gein committed. “I conjecture we discussed each execution we ever heard about,” she said. “Eddie told [me] really nan murderer did wrong, what mistakes he had made. I thought it was interesting.”

She claimed she turned down a matrimony connection from him

According to Watkins, connected their last date, which she said was connected Feb. 6, 1955, much than 2 years earlier his eventual arrest, Gein proposed.

“I turned him down, but not because location was thing incorrect pinch him,” she explained to nan Minneapolis Tribune. “It was thing incorrect pinch me. I conjecture I was acrophobic I wouldn’t beryllium capable to unrecorded up to what he expected of me.”

She went connected to opportunity that Gein was specified a bully partner that she didn’t consciousness she deserved him.

“Eddie was truthful bully astir doing things I wanted to do that sometimes I felt I was taking advantage of him,” she said. Despite rejecting his proposal, her feelings for him stayed nan same. “I loved him and I still do.”

Watkins later retracted her statements

Watkins' claims astir a 20-year matter pinch Gein became infamous. Other outlets picked up nan story, and her photograph was printed crossed nan beforehand pages of aggregate newspapers.

Seemingly uncomfortable pinch her newfound celebrity, Watkins retracted her first statements days later. She contacted nan editor of nan Plainfield Sun, a smaller, section paper, to correct nan record. Watkins denied being Gein’s “sweetheart,” but said nan brace had a friendship.

“There was nary 20-year romance,” she said, describing their narration arsenic purely platonic. Gein would extremity by her flat to sojourn connected occasion, and sometimes they would spell to nan theatre together to watch a movie, she explained.

Despite denying immoderate romanticist feelings, Watkins insisted her earlier portrayal of Gein arsenic “quiet and polite” was an meticulous one. However, she denied ever having called him "sweet" advertisement was “quite emphatic successful stating that she had ne'er ‘practically dragged him into a tavern,’ arsenic was reported.”

Further, she reportedly said she felt sorry for him. 

She is portrayed by Suzanna Son

While nan existent quality of Gein’s narration pinch Watkins whitethorn ne'er beryllium afloat known to nan public, it is explored successful nan 3rd play of Monster.

In nan series, Watkins is portrayed by The Idol actress, Suzanna Son. “It’s conscionable a dream role,” Son told Women’s Wear Daily in May 2025. “I consciousness for illustration I’m nan luckiest woman successful nan world.”

Speaking astir why she was drawn to nan domiciled of Watkins, Son described it arsenic an elusive process. “I can’t explicate what I’m attracted to, but I ever travel that emotion erstwhile I person it," she said.