Births

Sada Abe

1886 – Santo Trafficante Sr – He was an Italian-American organized crime figure who was born on May 28, 1886, in the town of Cianciana, Sicily. He immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s and settled in Tampa, Florida, where he became involved in organized crime. In the 1920s, Trafficante began to work closely with Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky, two other prominent mob figures. Together, they established the National Crime Syndicate, a powerful criminal organization that controlled much of the illegal activity in the United States. Trafficante was known for his involvement in a wide range of criminal activities, including gambling, bootlegging, and narcotics trafficking. He also had close ties to the Cuban government and played a key role in the Cuban Revolution, which brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959. Despite his criminal activities, Trafficante was respected by many in his community for his philanthropic work and support of local charities. He died on August 17, 1954, in Tampa, Florida, at the age of 68. Today, Santo Trafficante Sr. is remembered as one of the most powerful and influential mob figures of his time, and his legacy continues to inspire fascination and curiosity among historians and true crime enthusiasts alike.

1905 – Sada Abe – was a Japanese woman who became infamous for a brutal crime in 1936. More than just a murderer, her life story paints a complex picture of a woman shaped by hardship, societal pressures, and perhaps even a touch of the macabre. Born in Tokyo in 1905, Sada came from a relatively well-off family. However, tragedy struck early, with many of her siblings dying in childhood. Doted on by her mother, Sada received artistic training in singing and shamisen playing, pursuits often associated with geishas. This instilled in her a desire for glamour and a life beyond the ordinary. Sada’s teenage years were marked by rebellion and hardship. At 14, she was raped by a friend, an event that likely left deep scars. Later, she drifted between jobs, working as a waitress and even briefly dabbling in prostitution. Her ambition to become a geisha remained unrealized, hampered by societal restrictions and personal demons. In 1936, Sada’s life took a fateful turn when she met Kichizo Ishida, the owner of a restaurant where she worked. Their passionate relationship quickly took a dark turn, fueled by jealousy and possessiveness. On a fateful night in May, Sada’s simmering rage boiled over. She strangled Kichizo to death in a fit of rage, then mutilated his body in a gruesome act of vengeance. Sada’s crime sent shockwaves through Japan. The tabloids dubbed her “The Slit-Mouth Woman,” and her trial became a national spectacle. While initially facing the death penalty, she was ultimately sentenced to six years in prison, due in part to claims of mental instability. Sada was released in 1940 and faded into obscurity. Little is known about her final years, although some reports suggest she may have returned to prostitution. She reportedly died sometime after 1971, leaving behind a legacy of infamy and fascination. Sada Abe’s story is more than just a sensational crime. It’s a tragic tale of a woman trapped by circumstance, fueled by unfulfilled dreams, and ultimately consumed by her demons. Her life offers a glimpse into the dark underbelly of pre-war Japanese society, where societal pressures and gender roles could push individuals to the brink.

1952 – Bobby Tankersley – An American man who had been dealing drugs whilst living in a hotel in Yuma, Arizona. He’d had dealings with one man whose 65-year-old grandmother lived in the same hotel as Tankersley, the man hadn’t paid him for the drugs and Tankersley wasn’t afraid to tell people that he would live to regret it. In mid-November 1991, Tankersley went to the room of the grandmother and brutally raped her (including biting), and as the lady had severe lung disease she was on a machine to supply oxygen, after the rape, Tankersley blocked the tubes on the machine, therefore not allowing his victim oxygen and she died shortly after.

1955 – Cecil S. Sutherland – Amy Schulz was a sweet ten-year-old girl who was happily living her life in Kell, Illinois when she was kidnapped by Sutherland who raped her before beating and strangling her, he then finished the little girl off by slitting her throat.

