Births
Joseph Earl Bates
1958 – Robert L. Henry – was a criminal who was executed by lethal injection in Florida, USA on March 20, 2014. Henry was convicted for the brutal murders of two female co-workers, Phyllis Harris, 53, and Janet Thermidor, 35, during a robbery at a fabric store where they worked. The crime took place on November 2, 1987. Henry first approached Harris after the store had closed, telling her unknown robbers had ordered him to tie her up and blindfold her. He then tied Harris to a urinal, went to the store’s office where he hit Thermidor repeatedly on the head with a hammer, doused her with a flammable liquid, and set her on fire. Henry then went back to the restroom and attacked Harris with the hammer, setting her ablaze as well. Thermidor lived for hours after being attacked and was able to identify Henry to investigators. Henry was arrested the next day. He was sentenced to death on November 9, 1988. Before his execution, Henry read a three-minute statement in which he apologized for his crimes and said he hoped his death would comfort the families of the victims. However, he also criticized the death penalty.
1961 – Victor Tony Jones – Jones was a thief and a murderer, who was found responsible for the murders of husband and wife, 67-year-old Jacob Nestor, and 66-year-old Matilda Nestor at their place of business. Jones believed that the couple owed him money and on 19th December 1990 he stabbed both Matilda & Jacob, Jacob attempted to flee to an office to call 911, and he also shot five times in the direction of Jones with one bullet hitting him in the forehead. When everyone was discovered, Jacob and Matilda were dead and Jones was still alive and with his pockets full of stolen goods. In a confession in the hospital, he stated that he had killed the couple because they owed him money, Jones would later be charged and found guilty of their murders and he was sentenced to death.
1968 – Joseph Earl Bates – At the start of August 1990, Bates discovered that someone had been firing live rounds into his house and he was furious, Bates was pretty damn sure he knew who had carried out this dangerous prank and with his friend Gary Shaver they gave the alleged culprit Charles Jenkins a ride home from a bar, at some point during the ride the vehicle was stopped and Bates beat Jenkins with a shovel, hogtied him and beat him some more. Bates then drove Jenkins to a campsite where he tied him to a tree and beat him attempting to get a confession that seemingly wasn’t forthcoming, he then untied him, took him to the back of his truck, and shot him.
1969 – Brett A. Bogle – In June 1991, Bogle met Katie Alfonso and they got along great, soon after they met Bogle moved into the apartment that Alfonso shared with her sister Margaret Torres. From the start it was obvious that Torres never liked or got along with Bogle and therefore to keep the peace, Alfonso asked him to move out which he did. The three continued to be friendly and went out together on the 1st of September, unfortunately, but not surprisingly Bogle and Torres argued ending with Bogle threatening that if Torres called the police he would kill her. Two weeks later Bogle & Torres crossed paths again in a bar, they would leave separately but only 10 minutes apart, and the next morning Torres’s naked body was discovered near the bar, she had been beaten and her head crushed, further testing found that Bogle’s DNA via semen was found in the vagina and anus of the newly deceased Torres.
Deaths
Dioguinho
1897 – Diogo Figueira Da Rocha – better known as Dioguinho, was a Brazilian career criminal and serial killer who operated in the state of São Paulo in the late 19th century. He is believed to be responsible for the deaths of more than 50 people, including men, women, and children. Dioguinho was born in Botucatu, São Paulo, in 1863. He received a good education and worked as an agrimensor (surveyor) before becoming an oficial de justiça (bailiff). However, he was soon fired from his job due to his violent behavior. Dioguinho’s first known murder was committed in 1894. He killed a man named José de Oliveira in a dispute over a woman. After this, he began a spree of violence, killing people for a variety of reasons, including robbery, revenge, and simply for pleasure. Dioguinho was a skilled criminal who was able to evade capture for several years. He was known for his cunning and his ability to blend in with the locals. He also had a network of accomplices who helped him to hide from the police. In 1897, Dioguinho was finally cornered by the police in the town of Bom Repouso, Minas Gerais. He was killed in a shootout with the authorities, but his body was never recovered. Dioguinho’s story has been the subject of many books, movies, and television shows. He is considered to be one of the most infamous criminals in Brazilian history. The motives for Dioguinho’s murders are still a matter of speculation. Some believe that he was simply a psychopath who enjoyed killing. Others believe that he was motivated by revenge, poverty, or mental illness. It is possible that Dioguinho’s violent behavior was caused by a combination of factors. He may have been born with a predisposition to violence, or he may have been traumatized by some event in his childhood. His poverty and lack of education may have also contributed to his criminal behavior. Dioguinho’s legacy is a complex one. He is remembered as a ruthless killer, but he is also seen as a symbol of the social and economic problems that existed in Brazil at the time. His story is a reminder of the dangers of violence and the importance of social justice. It is also a cautionary tale about the dangers of allowing poverty and inequality to fester.
