Births

Awilda Lopez

1906 – Tony Accardo – born Antonio Leonardo Accardo on April 28, 1906, and often referred to as “Joe Batters,” was an influential figure in American organized crime during the mid-20th century. Accardo is best known for his association with the Chicago Outfit, a powerful and notorious criminal organization based in Chicago. Tony Accardo was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Italian immigrant parents. Growing up in the Italian-American community, he became involved in criminal activities at an early age. In his youth, Accardo befriended several future mobsters, laying the foundation for his later involvement in organized crime. Accardo’s rise in the Chicago Outfit was facilitated by his close association with Al Capone, one of the most infamous mob bosses in American history. Accardo’s skills and loyalty quickly gained the respect of his peers, and he ascended through the ranks of the criminal organization. Following Capone’s imprisonment for tax evasion in 1931, Accardo continued to play a key role in the Chicago Outfit. He became known for his strategic thinking, effective leadership, and ability to maintain a low profile, which earned him the nickname “Joe Batters.” Accardo’s influence within the Chicago Outfit reached its peak in the late 1940s. In 1947, he became the acting boss of the organization and later assumed the title of “boss” or “capo di tutti capi.” Despite never officially holding the top position, Accardo wielded significant power and influence, guiding the Outfit through a period of expansion and prosperity. Under Accardo’s leadership, the Chicago Outfit engaged in various criminal enterprises, including racketeering, extortion, illegal gambling, and labor union infiltration. Accardo was known for his ability to maintain a low profile and avoid direct involvement in violent activities, preferring to operate behind the scenes. As the 20th century progressed, law enforcement increased its efforts to combat organized crime. In 1957, Accardo stepped down as the day-to-day leader of the Chicago Outfit, allowing Sam Giancana to take over. However, Accardo remained an influential figure in the organization, continuing to provide guidance and leadership from the shadows. In the 1970s, as law enforcement scrutiny intensified, Accardo officially retired from his active role in the Chicago Outfit. He maintained a low profile and lived a relatively quiet life until his death on May 22, 1992, at the age of 86. Tony Accardo’s legacy is intertwined with the history of organized crime in America, particularly in Chicago. His strategic mind, ability to adapt to changing circumstances, and emphasis on maintaining a low profile contributed to the longevity and success of the Chicago Outfit during his era.

1923 – Jose Maria Jarabo – was a Spanish serial killer who murdered four people in Madrid in 1958. He was executed by garrote vil in 1959. Jarabo was born in Madrid in 1923. His family moved to the United States when he was a child, and he lived there until he was 18 years old. In the United States, Jarabo was convicted of trafficking in human beings and sentenced to three years in prison. He was also confined to a psychiatric hospital. After his release from prison, Jarabo returned to Spain. He married and had a son, but he soon became involved in a life of crime. He was arrested for fraud and other offenses, and he served several prison terms. On July 19, 1958, Jarabo killed Emilio Fernández Díez and Félix López Robledo, two men who ran an agency that provided loans. Jarabo had used the agency to obtain a loan, and he had failed to repay it. He killed the two men to prevent them from reporting him to the police. The next day, Jarabo killed Paulina Fernández, the wife of one of the victims. He then went to the home of Amparo Barahona, the mother of the other victim. He killed Barahona and her unborn child. Jarabo was arrested a few days later. He confessed to the murders, and he was sentenced to death by garrote vil. He was executed on July 4, 1959. The Jarabo murders were a major scandal in Spain. They were widely reported in the media, and they sparked a debate about the death penalty. Jarabo’s execution was also a major event, and it was watched by millions of people on television.