1968 – Kevin Artice Miles – Miles along with two teenage accomplices had planned to carjack someone, possibly murdering them. At the beginning of December 1992, the three went out looking for a target and when a 40-year-old woman pulled up at traffic lights, one of the teenagers asked her for a light for his cigarette ash she went for her lighter the kid pulled out a .45 and demanded the woman move over, the three got in the car and drove to a desolate area where they forced the woman out of the car and shot her in the head killing her instantly.

1969 – Tommy Zethraeus – is known for a tragic event that took place on December 4, 1994. After being denied entry to the Sturecompagniet restaurant at Stureplan, Stockholm, Zethraeus and two of his friends returned to the scene in the early morning hours. Armed with a fully automatic Norwegian AG-3 battle rifle, Zethraeus opened fire, killing four people and injuring over twenty others. The victims included three women, Katinka Genberg (21), Daniella Josberg (22), and Kristina Oséen (21), and a doorman, Joakim Jonsson (22). Zethraeus was arrested three days after the incident and was subsequently tried and sentenced to life imprisonment. He applied in 2009 to have a time frame set for his life sentence, but his application was denied. However, in 2014, an Örebro court granted his application, setting a conditional parole in 2016. This decision was appealed and repealed in the Court of Appeal. Zethraeus applied again for a determinate sentence in 2016, but the Göta Court of Appeal denied his application due to the high risk of recidivism in serious crime. Zethraeus was released from prison in December 2020, after an appeal fixed his sentence to 39 years, or 26 years plus 13 years’ parole. Shortly after his release, he was re-arrested and in 2022 sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment on a count of aggravated drug trafficking. His parole was revoked, and he will serve a minimum of three years before being eligible again.

1969 – Igor Mirenkov – also known as The Svietlahorsk Nightmare, was a Soviet-Belarusian serial killer. He was born on 28 May 1969 in Svietlahorsk, Byelorussian SSR, and committed all his crimes in his hometown. After school, Mirenkov served in the Northern Fleet, where he reportedly exhibited homosexual tendencies. The investigator in the Mirenkov case, Oleg Litoshko, later suggested that Mirenkov might have been raped by sailors, which could have contributed to his deformed mentality. Upon returning to Svietlahorsk, Mirenkov found employment and purchased a JAWA-brand motorcycle. He was described as being absolutely imperceptible. Between 1990 and 1993, Mirenkov murdered six boys aged between 9 and 13. His first murder was committed on 2 June 1990. In 1992, he did not commit any murders as he was sentenced to three years of penal labor for robbery. On 20 March 1993, Mirenkov committed his third murder and a fourth one on 30 March. During the summer of 1993, Mirenkov committed two more murders. Mirenkov was arrested on 27 April 1994 for stealing petrol and insurance fraud. He later confessed to the six murders. Mirenkov was executed by shooting on 19 June 1996.

1972 – Stacey Lannert – is an American woman who was convicted of the murder of her father, Tom Lannert, when she was 18 years old. She testified that he had sexually abused her since she was eight years old. Sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, she served 18 years. On January 10, 2009, outgoing Missouri Governor Matt Blunt commuted Lannert’s sentence and that of another woman convicted under similar circumstances. Lannert’s new sentence of 20 years made her eligible for immediate conditional release, and she was released on January 16, 2009. Lannert founded a resource website and non-profit organization, Healing Sisters, to aid women who have suffered abuse. In 2011, she published a memoir about her experiences, Redemption: A Story of Sisterhood, Survival, and Finding Freedom Behind Bars. Stacey Lannert was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1972, the daughter of Deb Underwood and Thomas Lannert. She has said that she was close to her father and he made her feel special, but he was drinking to excess and started sexually abusing her when she was eight and raped her at nine. Her parents divorced when she was young. Although she tried to tell her mother and a babysitter about her father’s rapes, she did not have the language to make them understand, and he threatened her to keep her quiet. Her sister Christy, two years younger, has said their father physically abused and beat her from when she was in first grade, becoming especially violent when drinking.

