Births

Richard Trenton Chase

1950 – Richard Trenton Chase – Chase was an American serial killer who gained notoriety for his gruesome crimes committed in the late 1970s. He was born on May 23, 1950, in Santa Clara, California. He grew up in a troubled home and exhibited odd behavior from an early age, including an obsession with animal cruelty. In 1976, Chase was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was briefly hospitalized, but he refused to take medication and soon became increasingly delusional. He became convinced that his blood was turning into powder and that he needed to drink the blood of animals and humans to survive. In December 1977, Chase began a killing spree that lasted for a month. He murdered six people in Sacramento, California, including a pregnant woman, a mother and her six-year-old son, and two men. He also engaged in disturbing acts such as drinking the blood of his victims, cannibalism, and dismemberment. Chase was eventually caught when he left behind a fingerprint at one of the crime scenes.

1954 – Robert Moreno Ramos – He was a Mexican national who was executed in Texas in November 2018 for the murder of his wife and two children. He was born on May 23rd, 1954, in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. Ramos moved to the United States in the early 1990s and settled in Progreso Lakes, Texas. He worked as a farmhand and was married with three children. However, in 1992, Ramos was arrested for indecency with a child and spent a year in jail. In 1993, Ramos murdered his wife Leticia, and their two children, Abigail and Jonathan, by beating them with a sledgehammer and burying their bodies under the bathroom floor of their home. Ramos then fled to Mexico with his surviving child but was later arrested and extradited to Texas to face trial. Ramos was convicted of capital murder in 1994 and was sentenced to death. He spent more than 24 years on death row, during which he maintained his innocence and appealed his conviction multiple times. However, his appeals were unsuccessful, and he was executed by lethal injection on November 14, 2018. Ramos’ case was notable for its international implications, as his execution was opposed by the Mexican government, which argued that he was not given proper access to legal representation and that his trial violated international law. However, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected these arguments, and Ramos was executed as scheduled.

1956 – Michael Eugene Sample – Sample, along with an accomplice, Larry McKay went into a store in Shelby County, Tennessee with the intention of robbery when the two clerks attempted to stop the crime from happening, Sample and his accomplice then shot and killed both clerks.

1969 – Michael Jeffrey Land – was a man from Birmingham, Alabama, who became infamous for a brutal crime. On May 19, 1992, he murdered 30-year-old Candace Brown, a case that shocked the local community due to its randomness and brutality. Land had met Brown through a prison ministry, and she had previously named him as a suspect in a burglary at her home. On the night of the murder, Land broke into Brown’s apartment, cut her telephone wires, and left a note with his name and phone number. The police found a shoe print with a distinctive “USA” tread on one of the windowpanes, which matched Land’s shoes. The next day, Brown’s body was found in a nearby quarry, shot in the back of the head with a .45 caliber automatic handgun. The police found a .45 handgun in Land’s car with bullets matching the one in Brown’s head, and glass fragments consistent with the broken window at Brown’s house were found in Land’s house. A semen stain on Brown’s blouse was also found to be consistent with Land’s blood sample. Land was convicted of Candace Brown’s murder in December 1993. He was sentenced to death by lethal injection and served 17 years on Alabama’s Death Row at Holman Prison Atmore until his execution on August 12, 2010.

1970 – Yigal Amir – is an Israeli right-wing extremist known for the assassination of the incumbent Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, on November 4, 1995. Amir was born in Herzliya, Israel, to an Orthodox Yemenite Jewish family. His father, Shlomo, was a sofer (scribe) and his mother, Geula, was a kindergarten teacher. He was one of eight children and attended an Independent Education System school in Herzliya, and a high school yeshiva in Tel Aviv. He served in the Israel Defense Forces as a Hesder student, combining army service in a religious platoon of the Golani Brigade with religious study at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh. After his military service, Amir was nominated by the religious-Zionist youth movement Bnei Akiva to teach Judaism in Riga, Latvia, as part of the Nativ organization. In 1993, Amir began studying at Bar-Ilan University as part of its kollel program, mixing religious and secular studies. He studied law and computer science, as well as Jewish law at the Institute for Advanced Torah Studies. Amir was strongly opposed to the Oslo Accords and participated in protest rallies against the Accords on campus. He was especially active in Hebron, where he led marches through the streets. At the time of the murder, he was a law student at Bar-Ilan University. He assassinated Rabin after a rally in Tel Aviv, Israel. Amir is currently serving a life sentence for murder plus six years for injuring Rabin’s bodyguard, Yoram Rubin, under aggravating circumstances. He was later sentenced to an additional eight years for conspiracy to murder. Amir has never expressed regret over the assassination.

