Births

Cecil L. Clayton

1815 – William Adams Hickman – was an American pioneer, trapper, trader, and one of the key figures in the early history of the Western United States. Born on April 16, 1815, in Missouri, Hickman spent much of his life exploring the frontier and participating in various aspects of the region’s development. Hickman gained prominence during the mid-19th century as a mountain man and fur trapper. He ventured into the Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin, engaging in the fur trade with Native American tribes and other trappers. His experiences in the wilderness contributed to his reputation as a skilled outdoorsman and survivalist. As the West underwent rapid changes with the influx of settlers during the mid-1800s, Hickman transitioned to other pursuits. He became involved in the Mormon pioneer movement, which sought to establish a religious community in the Salt Lake Valley. He played a role in the exploration and settlement of Utah, contributing to the development of the region. Hickman’s life took a controversial turn when he became associated with the Mormon Church’s Danite organization, a group that played a role in the turbulent Utah War of the 1850s. Following a series of conflicts and disputes, Hickman distanced himself from the church and its leadership. In the later years of his life, Hickman became infamous for his involvement in criminal activities. He was accused of being a member of a gang of outlaws and was implicated in various crimes, including robbery and murder. His criminal reputation grew, and he became known as “Wild Bill” Hickman. Despite his tumultuous later years, William Adams Hickman’s earlier contributions to the exploration and settlement of the American West should not be overlooked. His life reflects the complexity and challenges faced by individuals during a transformative period in American history.

1920 – John William Farr – Wanted for robbing several banks in the New Orleans area he would wear a disguise, normally a false mustache, and wig, the FBI believed that Farr got more of a buzz from the actual robbery than he did the money. He never faced charges for the robberies and officially he is still classed as wanted by the FBI but if he is still alive he would be over 100!

1940 – Cecil L. Clayton – was an American man who gained national attention due to his involvement in a high-profile legal case. Born on March 30, 1948, in Purdy, Missouri, Clayton’s life took a tragic turn when he was involved in a violent incident that ultimately led to his criminal prosecution. In 1996, Clayton, who worked as a handyman, was convicted of the murder of Barry County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Castetter. The incident occurred on November 27, 1996, during a confrontation at Clayton’s home. The deputy responded to a domestic disturbance call, and during the encounter, Clayton shot and killed Deputy Castetter with a 20-gauge shotgun. Clayton himself suffered a head injury in the altercation. Cecil L. Clayton’s trial was marked by debates over his mental health. His defense team argued that he was not mentally competent to stand trial and that he had diminished capacity at the time of the shooting due to a brain injury sustained in a sawmill accident in 1972 which left him with 20% of his frontal lobe missing, despite these claims, Clayton was found guilty and sentenced to death in 1997. Over the years, Clayton’s case garnered attention from advocacy groups and individuals who questioned the fairness of his trial and raised concerns about his mental health. His defense team argued that his deteriorating mental state and brain injury were not adequately considered during the legal proceedings. In 2015, as Clayton’s execution date approached, his legal team made a final appeal, asserting that his diminished mental capacity should spare him from the death penalty. However, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the appeal, and Clayton was executed by lethal injection on March 17, 2015, at the age of 66.

1951 – Thomas Joe Miller-El – He was born in 1951 and grew up in Texas. Not much is publicly known about his family, education, or personal interests before his involvement in the legal case that would shape his life. In 1985, Miller-El’s life took a dramatic turn when he was charged with capital murder in connection with the robbery of a Holiday Inn in Irving, Texas. During the robbery, a hotel employee, Douglas Walker, was killed. Miller-El was convicted and sentenced to death in 1986. Miller-El’s case became embroiled in controversy due to allegations of racial bias in jury selection. His defense team argued that prosecutors had systematically excluded black jurors from the panel, resulting in an unfair trial. This claim gained significant attention and sparked debates about racial justice in the American legal system. Miller-El’s conviction was appealed several times, reaching the U.S. Supreme Court multiple times. The legal battle stretched over decades, with various rulings and reversals. Throughout this period, Miller-El maintained his innocence and argued that he had been denied a fair trial due to racial bias. In 2003, after facing years of legal uncertainty, Miller-El eventually received a life sentence in exchange for the prosecution dropping their pursuit of the death penalty. He remained incarcerated until his release in 2018. Thomas Joe Miller-El’s story is a complex and sensitive one, marked by tragedy, legal battles, and ongoing questions about justice and fairness. While details about his personal life remain largely private, his legal case has been widely discussed and debated, raising important issues about racial bias in the judicial system.

