42 Facts About Paul Bateson

Paul Bateson appeared as a radiologic technologist in a scene from the 1973 horror film The Exorcist, which was inspired when the film's director, William Friedkin, watched him perform a cerebral angiography the previous year.

In 1979, Bateson was convicted of the murder of film industry journalist Addison Verrill and sentenced to a minimum of 20 years in prison; in 2003 he was released on parole, which ended after five years.

Paul Bateson was born on August 24,1940 and grew up in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, the son of a metallurgist.

Paul Bateson served in the Army in the early 1960s, where he began drinking heavily out of boredom while stationed in Germany, beginning a lifetime struggle with alcoholism.

Five years later, Paul Bateson's mother died of a stroke and his younger brother died by suicide.

Paul Bateson trained as a neurological radiological technologist and began working in that capacity.

Paul Bateson commuted from there to his job at New York University Medical Center, where he was well-liked and respected by his colleagues.

Paul Bateson wanted to view some medical procedures since he was considering showing some in the film.

Paul Bateson was looking for staff who might be willing to be extras in the film, since he would be shooting interiors in New York although the film itself is set in Washington, DC Dr Barton Lane invited the director to watch a cerebral angiography.

Paul Bateson can be seen in the background early, as Regan is wheeled into the room, helping put her on the table and attaching wires to her shoulders.

Around the time The Exorcist was released, Paul Bateson's drinking again increased, adversely affecting his social life.

Paul Bateson sustained himself with odd jobs, such as doing light repair work and cleaning in apartments near where he now lived in Greenwich Village, and taking tickets at a theater showing pornographic films.

Paul Bateson went to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and was successful for a while in staying sober.

Paul Bateson socialized with other recovering alcoholic gay men and was hoping to start another long-term relationship.

However, by 1977 Paul Bateson had begun drinking again, more heavily.

Paul Bateson said later that he was drinking at least a quart of vodka a day, which made him passive and curtailed his social life again.

On those nights when he was able to go out, Paul Bateson patronized leather bars, something he had started doing back in 1970 with a group that styled themselves as bikers.

Paul Bateson had been beaten and stabbed; there were some signs of a struggle.

Paul Bateson was considered a regular, holding court at a corner table, not only at the Mineshaft but the Anvil, another popular leather bar, and other popular gay bars of the era.

Paul Bateson's presence was seen as making those bars popular.

Paul Bateson used the money to buy liquor and was consequently drunk for the entire next day.

Paul Bateson claimed to be the son of an orchestra leader, to have a wife in Berlin who did not understand his homosexuality, and a teenage son.

Paul Bateson had an interest in the arts, and had wanted to be a dancer when he was younger.

Paul Bateson declined to tell Bell what sort of practice the license was for, suggesting that would help identify him.

Paul Bateson told Bell the killer was Paul Bateson, whom he had gotten to know while the two were drying out at St Vincent's Hospital a few months earlier.

Paul Bateson eventually gave police a handwritten confession that was consistent with what he had told Bell.

Paul Bateson was charged with second-degree murder and detained while awaiting trial.

Paul Bateson talked generally about his life, something he said he did often.

Paul Bateson had pleaded not guilty and expected that to be the verdict after a long trial.

Since the bags reportedly had wording on them connecting them to NYUMC's neuropsychiatric unit, and the dismemberment of the bodies appeared to have been done by someone skilled in using a knife, investigators began to suggest publicly that Paul Bateson might be a suspect in, as they were referred to officially, the "CUPPI" killings, for "Circumstances Unknown Pending Police Investigation", as well.

Those killings were the subject of another interview Paul Bateson gave, although it would not be made public until 2012.

Surprised that the gentle Paul Bateson he recalled could have even been accused of a murder, Friedkin came to Rikers to talk with him after getting permission from Paul Bateson's lawyer.

Paul Bateson said that the prosecutors were offering him a deal whereby if he confessed to the bag murders and some other unsolved killings, he would receive a shortened sentence.

Paul Bateson told Friedkin he was not sure if he would accept it.

Paul Bateson later added scenes set there to his film, released in 1980 to mixed reviews after heavy protests by the city's gay community during production.

Paul Bateson argued that he had been drunk at the time, and the police had not yet read him his rights.

Paul Bateson denied having made the phone call to Bell, claiming his purported confession was just based on what he had read about the case in the Voice.

Contrary to his prediction of a long trial in the wake of his arrest, Paul Bateson was convicted after four days, on March 5,1979.

At Paul Bateson's sentencing a month later, prosecutor William Hoyt called him a "psychopath" and reiterated his belief that he was responsible for the six unsolved murders.

Paul Bateson ultimately found the connection to the other murders "too ephemeral" to merit any consideration in sentencing Bateson.

Paul Bateson ultimately served 24 years and 3 months of his sentence, becoming eligible for parole in 1997.

Paul Bateson was portrayed by Morgan Kelly in the second season of the Netflix series Mindhunter.