Births

Charles Peace

1832 – Charles Peace – was a notorious English burglar and murderer, born on May 14th, 1832, in Sheffield, England. Peace’s criminal career began in his early 20s when he was caught stealing from a jeweler. After serving a brief sentence, he returned to a life of crime and became one of the most wanted criminals in England. Peace’s notoriety reached new heights in 1876 when he shot and killed a policeman who was attempting to arrest him. This led to a massive manhunt for Peace, which lasted for several months before he was finally captured in London. At his trial, Peace defended himself, claiming that he was not responsible for the policeman’s death, but he was found guilty and sentenced to death. Peace’s execution was one of the most publicized events in Victorian England, with thousands of people gathering outside the prison to witness his hanging. His life and crimes have been the subject of numerous books, films, and television shows, cementing his place in history as one of England’s most notorious criminals.

1934 – Campo Elias Delgado Morales – wasn’t always the name whispered with a shudder in Colombia. His beginnings were seemingly innocuous. Born in Chinácota, he was a bright student, even pursuing studies in medicine. But beneath the surface, darkness lurked, fueled by the tragic suicide of his father, for which he forever blamed his mother. His life took a sharp turn when he joined the US military, claiming service in the Vietnam War. Whether true or embellished, the conflict seemed to etch a deeper layer of isolation and anger onto his already fractured psyche. Returning to Colombia, he found himself adrift, unable to forge strong bonds. He taught English and pursued graduate studies, yet loneliness gnawed at him. On December 4th, 1986, that darkness erupted in a horrific spree that would forever scar Bogota. In a chilling sequence, Delgado first murdered his mother, his lifelong resentment culminating in a violent act of revenge. He then moved onto a building where he taught English, taking the lives of another 12 people. Finally, the infamous Pozzetto restaurant became his stage of terror, where he claimed 17 more lives before being shot down by police. In total, Delgado left 29 dead and 15 wounded, etching his name in Colombian history as the perpetrator of the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman. His motivations remain shrouded in mystery, a toxic cocktail of mental illness, resentment, and perhaps even wartime trauma. The “Pozzetto Massacre,” as it became known, stands as a grim reminder of the depths to which human darkness can descend.

1949 – Raymond Landry Sr – was a convicted criminal known for his involvement in a fatal robbery. Born on May 14, 1949, Landry had a troubled life that led him down a path of crime. On August 6, 1982, Landry committed a robbery that would seal his fate. He confronted the Prittis family in the parking lot outside their Dairy Maid store. During the robbery, Landry fatally shot Kosmas Prittis, a 33-year-old restaurateur, in front of his wife. The incident resulted in Landry being convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Landry’s execution on December 13, 1988, was marked by a significant incident. His muscular arms and scarred veins from years of drug abuse caused the needle to pop out during the lethal injection, delaying the execution for 14 minutes. This incident was the first of its kind since Texas began executions by injection in 1982.

1957 – Dorangel Vargas – also known as the “Hannibal Lecter of the Andes,” was a Venezuelan serial killer born on May 14th, 1957, in Mérida, Venezuela. Vargas is believed to have killed and cannibalized at least ten people, most of whom were homeless individuals or street children. Vargas’s crimes were discovered in 1999 when he was caught by the police while attempting to sell human remains to a local merchant. During his trial, Vargas claimed that he had been possessed by a demon that compelled him to kill and eat his victims. Despite his claims of possession, Vargas was found guilty of multiple counts of murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, in 2012, Vargas was released from prison after serving only 13 years due to changes in Venezuelan law that reduced sentences for certain crimes.

1979 – Rodolfo Alvarez Medrano – also known as “Kreeper”, was born on May 14, 1979. He was a member of the Tri-City Bombers gang. Medrano was involved in a series of violent crimes, including a mass murder incident on January 5, 2003, in Hidalgo County, Texas. In this incident, Medrano and 10 co-defendants entered a private residence, demanded drugs, money, and guns, and fatally shot six Hispanic males. The victims were so bullet-riddled that they were scarcely recognizable. This crime was part of a drug-related robbery at two homes. Medrano was sentenced to death on September 8, 2005. Before his criminal activities, he worked as a computer technician and laborer. He had no prior prison record.

1992 – Andrew Conley – Conley is an American convicted murderer, born on May 14th, 1992, in Indiana, United States. He gained notoriety in 2009 when he was arrested and charged with the murder of his 10-year-old brother, Conner Conley. According to reports, Andrew strangled Conner to death in their family home in November 2009. After committing the murder, Andrew placed Conner’s body in a plastic bag and hid it in a church. He later confessed to the murder and was arrested by the police. During his trial, Andrew pleaded guilty to the charges against him and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was 17 years old at the time of the murder, making him one of the youngest people in Indiana history to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Andrew’s case attracted widespread media attention due to the shocking nature of the crime and his young age. It also raised questions about the criminal responsibility of minors and the use of life sentences without parole for juvenile offenders. Since his conviction, Andrew has remained in prison, and there have been no reports of any appeals or attempts to overturn his sentence.