1954 – Charles Henry Rector – Rector had a previous rap sheet for murder and assault to commit robbery when he and his accomplices followed 22-year-old Katy Davis to her home where they attacked her, robbed her apartment, and then took her to the Town Lake area of Texas where the men gang raped her, she was then shot in the head and they repeatedly dunked her head into Town Lake until she died.

1963 – Stanley D. Lingar – 16-year-old Thomas Allen, a school student from Ripley County, Missouri was driving on Highway 180 when he ran out of gas, Lingar and his friend David Smith offered Allen a lift. Instead of taking him home, the men drove him to a lake, forced him to get undressed, and then demanded he masturbate. Lingar left for a short while and when he came back he had a rifle that he shot Allen in the back with, Allen was struggling to move and Lingar shot him three more times when Allen wouldn’t die, Lingar grabbed a crowbar from the trunk and beat Allen with it and finally he smashed into him with his car. In 2001, Lingar was executed.

1971 – Selena – Selena Quintanilla Pérez, or simply Selena as she was known to the world, was a force of nature. Born in 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, she began performing alongside her older siblings A.B. and Suzette in their family band, “Selena y Los Dinos,” at the tender age of nine. Despite facing initial criticism and discrimination in the male-dominated Tejano music scene, Selena’s talent and charisma shone through. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Selena’s star shone ever brighter. Her powerful vocals, captivating stage presence, and fusion of musical styles from cumbia to pop captivated audiences across the globe. Hits like “Como la Flor,” “Amor Prohibido,” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” became anthems, crossing cultural and linguistic barriers. Selena wasn’t just a singer; she was a role model for young Latinas across the Americas. Her vibrant personality, her entrepreneurial spirit (launching her own clothing line), and her commitment to her family resonated deeply with fans. The “Selenita” fan club, with its millions of devoted members, became a testament to her immense popularity and the sense of community she fostered. On March 31, 1995, Selena’s life was tragically cut short at the age of 23. Her murder by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club, sent shockwaves through the music industry and the Latino community. Selena’s legacy, however, continues to inspire generations of artists and fans alike. Selena’s music continues to top charts, her fashion choices inspire designers, and her story has been immortalized in a 1997 biopic and the recent Netflix series “Selena: The Series.” The Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas, stands as a permanent tribute to her life and achievements. Selena’s impact transcends borders and genres. She shattered stereotypes, paved the way for Latina artists, and left behind a musical treasure trove that continues to bring joy and inspiration to millions. Her story is a reminder that even the brightest lights can burn out too soon, but their brilliance leaves an indelible mark on the world.

1981 – Donnie Allen Hulett – Brothers 69-year-old Arvine Phelps and 62-year-old Larry Phelps were happily cleaning up outside the Mountain Top boy’s home when Hulett appeared intending to rob them, he shot them both, killing them, and then he made his getaway with Larry Phelps truck.

Deaths

Dorothea Waddingham

1935 – Percy Charles Anderson – In the grim tale of Edith Constance Drew-Bear, a 21-year-old cinema usher, tragedy struck on the 25th of November 1934, when her lifeless body was discovered afloat in a water tank at the East Brighton Golf Course. A macabre twist unfolded as an autopsy revealed five .22 bullets lodged in her body, yet the ultimate cause of her demise proved to be strangulation. Percy Charles Anderson, also 21, emerged as the prime suspect and faced arrest and subsequent murder charges. At the time of apprehension, he was found in possession of zinc chloride and ammonia chloride. A chilling discovery in his room intensified the suspicion, as bullets identical to those recovered from Edith’s tragic end were unearthed. During the trial that followed, Anderson professed a selective amnesia regarding the killing. Despite acknowledging a quarrel with the young woman, he mounted a defense of insanity. However, this defense proved futile, and the wheels of justice rolled inexorably as he was convicted. The somber conclusion to this chapter unfolded on the 16th of April 1935, as Percy Charles Anderson met his fate at the gallows of Wandsworth Prison.

