[insert true crime here]

Finland - 21 - male - mess - do not condone

[a-study-in-crime]

The Robbery At Norrmalmstorg And The Origins of Stockholm Syndrome

The crime

1973 was a dramatic year in Sweden. The king died, it was time for the election, and one of the most famous crimes occurred; all at once. This is the full story of the robbery at Norrmalmstorg in Stockholm and the origins of Stockholm Syndrome.

It all began when 32-year-old Janne Olsson walked into the bank at Norrmalmstorg in disguise. Janne pulled a gun on the customers and the employees and took four of the employees as hostages; three women and one man. Janne communicated with the police via a phone inside the bank and demanded that the notorious criminal Clark Olofsson should be taken to the bank. Clark Olofsson was incarcerated in Norrköping, about two hours from Stockholm, and the police agreed to Janne’s demand. Clark Olofsson was brought to the bank and sent inside, and police hoped that he could convince Janne to release the hostages and surrender. However, things did not go as planned. Janne, Clark, and the hostages would spend five days together inside the bank and they even became friendly with each other. All of Sweden followed the dramatic events via TV and radio, and one of the hostages, Kristin Enmark, even talked to the prime minister Olof Palme live on the radio. Kristin and the other hostages said that they were not afraid of Janne and Clark, and they begged Palme to let the robbers leave the bank with the money and an escape car.

After a few days, the police started to threaten the robbers that they would drill a hole into the roof and release a toxic gas inside the bank vault. To stop this, Janne, Clark, and the hostages decided to take a photo where the hostages had nooses around their necks. Clark is also visible in the photo to the right. This photo was sent to the police, and Janne said that if they would release the gas, the hostages would be hanged. However, this was just a stunt to stop the police, and the hostages were not in actual danger. Law enforcement decided to drill the hole anyway, and they even sent a microphone down into the bank vault through the hole so that they could hear what Janne’s next move was. At one point, they heard one woman (later identified as Kristin Enmark) screaming “Stop! Stop!” which led the police to believe that she was being raped. However, Kristin was actually screaming “Stop drilling!” since the sound from the drilling was extremely loud.

The drama ended with the police releasing a gas into the bank vault. The gas made everyone inside the vault having a hard time breathing, and they all started to cough violently. After just a little while, Janne screamed that they surrendered. The police instructed that the hostages should leave the vault before Janne and Clark, but the hostages refused since they were afraid that the police would hurt Janne and Clark. Instead, the two criminals left the vault first and the hostages shortly thereafter.

The hostages were taken to the hospital and the criminals were apprehended.

Stockholm Syndrome

This event was the origins of Stockholm Syndrome. This syndrome means that a person who has been taken captive against their will starts to sympathize with their captor and even sides with their captor instead of the police. All of the hostages in this particular case denies suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Kristin Enmark writes in her book from 2015 that she acted the way she did for her own safety.

Trial and aftermath

Janne Olsson was found guilty of the robbery and was sentenced to ten years in prison. Clark Olofsson was also found guilty of the robbery, but he was later freed from all charges when the case was tried again in Hovrätten, the second-highest criminal court in Sweden.

Janne Olsson was released from prison in the early 80s. He was suspected of some sort of economic criminality in 1996, but he managed to escape to Thailand before the police apprehended him. Olsson lived there until 2006 when he returned to Sweden and surrendered to the police. He was never charged with any crime since the crime had passed the statute of limitations. Janne Olsson is still living in Sweden at the time this text is written (September 2020).

Clark Olofsson continued down his criminal path after the robbery at Norrmalmstorg. He was released from prison in 2018 and is since a free man. He had a romantic relationship with Kristin Enmark, one of the hostages, while incarcerated. They even tried to have a child together, but Kristin suffered a miscarriage. Their relationship reinforced the general idea that Kristin suffered from Stockholm syndrome.

It is speculated that Clark Olofsson managed to steal a large amount of money from the bank. How he did this is unknown, but one theory is that he smuggled the money out by putting the money in his rectum.

Janne Olsson, Clark Olofsson, and the hostages appeared in a documentary in 2003 where they talked about their experiences during their five days together. However, they sometimes tell completely different stories and remember different things. When Janne was interviewed in 2003, he said that he regretted his crime. He said (this is my translation from Swedish to English): “I have spent 20 years in total in prison. Not a single day incarcerated is worth the possibility of money. I don’t think so, now when I have done my time. So, to the people watching this, don’t become the new Janne Olsson or Clark Olofsson”.