1984 – Margaret-May DeFrancisco – along with her sister Regina, made national headlines for their involvement in the high-profile murder of Oscar Velazquez, Regina’s boyfriend, in Chicago in June 2000. The sisters allegedly lured Velazquez to their home in the Pilsen neighborhood, where Margaret reportedly used a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol to shoot him once in the back of the head, instantly killing him. Following the murder, the sisters reportedly robbed Velazquez of $600 and drove his body in his Camaro Z28 to a vacant lot, where they used nail polish remover to ignite his body. The sisters tried to sell the Camaro, but were unsuccessful, so they abandoned the vehicle and set it on fire. Before the sisters could be arrested for murder, both fled from the police. After almost two years spent evading police, Margaret DeFrancisco was captured in Rockford, Illinois on March 24, 2002. An anonymous tip following a broadcast of America’s Most Wanted led to her capture at an apartment complex where she was staying with relatives. She was arrested for and charged with the murder of Oscar Velazquez and for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Margaret DeFrancisco was convicted of first-degree murder in 2004.

Deaths

Frederick Bailey Deeming

1701 – William Kidd – was a Scottish sailor and privateer who was infamous for his association with piracy in the late 17th century. He was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1645. Kidd began his career as a sailor and privateer, working for English and French merchants in the Caribbean. In 1696, he was commissioned by the British government to hunt down and capture pirates in the Indian Ocean. However, Kidd soon became a pirate himself, attacking and looting ships in the area. Kidd’s piracy activities brought him to the attention of the British authorities, who eventually captured him in 1699. He was taken back to England, where he was put on trial for piracy and murder. Kidd maintained his innocence, claiming that he had been acting under the orders of the British government. Despite his claims, Kidd was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was hanged in London on May 23, 1701.

1892 – Frederick Bailey Deeming – is a name etched in infamy, not for any grand achievements, but for a trail of darkness that left a bloody path across continents. His life, riddled with deceit, brutality, and the shadows of suspicion, reads like a macabre travelogue of human depravity. He began his journey in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, a seemingly ordinary childhood marred by reports of him being a “difficult child.” The sea, however, beckoned early, and at 16, he ran away, embarking on a life adrift, both literally and figuratively. Crime became his compass, with petty theft and cons his companions. Driven by an insatiable desire for wealth and a penchant for deception, Deeming traversed continents, leaving behind a string of broken promises and shattered lives. In England, he married his first wife, Marie, but their union was soon soured by his infidelity and cruelty. Tragedy struck in 1891, as Marie and their four young children mysteriously vanished. The whispers of foul play were loud, but concrete evidence remained elusive. The restless wanderer then crossed paths with Australia, hoping to outrun his demons and restart his charade. He married again, this time to Emily Mather, but the pattern of abuse and deceit repeated itself. Emily, too, disappeared under mysterious circumstances, her body later found buried beneath the floorboards of their new home. Deeming’s luck finally ran out. His web of lies unraveled, revealing the monster beneath the façade. He was captured, tried, and convicted of Emily’s murder. As the noose tightened around his neck in 1892, a chilling possibility emerged – could this cunning killer be the elusive Jack the Ripper, who had terrorized London just months before? The question remains unanswered, shrouded in the mists of history. Some point to similarities in modus operandi and Deeming’s presence in England during the Ripper’s reign. Others dismiss it as mere speculation, fueled by a thirst for closure. One thing, however, is undeniable: Frederick Bailey Deeming was a predator, who left a trail of devastation in his wake. His life, a cautionary tale of unchecked evil, serves as a grim reminder of the depths human darkness can reach. However, Deeming’s story serves more than just a dark reminder. It compels us to examine the psychological underpinnings of such a twisted individual, to understand the motivations that drive someone down such a path of destruction. By exploring the shadows of his life, we may learn to better recognize and combat the monsters that lurk in the human psyche.

