Births

Gesche Gottfried

1785 – Gesche Gottfried – She became infamous as a serial killer who was responsible for the deaths of 15 individuals, including her family members and friends, for 14 years.  Gottfried’s life was marked by early hardship and familial tension. She entered into marriage with Johan Mittenberg at the age of 21, but after a series of unfortunate events, including financial ruin and Mittenberg’s untimely death, she found herself widowed with children. Her second marriage to Michael Kristof Gottfried, a prosperous wine merchant, also ended in tragedy with his death.  Throughout her life, Gottfried was perceived as a caring and compassionate individual, especially during a cholera epidemic when she was dubbed the “Angel of Bremen” for her assistance to the sick. However, this facade concealed a darker reality. Gottfried methodically poisoned her victims using arsenic, causing them to suffer from severe stomach pains before their deaths.  The turning point came when a maid, who had fallen ill under Gottfried’s care, left her service and survived. This led to increased suspicion and eventually to Gottfried’s arrest on her 43rd birthday. She confessed to her crimes and was publicly executed on April 21, 1831, in Bremen, marking the end of her life and her reign of terror.  The motivations behind Gottfried’s heinous acts remain a topic of speculation, with some suggesting psychological disorders as a possible explanation. Her story has been retold in various forms, serving as a grim reminder of the capacity for evil that can exist behind a seemingly benevolent facade. Gesche Gottfried’s legacy is one of infamy, as she remains one of the most notorious figures in German criminal history.

1846 – Thomas D. Carr – was a notorious figure in American history. His life was marked by a series of criminal activities that culminated in his execution by hanging on March 24, 1870, at the age of 24. Carr’s early life was troubled; he was the fourth son in a family of eight children and suffered under the abusive treatment of his father, William Carr. The family moved frequently around West Virginia before settling in North Wheeling.  Carr’s childhood was characterized by street fights and bad associations. He worked various jobs for river men, brickyard hands, and colliers. In 1854, he was sent to prison for unknown reasons. He claimed to have been friends with John H. Burns and Oscar Myers, who were involved in a murder case. Carr allegedly provided poison to Burns in prison, which Burns did not use.  At the age of 16, Carr enlisted in the 16th Ohio Infantry and served for three months in West Virginia. He later served for three years in the 18th Ohio Infantry and re-enlisted in another division. His military career was marred by misconduct, leading to his arrest and two death sentences, which were pardoned by President Abraham Lincoln.  Carr’s criminal record escalated to murder. He confessed to his first murder near Virginia’s Greenleaf Mountain, where he shot a man attempting to arrest him. He also confessed to participating in a famous 1867 murder in West Virginia and to murdering 14 men. His most infamous crime was the murder of 13-year-old Louisa Fox in Kirkwood Township, Belmont County, Ohio. Shortly before his execution, Carr confessed to this and other murders, sealing his fate.

1870 – Adolf Gustav Seefeldt – also known as “The Sandman,” was a German serial killer born on March 6, 1870, in Potsdam, North German Confederation. His life took a dark turn as he became infamous for the abuse and murder of at least twelve boys during the reign of the Third Reich.  Seefeldt’s early life was marked by hardship. He was the seventh and last child of his parents and was trained initially as a locksmith and then as a watchmaker, specializing in repairing grandfather clocks and pocket watches. His personal life was troubled; he married Katarina Seefeldt in 1890, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1910. His son was later sent to a lunatic asylum for moral crimes.  His criminal activities began early. At the age of 25, Seefeldt was first imprisoned for sexual harassment of a boy. Throughout his life, he spent significant time in mental hospitals and prisons due to his mental instability, as diagnosed by psychiatrists.  Seefeldt’s serial murders are particularly chilling. He traveled as a watchmaker, which earned him the nicknames “Uncle Tick Tock” and “Uncle Adi.” He preyed on young boys, often choosing pine preservations as his crime scenes. The victims, ranging from toddlers to 12-year-old boys, were found “sleeping peacefully,” with no signs of external violence, leading to initial confusion among the police about the cause of death. It was speculated that Seefeldt used homemade poison, chloroform, or smothered his victims. Some experts believed he may have put his victims into a hypnotic sleep, performed oral sex on them, and left them in the woods, where they died of hypothermia—a fate Seefeldt either accepted or intended.  Seefeldt’s reign of terror ended with his execution by guillotine on May 23, 1936, in Schwerin, Nazi Germany. The true extent of his crimes remains unknown, with some authorities suspecting that he could have claimed up to 100 lives. His story is a grim testament to the atrocities one individual can commit and the importance of vigilance in protecting the most vulnerable in society.