[understands]

[morbidology]

Pope John Paul II meeting with Mehmet Agca, the man who attempted to assassinate him. 

On 13 May, 1981, Mehmet Agca shot Pope John Paul II four times in the abdomen in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, Italy. The pope was critically wounded in the attack but asked for people to “pray for my brother, whom I have sincerly forgiven.” Two years later, the Pope visited Mehmet Agca in prison. He had been sentenced to life in prison but was pardoned by Carlos Azeglio Ciampi in June of 2000 at the Pope’s request. 

[noping-out-deactivated20241117]

I’m fairly sure most of us are aware that nearly 50% of the victims of extrajudicial police killings in the US are disabled, and I’d like to think most of us have also thought through the fact that being black and disabled is a lot more dangerous than being white and disabled.

But I’d just like to add the results of this study to your pool of knowledge.

More than half of black people in the US with a disability will be arrested by the time they reach their late 20s.

Just sit with that for a moment. More than half.

[ghosterling]

In case you don’t understand how seriously ableism and racism is embedded into this system.

[moonlight-gives-you-nightmares]

Who Put Bella In The Witch Elm?

The year was 1943, and on April the 18th four local boys in the village of Hagley in England were out looking for bird eggs. The boys names were Robert Hart, Thomas Willetts, Bob Farmer and Fred Payne- the boys chose to hunt for nests in Hagley Wood, a forest that was part of Lord Cobham’s estate. The boys eventually reached Wychbury Hill, where they stumbled upon a large Wych Elm (a large tree native to Europe, also knows as a ‘Witch Elm’). The boys were thrilled, as they knew such a large tree would house plenty of bird nests. Bob Farmer climbed the tree, but didn’t get far before he noticed the trunk was hollow. Farmer peered into the gap and saw a human skull, with some hair still intact. The boys panicked and ran home, as they were on the land illegally and didn’t want to get into trouble. However, Thomas Willetts eventually told his parents what they had seen.

An investigation was launched and the police found an entire skeleton within the trunk of the tree- the skeleton wore a golden wedding ring, a shoe, shreds of rotten clothing and traceable teeth. The skeleton was missing a hand, but after searching the forest they found it buried close by. A forensic investigator named Professor James Webster established that the body was female, and she had been dead for around 18 months- this meant she died around October of 1941. Webster also found a piece of taffeta in her mouth (a type of material) suggesting she had died of suffocation. Webster announced that the body had been placed in the tree trunk whilst it was ‘still warm’, as she could not have fit in after rigor mortis had set in. The police struggled to find a missing person to match with the body as so many had been reported missing during the war, and there were too many records at the time for a proper search. The teeth of the body were ‘distinctive’, yet no dental records in the area matched. The case soon went cold.

In 1944, graffiti was found on a wall in Dean Street, Birmingham, reading ‘‘Who put Bella in the witch elm, Hagley Wood?’’. Police found several new leads due to this of missing women named Bella or Luebella, however none were conclusive. The police suspect that whoever wrote the message knew the victim. In 1970, more graffiti was found on Hagley Obelisk (a large stone monument) near the Wych Elm which read ‘‘Who put Bella in the witch elm?’‘.

Many theories have surfaced as to who Bella was and who put her inside the tree, ranging from serial killers to nazi conspiracies, and even one theory that suggests a witchcraft ritual was involved. Some believe Bella was killed by Gypsies in an occult ritual called ‘The Hand of Glory’. But to this day, no one knows who put Bella in the Wych Elm.

[marxist-lonelynist]

[chascoberto]

Members of the Résistance killing Nazis in Paris (1944)

[falje-deactivated20180107]

who wants to punch me in the face until i spit blood

[deadbeatmaker]

every true crime video about serial killers is like… “obviously he was an attractive man” (shows a picture of the ugliest person I’ve ever seen in my life)

[missing-and-unidentified-deacti]

Joseph “JoeEd” Edwards has not been heard from in over 50 years. A young adult, Joseph lived with his grandparents in Clayton, Louisiana. He was a Korean War veteran and had 5 children. He grew up with eleven siblings and was described as someone who was a snappy dresser and good with women. Joseph held numerous jobs so he could earn money. One of these jobs was as a porter at the Shamrock Motel in Vidalia, approximately 15 miles southeast of where he lived. This motel would be the last place that Joseph would ever be seen, on July 12, 1964, at 11pm.