1905 – Alfred & Albert Stratton – The story of Alfred and Albert Stratton is not one of triumphant heroes, but of brothers bound by poverty, crime, and ultimately, the gallows. Their infamous tale is etched in history as the first case in Britain where fingerprint evidence secured a murder conviction, marking a turning point in forensic science. Born in the late 1880s in London’s impoverished East End, Alfred and Albert faced a harsh reality. Their father worked odd jobs, struggling to keep the family afloat. The streets became their playground, and soon, their playground became their school in crime. Petty theft and burglary became their trade, landing them in and out of juvenile detention centers. In 1905, their lives took a dark turn. They were suspected of the brutal murders of an elderly couple, Thomas and Ann Farrow, in their Deptford home. The lack of witnesses and clear motives initially clouded the investigation. However, Detective Inspector William Collins, a pioneer in fingerprint identification, noticed a crucial clue: a bloody thumbprint on a money box. He compared it to the brothers’ prints, finding a perfect match for Alfred. This unprecedented forensic evidence became the cornerstone of the prosecution’s case. Despite their denials, witnesses came forward to identify the brothers, and Alfred’s girlfriend recounted his suspicious behavior after the murders. The jury, convinced by the fingerprint evidence and mounting circumstantial evidence, found both brothers guilty. Alfred and Albert Stratton became the first in British history to be convicted of murder solely based on fingerprint evidence. Their case marked a landmark victory for forensic science, forever impacting criminal investigations. However, the victory came at a tragic cost. Both brothers were sentenced to death and hanged in May 1905. The Stratton brothers’ story serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of crime and the power of emerging technologies like fingerprint identification. It also highlights the social conditions that often push individuals towards a life of delinquency. While their actions remain condemned, their case stands as a testament to the evolution of forensic science and its vital role in seeking justice.

1934 – Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow – Bonnie and Clyde, the names evoke images of dusty highways, roaring guns, and a defiant love story etched against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Their tale is one of crime, violence, and an escape from the harsh realities of the time, but it’s also a story of two individuals defying societal norms and embracing life on the edge, leaving an indelible mark on American history. Bonnie Elizabeth Parker, a young housewife yearning for adventure, met Clyde Chestnut Barrow, a charismatic yet reckless outlaw, in 1930. Their chemistry was instant, their romance fueled by a shared desire for freedom and a desperate struggle against poverty. Clyde’s criminal record, however, quickly pulled them into a life of petty thefts and robberies, gradually escalating into bank jobs as the Barrow Gang formed around them. Their exploits captured the nation’s attention during the “Public Enemy Era.” Their daring escapes, shootouts with police, and Bonnie’s romanticized image as a gun-toting “sweetheart” made them folk heroes for many struggling Americans. Newspapers romanticized their story, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. Despite the glamorized image, their reality was brutal. Gang members were killed, the constant chase took its toll, and the violence escalated. Bonnie, though never directly involved in shootings, became an accomplice, driving getaway cars and wielding her newfound notoriety as a weapon. Their end came in a bloody ambush in 1934. Betrayed by a former associate, they were trapped in a hail of gunfire. Both Bonnie and Clyde were killed, riddled with over 100 bullets combined. The legend of Bonnie and Clyde, however, lived on. Their story was immortalized in books, movies, and music, solidifying their place in American cultural memory. They became symbols of rebelliousness, of fighting against a system that many felt had failed them. But their legacy is complex. While some romanticize their defiance, others remember the victims of their crimes and the violence they left in their wake. The truth lies somewhere in between, a story of two individuals caught in the desperate circumstances of the Depression, driven by love, desperation, and a tragic yearning for a different life. Bonnie and Clyde’s story serves as a reminder of the fragility of life, the allure of rebellion, and the consequences of a life outside the law. It’s a story that continues to captivate and question, prompting us to grapple with the complexities of right and wrong, even decades after their final, violent chapter.

