Births

Sophie Ursinus

1760 – Sophie Charlotte Elisabeth Ursinus – born Weingarten in 1760, was not your typical German aristocrat. Her life, spanning from opulent salons to prison cells, wove a tale of ambition, poison, and ultimately, infamy. Born into privilege, Sophie’s early life was seemingly charmed. Raised by an Austrian diplomat, she married a wealthy privy councilor in 1779. This seemingly secure facade, however, hid a deep discontent. Rumors swirled of financial woes and extramarital affairs, fueling whispers of a restless spirit yearning for control. Tragedy first struck in 1800 when Sophie’s husband, Ursinus, fell ill and died. Suspicions arose, pointing to Sophie, who stood to inherit a significant fortune. The whispers intensified when her wealthy aunt, Christiane Sophie Regine Witte, succumbed to illness within months, leaving Sophie a sizeable inheritance once again. The whispers transformed into screams of accusation when Sophie’s younger lover, the Dutch officer Rogay, met a similar fate. Doctors attributed it to tuberculosis, but doubts lingered. Finally, Sophie’s attempt to poison her own servant, Benjamin Klein, sealed her fate. Arrested in 1803, Sophie entered a sensational trial that gripped Prussia. Accused of multiple murders, she fought fiercely, maintaining her innocence. Though found guilty of murdering her aunt and attempting to murder Klein, the evidence for the other deaths remained inconclusive. Sophie’s sentence: life imprisonment in the Glatz fortress. Yet, even within the confines of her cell, she continued to exert a strange allure. Dressed in finery, she entertained guests, hosted lavish parties, and maintained a life of relative comfort. Her charisma and charm defied expectations, blurring the lines between condemned criminal and fascinating socialite. In 1833, after 30 years, Sophie received a pardon. Returning to Glatz society, she was embraced by some, and ostracized by others. Her shadow, forever tainted by suspicion and arsenic, remained. Sophie’s final breath came in 1836. Her death marked the end of a life that defied easy categorization. Was she a cold-blooded killer, a victim of circumstance, or perhaps a complex, manipulative woman caught in a web of her own desires? The answer, like the whispers that followed her throughout her life, remains shrouded in the lingering haze of arsenic and intrigue. Sophie Charlotte Elisabeth Ursinus: a name forever etched in Prussian history, a reminder that appearances can be deceiving and that even the most gilded cages can hold darkness within.

1873 – Leon Czolgosz – was an American anarchist who forever etched his name in infamy by assassinating President William McKinley on September 6, 1901. His life, marked by poverty, disillusionment, and a radical embrace of anarchist ideology, culminated in an act that sent shockwaves through the nation and sparked fierce debates about political violence and social inequality. Born in Detroit to Polish immigrants, Czolgosz’s childhood was one of constant upheaval. The family moved frequently, struggling to make ends meet amidst the harsh realities of working-class life in late 19th-century America. Czolgosz dropped out of school at a young age and took on various manual labor jobs, witnessing firsthand the struggles of factory workers and the widening gap between rich and poor. As Czolgosz grappled with his own hardships, he became increasingly drawn to the burgeoning anarchist movement. Anarchism, with its radical critique of capitalism, government, and social hierarchies, resonated with Czolgosz’s disillusionment with the existing order. He devoured anarchist literature, attended meetings, and engaged in heated discussions, gradually solidifying his own radical beliefs. Czolgosz’s political convictions became intertwined with a growing obsession with President McKinley. He saw McKinley, a symbol of American capitalism and imperialism, as an embodiment of everything he opposed. Czolgosz developed a fixed idea: eliminating McKinley would strike a blow against the oppressive system he represented. In the summer of 1901, Czolgosz meticulously planned his act. He obtained a gun, forged a press pass, and traveled to Buffalo, New York, where McKinley was scheduled to attend the Pan-American Exposition. On September 6th, Czolgosz approached the President during a public reception and fired two shots, mortally wounding McKinley. Czolgosz was apprehended immediately and subsequently tried and convicted of murder. He was executed in the electric chair on October 29, 1901. McKinley succumbed to his injuries eight days after the shooting. Czolgosz’s assassination had a profound impact on American society. It triggered a wave of anxiety and fear, leading to increased security measures for presidents and heightened scrutiny of anarchist groups. The act also sparked intense debates about the nature of political dissent and the limits of free speech.