1936 – Dorothea Waddingham – born Dorothy Nancie Merelina Allan Chandler in 1899, wasn’t a name destined for notoriety. Raised on a farm near Nottingham, England, her early life remains mostly shrouded in obscurity. Yet, her trajectory would take a chilling turn, etching her name in infamy as one of England’s most infamous murderers. Though often referred to as “Nurse” Waddingham, she held no formal nursing qualifications. Her only medical experience stemmed from a stint as a ward maid at a workhouse infirmary. This, however, did not deter her from venturing into the perilous realm of care. In 1935, she opened a private nursing home, “Devon Drive,” near Nottingham. Behind the seemingly innocuous facade of Devon Drive lurked a sinister reality. In a tragic twist of fate, two of Waddingham’s elderly patients, Sarah Jane Taylor and Emily Neil, met untimely ends under her care. The cause? Arsenic poisoning. Waddingham’s life was no less entangled in intrigue. Married to Thomas Willoughby Leech, she bore five children. Yet, whispers of an illicit affair with Ronald Joseph Sullivan, a World War I veteran, swirled around her. Sullivan, seemingly infatuated, became her devoted accomplice, running errands and assisting in the nursing home. As suspicion mounted, the authorities unraveled Waddingham’s web of deceit. Forensic evidence and witness testimonies painted a horrifying picture of financial gain as the motive behind the poisonings. Waddingham’s patients, both wealthy widows, had become easy prey for her avarice. In 1936, a jury found Waddingham guilty of both murders. Despite public outpourings of sympathy for the mother of young children, the judge remained unmoved. Waddingham became the last woman to be hanged in Birmingham, executed at Winson Green prison on April 16, 1936.

1989 – Thaddeus Lewingdon – wasn’t a name destined for glory. However, etched in the annals of American crime, it forever becomes synonymous with a chilling chapter – the “.22 Caliber Killings.” Alongside his brother Gary, Thaddeus embarked on a gruesome spree that cast a long shadow over Ohio in the late 1970s. Born into a troubled family, Thaddeus’ early life was shrouded in hardship. Witnessing poverty, parental alcoholism, and domestic violence likely warped his childhood perception of the world. He dropped out of school at a young age and drifted into odd jobs, unable to find stability or purpose. His path intertwined with his brother Gary, a volatile character with a penchant for criminal activity. Together, they became inseparable, a twisted partnership fueled by desperation and a warped sense of loyalty. By the late 70s, their dark impulses culminated in a series of ten senseless murders. Using .22 caliber pistols – hence the infamous moniker – the Lewingdon brothers targeted couples or individuals in isolated spots. Robbery was their motive, the thrill of violence their twisted pleasure. From diners to lovers’ lanes, their reign of terror spread across Ohio, leaving a trail of shattered lives and unspeakable grief. The brothers’ spree ended in 1978, apprehended after a botched robbery attempt. Evidence piled up – ballistics, fingerprints, stolen belongings – weaving an undeniable narrative of their guilt. Gary maintained his innocence until the end, but Thaddeus, perhaps burdened by remorse or facing the weight of justice, eventually confessed to four murders. Thaddeus Lewingdon died in 1989 behind bars, serving a life sentence. His legacy, however, extends far beyond the prison walls. His life offers a cautionary tale about the corrupting influence of family dysfunction, the seductive allure of darkness, and the devastating consequences of unchecked violence.

1989 – Thierry Paulin – nicknamed “The Monster of Montmartre,” was a French serial killer who terrorized Paris in the mid-1980s. He is believed to have murdered at least 18 elderly women, though some estimates place the number as high as 21. Paulin’s reign of terror came to an end in 1987 when he was arrested, but he died of AIDS-related complications in 1989 before he could stand trial. Paulin was born in Martinique in 1963 and moved to Paris with his family as a teenager. He quickly fell into a life of petty crime, committing robberies and burglaries. In the early 1980s, he began working as a male escort, targeting wealthy older women. It was during this time that he is believed to have begun his killing spree. Paulin’s victims were all elderly women, typically living alone in their apartments. He would gain their trust by posing as a handyman or delivery worker, then overpower and strangle them. He would then steal their money and jewelry. The murders initially went unsolved, but police eventually began to notice a pattern. The victims were all similar in age and location, and the crimes shared a common modus operandi. A breakthrough came in 1987 when a fingerprint found at one of the crime scenes was matched to Paulin. He was arrested and quickly confessed to several of the murders. Paulin died in prison in 1989, never having faced trial for his crimes. His case remains one of the most notorious in French history, and it continues to fascinate criminologists and the public alike.

1997 – Doris Angleton – a 46-year-old mother of two, met a tragic end in Houston, Texas, on April 16, 1997, when she was found brutally murdered inside her own home. The case quickly became enveloped in intrigue and accusations, primarily directed towards her husband, Robert. Suspicion deepened when Robert’s brother, Roger, was caught with a chilling murder contract mentioning a “Doris” and audio recordings seemingly plotting her demise. Robert, despite facing murder charges, was ultimately acquitted. Roger, convicted of solicitation for the crime and handed a life sentence, later had his conviction overturned. Despite intense investigation and scrutiny, the perpetrator of Doris’s murder remains unidentified, leaving behind a legacy of unresolved grief and unanswered questions.