1936 – Adolf Gustav Seefeldt – also known as “The Sandman”, was born on March 6, 1870, in Potsdam, North German Confederation. He was the seventh and last child of his parents. Initially trained as a locksmith, he later became a watchmaker who repaired grandfather clocks and pocket watches. In 1890, he moved to Lübeck and married Katarina Seefeldt, who divorced him in 1910. His son was sent to a lunatic asylum for moral crimes at the age of nineteen. Seefeldt himself was first imprisoned at the age of 25 for sexual harassment of a boy. Psychiatrists diagnosed him as mentally unstable, which led to him spending most of his life in mental hospitals and prisons. Seefeldt, also referred to as “Uncle Tick Tock” or “Uncle Adi”, was a serial killer who abused and killed at least twelve boys during the reign of the Third Reich. His victims ranged from toddlers to 12-year-old boys. The actual number of casualties is suspected to be much higher, possibly claiming up to 100 lives. Seefeldt was executed by guillotine on May 23, 1936, in Schwerin, Nazi Germany.

1960 – Soghomon Tehlirian – Tehlirian was an Armenian revolutionary who gained notoriety for his assassination of Talaat Pasha, a leading figure in the Ottoman Empire’s government during World War I, in Berlin in 1921. Tehlirian was born on April 2, 1896, in the village of Nerkin Bagarij, in the Russian Empire (now in modern-day Turkey). He was orphaned at a young age and, along with his siblings, fled to Bulgaria to escape persecution against Armenians in their homeland. In 1915, Tehlirian’s family members were among the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were killed during the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire. This traumatic event had a profound impact on Tehlirian, who subsequently joined the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and became an activist in their cause for Armenian independence. Tehlirian was recruited by the ARF to assassinate Talaat Pasha, who was one of the primary architects of the Armenian Genocide. In March 1921, Tehlirian shot and killed Talaat Pasha in broad daylight on the streets of Berlin. He was subsequently arrested and put on trial but was ultimately acquitted due to his defense of temporary insanity. After his release, Tehlirian continued to be active in Armenian revolutionary circles. He emigrated to the United States in 1922 and later settled in California, where he became involved in community organizations and the Armenian-American church. Tehlirian died on May 23, 1960, at the age of 64. He remains a controversial figure, with some viewing him as a hero who stood up against injustice, while others criticize his use of violence to achieve political goals.

1988 – Roberto Succo – Succo was an Italian serial killer and fugitive who gained notoriety for his violent crimes and ability to evade law enforcement. He was born on April 3, 1962, in Venice, Italy. Succo’s troubled childhood and difficult family life are thought to have contributed to his criminal behavior. He committed his first crime at the age of 15, stealing a motorcycle, and went on to commit a series of violent offenses, including murder, rape, and armed robbery. Succo’s violent crimes and ability to elude capture made him a major figure in the Italian media in the 1980s. He was known for his ability to change his appearance and identity, making him difficult to track down. In 1988, Succo was arrested in France and sentenced to prison for the murder of his parents, who he had killed in Italy several years earlier. He escaped from prison in 1989 and went on to commit a series of additional crimes, including the murder of a police officer. Succo was eventually captured in February 1988, in France and extradited to Italy, where he was sentenced to life in prison. He died in prison on May 23, 1988, at the age of 26, after suffocating himself with a plastic bag.

1992 – Giovanni Falcone – Falcone was an Italian judge and prosecuting magistrate who dedicated his career to fighting organized crime in Italy. He was born on May 18, 1939, in Palermo, Sicily. Falcone began his career as a judge in 1964, and in the 1980s, he became a leading figure in the fight against the Sicilian Mafia. He was instrumental in the creation of the Maxi Trial, a landmark legal proceeding in which more than 340 Mafia members were convicted and sentenced to prison. Falcone was known for his tireless dedication to prosecuting organized crime, and he worked closely with other law enforcement officials to bring Mafia leaders to justice. However, his work made him a target of the Mafia, and he received numerous death threats and lived under constant protection. In 1992, Falcone and his wife were killed in a bombing orchestrated by the Mafia. The attack, which took place on May 23, 1992, killed Falcone, his wife, and three members of their security detail. It was a devastating blow to the Italian justice system and led to a major crackdown on organized crime in the country. Falcone’s legacy continues to be celebrated in Italy and around the world, and he is widely regarded as a hero for his dedication to fighting organized crime.