1912 – William Dale Archerd – born in 1912 and deceased in 1977, was a name that once sent shivers down spines in Northern California. He wasn’t a notorious outlaw or a political maverick, but a seemingly ordinary man who harbored a dark secret – he was a serial killer, leaving a trail of victims across the state. Little is known about Archerd’s early life. He hailed from Dardanelle, Arkansas, and his journey through adulthood remains largely under the radar. He married seven times, a detail that would later raise eyebrows upon the uncovering of his crimes. The deaths of his first two wives went unnoticed, though whispers of foul play lingered. However, the tide turned with the passing of his fourth wife, Zella, in 1956, just two months after their wedding. Her unexplained death, followed by similar occurrences with his nephew and subsequent wives, Mary and Juanita, drew the attention of authorities. Archerd’s weapon of choice was not a gun or a knife, but a seemingly harmless vial of insulin. As a former mental hospital attendant, he possessed the knowledge to manipulate this life-saving drug into a silent killer. His victims, exhibiting symptoms of hypoglycemia, succumbed to what appeared to be natural causes, leaving investigators initially clueless. It was Mary’s death in 1966 that finally unraveled the web of deceit. Discrepancies in her insurance claims and Archerd’s suspicious behavior raised red flags. A meticulous investigation, with exhumations and autopsies, revealed traces of insulin in the bodies of multiple victims. In 1967, Archerd was arrested, becoming the first person in the U.S. convicted of murder using insulin. Convicted for three murders, Archerd initially faced the death penalty, later commuted to life imprisonment. He died in 1977, but the shadow of his crimes lives on. While he confessed to three killings, suspicion surrounds the deaths of three other individuals close to him. Archerd’s motivations for such a string of heinous acts remain unclear, fueling speculation and morbid fascination.

1941 – Harry Charles Moore – was an American convicted murderer who was executed in Oregon for the 1992 murders of Thomas Lauri and Barbara Cunningham. Moore was born on May 5, 1941, in Salem, Oregon. On June 5, 1992, he shot Thomas Lauri four times in the face with a 9 mm pistol in front of a Salem post office. He then drove to Barbara Cunningham’s house, shot her in the abdomen, and then fired three more rounds into her head. Cunningham was Moore’s half-sister, and Lauri was her former husband. Moore said he had killed them because he thought they would move to Las Vegas with his estranged wife and baby daughter and expose them to a life of prostitution and drugs. Moore was sentenced to death on July 20, 1993. He later threatened to sue anyone who tried to stop his execution. Moore’s last meal consisted of two green apples, two red apples, a tray of fresh fruit, and two 2-liter bottles of Coke. Just prior to the execution, Moore asked the warden if he could borrow the keys to the prison, promising to “bring them right back.” The request was denied. As Moore lay dying, he whispered: “I want the last word I say to be Jennifer, J-e-n-n-i-f-e-r.” Jennifer is the name of Moore’s daughter by his niece Cindy Moore. Moore was executed by lethal injection on May 16, 1997. He remains the second of only two people to be executed in Oregon since the resumption of the death penalty. The other was convicted serial killer Douglas Franklin Wright in 1996. Both waived their appeals and asked that the execution be carried out.

1950 – Zaven Almazyan – A Soviet-era Russian rapist and serial killer who was given the nicknames “The Voroshilovgrad Maniac”, “Hunter of the Dead” and “Steel Fingers” and was found responsible for the rapes and murder of 3 women in 6 months in 1970, he was convicted and sentenced to death, he was executed by firing squad in 1973.

1956 – Johnny Paul Penry – is a Texas prisoner serving three consecutive sentences of life imprisonment without parole for rape and murder. He was on death row between 1980 and 2008, and his case generated discussion about the appropriateness of the death penalty for offenders who are thought to be intellectually disabled. Penry sustained brain damage at birth related to complications from breech positioning. His mother had paranoid schizophrenia. One of Penry’s siblings said that their mother would threaten to cut off Penry’s genitalia and force him to drink his own urine and eat his own feces. Penry did not attend school past the first grade. In 1977, Penry was convicted of rape and sentenced to five years in prison; he was released from prison in the summer of 1979 after serving two years for that crime. In October 1979, he raped and killed a young woman by stabbing her with a pair of scissors. The victim, Pamela Moseley Carpenter, had received an appliance delivery from Penry a few weeks before the crime. Penry was sentenced to death on April 9, 1980. Penry’s case went twice to the United States Supreme Court: Penry v. Lynaugh (1989) found that executing intellectually disabled persons is not cruel and unusual punishment, and Penry v. Johnson (2001) found that the jury’s instructions regarding mitigating factors were incomplete and that Penry should be re-sentenced. Prosecutors reached a plea agreement with him in 2008 under which he was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences.