Accounts differ on when Joseph’s blue and beige 1958 Buick car, times ranging from an hour and a half after he was last seen to an entire week later. Regardless, his car had some serious clues as to his fate. His car was located off of the Ferriday-Vidalia Highway with a belt that did not belong to Joseph, a necktie tied like a noose to the steering wheel, and blood on the seats. It’s unclear whether or not the blood was confirmed to be Joseph’s, but this discovery caused grave concern. Authorities searched the area, but to no avail.

Many theories could be made regarding this case, however, one theory is the most prominent; Joseph may have been the victim of a hate crime by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). During the 1960′s the KKK was responsible for multiple acts of violence towards black people, as they believed that white people are the superior race. Coincidentally, the Shamrock Motel was one of the KKK’s hangout spots. Joseph would have been an easy target for the KKK, as not only was he black, but at the time, he had what was considered questionable relationships with white women. He was also accused of kissing a white clerk against her will. Regardless of efforts made by numerous people, including the FBI, Joseph Edward’s disappearance and presumed murder remain unsolved.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Joseph Edwards, please contact the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office at 318-336-5231.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

[deadstrangeblog]

Perhaps one of New York Post’s most famous headlines, reporting on the horrific crimes of 23-year-old Charles Dingle.

After spending his evening binging on booze and cocaine at a Queens strip-club, Dingle had a disagreement with bar owner Herbert Cummings.

High on a cocktail of drugs, Dingle shot Cummings dead and took several hostages, one of whom he raped. In a bizarre turn of events, Dingle realised one of his hostages was a mortician’s assistant and forced her to remove the bullet from Cummings' head, believing he could hide the evidence in his intoxicated stupor. When she failed to find the bullet, he ordered her to cut off the head with kitchen knives.

Fleeing the scene with the victim’s head strapped into the passenger seat, Dingle reportedly crashed his car and fell asleep. Police caught up with him moments later and arrested him. Dingle, held in an upstate prison, has maintained his innocence despite numerous eyewitnesses and considerable physical evidence. In addition to the horrific rampage, his appalling prison record has seen that he has repeatedly been denied parole.

[the-penny-dreadfuls]

On a cold December night in 1976, seventeen-year-old Gregory Godzik vanished without a trace. He was last seen dropping off a girl after their much-anticipated date. Days went by without a single word from Greg. Soon, Christmas passed as well, and his parents, heartbroken and worried, moved his unwrapped gifts to a closet. There, they remained for three years while the Godzik family waited to answers.

Two years later, while searching the home of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, investigators uncovered Greg’s wallet. They believed the teenager’s body was one of the twenty-six bodies hidden in the crawl space. In total, Gacy killed thirty-three boys and young men, their ages ranging between fourteen and twenty-seven. Greg’s remains were matched with dental charts in January 1979, and once again identified by DNA provided by family years later in 2011.

Normal life never resumed for the Godzik family. John and Eugenia Godzik braved the murder trial together. The horrendous details of the young boys’ sufferings shook them to their core. Their oldest child, Eugenia, named after her mother, said her parents never recovered and attributed the stress and horror of her brother’s murder to their deaths. John Godzik passed away in 1984, and his wife died five years later in 1989 after succumbing to breast and liver cancer.

Now the sole living member of the family, Eugenia Godzik faced Gacy’s demise alone. She gathered with other victims’ relatives in the prison’s basement during Gacy’s execution on May 10th, 1994. Together, they sat huddled in the basement, where they anxiously watched updates on a television set.

″I’m glad he’s gone, but it’s never really over,“ Eugenia said when asked about Gacy’s death. “I don’t have anybody left. My brother is gone, and the whole incident really is what killed my parents.″

Although her little brother is gone, Greg is never far from her mind. Eugenia remembers as a typical teenage boy, one with a heart of gold and many dreams for his future. Greg greatly adored animals. Throughout his childhood, he had multiple pets, some of which were strays he took in from the streets. He enjoyed manual labor and the satisfaction of completing a difficult job. His most prized possession was a beat-up 1966 Pontiac. He spent hours working on it and much of the money he earned went to buying parts for it. Above all, Eugenia remembers him as an incredibly caring and sentimental boy, one who never left the house without kissing his mother goodbye. In her heart and in her mind, that is forever who Greg will be.

[morbidology]

When Mary was just 17-years-old, she met her future husband, Earl Myatt, while at a party: “It was one of those instant loves,” their son would later say. The young New Yorkers became immediately attached at the hip and formed a bond that would last for decades. They both worked at the same book shop for the community college and became doting parents and eventually doting grandparents.