1946 – Pawel Tuchlin – presented a facade of normalcy. He served as a doctor, seemingly well-adjusted, yet lurking beneath the surface was a darkness waiting to erupt. In 1975, a series of horrific attacks on young women across Poland would shatter this illusion. Tuchlin, known to the authorities as “Skorpion,” terrorized the Polish countryside for eight years. His victims, typically hitchhikers or lone travelers, were lured into his web of deceit, only to be subjected to brutal assault and murder. With a chilling efficiency, he claimed the lives of nine women and left many others forever marked by the trauma of his attacks. Tuchlin’s motives remain shrouded in ambiguity. The doctor himself offered conflicting accounts, initially confessing to a desire for “power” and “better feelings” through murder. Later, he retracted these confessions, alleging police coercion. This contradictory narrative leaves a haunting uncertainty, forever blurring the lines between calculated predator and victim of circumstance. In 1985, after a prolonged investigation and trial, Tuchlin was convicted of nine murders and sentenced to death. He faced the ultimate penalty two years later, hanged in 1987. While justice prevailed, the case left a deep scar on the Polish psyche, a stark reminder of the depravity that can lurk beneath even the most ordinary veneer.

1948 – Paul Eugene Rowles – was a convicted murderer and serial rapist. His violent tendencies were evident from a young age, as he choked a cat to death at the age of 8 and developed rape fantasies involving women by the age of 12. His father also beat him unconscious on several occasions. In his personal life, he married Linda Schaeffer in 1970 when he was 20 years old, but they divorced in March 1973. He later married Kathryn L Forguson in December 1985. His criminal history is extensive and brutal. He confessed to the 1972 murder of Linda Ida, a woman who lived in his apartment complex. For this crime, he was sentenced to life in prison in March of 1976. However, he was paroled and moved to Pinellas County in December of 1985. In January of 1994, Rowles kidnapped a Clearwater girl and later confessed to the kidnapping and sexual assault of the girl. His victims included Linda Fida, 20, Tiffany Sessions, 20, and Elizabeth Foster, 21. His life of crime ended when he died in prison on February 12, 2013

1950 – James Granvil Wallace – In the mid-1980s Wallace was living with his girlfriend Susan Insalaco and two children, he had a history of heavy drinking and on January 31st, 1984 Wallace came home rolling drunk and Insalaco had had enough and she told him he had to move out, the next morning she went to work and the kids to school. As each family member arrived home, Wallace bludgeoned them to death with either a baseball bat or pipe wrench, first, it was 16-year-old Anna who got beaten with the bat and eventually stabbed in the neck with the bat, then 12-year-old Gabriel was beaten to death with a pipe wrench before his mom returned home and received the same. After spending more than a quarter of a century on death row, Wallace’s sentence was commuted to life in prison.

1957 – Robert Lester Patton – He is known for a crime he committed on September 2, 1981. On this day, Patton was driving a stolen car and was stopped by a Miami police officer because he was driving the wrong way on a one-way street. Patton fled the scene on foot, and the officer pursued him down an alley. According to a witness, Patton hid in the alley, waited for the officer to approach, and then shot him. The officer was shot twice, with the first bullet piercing his heart, killing him instantly. The other bullet penetrated the officer’s foot, indicating that he had been shot after he was already dead and lying on the ground. Patton was arrested on the same day. Previously, Patton had been adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity on a charge of receiving stolen property and was involuntarily committed to the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services for treatment in 1978. He was sentenced to death on March 29, 1982. Later, Patton filed a 3.850 Appeal to the Florida Supreme Court on January 10, 1997. The Court remanded the case to the Circuit Court for an evidentiary hearing to further investigate the claim of ineffective counsel because the defense counsel failed to raise an intoxication or insanity defense in light of Patton’s history.

1959 – Thomas Paul West – An American thief who, on his second visit to see some electronics owned by Don Bortle, when he got to Bortle’s he tied him up and beat him, stole numerous valuable items including his car, and drove to Phoenix where he planned to sell them. After telling friends what he had done, they called the police who found Bortle still tied up and deceased, when West was arrested he had items belonging to Bortle in his possession.

1961 – Futoshi Matsunaga – He is known as a notorious Japanese serial killer. His crimes, referred to as the Kitakyūshū Serial Murder Incident, involved defrauding and torturing his victims. Matsunaga was a bright student with a charming personality, but he often exhibited disciplinary problems. He married at 19 and had a son, but despite being married, he was involved with at least ten mistresses. In 1982, during his marriage, he became involved with Junko Ogata, one of his former schoolmates. In 1985, Matsunaga convinced Junko that her family hated her because of a suicide attempt and persuaded her to move in with him. That same year, Matsunaga also purchased a building in which he could operate a futon business. By 1992, Matsunaga had stolen 180 million yen (about US$2.2 million) through fraud or blackmail. Matsunaga was convicted of six counts of murder and one count of manslaughter between 1996 and 1998. He murdered his victims with an accomplice, Junko Ogata, who received a life sentence. His crimes were so atrocious that most Japanese media were not willing to report the details. Matsunaga was sentenced to death.