1959 – Earl Wesley Berry – was a convicted kidnapper and murderer from the United States. He was born in Mississippi, U.S., and spent his life there until his death. Berry had a troubled early life. He was a disturbed, suicidal young man who reportedly attempted to swallow a razor blade at one time, and who had spent time in mental institutions for paranoid schizophrenia. His IQ was estimated to be well below average. Berry’s criminal record between 1979 and 1981 included simple assault on a law enforcement officer, grand larceny, perjury, burglary, and escape. He was convicted and sentenced to death by a Chickasaw County jury for the November 29, 1987 murder of Mary Bounds. The victim was kidnapped and beaten to death after leaving her weekly church choir practice, and her body was found just off a Chickasaw County road near Houston, Mississippi. Berry admitted to the killing, and the confession was used against him at trial. He was on Mississippi’s death row with 64 others but was issued a stay of execution in October 2007 by the U.S. Supreme Court. However, he was ultimately executed on May 21, 2008.

1962 – Leslie Ann Wallace – Wallace had a history of psychiatric problems and was bipolar, on the September 2nd, 2001 she went on a rampage that stemmed from an argument she had with her mother in law who was berating Wallace’s children, whilst her 6-year-old son was watching cartoons, Wallace shot him with a 16 gauge shotgun, she then drove to the church where her son was in attendance, she attempted to kill him too, but luckily the gunshot blast hit a bible that the boy had in his pocket and he escaped serious injury whilst she attempted to shoot her third son the police shot her six times, she would survive and be convicted, she escaped the death penalty by pleading no contest and received a sentence of life in prison.

1972 – Mauro Barraza – On the evening of June 14, 1989, Joy Nelson, the daughter of the victim, returned home from work around 6:45 and made a grim discovery. Her mother, Vilorie Nelson, lay lifeless on the bedroom floor, concealed by a bedspread. The house bore signs of a tumultuous event, with drawers pulled open, furniture overturned, and the mattress in disarray. Notably, a pair of garden shears in the dining room and scissors in the backyard hinted at the violent nature of the incident. A closer examination by Joy revealed missing property, including jewelry and a carton of cigarettes. An autopsy unveiled that Vilorie Nelson had suffered head wounds, likely inflicted by the garden shears, possibly rendering her unconscious. However, it was a crushing blunt injury to the chest, caused by the assailant jumping and landing on her with their knees, that proved fatal. Eyewitness accounts from four neighbors implicated Barraza, who was seen walking down Nelson’s street and trespassing into her backyard by jumping a fence. Subsequently, Barraza was arrested and indicted on charges of capital murder. Following his arrest, Barraza provided a detailed statement to the police, narrating his version of the events. He claimed to have knocked on Nelson’s door with another man, received no response, and then proceeded to enter the house through a window in the backyard. Barraza described assaulting Nelson with shears in the living room after discovering her watching television. His account included a disturbing revelation of sexually assaulting her while she lay dying. Barraza confessed to taking various items, including jewelry and cigarettes, during a subsequent search of the house. During the trial, a fingerprint expert confirmed finding Barraza’s fingerprints on a bedroom window screen. Moreover, the prosecution presented evidence from a DNA specialist and forensic biologist, establishing that Barraza had sexually assaulted Vilorie Nelson during the horrific incident.

Deaths

Robert Ressler

1999 – Robert Wayne Vickers – also known as “Bonzai Bob”, was born on April 29, 1958. He entered Arizona’s prison system as a teenager in 1977, after committing 12 burglaries in 13 days in Tempe. His first murder came on October 4, 1978, when Vickers killed his cellmate, Frank Ponziano, reportedly because Ponziano did not wake him up for lunch and drank Vickers’ Kool-Aid. Vickers also carved the word “Bonazi” on Ponziano’s back using a sharpened toothbrush. Vickers was known for creating makeshift knives and bombs, which he used to attack more than 11 prison guards during his two decades behind bars. In August 1988, Vickers escaped from death row at the Florence prison and, along with another inmate, climbed atop the roof of Cellblock 6 through a shaft. However, they were eventually brought down by officers rushing to the roof. On March 4, 1982, while on death row for the Ponziano murder, Vickers killed another death row inmate, Buster Holsinger, by setting him on fire. The attack also nearly killed a half-dozen other inmates due to smoke inhalation and forced officials to evacuate death row. Despite having his conviction for the murder of Ponziano overturned by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Vickers remained on death row for the murder of Holsinger. He was executed on May 5, 1999.

2002 – Dmitry Medvedev – Medvedev, along with his partner Yuri Ustimenko were Russian serial killers with Medvedev being responsible for six murders, they were involved in a shootout with the police and Medvedev was killed with Ustimenko escaped, Ustimenko received a life sentence.