1975 – Dennis Delmar Lincoln – is a convicted criminal known for his involvement in a tragic crime that took place in Detroit, Michigan, USA. In 2002, Lincoln, along with another ex-convict, was involved in a robbery that resulted in the murder of five people. The victims were jeweler Marco Pesce, his mother Maria Vergati, and Pesce’s three children. The crime was executed in three days after meticulous planning and stalking. Lincoln and his accomplice posed as deliverymen, using a teddy bear to lure the Pesce family into opening the door. They followed Marco Pesce from his jewelry shop to his home, where they committed the robbery and murders. Lincoln was sentenced to life in prison on May 10, 2003. His criminal history includes alcohol and drug abuse, and he had previously served eight years in prison for robbing a gas station at gunpoint. In recent years, Lincoln filed a complaint alleging that he was denied medical care while in prison. He claimed that he suffered from right-side thorax pain and was not given adequate medical attention, which led to him being diagnosed with pneumonia and placed in an induced coma for 10 days.

Deaths

David Parker Ray

1886 – Antonio Nardello – was an Italian serial killer who committed his crimes in the United States. Born in Naples, Italy, Nardello’s father was imprisoned for twenty years for brigandage at the time of his birth, and Nardello never saw him. In 1883, he emigrated to the United States, working at various times in New York, Chicago, and finally in Cecil County, Maryland, where he was employed as a laborer by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Between 1884 and 1885, Nardello robbed and murdered three men in Maryland and Washington, D.C. His victims included a man named Brosnan, known by his nickname “The Blacksmith”, and a fellow railroad worker, Antonio de Balbo. Another employee, Juliano, was erroneously convicted of Brosnan’s murder and sentenced to ten years imprisonment. He was exonerated only after Nardello confessed to the crime shortly before his execution. Nardello was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He was executed by hanging on May 28, 1886, at D.C. Jail, Washington, D.C., United States.

1975 – Michael Peter Slobodian – was a 16-year-old student known for the tragic event that took place at Brampton Centennial Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, Canada on Wednesday, May 28, 1975. Slobodian grew up in an intact family, the youngest of four children. He had two brothers, Gary and Mark, and a sister, Dona. He was reportedly a quiet kid, often seen as a loner, but he did have friends. He had several interests including folk music, playing guitar, and karate. He was also known for his interest in guns. At school, Slobodian was bright and a better-than-average student, but he often skipped classes. He had complex relationships with his English and physics teachers, Margaret Wright and Ross Bronson, respectively. On the day of the incident, Slobodian opened fire in the school, killing classmate John Slinger and his English teacher, Margaret Wright, and wounding 13 other students. He then committed suicide in one of the school’s hallways. The motive behind his actions was revenge against two teachers, as well as the school system.

1987 – Anthony Charles Williams – An American rapist who abducted 13-year-old Vickie Lynn Wright from a bowling alley in the middle of June 1978, he took her to a secluded location where he brutally raped her and then beat her to death with a board. Williams’ actions led him to be sentenced to death. He was executed by lethal injection in the state of Texas on May 28, 1987. His life serves as a grim reminder of the devastating impact of violent crime on victims and their families.

1998 – Phil Hartman – Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer who was born on September 24, 1948, in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Connecticut and later attended California State University, Northridge, where he studied graphic arts. Hartman began his career as a graphic designer and art director before transitioning into comedy. He joined the comedy troupe The Groundlings in the late 1970s and later became a writer and performer on the sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live” from 1986 to 1994. He was known for his impersonations of political figures and celebrities, as well as his original characters, including the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer and Frank Sinatra. Hartman also had a successful career as a voice actor, providing the voices for various characters on “The Simpsons,” including Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz. He also voiced characters on other animated shows, such as “Dennis the Menace,” “The Jetsons,” and “Darkwing Duck.” In addition to his work in comedy, Hartman also acted in films and television shows, including “Jingle All the Way,” “NewsRadio,” and “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Tragically, Hartman was killed on May 28, 1998, at the age of 49, when his wife, Brynn Hartman, shot and killed him before committing suicide. His death was a devastating loss to the entertainment industry, and he is remembered as one of the greatest comedic talents of his generation.