1941 – Hans Van Zon – was a Dutch serial killer whose crimes shocked the nation. He passed away on May 11, 1998, in Delfzijl, Groningen, Netherlands.  Van Zon was known to be a charming and intelligent individual, but his life took a dark turn. In 1967, he was financially supported by his 47-year-old Italian girlfriend, Caroline Gigli, while also maintaining a relationship with 37-year-old Coby van der Voort. He earned money by selling pornographic photos of both women.  His criminal activities began with the murder of Coby van der Voort in April 1967, after their relationship ended. Van Zon killed her with a self-made lead pipe and staged the scene to look like a robbery, giving the stolen jewelry to his girlfriend.  Van Zon’s criminal behavior escalated under the influence of Arnoldus “Old Nol” Rietbergen, a known Utrecht criminal. He committed two robberies and an attempted robbery on Rietbergen’s instructions, using a hollow stick with a switchblade attached as a weapon. His victims included an 80-year-old shopkeeper and a milkman, with the loot shared with Old Nol. The murders occurred on May 31 and August 12, respectively.  The attempted robbery victim, widow Dora Woortmeijer, survived an attack by Van Zon and later identified him as the perpetrator. This, along with a tip from the Utrecht underworld, led to Van Zon’s arrest on December 13, 1970.  In March 1971, Van Zon was sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later commuted to 28.5 years. He was also suspected of other murders, including the lust murder of Elly Segov in 1964 and the murder of English homosexual film director Claude Berkeley in 1965.  While in the observation clinic in Utrecht, Van Zon began a relationship with therapist and social worker Riet van der Brink, whom he married in 1974. His life in prison was notably more luxurious compared to other prisoners, which raised questions and led to an inquiry by the minister of justice at the time.  Hans van Zon’s life story is a complex one, marked by charm and intelligence on one hand, and heinous crimes on the other, leaving a lasting impact on Dutch criminal history.

1954 – Charles L. Anderson – was found guilty and sentenced to death for the murder of Keinya Smith on January 16, 1994.  In 1980, Anderson married Edwina, who had a five-year-old daughter named Keinya from a previous relationship. In 1992, Anderson faced charges of 11 counts of Attempted Capital Sexual Battery against Keinya, leading to probation with a condition forbidding contact with her, punishable by potential life imprisonment.  Despite the probation, Anderson continued to visit Edwina and Keinya, spending multiple nights at their home, as reported by witnesses.  On January 12, 1994, Keinya, returning late from work at Publix, was followed by Anderson, identified through a chase by a fellow employee, Patrick Allen. Another incident occurred on January 14, when Allen drove Keinya home, resulting in a confrontation with Anderson, including gunshots fired by Allen.  Afterward, Anderson and Keinya had a heated argument, during which neighbors reported Anderson accusing Keinya of informing Allen about him. Witnesses observed Anderson hitting Keinya, who then called 911, abruptly hanging up, and locking herself in her room. Anderson intercepted the police officer sent to their residence, convincing him that everything was fine. He then threatened Keinya, stating he would wait for Allen at Publix for 24 hours and, if unsuccessful, harm her.  Keinya, frightened, skipped work on January 15, 1994. However, on January 16, she went to work, leaving at 6:01 p.m., with Allen noting Anderson’s car waiting outside Publix.  Witnesses John Gowdy and Amelia Stringer reported seeing a car matching Anderson’s description running over an individual in the grass median of U.S. 27 around 7:00 p.m. The authorities found Keinya’s belongings, blood, and a Publix name badge at the scene.  During an interview a week later, Anderson initially admitted picking up Keinya but denied killing her, later claiming his statement was “facetious.” Authorities, with a search warrant, discovered a tire matching the crime scene, damage to Anderson’s car, and blood on the undercarriage. DNA analysis identified the blood as Keinya’s, and the fibers in the vehicle matched her clothing.

1957 – Ronald Keith Boyd – was a man from Oklahoma who was executed on April 27, 2000, at the age of 43. He was convicted for the murder of Oklahoma City Police Officer Richard Oldham Riggs, which occurred outside a northeast Oklahoma City gas station in 1986. The case was a significant one in the state’s history and had a profound impact on the community, particularly the law enforcement fraternity and the family of the slain officer. Boyd’s execution was carried out by lethal injection, as per the state’s capital punishment laws at the time.

1958 – Andrew David Edwards – is known for his criminal activities as a transient individual who committed multiple homicides. Edwards, who lacked stable employment, was responsible for the deaths of four individuals in various states from 1987 to 1992, with the crimes often occurring during bouts of alcohol consumption. In 1993, he attempted a fifth person’s life. After this incident, Edwards was apprehended by authorities, and he later admitted to the murders. He was convicted and sentenced to serve a life term in prison.

