George Banks, who was responsible for one of the worst mass shootings in Pennsylvania history, died at the age of 83 in a prison. The cause of death was confirmed by authorities to be due to complications from kidney cancer, ending a story from 43 years ago that began with unimaginable violence from Wilkes-Barre.
Rampage of Death September 1982
Banks started his spree of killing just after midnight on September 25, 1982. He took an AR-15 rifle with him and attacked several locations around Wilkes-Barre and Jenkins Township, shooting at victims. He entered his home on Schoolhouse Lane first, where he killed four of his children and their mothers, before traveling to another house and adding to the list of fatalities in the family.
Trial, Conviction and the Fight Against Execution
He was charged with 13 counts of first degree murder. The trial took place in Luzerne County in 1983, and the defense argued mental insanity because of Banks’s illness of schizophrenia manifested with delusions. The jury took hours to deliberate and found him guilty on all counts. Following which sentence of death was passed on Banks giving 13 death penalties.
Banks’s counsel brought many appeals in these years. It was asserted that he was mentally unsound and that executing him would violate the constitutional prohibition against cruelty in the punishment. In 2004, a day before the scheduled lethal injection took place, authorities stopped the process citing competency reasons. Time and time again, courts ruled that Banks’s severe mental illness rendered him incapable of being punished with capital punishment. Despite the masses calling for justice, Pennsylvania governors signed stays, keeping him away from the palace of execution.
Life in Solitary Confinement
For most of his time in prison, Banks was housed on death row at State Correctional Institution. He spent many of his years in solitary, further damaging his already shaky mental health. Inmates and guards both referred to him as withdrawn and delusional, going on rants about his supposed conspiracy theories. He has refused to have visitors and has had minimal contact with their outside world.
Isolation did not prevent Banks from sometimes communicating through letters with remorse expressed in halting manners. Rights group representatives for victims monitored his status, ensuring that he is still behind bars. The state moved him to a medical facility for treatment since his health declined due to illnesses.
Last Days and Impact Lasting
Medical staff pronounced Banks dead on November 2, 2025, from the prison infirmary. According to Coroner Dr. Janine Darby, the cause of death was renal neoplasm and confirmed no foul play. Hassles in terms of emotional responses were made by victim family members. Some felt closure, others felt bad because Banks was not executed.
