Joseph Briggen

Case overview

Joseph Briggen (1894–1902) was a rural California hog farmer who had prize pigs that drew the highest prices at the state fair. He became an odds-on favorite for winning honors at the annual state fair in Sacramento, and other breeders pestered him for his secret.

Briggen said his success was “all in the feeding,” and he repeatedly made trips to San Francisco to find homeless men and transients to work for him. He promised room and board as payment.

After a few weeks, employees grew suspicious and demanded something more than food and lodging for their pay. Briggen responded by killing the latest victim, chopping up the body, and feeding it to his hogs. He regarded the “special” diet as responsible for his success in raising swine and did not want to change his method.

Background

Briggen followed a family tradition of working rural land, living and working from his remote Sierra Morena Ranch in northern California. His crops were invariably poor, and he had little to show for his labor except for his prize Berkshire hogs.

So perfect were his swine that Briggen became a favorite at the annual state fair in Sacramento, and his pork brought top dollar. Briggen had “bad crops,” and he complained of an inability to keep ranch hands, so he recruited down-and-outs from the streets of San Francisco.

The offence

Briggen recruited workers from San Francisco with promises of room and board. When workers demanded back pay or cash, he killed them, chopped up their bodies, and fed them to his hogs. Police later uncovered multiple human remains on the ranch grounds, including skulls buried on the grounds and bones found inside the sty itself.

The police suggested that Briggen’s killings involved twelve victims and suspected there were more. Authorities did not present a final verified count, and the identity and final number of his victims were described as an enduring mystery.

Investigation

In early 1902, a worker’s discovery led to a police search. The latest worker/victim, Steven Konrad, noticed something down the side of the bed one night and found two severed fingers. Konrad went to the police.

When police conducted a proper search the next day, they found a full skull and various other human bones in the pig sty. Police also uncovered at least 12 skulls buried on the grounds.

Excavations at the ranch unearthed an estimated dozen victims in the next few days. Police had enough information to secure a conviction.

Arrest and prosecution

Briggen was found guilty of murder. Police suggested he killed at least twelve victims and suspected a lot more. He received a sentence of life imprisonment in 1902.

Trial

Briggen was tried in August. He drew a term of life imprisonment.

Briggen was linked to the killings through the discoveries made after Steven Konrad went to police, and through the human remains found in and around the hog facilities.

Sentencing

Briggen was sentenced to life in prison in 1902.

Outcome

Joseph Briggen died shortly after going to prison in San Quinten.

Quotes

“it’s all in the feeding”

“It's all in the feedin”

Other details

Briggen’s victims were described as numbering 13+ in the case narrative.

The case materials used multiple spellings for the worker, including Steven Konrad and Steven Korad. The worker who reported the remains was the latest employee killed by Briggen.

The animal that received the bodies was described as hog feed and as prize Berkshire hogs.

A concluding biographical entry listed:

• SEX: M
• RACE: W
• TYPE: S
• MOTIVE: CE
• MO: Rancher who fed farmhands to his prize hogs
• DISPOSITION: Life sentence, 1902; died in prison