"George Banks, Notorious Mass Murderer, Passes Away in Pennsylvania Prison at 83"

George Banks died at the age of 83 in prison, where he was serving time for his crimes as a mass murderer. Following his death, Life & Style shares insight into who Banks was and what crime he committed.

Who Was Mass Murderer George Banks?

Banks shot 14 people and killed 13 of them, including his own children, during a shooting spree in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1982. The incident was considered one of the worst mass murders in American history at the time.

According to NBC News, Banks had been drinking at a party before he used his AR-15 rifle to start the rampage at his home late at night. He shot five of his kids, who ranged between ages 1 and 6 years old, as well as the four mothers of his children.

His other victims were bystanders, including an 11-year-old who sometimes stayed with his family, a 7-year-old and a teenager who saw Banks leaving his home armed with the weapon.

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Authorities said that Banks killed three women and five children at his home, per the outlet. He was dressed in green army fatigues with an ammunition bandolier as he left the home and saw four teenagers walking to their car from a nearby friend’s house. He fatally shot one of the teenagers, and he hit another that survived.

Banks then stole a car and went to Heather Highlands Trailer Park, where the bodies of Banks’ son, the child’s mother, her mother and her nephew were discovered by police.

The murderer then went to his own mother’s house, who later told police that Banks told her, “I killed them. I killed them all.”

Banks then had a standoff with police at a friend’s house, who tried to convince him that his victims had survived. He eventually surrendered after four hours.

What Was George Banks’ Prison Sentence?

Banks was convicted of 12 counts of first-degree murder and one count of third-degree murder, according to NBC News. He was sentenced to life of prison, though the state never went through with his execution.

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State courts also prevented the possibility of Banks being executed, saying he wasn’t mentally competent to be considered for the death sentence. The decision was met with pushback, and his only surviving victim, Jim Olson, expressed frustration that Banks hadn’t been executed. “What is the sense of having a death penalty if you don’t use it or enforce it?″ he said in 2012, per NBC News.

How Did Mass Murderer George Banks Die?

The state Department of Corrections confirmed that Banks died at the age of 83 on November 2, 2025, at Phoenix state prison in Pennsylvania, per NBC News. He died of complications from renal neoplasm, also known as kidney cancer, Montgomery County Coroner Dr. Janine Darby revealed.