HARRISBURG, PA – George Banks, the Luzerne County man responsible for one of the worst mass murders in Pennsylvania history, has died in state prison at the age of 83. The former prison guard killed 13 people, including five of his own children, during a shooting rampage more than 40 years ago.
The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections confirmed that Banks died on Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2025, at State Correctional Institution at Phoenix in Montgomery County. Banks died of natural causes due to complications from renal neoplasm, or kidney cancer, according to the Montgomery County Coroner.
The 1982 Rampage
Banks's name remains synonymous with the horrific events of September 25, 1982, when he fatally shot 13 victims at homes in Wilkes-Barre and Jenkins Township. The victims included his extended family—five of his children, their mothers, and other relatives—as well as a bystander.
Banks was found guilty at trial and originally sentenced to death. However, his execution was repeatedly delayed and ultimately overturned by state courts after he was declared mentally incompetent to face execution. His sentence was converted to life imprisonment.
His death closes a long, tragic chapter in Luzerne County's history, more than four decades after the killings that stunned the nation.
