Births

Aurore Gagnon

1860 – Walter Sickert – Sickert was an English painter and printmaker, often associated with the Camden Town Group of artists. Born in Munich to an English mother and German father, Sickert spent much of his early life in England, studying art in London and Paris. Sickert’s early works were heavily influenced by the Impressionist movement, but he eventually developed his own style, which was characterized by a muted palette, loose brushwork, and a focus on everyday subjects such as music halls, street scenes, and domestic interiors. Throughout his career, Sickert was interested in the darker aspects of life, and his paintings often featured seedy or sordid subject matter, such as murder scenes and prostitutes. His interest in these themes led some to speculate that he was the infamous Jack the Ripper, although there is no evidence to support this claim. Despite his controversial subject matter, Sickert was widely respected by his peers and is now considered one of the most important British artists of the early 20th century. His influence can be seen in the work of later artists such as Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.

1909 – Aurore Gagnon – She was a young Canadian girl who became the subject of a tragic case of child abuse that shocked the country. Born in the small village of Sainte-Philomène-de-Fortierville, Quebec, Aurore was the third child of a large, impoverished family. Despite her difficult upbringing, Aurore was known for her kind and gentle nature, and she was a favorite among her classmates and teachers. However, her life took a dark turn when her stepmother and father began subjecting her to severe physical abuse and neglect. For years, Aurore suffered in silence, enduring beatings, starvation, and other forms of mistreatment at the hands of her abusers. Her plight finally came to light in 1920, when she was found dead at the age of 11, covered in bruises and burns. Aurore’s death caused widespread outrage and led to calls for greater protection for children in Canada. Her story was later immortalized in a play, “Les Feluettes,” by Canadian playwright Michel Marc Bouchard, which was adapted into an award-winning film, “Lilies.” Today, Aurore is remembered as a symbol of the need to protect vulnerable children from abuse and neglect, and her tragic story continues to inspire efforts to improve child welfare in Canada and beyond.

1940 – Kenneth Ray Wright – An American pedophile, kidnapper, mutilator, and murderer who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in September 1969 for the abduction and sexual assault of 8-year-old Camellia Jo Hand which culminated in the murder and mutilation of the little girl. He was convicted of first-degree murder with a recommendation of mercy and sentenced to life imprisonment.

1943 – Margaret Rudin – Rudin is an American former real estate agent who gained notoriety for her involvement in the murder of her fifth husband, Ron Rudin, in 1994. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Rudin was a successful businesswoman who had been married four times before she met Ron, a wealthy real estate mogul. In December 1994, Ron disappeared, and his body was later found buried in the desert outside Las Vegas. Margaret quickly became the prime suspect in the case, and she was eventually arrested and charged with murder. During her trial, which was widely covered by the media, prosecutors presented evidence that Rudin had motive and opportunity to kill her husband, including financial troubles and a history of marital strife. Rudin maintained her innocence, but she was ultimately found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Since her conviction, Rudin has continued to maintain her innocence and has filed multiple appeals and petitions for a new trial, all of which have been denied. Her case has been the subject of several books, documentaries, and TV shows, including an episode of “Forensic Files” titled “Marriage Interrupted.” Despite her conviction, Rudin remains a controversial figure, and her case continues to fascinate and intrigue true crime enthusiasts.

1951 – Anthony Hardy – Hardy was a British serial killer known as the “Camden Ripper” who gained notoriety for the murder of at least three women in London between 2002 and 2003. Born in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, Hardy had a troubled upbringing and was known to suffer from mental illness. Hardy’s first known victim was Sally Rose White, a sex worker whom he met in the Camden area of London. Over the next year, he killed two more women, Elizabeth Valad and Bridgette MacClennan, both of whom were also sex workers. Their bodies were found in various locations around Camden, leading police to nickname Hardy the “Camden Ripper.” After a lengthy investigation, Hardy was finally arrested in 2003 and charged with three counts of murder. During his trial, it was revealed that he had a long history of violence against women and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Hardy was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in prison.

