Births

David Chmiel

1785 – Noah Beauchamp – was a blacksmith and an Indiana pioneer. He was the first person to be legally hanged in Parke County, Indiana, after murdering his neighbor, George Mickelberry, over a dispute.  Beauchamp was born to Thomas and Sarah Adams Beauchamp. As an adult, he was over six feet tall, burly, and had a ruddy complexion. He was known to be quick to anger. As a young man, Beauchamp had a disagreement with his father over the morality of slavery. The younger Beauchamp was very religious, a devout Baptist, and he was vehemently against slavery. His father, who owned slaves, may have disowned Noah, who soon left for Kentucky and then Ohio, where he may have met Elizabeth Adams who became his wife. His first child, Noah Beauchamp, Jr., was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 29, 1804.  By 1811, Beauchamp had moved with his family to Connersville Township in Fayette County in the Indiana Territory, where he set up a blacksmith shop. On December 14, 1812, Beauchamp purchased a tract of land in Fayette County and lived there until the 1820s, the family moved to Edgar County, Illinois. Noah was appointed a lieutenant of the Eleventh Indiana Territorial Regiment on April 29, 1814. The Eleventh Regiment was one of the best organized of the Indiana regiments.  The Beauchamps resided in Illinois until the mid-1830s, when he relocated again to Indiana, this time to Vigo County. One of the neighboring families, in Sugar Creek Township, that abutted his farm was the Mickelberry family. George Mickelberry and Beauchamp became embroiled in a heated dispute over property boundaries, but the tension between the two families wasn’t bad enough to prevent Mrs. Mickelberry from hiring Beauchamp’s daughters to knit. It was after one of these knitting jobs, in July 1840, that a larger dispute took place, this time between the Mickelberry and Beauchamp women. The Mickelberry daughters were spreading the word around town that Beauchamp’s daughters stole some leftover wool from the job. Beauchamp heard the accusations and quickly became very angry over the claims. He decided to confront George Mickelberry about the charges. Beauchamp began walking over to George Mickelberry’s house and decided to stop and ask God for guidance. He stopped in a clearing, where meat had been prepared and where a large butcher’s knife was left on a stump. After Beauchamp prayed, he decided to take the knife with him in case Mickelberry’s farm hands were around to give him trouble. Instead, only Mickelberry answered the door when Beauchamp knocked.  Noah Beauchamp died on December 30, 1842, in Rockville, Indiana, United States. He was executed by hanging.

1894 – Guarino “Willie” Moretti – also known as Willie Moore, was born on February 24, 1894, in Bari, Apulia, in the Kingdom of Italy. He immigrated to the United States with his family to live in New Jersey. Moretti was an Italian-American mobster who served as underboss of the Genovese crime family under the administration of his cousin Frank Costello.  On January 12, 1913, after being convicted of robbery in New York City, Moretti was sentenced to one year in state prison in Elmira, New York. He was released after several months. From 1933 to 1951, Moretti, in association with Joe Adonis, Settimo Accardi, and Abner Zwillman, ran lucrative gambling dens in New Jersey and upstate New York. His operations were based out of his homes in Hasbrouck Heights and Deal, both located in New Jersey.  Moretti was the godfather of then-unknown singer Frank Sinatra. Sinatra’s first wife, Nancy Barbato, was a paternal cousin of John Barbato, a Moretti associate. Moretti helped Sinatra get bookings in New Jersey clubs in return for kickbacks. Finally, in 1939, Sinatra signed a recording contract with band leader Tommy Dorsey. However, by the early 1940s, Sinatra had achieved national popularity and wanted to sign a more lucrative recording contract, but Dorsey refused to release him from their existing contract. A rumor claimed that Sinatra asked Moretti for help, and it was alleged that Moretti jammed a gun barrel down Dorsey’s throat and threatened to kill him if he did not release Sinatra. Dorsey eventually sold the contract to Sinatra for one dollar.  In the late 1940s, Moretti became acquainted with comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis while they were performing at Bill Miller’s Riviera nightclub in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In earlier years, Moretti and Abner “Longy” Zwillman were watching the club’s cardroom when it was previously owned by Ben Marden. In 1947, Martin, Lewis, Sinatra, and comedian Milton Berle all performed at the wedding reception of Moretti’s daughter.  In 1950, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Organized Crime started an investigation known as the Kefauver hearings, named after its chairman, Sen. Estes Kefauver. Along with other members of the Genovese family, Moretti, by then widely known by his alias “Willie Moore,” was called to testify. Moretti was the only one who cooperated with the committee. While the other mobsters refused to testify by repeatedly invoking the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provides legal protection against self-incrimination, the garrulous Moretti told jokes, spoke candidly, and generally played it up for the cameras.  Willie Moretti died on October 4, 1951, in Cliffside Park, New Jersey, U.S. The cause of death was gunshots.

