Although known as “The Iceman” and one of the most notorious killers in American history these days, Richard Kuklinski was once the perfect family man in the eyes of the outside world. But the truth is, even though he took them on annual trips to Disneyworld, attended church every Sunday, and hosted barbecues with neighbors, the family lived a much different reality. After all, as chronicled in ID’s “American Monster: Wave to Daddy,” his wife and children knew him as someone who could not only be caring/loving, but also had an incredibly violent temper. So, let’s find out more about them, shall we?
Who are Richard Kuklinski’s wife and children?
Shortly after Richard Leonard Kuklinski left his mother’s house to start a new life, he married his then-girlfriend, Linda, a woman nine years his senior. They welcomed two sons into this world – Richard Jr. and David – before things between them spiraled seemingly out of control, leading to divorce. As for his second wife, Barbara, he met her while she was working in a trucking company where she was a secretary, only to marry him a few months later in 1961. Despite their own 7-year age gap, they had two daughters and a son – Merrick, Christin and Dwayne.
According to Barbara, who was just 19 and a naïve Italian Catholic with no experience when she started dating the 26-year-old, Richard tried to control her from the start. Yes, she admitted that he paid her a lot of attention, but that darkened when he threatened to kill her mother as well as her sister if she didn’t marry him, almost forcing them to rush on the spot. ‘altar. Even after having their children, Barbara said her husband alternated between the man who went to great lengths to support their family and the man who physically abused his wife before mentally abusing her. of his children.
Merrick, their eldest, in particular, remembers not only his father’s terrifying road rage, but also how he once killed his Samoyed dog right before his eyes as punishment for coming home late from school. House. He spent most of his anger on the furniture, from what she recalls, but his mother and their other pets were also often bullied. Ultimately, however, Richard was arrested in late 1986, Barbara divorced in 1993, and he died of cardiac arrest in prison in 2005. His ex-wife was the one who signed a restraining order. non-resuscitation for him, leaving room for the family to begin to heal from the past.
Where are Richard Kuklinski’s wife and children now?
Although not much is known about the Iceman’s first wife and children, Barbara Kuklinski visited him once a year, even after their divorce, and she never remarried. That said, it’s imperative to mention that she thinks her ex is the “worst mistake” she’s ever made. She is still a resident of New Jersey, as are the rest of her children, who now all have children, but she is said to be in a nursing home due to her age.
From what we can tell, Merrick, Christin, and Dwayne don’t want to repeat their parents’ mistakes and so do their best to provide a safe space for their children. The Kuklinskis generally prefer to keep their personal lives out of the spotlight. But we can reveal that Merrick currently works at GO Magazine and is a mother of two.
Read more: How did Richard Kuklinski die?