1962 – Vincent E. Brothers – Brothers is an American convicted murderer who gained notoriety for the murder of his wife, mother-in-law, and three children in 2003. Born in Missouri, Brothers had a troubled past and was known to suffer from mental illness. On July 7, 2003, Brothers killed his wife, Joanie Harper, and their three children, Marques, Lyndsey, and Jaida, in their home in Redlands, California. He then attempted to stage the scene to make it appear as though the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide committed by Harper. However, the investigation quickly uncovered evidence of Brothers’ involvement, including gunshot residue on his clothing and inconsistencies in his account of the events leading up to the murders. Brothers was arrested and charged with four counts of murder. During his trial, Brothers’ defense team argued that he had been suffering from a mental breakdown at the time of the murders and that he was not responsible for his actions. However, the jury rejected this argument and found Brothers guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to death in 2007.

1969 – Leslie Camilleri – Camilleri is an Australian serial killer who gained notoriety for the murders of at least three young girls in New South Wales in the early 1990s. Born in Sydney, Camilleri had a long history of violence and criminal activity. Camilleri’s first known victim was 13-year-old Lauren Barry, whom he abducted from her home in January 1997. Her body was found several days later, and police launched an extensive investigation. In September of that same year, Camilleri abducted and murdered two more girls, 7-year-old Ebony Simpson and 16-year-old Ursula Barwick. Camilleri was eventually caught and charged with the murders, and during his trial, he confessed to killing the three girls. He was found guilty on all counts and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. After his conviction, Camilleri became the subject of widespread public scrutiny and anger. He was seen as a particularly heinous offender due to the ages of his victims and the brutal nature of his crimes. His case also sparked debate about the need for greater protection of children and increased sentencing for violent offenders. Despite his heinous crimes, Camilleri has never shown remorse for his actions, and he remains one of the most reviled criminals in Australian history.

1971 – John L. Lotter – Lotter is an American convicted murderer who gained notoriety for his role in the murder of transgender woman Brandon Teena in 1993. Born in Nebraska, Lotter had a history of criminal activity and drug abuse. In December 1993, Lotter, along with his friend Marvin Nissen, murdered Teena and two other individuals in a brutal attack in a farmhouse in Humboldt, Nebraska. Teena had been living as a man and was dating one of the women at the farmhouse, which Lotter and Nissen saw as a threat to their masculinity. The murders shocked the nation and sparked a renewed conversation about violence against the transgender community. Lotter and Nissen were quickly arrested and charged with the murders. Lotter was found guilty and sentenced to death, while Nissen received a life sentence. Lotter’s case has been the subject of several books and documentaries, including the 1999 film “Boys Don’t Cry” which depicted the events leading up to the murders. His case also brought national attention to the issue of hate crimes and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Since his conviction, Lotter has maintained his innocence and has filed multiple appeals and petitions for a new trial, all of which have been denied. Despite his efforts, he remains on death row in Nebraska. The legacy of his crimes continues to be felt in the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance.

Deaths

Lee Roy Martin

1922 – Herbert Rowse Armstrong – Armstrong was a British solicitor and convicted murderer born on May 13, 1869, in Liverpool, England. Armstrong was a successful solicitor in the small town of Hay-on-Wye, Wales, where he was well-respected in the community and known for his charitable work. However, his life took a dark turn when he was accused of poisoning his wife and attempting to murder a fellow solicitor in 1921. The murder trial was highly publicized, and Armstrong’s calm and composed demeanor during the proceedings earned him the nickname “The Hay Poisoner.” Despite his claims of innocence, Armstrong was found guilty of his wife’s murder and sentenced to death by hanging in 1922. He was the first solicitor to be hanged in Britain in over a century. Armstrong’s case remains one of the most notorious in British legal history, with many speculating that he may have been responsible for other unsolved murders in the area.

