Today in Horror History

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Man executed for rape “15 minutes after the arrival of the new year”

January 1, 1926 Huntsville, Texas Melton Carr is executed for rape

Carr and another man, Elbert Kitchens, had been arrested for “criminal assault” (rape). The victim was Elbert’s wife Fannie Kitchens, and Elbert hired Carr to commit the crime for reasons the press did not divulge or speculate upon.

Initially, both Carr and Elbert were sentenced to execution, though Elbert’s punishment was reduced…

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Explosion after argument between gangsters ends in death of one, large crater

December 31, 1936 Sioux Falls, South Dakota Two members of a robbery gang are attacked and left in a powder house before it explodes

The victims were Floyd H. Parker (alias Harold Baker) and his girlfriend Helen Sieler. It was originally speculated the pair were attacked to silence them about a recent robbery, though it was later revealed an insult led to an argument, then a fight, and ultimately…

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Woman suspected of killing several family members hanged for murder of son

December 30, 1932 Pretoria, South Africa Daisy Louisa C. de Melker is hanged for the murder of her son

In April 1932, De Melker, described by newspapers as “a trim, handsome little woman of 44,” was arrested for the poisoning murders of two husbands and her 20-year-old son.

Her first husband, William Alfred Cowle (sometimes misspelled as Rowie), died in 1923 after foaming from the mouth and…

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Woman kills two young children, cuts own throat

December 29, 1856 Walworth, London, England Martha Bacon kills her two young children and cuts her own throat

Martha had recently been released from a mental hospital, placed there following accusing her husband of murdering his mother. While Martha’s husband Thomas was out of town, Martha’s aunt Harriet Payne sent her daughter to check on Martha, concerned that someone in such a delicate mental…

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Couple hanged for beating death of woman’s husband

December 29, 1903 England Lovers Emily Swann and John Gallagher are executed for the murder of Swann’s husband

Emily was married to William Swann who was known in the community to be in the habit of beating his wife. On June 6, William hit Emily enough to give her two black eyes which she initially hid with her shawl. She visited a neighbor’s home to show her injuries and complain of her…

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Suspected killer found dead in cell after apparent suicide

December 28, 1811 Clerkenwell, London, England Suspected murderer John Williams is found hanged in his cell

Williams, alias John Murphy, was suspected of killing seven in two separate attacks. The first, carried out December 7, 1811, involved the murders of Timothy and Celia Marr, their 14-week-old son, and apprentice James Gowan in the Marrs’ shop. Gowan was bludgeoned, his face bashed in and…

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Man shoots ex-girlfriend, her son and her current boyfriend, due to extreme jealousy of both the son and boyfriend

December 27, 1986 Tyler, Texas James Joseph Wilkens shoots his former girlfriend as well as her son and new boyfriend

Wilkens and Sandra Williams (20) had dated and lived together for a short time, though their relationship dissolved after Wilkens showed jealousy over Williams’ attention to her son, Larry McMillan Jr. (4). After Wilkens and Williams discontinued their relationship, Williams began…

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Belgian pastor who killed, dismembered, dissolved 6 family members dies in prison

December 23, 2013 Bruges, Belgium Killer András Pándy, who murdered, dismembered, and dissolved 6 family members, dies in prison

Pándy had been serving a life sentence at the time of his death, convicted of killing six of his family members and raping three of his daughters, one of whom was also a murder victim.

From 1986 to 1989, Pándy, a pastor, killed two wives, two sons, and two…

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Serial killer Richard Trenton Chase dies in prison

December 26, 1980 California Serial killer Richard Trenton Chase dies of an overdose in prison

Chase killed six people from December 29, 1977 to January 27, 1978; five of the murders occurred between January 23 and 27. Among the victims were two children: 6-year-old Jason Miroth and his cousin 22-month-old David Ferreira. Most of the victims were shot and mutilated, with some being cannibalized…

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Man kills wife, 6 of his 7 children, self

December 25, 1929 Germantown, North Carolina Charlie Lawson kills his wife and 6 of their 7 children before killing himself

A few days prior to the murder-suicide, Charlie (43) brought his family to get a photograph taken together, a considerable expense and luxury for a working class family at the time. Because of the irregularity of such an act, some speculated the attack was premeditated.

Char…

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Five children are killed or disappear after house fire

December 24, 1945 Fayetteville, West Virginia Five children from the Sodder family die in or disappear following a house fire

On Christmas Eve, George and Jennie Sodder awoke to find their home engulfed in flames. They brought their 2-year-old daughter Sylvia, whose crib was in her parents’ room, from the house, and three other children (John, 23; Marion, 17; George Jr., 16) were able to escape…

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Fire at Christmas festival kills 41, injures 16

December 24, 1894 Silver Lake, Oregon An accident causes the fiery deaths of 41 and the injuries of 16

The fire started when a man attempted to get a better view of a Christmas festival. As the man stood on a bench, his head struck an oil lamp and sent the flaming liquid on the floor and other parts of the hall which quickly ignited. Although one person attempted to control the flames when they…

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Unknown person gasses first of several houses

December 22, 1933 Haymakertown, Virginia A “mad gasser” attacks the first of several houses

The gasser attacked the home of Cal Huffman late on the evening of December 22. A strange smell permeated the home on three separate occasions during the night, the last of which was strong enough to nauseate seven of the eight occupants. Cal’s 20-year-old daughter Alice was most affected, requiring a…

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Woman kills lover when he tells her his plan to marry another woman

December 21, 1920 Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia Dorothy Mort (32, pictured) shoots her paramour and doctor Claude Tozer (30) after he informs her he intends to marry another

Tozer had been treating Mort for years for hysteria and nerves, and the pair eventually began an affair. Mort was married with two children while Tozer was single. After some time he decided he should marry and, as…

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Man kills, dismembers roommate’s body, is found with severed hands in his luggage

December 21, 1979 Denver, Colorado Lewis Roger Moore (30) kills his roommate William Charles Kidd (23), dismembers the body, and scatters the pieces

Moore had been paralyzed while incarcerated at the age of 18, when he was stabbed in the back by a fellow inmate during a prison riot, resulting in his spinal cord being severed.

Following an argument on December 21, 1979, Moore struck Kidd on the…

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Hannah Ocuish, the youngest person to be executed in the US

December 20, 1786 New London, Connecticut 12-year-old Hannah Ocuish is hanged for the murder of a 6-year-old following an argument over strawberries

Ocuish was a biracial orphan (her father was black and her mother belonged to the Pequot tribe) and possibly had a mental disability.

In June 1786, 6-year-old Eunice Bolles accused Ocuish of stealing strawberries. Apparently, the insinuation was…

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Woman confesses to killing, dismembering son after he did the same to his own son

December 19, 1917 Montrose, Colorado Nancy Jane Bush confesses to killing her son after he killed his own child

Nancy claimed her son, John, had become enraged after his 11- or 12-year-old son Otis was caught stealing $1.35 from his grandmother’s purse. She stated John “beat [Otis] until he fell in a dying condition.” To hide the crime, John dismembered Otis’ body with an axe and forced Nancy at…

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