Major Crimes and True Crime

The Hi-Fi Murders The Hi-Fi Murders in 1974 still shock today. Three men—Dale Selby, William Andrews, and Keith Roberts—entered the Hi-Fi Shop in Ogden just before closing time. They then held store workers 20-year-old Stanley Walker and 18-year-old Michelle Ansley hostage in the basement before robbing the store. Later, 16-year-old Byron Naisbitt entered the store as he was running errands and was also taken hostage. Both Bryon’s mother, Carol Peterson Naisbitt, and Stanley’s father, Orren Walker, arrived at the store to look for their children where they suffered the same fate. What happened next is unimaginable and involved the hostages being forced to drink a corrosive liquid that caused their lips, tongues and throats to burn and the flesh to peel away from their skin. The hours of torture also included the use of a ballpoint pen as a weapon and three of the hostages were shot dead. The two surviving victims—Orren Walker and Byron Naisbitt—sustained permanent life-changing injurie...

Notorious Ukrainian cannibalistic serial killer Andrei Chikatilo was arrested on November 20, 1990.  Chikatilo was convicted of sexually molesting and killing 52 women and children. His final words were, "Don’t blow my brains out! The Japanese want to buy them!" ⁠ Over the following 12 years, Chikatilo committed over 50 known murders. Because reports of crimes like serial murder and rape were greatly suppressed by Soviet authorities in the state-controlled media, stories began taking a life of their own; among the rumors that circulated was that the victims were killed and mutilated by a werewolf. The murders weren’t publicized until August 1984, by which time Chikatilo had killed at least 30 people. He was suspected of killing Yelena Zabotnova and had been seen with her, but because another man confessed to the murder under torture and was consequently executed, Chikatilo was able to continue killing. In September 1984, he was arrested after soliciting a pr...

Ramadan Abdel Rehim Mansour, also known as "al-Tourbini", was a street gang leader and serial killer who raped and murdered at least 32 children in the course of seven years, throughout several locations in Egypt including Cairo, Alexandria, Qalyoubeya and Beni Sueif. All of his victims were 10 to 14 years old, most of them boys. Mansour was arrested in 2006 along with his six accomplices, and subsequently sentenced to death. Mansour left his home in Tanta, a town north of Cairo, and joined a street gang at an early age. Gang leaders taught him skills of survival, allegedly cutting him with razors when he made any mistakes. According to his confession, Mansour soon learned the method of getting back at those who crossed him by raping them, and murdered anyone who threatened to go to the police afterwards. One of the victims, 12-year-old boy Ahmed Nagui, had been a member of Mansour's gang. When Mansour tried to sexually assault him, Nagui reported him to t...

Serial Killer John Wayne Gacy As An Infant Before American serial killer John Wayne Gacy was finally caught in 1978, he raped, tortured, and murdered at least 33 teenage boys and men in his Illinois home. But long before his murderous reign, during which he worked as a clown at children's birthday parties, John Wayne Gacy was just a normal boy. This is undeniably one of the most creepiest babies ever. John Wayne Gacy was convicted of the torture, rape, and murder of 33 males between 1972 until his arrest in 1978. He was dubbed the "Killer Clown" because he entertained children at parties and hospitals as "Pogo the Clown." On May 10, 1994, Gacy was executed by lethal injection. Gacy's Childhood Years John Gacy was born on March 17, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois. He was the second of three children and the only son born to John Stanley Gacy and Marion Robinson. From age 4, Gacy was verbally and physically abused by his alcoholic father. Despite t...

The True Story of Gianni Versace's Murder On this day in 1997, fashion icon Gianni Versace was murdered. This murder was a string of murders committed by Andrew Cunanan in the spring of 1997. Despite the murderer being recognized in Miami Beach by a fast food employee 4 days prior to the murder of Versace, the police could not come in time to catch him.  Versace’s death lead to a nationwide manhunt. Cunanan was not found until days after the murder of Versace, where he was found dead 40 blocks away from Versace’s mansion. Today, there is a lot of speculation as to why Cunanan targeted Versace, as there is no reported evidence that they have met. However, they were both openly gay and were in similar circles. to early risers. It was a beach-cavorting, nightclub-dancing, hedonistic scene ruled by a fashion crowd of models, musicians, actors, and bohemians—so long as said bohemian looked good on Rollerblades wearing a G-string. But within this indolent world ...