1992 – Ruby McCollum – was an African American woman who gained national attention in the United States in the 1950s after she shot and killed a prominent white physician and politician named Leroy Adams. She was born on August 31, 1909, in Zuber, Florida. McCollum’s life was marked by racial discrimination and abuse. She grew up in a segregated community in Florida and was the victim of domestic violence from her husband, Sam McCollum. In 1952, she became involved in a romantic relationship with Leroy Adams, who was a local physician and state senator. In 1952, Ruby McCollum shot and killed Adams in his office in Live Oak, Florida, claiming that he had been sexually assaulting her for years and that she had acted in self-defense. She was arrested and charged with murder, and her trial became a national sensation, highlighting issues of racism and sexual violence. During the trial, McCollum testified about the abuse she had suffered at the hands of Adams and how he had used his power and influence to control and manipulate her. Despite this testimony, McCollum was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. After several appeals, McCollum’s sentence was eventually commuted to life in prison, and she was released in 1974 after serving nearly 20 years behind bars. She lived the rest of her life in relative obscurity, but her case became an important landmark in the fight against racism and the struggle for justice for victims of sexual violence.

2014 – Elliot Oliver Rodger – was an English-American former college student, born on July 24, 1991, and passed away on May 23, 2014. He was born in London, England, and moved to the United States with his parents at the age of five, where he was raised in Los Angeles. Rodger is known for the 2014 Isla Vista killings. On the evening of May 23, 2014, he killed six people and injured fourteen others near the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), before taking his own life. The methods of attack included gunshot, stabbing, and vehicle ramming. Before the attack, Rodger uploaded a video to YouTube titled “Elliot Rodger’s Retribution”, in which he outlined his planned attack and his motives. He also emailed a lengthy autobiographical manuscript to friends, his therapist, and family members. In these documents, he expressed his frustration over his inability to find a girlfriend, his hatred of women, his contempt for couples (particularly interracial couples), and his plans for what he described as “retribution”. The 2014 Isla Vista killings have been described as an act of misogynist terrorism. Rodger has been associated with the incel ideology, which he used as a basis for his motivation for the acts committed.

2019 – Bobby Joe Long – He was an American serial killer who committed a series of rapes and murders in the Tampa Bay area of Florida in 1984. He was born on October 14, 1953, in Kenova, West Virginia. Long’s criminal career began with a series of rapes in the Tampa Bay area in the early 1980s. He escalated to murder in May 1984, and over the next year, he killed at least 10 women and raped several others. Long was finally caught in November 1984, after one of his victims managed to escape and alert the authorities. He was subsequently tried and convicted of multiple counts of murder and sexual assault, and he was sentenced to death. Throughout his trial and incarceration, Long maintained his innocence, claiming that he had been coerced into confessing and that his trial had been unfair. However, his guilt was widely accepted by law enforcement and the public, and he remained on death row for nearly 35 years. Bobby Joe Long was executed by lethal injection on May 23, 2019, nearly 35 years after his arrest. His case is often cited as an example of the need for improved laws and procedures for dealing with serial killers, as well as the importance of providing support and resources for victims of sexual assault and violent crime.

Events

Canadian North West Mounted Police

1845 – The New York Police Department (NYPD) is formed

1873 – Canada’s North West Mounted Police Force forms (It didn’t get the “Royal” until 1904)

1934 – Bonnie & Clyde are killed in a shootout with police

1983 – Cheryl Lee Wims is murdered by the Green River Killer

2019 – 50 children are rescued from an international pedophile ring on the dark web in Thailand, Australia & the United States by Interpol under Operation Blackwrist, the main organizer is sentenced to 146 years.