1955 – Woo Bum-kon – He was a South Korean policeman and spree killer who murdered 62 people and wounded around 35 others in several villages in Uiryeong County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, during the night from April 26 to April 27, 1982, before committing suicide.  Woo Bum-kon had served in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, where he was recognized as a skilled marksman until his discharge in 1978. From April 11 until December 30 1981, he served as a police officer and, with his marksmanship ability, was able to work as a guard at the Blue House. However, Woo’s excessive drinking habits and subsequent behavior caused him to be demoted to his position at Kungyu Village in Uiryeong County, South Gyeongsang Province.  On the afternoon of April 26, 1982, Woo had an argument with his live-in girlfriend, Chun Mal-soon, after she had woken him by swatting a fly on his chest. Enraged, Woo left the house and went to the police station, where he reported for duty at 4:00 p.m. At about 7:30 p.m., Woo returned home, assaulted his girlfriend, and smashed their furniture before making his way to the reservists’ armory and gathering several weapons, consisting of two M2 carbines, two handguns, at least 180 rounds of ammunition, and seven hand grenades.  At the time, Woo’s rampage was the worst mass shooting in modern history committed by a single perpetrator and remains the second deadliest, later surpassed only by the 2011 Norway terrorist attacks. It was also the deadliest deliberate single loss of life in South Korean history until the Daegu Subway Inferno in 2003.  Woo Bum-kon died on April 27, 1982, in Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang, South Korea. The cause of death was suicide by 2 hand grenades.

1955 – David Chmiel – an American criminal, was implicated in the murder of three elderly siblings, Angelina, Victor, and James Lunario, in Throop, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The horrific incident occurred in the early hours of September 21, 1983, during a robbery.  Initially, Chmiel was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and received a death sentence. However, his convictions were overturned due to the ineffectiveness of his trial counsel. In 1995, he was retried, found guilty again of three counts of first-degree murder, and sentenced to death.  In 2015, Chmiel challenged the validity of expert testimony presented at his trial, which was based on a microscopic comparison of hair samples. Despite his efforts, his appeal was denied, and he remains on death row.

1966 – Charles Edward Smith – Nine months away from retirement, Tim Hudson, a Pecos County Deputy Sheriff, responded to a call about a gas theft near Bakersfield. Attempting to pull over a van matching the description, he unknowingly confronted escapees Charles Edward Smith and Carroll Bernard Smith, armed and on the run. As Hudson tried to pass the van, Charles Smith fired three shots, fatally hitting Hudson. A subsequent manhunt, police chase, and shootout led to Charles Smith’s arrest. During trials, he confessed to fulfilling a lifelong desire to kill a cop. Smith faced three convictions and two death sentences overturned on appeal.

1966 – Wesley Howard Shermantine Jr – He is known as one half of the “Speed Freak Killers,” a serial killer duo that included Loren Herzog. The pair were initially convicted of four murders, three of which were joint convictions, and are suspected in the deaths of as many as 72 people in and around San Joaquin County, California.  Shermantine and Herzog grew up in the town of Linden, California, and lived on the same street as each other. They were both avid hunters and fishermen who spent much of their childhood exploring the San Joaquin County countryside. They graduated from Linden High School in 1984. The duo was known for their bullying behavior, as well as their frequent use of alcohol and drugs, especially methamphetamine.  The pair roamed around California’s San Joaquin County for approximately 15 years, terrorizing the residents of the mostly rural region and allegedly killing a number of people, frequently women, in their deadly rampage. Shermantine was charged with the first-degree murder of Chevy Wheeler, Cyndi Vanderheiden, Paul Cavanaugh, and Howard King. During Shermantine’s trial, right before the sentencing phase, he agreed to tell officials where the bodies of four of his victims could be found in exchange for $20,000, but no deal was ever made.  Shermantine remains on death row in San Quentin State Prison, in San Quentin, California.