2004 – Jerry Bridwell McWee  – An American thief and drug addict who, whilst trying to get money for drugs decided to rob a convenience store in Aiken County, South Carolina, and when he got there he forced the clerk John Perry to go into a back room where he shot him twice in the head and then made off with around $300. McWee was later convicted and sentenced to death.

2006 – Stephen A. Marshall – was a young man whose brief life became synonymous with a tragic descent into vigilantism. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Marshall’s childhood was marked by family instability, including parental divorce and frequent relocations. His teenage years saw brushes with violence, culminating in a suspended sentence for aggravated assault. Fueled by a deep-seated anger against child abusers, Marshall sought solace in online communities advocating for “retribution justice.” Consumed by this dark crusade, he utilized publicly available sex offender registries to track down individuals in rural Maine. In April 2006, armed with guns and fueled by a twisted sense of vengeance, Marshall embarked on a cross-border mission. He tragically claimed the lives of two men, William Elliott and Charles “Chad” Grey, before taking his own life in a final act of despair. Marshall’s actions, motivated by pain and warped by the anonymity of the internet, sparked intense debate about vigilantism, online communities, and the ethics of public access to potentially dangerous information. His story serves as a cautionary tale of how personal trauma can morph into destructive actions while highlighting the need for compassion and support for those seeking justice for past wrongs.

2007 – Seung-Hui Cho – was a South Korean-American who became infamous for the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, which killed 32 people and wounded 17 others. He was born in Asan, South Korea, on January 18, 1984, and immigrated to the U.S. with his family when he was eight years old. He suffered from mental health issues and was bullied in school. He attended Virginia Tech as a business information technology student but later switched to English. He also wrote plays and poems that contained references to violence and suicide. On April 16, 2007, he opened fire at two dormitories on campus, killing two students before returning to his room. He then reloaded his pistols and shot more people in Norris Hall, where he barricaded himself with heavy chains. He also sent a package containing his manifesto to NBC News before killing himself by shooting himself in the head. His motive for the shooting remains unclear, but some experts suggest that he was influenced by the Columbine massacre and wanted to emulate it. It became the deadliest school shooting in American history.

2013 – Ronnie Paul Threadgill – was a convicted murderer who was executed by lethal injection in Texas on April 16, 2013. He was 40 years old at the time of his death. Threadgill was born on February 20, 1973 in Dallas, Texas. He had a troubled childhood and committed his first felony at age 18 for burglary and cocaine possession. Threadgill had a history of gang involvement and violence. In June 1998, he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for shooting Erik Martin in Limestone County. However, the charges were later dropped because Martin was another criminal. On April 14, 2001, Threadgill participated in a carjacking outside a nightclub near Corsicana in Navarro County. He shot and killed Christopher Lane, a 17-year-old black male who was sitting in the driver’s seat of Lane’s car. He also wounded Dexter McDonald, another passenger in the car. Threadgill fled the scene but was soon arrested by police after he crashed his stolen car into a ditch and ran away on foot. He was found hiding under an axle at a truck stop with blood on his clothing matching McDonald’s blood. A bandana that he wore during the crime was also found under the trailer where he was hiding. Threadgill confessed to shooting Lane and said that he did it because McDonald was drunk and slumped over in the back seat. However, this contradicted the testimony of Kevin Williams, another co-defendant who said that Threadgill pointed a gun at his face when he got into the car. Threadgill pleaded guilty to capital murder and received two life sentences without parole. He appealed his conviction several times but failed to overturn it. He also filed several petitions for clemency but were denied by various governors. On April 15, 2013, Threadgill became eligible for execution under Texas law. The next day, he received lethal injection at Huntsville State Prison. His last words were “I love you all” to his family members who were present in the execution chamber.

2014 – Jose Luis Villegas Jr – Possibly whilst in a drug-fueled state, Villegas, after having a row with his girlfriend’s mom stabbed her and then he proceeded to stab his girlfriend 3-year-old child and finally he stabbed his girlfriend. In total he stabbed all three victims 86 times before fleeing with a TV which he then pawned for drug money, according to him, he planned to return to the house and take his own life but he saw the police there and ran away.

Events

David Lee Roth

1881 – In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle

1964 – Nine men sentenced to 25-30 years for the Great Train Robbery

1987 – Conservative MP Harvey Proctor is charged with gross indecency

1990 – The Supreme Court rejects the appeal of Dalton Prejean, condemned to death for murdering a Louisiana state trooper in 1977

1993 – David Lee Roth is arrested in New York City for purchasing marijuana for $10

1996 – Russian serial killer Anatoly Onoprienko is apprehended

2007 – Virginia Tech shooting

2017 – 74-year-old Robert Lee Godwin Sr was shot & killed whilst walking on a sidewalk in Cleveland, Ohio