John F. Morgan was the last man hanged publicly in West Virginia, on Dec. 16, 1897 John F. Morgan was the last man hanged publicly in West Virginia, on Dec. 16, 1897, after he was convicted of murdering Chloe Greene and two of her three children in the Grass Lick area of Jackson County. The execution drew more than 5,000 spectators, including a New York Sun special reporter assigned to cover the spectacle.  The chain of events that led to the hanging began less than six weeks earlier on Nov. 3, 1897. Morgan, an orphan who had lived 5 years with the Greene family and stayed the night with them, was armed that morning with a hatchet. One by one he attacked his victims, delivering fatal blows to Mrs. Greene, Jimmy Greene and Matilda Pfost. Another daughter, Alice Pfost, was attacked but survived. It was she who alerted neighbors to the crime.  Morgan was arrested within hours and incarcerated in Ripley. He was indicted on Nov. 4, tried and convicted ...

The Gruesome History of Eating Corpses as Medicine In the 16th and 17th centuries, many Europeans (especially the wealthy kind) consumed parts of the human body (which included bones, the skull and even blood) believing it cured them of diseases. The term for it is medicinal cannibalism. Fat and bones were often extracted from corpses, even Egyptian mummies, for the same purpose. For example, powered human skull mixed with chocolate was used to treat bleeding. As far as human blood was concerned, it had to be as fresh as it could be. Enough said. blood. The practice was widespread among both the poor and the aristocracy—including at least a few members of British royalty. Although the specifics varied according to place and time, such cannibalism reached its peak in Germany, England, Italy, and France toward the end of the Renaissance, just as Europe was supposedly shaking off its long intellectual slumber and heading into the warm glow of the Enlightenment. As barbaric...

“Pedro Lopez was born Colombia in 1948. He was the son of a prostitute and as a child, was forced to watch his mother partake in extreme sexual acts. He himself was often molested too, and Lopez claimed that these events significantly affected his psyche.  By the early 1970s, Lopez had begun to rape and kill young girls across South America. When an attempted abduction went wrong in 1980, Lopez was apprehended by locals and handed over to police in Peru. Once in custody, Lopez spewed out his colorful life story, including being captured by a native tribe and sentenced to execution for killing a young girl. He then said he’d killed ‘about three girls’ a week for two years, raising his total number of victims to 300.  Police were naturally skeptical of such a claim, but Lopez led police to a mass grave where they found the remains of 53 of his victims. The details then a little hazy after this, with different sources reporting differe...

In 1916, a young poet, journalist and patriot called Joe Plunkett was marched to the lonely execution yard of Kilmainham Gaol… The taste of his new bride, Grace Gifford's, last kiss still on his lips. The lovers had married only hours before, an all too brief humble service in the prison chapel. The patriotic romance and tragedy was immortalised in the song "Grace" by the Wolfe Tones. As Plunkett, the youngest signature of the Proclamation faced the firing squad he said: “I am very happy I am dying for the glory of God and the honour of Ireland". No doubt Grace's dark eyes were the last thing he saw as the bullets flew. But there was even more darkness to this romantic image. An artist and political activist in her own right, Grace's life as a widow would be marred by loneliness and poverty. Rather unfairly Plunkett had made her promise to never remarry, lest it tarnish her image as a martyr's wife. Also, Grace didn't receive anything ...

For two months in 1958, Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, left a trail of dead bodies across Nebraska and Wyoming. Their victims were anyone unfortunate enough to get in their way, including Fugate's parents and a wealthy Nebraska couple they had robbed. Their crimes were considered so senselessly violent that Wyoming Governor Milward Simpson personally pushed for Starkweather's execution — even though he was against the death penalty. Fugate's involvement in the murders, however, remained more controversial, and some argued that she was likely Starkweather's captive. Nevertheless, she served 18 years in prison for her role in his spree.⁠ ⁠ Click the link in our profile to read more about Charles Starkweather.⁠ For two months in 1958, 19-year-old Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate embarked on a killing spree across Nebraska and Wyoming that left 11 dead. He was probably the most notorious sp...