1965 – Davis Losada – He is known for his involvement in a notorious crime that took place in Texas, USA. At the age of 19, he was the oldest of four teenagers who were convicted of the brutal rape and murder of Olga Lydia Perales. Perales, a 15-year-old junior high student, was found in a brushy area between San Benito and Harlingen, Texas on Christmas Eve with two stab wounds to the chest. Losada’s trial began on June 14, 1985, and lasted through June 18, 1985. He did not testify on his own behalf. In less than an hour, on June 19, 1985, Losada was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. He appealed his death sentence several times, but all appeals were denied. Losada was executed on June 4, 1997. His execution marked the first double execution in Texas in 21 and a half years. He declined his last meal and was pronounced dead at 7:30 p.m., with five of his relatives looking on. His last words were a proclamation of his innocence and expressions of love and gratitude towards his family.

1966 – Awilda Lopez – is a convicted murderer known for the tragic death of her six-year-old daughter, Elisa Izquierdo. Born in New York, Lopez had a troubled life marked by drug addiction and instances of domestic violence. In the mid-1990s, Lopez’s life took a dark turn when she began to physically, mentally, and sexually abuse her daughter, Elisa. The abuse escalated over time, culminating in Elisa’s death from a brain hemorrhage in 1995. The case received widespread media attention due to the horrific nature of the abuse and the failure of child protection services to intervene despite numerous warning signs. In 1996, Lopez was convicted for the murder of Elisa and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. Her case served as a grim reminder of the failures of the child protection system and led to significant reforms in New York’s child welfare policies. Despite the changes brought about by this tragic case, the memory of Elisa Izquierdo’s untimely death remains a painful chapter in New York’s history.

1971 – Daisuke Mori – is a Japanese nurse who was convicted of giving lethal doses of the muscle relaxant drug vecuronium to his patients in a clinic in Izumi-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. Although he was convicted of only one murder, he is suspected to be a medical serial killer. Mori was suspected of the murder of 89-year-old woman Yukiko Shimoyama on November 24, 2000. He was also suspected of four attempted murders; a 1-year-old girl on 2 February 2000, an 11-year-old girl on 31 October 2000, a four-year-old boy on 13 November 2000, and a 45-year-old man on 24 November 2000. He was arrested on January 6, 2001. When he was arrested, he was reported to have murdered at least 10 people. However, he insisted on his innocence four days after his arrest. There were also many problems and mysterious deaths in his hospital, so his lawyers insisted that he was accused as their substitute. The U.S. newsmagazine Time criticized Japanese hospitals as well as him. The district court in Sendai sentenced him to life imprisonment on March 30, 2004, for one murder and four attempted murders. Japanese police insisted that vecuronium’s molecular mass is 258, but its correct molecular mass is 557. His defense pointed out this contradiction on the high court, but the high court in Sendai upheld the original sentence on March 22, 2006. He appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the sentence on February 25, 2008.

1977 – Derrick Wayne Frazier – An American thief who along with his accomplice Jermain Herron robbed a home and stole property, after that, they went to the house next door where the householder offered them a lift into town when she came back from starting the car, Frazier shot her in the face and head before killing her son. The two men then made their getaway in the victim’s car.

1981 – Michael Anthony Lopez Jr – On 29th September 1998, Lopez and a group of friends were riding around when they were pulled over by 26-year-old deputy Michael Eakin, Lopez, panicking about being arrested for prior events made a run for it and of course, the deputy gave chase, within a minute or two gunshots were heard and Eakin would be found dead.