Deaths

Karl Hinze LaGrand

1732 – Colonel Francis Charteris – also known as “The Rape-Master General,” was born on April 4, 1675, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a Scottish soldier and adventurer who amassed a substantial fortune through gambling and the South Sea Bubble.  Charteris was born to John Charteris, a magistrate, and his wife, Mary, who was possibly the daughter of Sir Francis Kinloch, 1st Baronet. His family owned property in Amisfield, near Dumfries. Charteris had a notorious reputation and was despised by many in London as an archetypal rake. Despite being dismissed from military service four times for reasons including cheating at cards and accepting bribes, he managed to amass a considerable fortune.  He married Helen Swinton, the daughter of Alexander Swinton, Lord Mersington. Their daughter Janet married James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss, in 1720. His grandson, Francis Wemyss Charteris, 7th Earl of Wemyss, adopted his mother’s maiden name in 1732 when he inherited his grandfather’s estates.  Charteris was infamous for his treatment of women. He would send his servants out through the countryside to recruit women for him to have sex with. His methods and enticements made him disliked by the poor in some parts of England. His reputation preceded his trial for raping a servant named Anne Bond. When Bond began to work, she was immediately besieged by Charteris’ advances, along with offers of money; but she refused. On her third day of employment, Anne realized that her employer was in fact Colonel Francis Charteris and requested to leave. This request was refused, and staff were positioned to prevent her from escaping. The next morning, Charteris attacked and raped Bond. There were no witnesses, and Charteris’ servants in the next room later testified that they heard nothing. When Bond told Charteris she was going to the authorities over the crime, he ordered servants to whip her and take her belongings, and throw her out the door, telling them that she had stolen money from him.  In 1730, Charteris was convicted of raping Anne Bond and sentenced to death. However, he was subsequently pardoned. Charteris died of natural causes on February 24, 1732, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

1956 – James Larry Upton –  He was a hitchhiker who was convicted of murdering an airman named Donald Dilley, who had given him a ride on September 10, 1954. The incident took place outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico, during a robbery attempt. Upton stated that he had seen Dilley’s large money roll and was “annoyed” by Dilley’s tough guy demeanor and tales of Air Force jets.  Upton’s execution was a spectacle attended by over one hundred observers, some of whom were intoxicated. Having been seated in the electric chair, Upton was asked if he had anything to say. He inquired if his face would be covered by a mask. The warden responded affirmatively, and Upton replied that he had nothing to say. The regular execution cap would not fit, so an improvised cap made from a parka was used. Consequently, smoke billowed from fur remaining on the cap that was ignited from the ensuing voltage. James Upton was declared dead at 12:09 AM, on February 24, 1956. Upton’s execution would be the last death sentence implemented in New Mexico by the electric chair; the gas chamber was subsequently used in the next execution.

1960 – Earl Lewis Steward – was born in 1918 in Maryland, USA. He was a convicted murderer who committed his crime in Fernley, Nevada, USA. The incident took place on September 9, 1957, during a robbery. Steward was executed by asphyxiation gas in Nevada on February 24, 1960. He was buried at the Nevada State Prison Burial Ground in Carson City, Nevada, USA.

1998 – Terry Allen Langford – He was an American convicted murderer who was executed by lethal injection in Montana. Langford was executed for the July 1988 murders of Ned and Celene Blackwood, in Ovando, Montana. His case was profiled in the true crime television series, Stolen Voices, Buried Secrets.  Not much is known about his early life other than he was a drifter who resided in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Langford was convicted of forgery and tampering with a motor vehicle in the summer of 1987. As both charges were misdemeanors he received no jail time.  In June of 1988, he traveled to Ovando, Montana by bus. He hiked north toward a mountainous area, ending up on the property of Ned (48) and Celene Blackwood (46). He watched their movements from a distance for several days before entering the home on July 5, 1988, murdering them and stealing their belongings.  After the killings, he traveled to Jeffersonville, Indiana, where he stayed at a Motel. The following morning, he pulled a knife on a maid when she entered his room. Langford fled, discarding a bag in a nearby wooded area, which contained the stolen guns of the Blackwood’s. A criminal records check of the guns showed they belonged to the murdered couple. Afterwards, he was tracked down and apprehended. He was convicted of murdering the couple and was sentenced to death on January 26, 1989.  While on death row in Montana State Prison, Langford killed a fellow inmate during a riot on September 22, 1991, in which five inmates were killed. He was convicted of deliberate homicide and given a life term without parole. Langford was acquitted of four other counts of deliberate homicide.  After waiving his appeals, Langford was executed on February 24, 1998, at Montana State Prison. He declined to make a final statement. At 31 years old, he was the youngest inmate put to death in Montana since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. Langford remains the second of only three people to be executed in Montana since the resumption of capital punishment. The others were Duncan Peder McKenzie Jr. in 1995 and David Thomas Dawson in 2006.