1942 – Harold Hill – 26-year-old Harold Hill was serving in the 86th Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery when he noticed two girls, 6-year-old Kathleen Trendle and 8-year-old Doreen Hearne at the side of the road flagging him down in his army truck. Three days later both girls were found murdered, they had both been partially strangled before they were stabbed when the police searched the area they found tire tracks and a handkerchief that had a laundry mark that matched with Harold Hill. He was tried and found guilty of the children’s murders and on this day in 1942, he was executed by hanging.
2003 – Giuseppe Leotta – was a 32-year-old part-time municipal worker from the Sicilian town of Aci Castello. He had a history of mental problems and had previously worked as a custodian of the Norman castle that gives Aci Castello its name. He also looked after children at a primary school. On May 1, 2003, Leotta committed a mass murder, killing five people, including the mayor of Aci Castello, Michele Toscano, and a councilor in the town hall. He also killed two female municipal staff in nearby offices and a 66-year-old pensioner who was sitting on the main square. A sixth person was wounded and taken to hospital for treatment. Leotta was reportedly disgruntled about his job prospects and bore a grudge against the mayor because his application to become his driver had been turned down. After the shooting, he committed suicide by shooting himself in a church near the town of Vittoria, 100 kilometers from the scene of the attack.
2012 – Michael Bascum Selsor – was involved in a tragic event on September 15, 1975. On this day, Selsor and his accomplice, Richard Dodson, attempted to rob a convenience store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The store manager, Clayton Chandler, was shot eight times during the robbery. Another individual, Ina Morris, was also shot but survived. Selsor and Dodson were arrested a week later in Santa Barbara, California. While Dodson was acquitted of the murder of Chandler, he was convicted of robbery and shooting with the intent to kill Morris. He is currently serving a sentence of 50 to 199 years in prison. Selsor was twice convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. His sentence was modified to life in prison without the possibility of parole after the U.S. Supreme Court found Oklahoma’s mandatory death penalty statute unconstitutional. However, in 1996, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals threw out Selsor’s murder conviction and two other charges, granting him a retrial. On May 1, 2012, Selsor was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. His last words were addressed to his son and sister.
2013 – Steven T. Smith – Smith was a heavy drinker and sick, sick bastard who after a night of heavy drinking raped and murdered 6-month-old Autumn Breeze Carter before strolling around the house naked and placing Autumn’s lifeless body onto her mother’s bed. At the time he told police that he wasn’t sick like that and proclaimed he hadn’t done it. When appealing his death penalty, Smith argued that he was too drunk to realize his assault was killing the infant, luckily his pleas for mercy went unheard and he was executed.
Events
Pamela & Gregory Smart
1820 – The execution of the Cato Street conspirators
1885 – Maria “Goeie Mie” Swanenburg was sentenced to life for killing 27 in the Netherlands
1936 – The FBI’s J. Edgar Hoover arrests gangster Alvin “Creepy” Karpis
1942 – Rattlesnake James aka Raymond Lisenba was the last man to be executed by hanging in California
1948 – Glenn Taylor, an Idaho senator is arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for trying to enter a meeting through a door marked “for negroes”
1990 – Gregory Smart is murdered
1992 – Eric Houston kills 4 in a California high school where he failed History 4 years prior
2010 – A car bomb fails to go off in Times Square, New York City
2019 – Julian Assange is sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for breaching his bail conditions
2020 – A prison riot leaves more than 40 dead and many injured at Los Llanos jail, in Venezuela