1987 – David Gregory Ludwig – is known for a tragic event that occurred on November 13, 2005. On this day, he murdered Michael and Cathryn Borden, the parents of his girlfriend, Kara Beth Borden. The incident happened after the Bordens ordered Ludwig to end his relationship with their daughter. Ludwig and Kara Borden knew each other through a support group for home-schooled students and tried to keep their relationship secret from her parents, who were displeased with their four-year age difference. After the murders, Ludwig fled the state with Kara. He was apprehended in Belleville, Indiana, after a high-speed police chase that ended in a crash. On June 14, 2006, Ludwig was sentenced to two life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, reckless endangerment, statutory sexual assault, and a firearms violation.

Deaths

Zhen Minsheng

1721 – Mary Read – also known as Mark Read, was an English pirate active in the early 18th century, during the “Golden Age of Piracy”. Born in England between 1680 and 1693, Mary Read was the daughter of a widow who had an affair after her husband disappeared at sea. To continue receiving financial support from her late husband’s mother, Mary’s mother disguised her as her deceased half-brother. At the age of 13, Mary found work as a foot-boy and later joined the British military, all while dressed as a boy. She served bravely in a regiment of foot and later in a regiment of horse, which was allied with Dutch forces against the French. Mary fell in love with a Flemish soldier and revealed her true sex to him. They married and used their military commission and gifts from intrigued brethren in arms to acquire an inn named “De drie hoefijzers” (“The Three Horseshoes”) near Breda Castle in the Netherlands. Upon her husband’s early death, Mary resumed male dress and military service in the Netherlands. After peace was declared, Mary boarded a ship bound for the West Indies. The ship was boarded by pirates, and Mary decided to join them. Around 1720, she met Jack Rackham and joined his crew, dressing as a man alongside Anne Bonny. Her time as a pirate was successful but short-lived, as she, Bonny, and Rackham were arrested in November 1720. Rackham was executed, but Read and Bonny both claimed to be pregnant and received delayed sentences. Mary Read died while imprisoned in April 1721.

1881 – Robert Olinger – was a frontier lawman born in 1850 in Delphi, Indiana. He is best known as the last victim of Billy the Kid and as a participant in the Lincoln County War. Olinger was born to William C. Olinger and his wife Rebecca Robinson in Carroll County, Indiana. The family moved to Delaware, Polk County, Iowa, and were living there at the time of the 1856 Iowa State Census. They then moved to Mound City, Linn County, Kansas Territory, arriving there in 1858. After the death of his father in 1861, his mother remarried to Joshua Stafford. The family then moved to the Indian Territory, which would later become Oklahoma. They moved again to Grayson County, Texas, about 1874. Robert Olinger, along with his mother, arrived in Seven Rivers, New Mexico, sometime after his brother John Wallace Olinger and his ranching partner, William Harrison Johnson. Bob Olinger later participated in the Lincoln County War as part of the Murphy-Dolan faction before being assigned as a deputy to famed lawman Pat Garrett after Garrett was elected Sheriff of Lincoln County in 1880. On April 28, 1881, while guarding Billy the Kid with another deputy, James Bell, Olinger left to go across the street to the Wortley Hotel to have lunch. During this time, “the Kid” overwhelmed Bell and shot him as Bell attempted to run down the courthouse stairs. Hearing the gunshots, Olinger assumed that Bell had killed the Kid and started back across the street to investigate. Meanwhile, the Kid had secured Olinger’s shotgun, which he had left leaning against the wall and positioned himself in a second-floor window where he would see Olinger return. When Olinger was almost under him, the Kid was reported to have said “Hello Bob!” before shooting him with both barrels of ten-gauge buckshot. Olinger was struck in the breast and died instantly. Despite his service as a deputy, Olinger has been widely denounced as a “bully with a badge” and a serial murderer.