1999 – James Edward Rodden Jr – was born on June 8, 1960, in Marshall, Saline County, Missouri, USA. He was executed by the State of Missouri for the crime of murder. His execution took place on February 24, 1999, in Potosi, Washington County, Missouri, USA. He was buried at Ridge Park Cemetery in Marshall, Saline County, Missouri, USA.

1999 – Karl Hinze LaGrand – was born on October 10, 1963, in Germany. He and his brother Walter LaGrand were German citizens, despite living in the U.S. since childhood. Karl was Caucasian, 6’8″ tall, 151 lbs, with brown hair and brown eyes.  Karl and his brother were convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder in the first-degree, attempted armed robbery, and two counts of kidnapping. The crime occurred in Marana, Pima County, and involved the murder of Valley National Bank manager Ken Hartsock and the attempted murder of Dawn Lopez, a bank clerk.  Following a jury trial, both Karl LaGrand and Walter LaGrand were convicted on all charges and sentenced to death. Their convictions and sentences were affirmed by the Arizona Supreme Court.  On February 24, 1999, Karl LaGrand became the first German citizen to be executed in the United States since World War II. In his last words, Karl LaGrand apologized to the family of Ken Hartsock and to Dawn Lopez, the woman injured in the robbery attempt. He was buried at the Arizona State Prison Cemetery in Florence, Pinal County, Arizona, USA.

2000 – Betty Lou Beets – was born Betty Lou Dunevant on March 12, 1937, in Roxboro, North Carolina, USA. She had a difficult upbringing, losing her hearing at the age of three due to measles, and claimed to have been sexually abused by her father and several others close to her. When she was 12 years old, her mother was institutionalized, leaving her to care for her younger siblings.  Beets dropped out of school in the 10th grade and worked most of her life as a cashier and waitress. She was married five times. Her marriages were reportedly plagued with sexual abuse and domestic violence. Beets had a criminal history prior to her arrest for murder, including public lewdness, and shooting a former husband.  On August 6, 1983, Beets was convicted of the shooting death of her fifth husband, Jimmy Don Beets, at their home in Gun Barrel City, in eastern Texas. Two of Betty’s children testified against their mother but also admitted that they had some involvement in concealing the murders. Despite her argument that her children were guilty of the murders, Betty was found guilty and was sentenced to death.  Betty Lou Beets was executed by lethal injection on February 24, 2000, at the age of 62, in the Huntsville Unit, Texas, USA. She remains a notorious figure in the annals of American crime history.

2020 – Roy Norris – was born on February 5, 1948, in Greeley, Colorado, U.S. He lived with his family occasionally, but was more often placed in the care of foster families. Norris allegedly suffered neglect by these families and sexual abuse by at least one. He joined the U.S. Navy at the age of 17, spending most of his service time in San Diego, California. He also spent four months in Vietnam but never saw combat.  In November of 1969, he was arrested for attempted rape when he attacked a female motorist. He was diagnosed with severe schizoid personality by military psychologists and was honorably discharged from the Navy. Norris was incarcerated in the same prison as Lawrence Sigmund Bittaker, and together they became known as the “Tool Box Killers”. They committed the kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of five teenage girls in southern California over a five-month period in 1979.  Norris accepted a plea bargain whereby he agreed to testify against Bittaker and was sentenced to life imprisonment on May 7, 1980, with the possibility of parole after serving thirty years. However, parole was never granted. He died of natural causes at the California Medical Facility in February 2020. The duo became known as the “Tool Box Killers” because the majority of instruments used to torture and murder their victims, such as pliers, ice picks, and sledgehammers, were items normally stored inside a household toolbox.

Events

Mallory Beach

1807 – Between 27 – 34 people died and a further 15 were injured during the Newgate disaster when they were crushed during the triple execution of John Holloway, Owen Haggerty, and Elizabeth Godfrey

1981 – Jean Harris is convicted of murdering the author of the bestselling book The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet, cardiologist Dr. Herman Tarnower

1986 – 4 bodies strangled by “Daniel Spence” were found outside an apartment complex

1989 – Stalker Margaret Ray is found in the home of David Letterman, she claims to be his wife

1999 – The State of Arizona executes Karl LaGrand, a German national involved in an armed robbery in spite of Germany’s legal action to attempt to save him

2019 – At around 2:17 a.m. on February 24, 2019, Paul Terry Murdaugh collided the family boat with the Archers Creek Bridge in Beaufort, South Carolina. Mallory Beach and other teenagers were aboard during the accident, resulting in Beach’s tragic death. Murdaugh faced charges in connection to the incident.

2020 – The former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein is found guilty of rape and a criminal sexual act in a landmark case that ignited the #MeToo movement