2002 – David Parker Ray – He was an American serial killer, known as the “Toy Box Killer,” who was born on November 6, 1939, in Belen, New Mexico, USA. He grew up in a troubled household, with an abusive father and an enabling mother. Ray’s criminal activities began in the 1950s and 1960s, with arrests for burglary and car theft. He later served in the U.S. Army, where he was trained as a mechanic, and it was during this time that he began to develop his skills in creating and modifying torture devices. In the 1980s, Ray began to carry out a series of sadistic crimes, kidnapping women and bringing them to a trailer that he had converted into a torture chamber, which he called his “toy box.” There, he would use his mechanical expertise to inflict horrific torture on his victims, often recording the acts on video. Ray’s crimes went undetected for years, but in March 1999, one of his intended victims managed to escape and reported him to the police. Ray was arrested, and a search of his property revealed a trove of evidence, including the infamous “toy box” and video recordings of his crimes. In 2001, Ray was convicted of numerous counts of kidnapping and sexual torture and was sentenced to 224 years in prison. He died in prison on May 28, 2002, at the age of 62, before he could be brought to trial on additional charges.

2020 – Eddie Mosley – was an American serial killer and rapist who was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was the third of ten children in his family. Due to complications during his birth, he developed an acute respiratory disease as a child, which led to several health issues. He also showed signs of an intellectual disability and mental instability from an early age. He had problems learning and experienced anterograde amnesia, which led him to repeat his second year of elementary school several times. At the age of 13, he was forced to leave school for good as a 3rd-grade student. During his teenage years, he lived in poor conditions and began to show signs of an antisocial personality. Due to a lack of formal education, he was forced to engage in low-skilled labor. However, due to financial difficulties, he turned to crime. Since 1965, he had been arrested 9 times on varying charges, including indecent behavior, robbery, assault, attempted rape, and murder. For these crimes, he spent 5½ years in prison and almost 6 in various psychiatric wards. Between 1971 and 1987, Mosley murdered at least eight women in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was arrested in 2001 following the results of a DNA profiling test, after being the prime suspect in several murders for many years. Before his arrest, two other men were wrongly convicted of several murders later attributed to Mosley: Frank Lee Smith, who spent 15 years in prison and died behind bars before he could be exonerated, and Jerry Townsend, who spent 22 years in prison before being released. Mosley’s true victim count is unknown, with authorities speculating that he committed at least 16 murders and dozens of rapes. In the 2010s, due to his ailing health, Eddie Mosley was transferred to the Sunland Center in Marianna. In the spring of 2020, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and moved to the Jackson Hospital in Marianna, where he died on May 28, 2020, at the age of 73. Shortly before his death, he tested positive for COVID-19, which was later listed as the cause of death.

Events

Women wearing trousers

1923 – The US Attorney General says it is legal for women to wear trousers everywhere.

1970 – Arms Trial begins: Several men are charged in a Dublin court with conspiracy to illegally import arms for use by the IRA.

1978 – Michael Slobodian opened fire in the boy’s washroom of his school, killing two and wounding thirteen others before killing himself.

1989 – Ruben Deases murdered 20-year-old Jennifer Ann Gardner whose head was found in a ditch along a gravel road.

1993 – 200,000 people demonstrate against Mafia terror

1995 – American murderer and suspected serial killer John Baughman is arrested.

1996 – US President Bill Clinton’s former business partners in the Whitewater land deal are convicted of fraud.

1999 – Two Swedish police officers are murdered with their firearms by the bank robbers Jackie Arklov & Tony Olsson after a dramatic car chase.

2021 – The discovery of a mass grave with the remains of 215 children from Kamloops Indian Residential School is announced by First Nation in British Columbia, Canada.