1882 – Dr. George Henry Lamson – was an American medical doctor and a convicted murderer. He was born on 8 September 1852 to Julia Wood Schuyler and Reverend William Orne Lamson. His maternal grandfather was Robert Schuyler, the son of U.S. Representative Philip Jeremiah Schuyler. Lamson had a distinguished early career. He fought with the French Ambulance Corps during the 1871 siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War, for which he received a Legion of Honour. He also volunteered as a surgeon in Romania and Serbia, earning multiple decorations. After returning to England, he married and set up a medical practice in Bournemouth. However, Lamson’s life took a dark turn due to a morphine addiction he had acquired during his overseas service. His financial situation grew desperate, with creditors pressing for payment of bills, cheques bouncing, and his bank refusing further credit. Lamson’s wife was one of five orphaned siblings who were joint inheritors of a family trust fund. One of her brothers, Percy Malcolm John, died suddenly in 1879. Percy, a hemiplegic, was boarding at Blenheim House School in Wimbledon. On 3 December 1881, Lamson visited Percy at his school. During the visit, Lamson gave Percy a capsule, which was later found to contain the poison aconitine. Lamson was tried, convicted, and executed by hanging at Wandsworth Prison on 28 April 1882.

1908 – Belle Gunness – Born Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth in Norway in 1859, Belle Gunness wasn’t your typical Midwestern farmer’s wife. She arrived in America in 1881 with big dreams and little scruples, leaving behind a trail of suspicion and misfortune. Her life morphed into a chilling legend, earning her the moniker “The Black Widow of the Midwest.” Belle mastered the art of deception. She charmed men with her beauty and promises of wealth, lured them to her Indiana farm, and then… they vanished. Insurance scams and suspicious fires became her calling card. Her first husband, Mads Sorenson, conveniently met his demise shortly after they secured a hefty life insurance policy. This pattern repeated, ensnaring suitors through lonely hearts columns and claiming their disappearances as accidents. Rumors swirled around Belle’s farm. Whispers of hidden bones, a foul stench, and bloodstains on the floorboards echoed across the fields. Authorities, initially hesitant, finally investigated in 1908. What they found was a macabre tableau: a hidden pit overflowing with dismembered remains, belonging to at least 14 victims, including some of Belle’s children. The farm burned down during the investigation, with Belle’s charred remains inside. However, whispers persist that she orchestrated her demise, vanishing into the shadows with her ill-gotten gains. Some speculate she sailed to South America, leaving behind a legacy of terror and a mystery that continues to captivate historians and true crime enthusiasts. More than just a serial killer, Belle Gunness was a symbol of cold-blooded cunning and the dark side of the American Dream. Her story paints a chilling portrait of greed, manipulation, and the lengths some will go to for wealth and power. Whether she met her fiery end or outsmarted them all, Belle Gunness remains a haunting enigma, a reminder that the most dangerous monsters sometimes wear a charming smile.

1918 – Gavrilo Princip – was a Bosnian Serb nationalist who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife Sophie, Duchess von Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. The killing of the Archduke and his wife set off the July Crisis, a chain of events that within one month led to the outbreak of World War I. Princip was born in the remote hamlet of Obljaj, near Bosansko Grahovo, on 25 July [O.S. 13 July] 1894. He was the second of his parents’ nine children, six of whom died in infancy. Princip’s mother Marija wanted to name him after her late brother, Špiro, but he was named Gavrilo at the insistence of a local Eastern Orthodox priest, who claimed that naming the sickly infant after the Archangel Gabriel would help him survive. Princip’s father, Petar, was a poor peasant who worked as a seasonal laborer. The family’s financial situation was difficult, and Princip often went hungry as a child. He received his early education in Obljaj, and then attended the Higher Realschule in Sarajevo. In Sarajevo, Princip became involved in nationalist circles. He was a member of the Young Bosnia, a secret society that sought to liberate Bosnia and Herzegovina from Austro-Hungarian rule. Princip was also a member of the Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist organization that was responsible for the assassination of King Alexander I of Serbia in 1903. In 1914, Princip and other members of the Young Bosnia planned to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand during his visit to Sarajevo. On 28 June, the Archduke and his wife were driving through the city when Princip stepped out in front of their car and fired two shots, killing them both. Princip was arrested immediately and charged with regicide. He was found guilty and sentenced to twenty years in prison. However, he died of tuberculosis in prison in 1918, before he could serve his full sentence. Princip’s assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is considered to be the spark that ignited World War I. The assassination led to a series of events that eventually resulted in Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia. This, in turn, led to Russia mobilizing its forces in support of Serbia, which prompted Germany to declare war on Russia. Within a month, the entire European continent was at war. Princip’s legacy is complex and controversial. He is often seen as a hero by Serbs, who view him as a martyr for the cause of Serbian nationalism. However, he is also seen as a villain by many others, who believe that his actions led to the deaths of millions of people. Princip’s assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is a watershed moment in history. It marked the beginning of World War I, one of the most destructive conflicts in human history. Princip’s actions are still debated today, but there is no doubt that he played a pivotal role in shaping the 20th century.