After 42 years of blissful marriage, their seemingly perfect life began to fall apart when an aneurysm developed in Mary’s brain. She required multiple surgeries and was in and out of hospital but Earl remained by her side throughout. The aneurysm attacked Mary’s cognitive faculties and things that were once simple tasks, became daunting and confusing. Mary became unable to follow conversation and found it difficult to even go to the bathroom on her own. Seeing Mary’s quality of life deteriorate broke Earl’s heart and he knew that she couldn’t carry on living how she was and he couldn’t carry on living without her.

Finally, the couple died like they had lived - together. On a Sunday afternoon on April 2014, Earl called one of his sons and told him he loved him an apologised. Minutes later, Earl led Mary onto a local train track where they were both hit and killed by an oncoming train. It was ruled a murder-suicide due to Mary’s illness rendering her unable to comprehend the situation.

[welcometothecharlesmansion]

“When I had interviewed Berkowitz in Attica, he had tried to pass the dog story off on me. ‘Hey David, knock off the bullshit,’ I said. ‘The dog had nothing to do with it.’ In fact, the story didn’t even come into being until after his arrest. He laughed and nodded and conceded that I was right.”

— John Douglas, The Killer Across The Table

[irishcreamandhalcion]

Serial killer Andrew Cunanan, age 18, with friends in La Jolla, California in 1987. Cunanan, an exceptionally bright avid reader with an IQ of 147, was also a prolific liar. Although he was from a lower middle class family, he would make up extravagant stories about his heritage, wealth, and was well-known for name dropping celebrities as if they were personal friends. He also often denied or completely evaded his Filipino background, although he was exactly half. These antics, as well as being very openly gay and making it known that he was into using older men for their money - and usually spending the money to spoil/impress his wealthier, younger friends - earned him the title “Most Likely to be Remembered” in his senior year of high school.

[the-penny-dreadfuls]

Overcome by sorrow, Mickhal Garrett broke down as the two people accused of murdering his four-year-old daughter, Aniya Day-Garrett, were arraigned in court. The little girl’s mother, Sierra Day, and Deonte Lewis, have been charged with aggravated murder and child endangerment. Both have pled not guilty. As he was lead away, Lewis glanced back into the courtroom. It was enough to make the grief stricken father scream.

Aniya was a sweet little girl who loved to smile, and also loved the color pink. To her father, she was a princess. They were the best of friends. Mickhal Garret began to notice bruises on his toddler daughter’s body in September of 2017. When Garret went to confront Aniya’s mother about the injuries Day ceased all visitations. In December, 2017 Garrett took his fight to the court system to try to gain full custody of his daughter. He wrote a letter detailing all of the signs of abuse that he, as well as other family members, had noted. In a desperate plea for Aniya’s safety Garret wrote, “I truly, truly, truly feel as though our daughter is being abused at home physically/mentally and that her life could possibly be in danger.”

The process to receive full custody was painstaking slow to the desperate father, but Garrett was determined. There were further delays when Sierra Day failed to appear during mandatory court dates. In late February, 2018 he attended a pre-trial custody hearing. The next hearing was scheduled for March 25th. Social workers were involved, and had an impending home visit to Day’s residence. This would not be the only time child services had been notified about Aniya being abused. The girl’s daycare kept meticulous records, dating as far back to 2015, of various, concerning injuries. The daycare center’s previous administrator did contact officials within the state child welfare.

On March 11th, 2018 a 911 dispatcher received a call from Sierra Day. Day said that her four-year-old was unresponsive, and claimed that it occurred after eating at Red Lobster. When the first responders arrived on the scene, they quickly noticed that Aniya had been dead for some time. The child appeared emaciated, and there were burns on her body. The official cause of death was from a stroke that occurred after several, severe blows to the head.

Author, Washington Irving, once wrote, “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”

Through his grief, Mickhal Garrett pushed himself into action. He had lost his daughter, but he was not going to allow Aniya’s life to be in vain. He created the Justice for Aniya Foundation (J4A) where Garrett and his many supports tirelessly work to spread Aniya’s story. They are currently working on putting together events to help raise awareness on how to detect and prevent child abuse. Garrett is also in the petitioning the creation of “Aniya’s Law”. This law would call for stricter protocols to be implemented when responding to cases of child abuse. For more information on Aniya’s Law, or to sign the petition, please follow this link: https://www.change.org/p/janine-boyd-the-aniya-law-emergency-removal-of-minors-in-imminent-danger

[transpondster]

Heroism in Hong Kong, 2019

[note: for those who use the mm-dd-yyyy US date format, in the photo above “1/10/2019″ means Oct 1, 2019. Also, “Carrie” refers to Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong]

[ghb02]