Death Row Inmate Set Free After Surviving 3 Lethal Injection, Refuses To Die On this day, November, 06, 2019, A Prisoner on death-Row, Igor Hamilton was set free after he survived three lethal injections. The inmates attorney, Edward Morningwood,stated his client had done his time including the lethal injection required by the state.  The lethal injection was supposed to be a quick death, but Igor survived. It’s just not his time to go argues his attorney. Igor Hamilton hoped the lethal injection would succeed and end his suffering within the prison, but he survived and is excited about his second chance at life. Hamilton, who was sentenced to death in 1997 for killing his neighbor’s cats, said the needle wasn’t even painful.  While incarcerated he claims to have found God and spoked to him in prayers, God assured him he would survive “Because cats have no soul.” he never really committed a crime. He is set to be released by the end of the m...

The murder of Ann Harrison   On March 22, 1989, Ann was waiting at her bus stop when she was approached by 22-year-old Micheal Taylor and 24-year-old Roderick Nunley. Both were high on cocaine and stole a car at the time. Taylor, wanting to steal her purse, grabbed Ann, and forced her into the car. They drove her to Nunley's mothers house, where in the basement, Ann was sexually assaulted by both men. They then tied her up and took her back into the car where both men stabbed her to death to prevent her from identifying both of them. She pleaded with both and offered money, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. She was put into the trunk and the Killers drove to a nearby neighborhood and left the car there. The medical examinor later stated Harrison was still alive 10 minutes after the attack before succumbing to her injuries. A tip led to both men being arrested 6 months later and both charged and convicted of 1st degree murder. Both got the death sentence. Taylor...

In 1953, Barbara Graham, her boyfriend, Perkins and two other accomplices heard an woman named Mable Monohan kept a large stash of money at her house. All being gang members and drug addicts, desperate for money, they came up with a scheme to rob Mable for all she had. In March 1953, Barbara joined Perkins and Santo, as well as John True and Baxter Shorter (two of their associates), in robbing Monohan's home in Burbank.  Barbara reportedly gained entry by asking to use her phone. Once Monohan opened the door for Graham, the three men burst in. The gang demanded money and the jewels from Monohan, but she refused to give them anything. At this point, Barbara reportedly pistol-whipped Monohan, cracking her skull. They then suffocated her with a pillow. The robbery attempt was a futile effort; the gang found nothing of value in the house and left empty-handed. They later learned that they had missed about $15,000 in jewels and valuables stashed in a purse in the closet near where...

A couple share a final kiss before they are executed, 1950 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg share a kiss before they are executed. The pair were executed by an electric chair in 1953 as they were found guilty of spying for the Soviet Union.  Both of the American nationals were known communist sympathizers before World War II, and they were both members of the young communists league... Read story  Julius had a degree in electrical engineering and joined the army signal corps engineering laboratories at Fort Monmouth in 1940. He was discharged in 1945 after discovering that he was an undercover communist. However,  during his time at Fort Monmouth, Julius had access to critical research information about the RADAR, guided missile systems, and nuclear weapon designs.  Julius was hired by the NKVD (Russian secret police) in 1942 after being introduced to them through communist sympathizers in the USA. Julius then began to send classified information from his ...

The last man to be hanged in Hampshire who committed a gruesome murder over £4 Dennis Whitty, executed at Winchester Prison, was among the last people to be hanged in the country It’s been 57 years since the last executions took place in the UK. Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans were the last sufferers of the death penalty, at Walton Prison in Liverpool, before capital punishment was suspended for murder in 1965 and finally abolished in 1969.  It’s been 57 years since the last executions took place in the UK. Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans were the last sufferers of the death penalty, at Walton Prison in Liverpool, before capital punishment was suspended for murder in 1965 and finally abolished in 1969. However, did you know that the third-to-last prisoner to be hanged took place on our very shores in Hampshire? And the tale of his awful crime for such little reward is a damming one. Dennis John Whitty was born in 1941 and was 22 years of age when he committed his fatal cr...