1976 – Juergen Bartsch – originally named Karl-Heinz Sadrozinski, was a notorious serial killer from West Germany. He was born on November 6, 1946, and died on April 28, 1976. Bartsch was responsible for the murder of four boys between the ages of 8 and 13, and he also attempted to murder a fifteen-year-old boy. His case was significant as it was the first in German jurisdiction history to consider the psycho-social factors of the defendant. Bartsch was born as an illegitimate child and was adopted at the age of 11 months by a butcher and his wife in Langenberg. His adoptive mother, who suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, was extremely particular about cleanliness, which significantly impacted Bartsch’s upbringing. Bartsch began his killing spree at the age of fifteen. His first victim was Klaus Jung, who was murdered in 1962. His next victim, Peter Fuchs, was killed three years later in 1965. Bartsch would lure his victims into an abandoned air raid shelter, where he would force them to undress and then sexually abuse them. Bartsch was arrested and openly confessed to his crimes. He was initially sentenced to life imprisonment by the Wuppertal Regional Court on December 15, 1967. However, in 1971, the Federal Court of Justice of Germany reduced his sentence to 10 years of juvenile detention and placed Bartsch under psychiatric care in Eickelborn.

1999 – Eric Christopher Payne – An American sexual offender who was sentenced to death for the brutal sexual assault, murder, and attempted murder of two women in Hanover County and nearby Richmond in the state of Virginia, repentant for his crimes he refused to file appeals or ask for clemency when it came to his execution.

2007 – Silvo Plut – born on 29 May 1968, was a Slovenian serial killer. His criminal history began with the murder of Marjanca Matjašič on 16 February 1990 in Slovenia, for which he was sentenced to 15 years in prison. His second victim was Jasmina Đošić, a 25-year-old woman whom he killed on 18 November 2004 in Aleksinac, Serbia. After the crime, he escaped to Slovenia, which refused extradition despite a warrant from Serbia. His third victim was Ljubica Ulčar, whom he killed on 24 February 2006. In this incident, he also wounded her husband, Miro Ulčar. On 2 October 2006, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the murder of Ljubica Ulčar. Later, on 26 April 2007, a court in Niš, Serbia sentenced him in absentia to 40 years in prison for killing Đošić. Tragically, Plut committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills on 28 April 2007 in his prison cell in Ljubljana.

2010 – Zheng Minsheng – was a former community doctor. He is known for the tragic incident that took place at Nanping City Experimental Elementary School in Nanping, Fujian Province, People’s Republic of China. On March 23, 2010, Zheng used a knife to kill eight children and seriously wound five others. This incident was the first in an ongoing string of school attacks in China. Zheng was arrested on the day of the incident. He later confessed to the crime, telling police investigators that he thought “life was meaningless”. Despite initial reports suggesting that Zheng had a history of mental health issues, police stated at the trial that Zheng had no history of mental illness. Zheng said that he performed the attack after being turned down by a girl and suffering “unfair treatment” from the girl’s wealthy family. He was found guilty and sentenced to death on April 8, 2010. Zheng Minsheng was executed by shooting on April 28, 2010.

Events

Mary Bell

1789 – The infamous mutiny on the bounty takes place

1881 – Billy the Kid escapes from Lincoln County jail in Lincoln, New Mexico

1968 – 11-year-old Mary Bell strangles 4-year-old child

1977 – Christopher Boyce convicted for selling secrets

1996 – In Australia’s worst massacre in modern history, Martin Bryant shoots and kills 35 people in Port Arthur, Tasmania

2004 – Melanie McGuire murders her husband, dismembers him, and dumps the body parts using three suitcases