Deaths

Andriza Mircovich

1913 – Andriza Mircovich – born around 1879 in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today’s Serbia), led a short life etched in tragedy and controversy. He remains a footnote in American history, yet his story offers a glimpse into the struggles of immigrants, the harsh realities of frontier mining communities, and the evolving methods of capital punishment. Mircovich immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s, drawn by the promise of riches in the booming mining town of Tonopah, Nevada. He toiled away in the treacherous depths of the mines, seeking a better life for himself and his family. However, tragedy struck in 1911 when his cousin, Christopher, perished in a mine fire. Christopher’s death ignited a legal battle over his sizable estate. As Christopher hadn’t left a will, the responsibility of administering his wealth fell to the local public administrator, John Gregovich. Mircovich believed he was due more than the sum allotted by Gregovich, fueling a simmering resentment. On a fateful day in April 1913, driven by rage and a misplaced sense of entitlement, Mircovich confronted Gregovich outside his office. The encounter turned deadly as Mircovich, in a premeditated act of violence, stabbed Gregovich to death. His crime shattered the peace of Tonopah and sparked a legal drama that captivated the nation. Mircovich, barely speaking English and struggling to navigate the American legal system, was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. His execution, scheduled for May 14, 1913, was destined to be etched into Nevada history. Due to a legal technicality, hanging, the state’s usual method of execution, was deemed inapplicable. Thus, in a stark and unprecedented move, Nevada opted for a firing squad. Mircovich’s final days were marked by frantic appeals for clemency, fueled by concerns about his limited English and understanding of the proceedings. However, the pleas fell on deaf ears, and on that fateful May morning, he faced a firing squad of 12 sharpshooters. Andriza Mircovich’s life and death raise complex questions about immigration, justice, and the death penalty. While his actions were reprehensible, his story highlights the vulnerabilities of immigrants navigating an unfamiliar legal system and the harsh realities of life on the mining frontier. He remains a stark reminder of the human cost of violence and the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment.

1993 – Patrick Haemers – was a Belgian criminal and the leader of the infamous Haemers gang, which was responsible for a series of high-profile robberies, kidnappings, and murders in the 1980s. He was born on June 14, 1952, in Brussels, Belgium. Haemers began his criminal career in the 1970s, working as a small-time thief and smuggler. He quickly rose through the ranks of the criminal underworld and by the 1980s, he had become one of the most notorious and feared criminals in Belgium. In 1988, Haemers and his gang carried out a daring robbery of a Brink’s depot in Brussels, stealing millions of dollars in cash and diamonds. The robbery was one of the largest in Belgian history and attracted international attention. After the Brink’s robbery, Haemers and his gang became the target of an intense manhunt by the police. Haemers was eventually captured in France in 1989 and extradited to Belgium to stand trial. In 1993, while awaiting trial, Haemers was found dead in his prison cell in Brussels. The cause of his death was officially ruled a suicide, but there have been persistent rumors that he was murdered. Haemers’ life of crime and his violent demise have made him a notorious figure in Belgian criminal history. He has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and films, and his name has become synonymous with the daring and violent robberies of the 1980s.

2003 – George Francis – was a notable figure in the East End underworld, with a string of convictions for theft and violence. He rose to prominence in late 1979 when he became part of a group of armed robbers who decided to move into drug trafficking. Francis is most famously linked to the Brink’s-Mat robbery, one of the largest robberies in British history, which occurred at the Heathrow International Trading Estate, London, on 26 November 1983. £26 million worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash was stolen. Francis was believed to have been involved in the laundering of the gold. Micky McAvoy, one of the convicted robbers, had entrusted part of his share to Francis. Francis’s life came to a violent end on 14 May 2003, when he was shot dead by John O’Flynn outside his courier business in Bermondsey. His murder is considered part of a series of killings linked to the Brink’s-Mat robbery. Despite the passage of time, the exact motive for his killing remains uncertain.

2009 – Willie McNair – McNair often did odd jobs for elderly widow Ella Riley and on the 21st May 1990, McNair along with a friend went to Riley’s home and asked if he could borrow $20, Riley apologized and said she had no money, McNair would then stab her in the neck so brutally that the knife snapped, his friend then grabbed another knife, passed it to McNair who stabbed her again before strangling her to death.

Events

Florence Allen

1610 – Henry IV of France is assassinated by fanatical Catholic Francois Ravaillac who stabs him to death in the streets of Paris

1878 – The last witchcraft trial is held in the United States

1921 – Florence Allen is the first woman judge to sentence a man to death in Ohio

1970 – The police kill two students in a racial disturbance at Jackson State University, Mississippi

1976 – Randall Reffetts body is found in John Wayne Gacy’s crawl space making him the 4th known victim

1981 – American serial killer David Carpenter is apprehended

1985 – Richard Ramirez murders Bill Doi and rapes his disabled wife Lilian after ransacking the home for valuables

1991 – Winnie Mandela is sentenced to six years for complicity in the kidnapping and beating of four youths, one of whom died