2013 – Robert Ressler – was an American FBI agent and author who revolutionized the field of criminal profiling. He played a pivotal role in developing techniques to understand the minds of violent offenders, particularly serial killers. His groundbreaking work earned him the title “The Father of Criminal Profiling” and left an indelible mark on the world of criminal justice. Born in Chicago in 1937, Ressler’s early life was marked by a fascination with crime and psychology. After serving in the U.S. Army, where he investigated crimes committed by soldiers, he earned a master’s degree in police administration. In 1970, he joined the FBI and was assigned to the newly formed Behavioral Science Unit (BSU). The BSU’s mission was to understand the minds of criminals by studying their crimes. Ressler, along with colleague Ann Burgess, took the lead in interviewing some of the most notorious serial killers of the time, including Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and Edmund Kemper. Through these interviews, Ressler and Burgess began to identify patterns in the killers’ behavior and motivations. They developed a system for classifying serial killers based on their psychological makeup and crime scene signatures. While not the first to use the term, Ressler is often credited with popularizing it through his work and writings. He argued that “serial killer” was a more accurate and descriptive term than the previously used “mass murderer” or “spree killer,” as it emphasized the repetitive nature of their crimes. Ressler’s work on criminal profiling had a profound impact on law enforcement. His insights helped investigators to anticipate the behavior of serial killers, narrow down suspect pools, and even prevent murders from happening. He also developed training programs for law enforcement officers, teaching them how to use profiling techniques in their investigations. After retiring from the FBI in 1990, Ressler continued to work as a consultant and author. He wrote several best-selling books about his experiences, including “Whoever Fights Monsters” and “I Have Lived in the Monster’s Shadow.” He also appeared in numerous documentaries and television shows, sharing his expertise with the public. Robert Ressler’s legacy is one of innovation and groundbreaking achievement. He is considered one of the founding fathers of criminal profiling, and his work has had a lasting impact on how law enforcement agencies investigate and apprehend violent offenders. His dedication to understanding the minds of the most dangerous criminals has made the world a safer place. Robert Ressler was a pioneer in the field of criminal profiling. His work helped to shape the way we understand and investigate violent crime. He was a brilliant and courageous man who dedicated his life to making the world a safer place. His legacy will continue to inspire future generations of criminal justice professionals.

2016 – Marie Noe – life is a story shrouded in darkness, punctuated by moments of chilling clarity. Born in 1928 to a troubled Philadelphia family, her early years were marked by childhood illness and family dysfunction. Leaving school young, she entered a marriage with Arthur Noe that would bear ten children – a seemingly ordinary life shadowed by a sinister secret. Between 1949 and 1968, eight of their children died under mysterious circumstances, initially attributed to the tragedy of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Yet, years later, whispers of doubt cast a pall over the Noe household. Medical advancements and an evolving understanding of SIDS, coupled with persistent questions, eventually led to a police investigation and a shocking confession. In 1999, Marie Noe, at the age of 71, admitted to smothering four of her children. The remaining four deaths remain shrouded in ambiguity, with Noe claiming no memory of their cause. Though she pleaded guilty to eight counts of second-degree murder, the public grappled with understanding the motivations behind such unthinkable acts. Noe’s life, marked by the deaths of her children, became a notorious case study in maternal filicide. Theories ranged from mental illness to Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, with no definitive explanation emerging. Her sentence of 20 years probation, with five years house arrest, was met with outrage by some and despair by others. The Noe case stands as a stark reminder of the complexities of human psychology and the enduring mysteries that can lie hidden within the seemingly ordinary. Marie Noe’s bio cannot be a tale of triumphs or accomplishments. It is a story of a life consumed by tragedy, leaving behind a legacy of profound loss and unanswered questions. It serves as a cautionary reminder of the vulnerabilities inherent in family life and the importance of vigilance in the face of unexplained loss.

Events

The men convicted of killing the West Memphis Three

1865 – In North Bend, Ohio the first train robbery in the United States takes place

1905 – The trial in the Stratton Brothers case begins in London, it marks the first time that fingerprint evidence is used to gain a conviction for murder

1920 – Authorities arrest Nicolo Sacco & Bartolomeo Vanzetti for alleged robbery and murder

1925 – Dayton teacher John T. Scopes is arrested for teaching evolution in Tennessee

1981 – Bobby Sands dies in HM Prison Maze Hospital after 66 days of hunger strikes, aged 27

1982 – The secretary of Vanderbilt University, Janet Smith opened a Unabomber package and received severe injuries

1989 – Boxer Mike Tyson gets 2nd speeding ticket for drag racing in Albany, New York

1993 – Three eight-year-old boys are murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas ultimately leading to the conviction of the West Memphis Three

1994 – American teenager Michael P. Fay is caned in Singapore for theft and vandalism

1998 – Eric Rudolph was added to the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list