1928 – William Henry Kennedy – An English thief who, along with his friend and accomplice Frederick Browne stole a Morris Cowley car from Billericay, Essex on the 27th of September 1927, they were driving to Ongar, Essex when they passed PC George Gutteridge who realized the car was stolen and stopped the pair, he approached the car and as he was stooped talking to the men Kennedy shot the officer twice in the face and he stumbled backward, Kennedy then got out of the vehicle, went over to where the officer was laying and shot him twice more, one bullet in each eye.

1972 – Lee Roy Martin – An American serial killer responsible for the murders of two women and two girls in a 12-month killing spree between 1967 – 1968, the media dubbed him the “Gaffney Strangler” as all the murders occurred in Gaffney, South Carolina. He was convicted and sentenced to 4 life terms, while serving his sentence at Central Correctional in Columbia he was stabbed to death by fellow inmate Kenneth Rumsey.

1985 –  Sokichi Furutani – was a Japanese serial killer. He was born on February 16, 1914, in Tsushima, Nagasaki, Japan. His parents were part-time farmers and fish traders. After his mother died when he was four, his father went to Korea in search of new land, breaking up the family. Furutani was sent to live with his uncle in Osaka until he was eight, also staying with other relatives at times. Since childhood, he was crude and unfriendly, stealing from friends at school, bullying junior high school students, and fighting. At the age of 10, his father returned and soon remarried. Sokichi returned to live with him, but his relationship with his stepmother was extremely brutal, from which he suffered beatings. Finally, Furutani, unable to stand his stepmother’s abuse, began earning a living by stealing and engaged in a life of theft and violence. During the early years of the Shōwa period, the 17-year-old Furutani was imprisoned for larceny in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1933. He remained at the Iwakuni reformatory in Yamaguchi Prefecture until April 1933 but was rearrested in August for another theft that occurred on May 4, for which he received four years imprisonment in Fukuoka Prison. Between October 30 and December 12, 1965, Furutani murdered eight elderly men in a robbery-murder spree. He is also suspected of being responsible for the murders of four other men, two of them occurring in 1951. The crimes occurred in various parts of Western Japan, such as Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Hyōgo, and Fukuoka. He was apprehended for the final time on December 12, 1965, and was executed by hanging on May 31, 1985.

1997 – Vladimir Kondratenko – also known as “The Nighttime Killer”, was a notorious serial killer active in Kyiv, Ukraine, between 1991 and 1996. He was born around 1967. Kondratenko, along with Vladyslav Volkovich, was responsible for a string of brutal murders, with a total of 16 victims, including 15 men and 1 woman. The victims were shot with a .22 sporting rifle and stabbed or bludgeoned with a wide variety of weapons ranging from stitching awls to bricks and iron bars. The killers claimed that they began the murder spree to prepare themselves for an eventual career as contract killers, practicing on the homeless, and continued killing for profit and fun. Kondratenko was arrested in 1996. However, he committed suicide in prison during the trial. His death was ruled a suicide and occurred on May 31, 1997.

Events

The Pied Piper – Charles Schmid

1921 – The Tulsa race massacre kills at least 39 but other estimates of black fatalities vary from 55-300

1953 – The Towpath murders in Teddington take place

1964 – Charles Schmid kills first pied piper victim

1983 – Yvonne Shelly Antosh & Carrie Ann Rois are murdered by the Green River Killer, Gary Ridgway.

1990 – New York City’s Zodiac killer shoots 3rd victim, Joseph Ponce

2003 – Domestic terrorist & Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph was arrested by police officer J.S. Postell while rummaging through a trash bin behind a rural grocery store in Murphy, North Carolina.

2005 – Vanity Fair reveals that Mark Felt was deepthroat

2009 – George Tiller assassinated

2019 – A shooting occurs inside a municipal building in Virginia Beach, Virginia leaving 13 people dead including the shooter, 4 other people are injured.

2023 – Actor Danny Masterson is found guilty of 3 counts of rape