1959 – Faryion Wardrip – is an American criminal known for his heinous acts during the mid-1980s. He was convicted of assaulting and murdering five women, with the majority of these crimes occurring in Wichita Falls, Texas, and the surrounding counties. One additional murder took place in Fort Worth, Texas.  Wardrip’s criminal activities began towards the end of 1984 and continued until mid-1986. His victims were all young white women, aged between 20 and 25, who were relatively petite in stature. The murders spanned multiple jurisdictions, leading to isolated investigations by various law enforcement agencies, including the Wichita Falls Police Department, the Wichita County Sheriff’s Department, and the Archer County Sheriff’s Department. This separation in investigations initially delayed Wardrip’s capture.  Within 72 hours of the murder of Tina Kimbrew on May 6, 1986, Wardrip contacted the authorities and confessed to her murder. He was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison but was paroled after serving less than one-third of his sentence in December 1997. During his parole, he was required to wear an ankle monitor and had restricted movement.  In 1999, the Wichita County District Attorney’s Office reopened the cases of the other victims within their jurisdiction. DNA evidence found at the scene of two murders linked them to the same perpetrator. As Wardrip was out on parole and there was no national database of DNA profiles for violent offenders at that time, authorities initiated surveillance on Wardrip and obtained a sample of his DNA, which matched the evidence from the crime scenes. He later confessed to the murders of the third and fourth victims. At the age of 40, Wardrip was sentenced to death by lethal injection for the first murder and received three life terms for the other killings.

1961 – Ramon Bojorquez Salcido – is a convicted murderer and notorious criminal who gained infamy for the heinous crimes he committed in 1989. Born on August 2, 1961, in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, Salcido’s life took a dark turn that culminated in a shocking and brutal crime spree.  In 1980, Salcido immigrated to the United States, settling in the state of California. He worked as a laborer in the vineyards of the Sonoma County area. Over the years, Salcido faced various personal challenges, including a tumultuous marriage and financial difficulties.  The turning point in Salcido’s life occurred in 1989 when, amid marital problems and reportedly fueled by jealousy, he embarked on a violent rampage that resulted in multiple murders. On April 14, 1989, Salcido killed his wife, Angela Richards Salcido, and their two daughters, Sofia and Teresa, aged four and 22 months, respectively.  Following these horrifying murders, Salcido continued his rampage by targeting other family members and acquaintances. He murdered his mother-in-law, Marion Richards, and two co-workers, Tracy Toovey and James Gamble. In total, seven innocent people lost their lives during Salcido’s killing spree.  The crime spree captured national attention, leading to a massive manhunt for Salcido. He fled to Mexico but was later apprehended by Mexican authorities. Salcido was extradited to the United States to stand trial for his crimes.  In 1990, Salcido was convicted on multiple counts of murder and sentenced to death. His case highlights the tragic consequences of unchecked violence and the profound impact such crimes have on the lives of the victims and their families. Ramon Bojorquez Salcido remains incarcerated on death row.

1968 – Steven Edward Stein – was convicted and sentenced to death in connection with the murders of Dennis Saunders and Bobby Hood, both shift supervisors at the Edgewood Avenue Pizza Hut. The tragic incident occurred on January 20, 1991, when Saunders and Hood were fatally shot in the store, each sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Additionally, a sum of $980 was reported missing from the restaurant, adding a dimension of robbery to the crime. The lifeless bodies of Saunders and Hood were discovered the following day in the men’s bathroom of Pizza Hut.  During the trial, Ronald Burroughs, an employee who had left the restaurant shortly after 11 p.m. on the night of the murders, testified that two customers, identified as Steven Stein and co-defendant Marc Christmas, were still present when he departed. Stein, employed by Pizza Hut, and Christmas, a former employee, were linked to the crime by evidence, including Christmas’s fingerprint found on an unpaid guest check.  Kyle White, who shared an apartment with both Stein and Christmas, provided crucial testimony stating that the two had discussed plans to rob a Pizza Hut. On the night of January 20, 1991, Stein and Christmas left their residence around 9:30 p.m. with a rifle, ostensibly claiming they were going to visit Christmas’s father to sell the weapon. However, Christmas’s father refuted this, testifying that neither Stein nor Christmas had visited him that night. The two were back home by 11:45 p.m.  Following their arrest, Stein confessed to his involvement in the robbery but stopped short of admitting to the actual shootings. During police interrogation, he waived his rights and voluntarily provided information about the crime, acknowledging that the robbery had taken a tragic turn. However, Stein did not explicitly admit to being the perpetrator of the fatal shootings of Saunders and Hood.

1970 – Pablo Goncalvez – is a Spanish-born Uruguayan who gained notoriety as the first serial killer in Uruguay’s history. He was convicted for the murders of three individuals and sentenced to thirty years in prison.  Goncálvez’s crimes spanned from January to September 1992. His first victim was Ana Luisa Miller Sichero, a 26-year-old history teacher and sister of tennis player Patricia Miller. She was suffocated and her body was found on the beach of Solymar on January 1, 1992. The second victim, 15-year-old Andrea Castro, was also suffocated to death after leaving a disco in Montevideo on September 20, 1992. The third victim, 22-year-old María Victoria Williams, was asphyxiated inside Goncálvez’s home.  Goncálvez was apprehended in Brazil and extradited to Uruguay, where he faced trial and received his sentence. Despite pleading not guilty, the evidence against him, including a series of similar ties found in his possession that were used in one of the murders, led to his conviction. After serving his sentence, he was released in 2016. Goncálvez’s case is a chilling chapter in the criminal history of Uruguay.

1971 – Allen Winslow Bridgers – He is known for a tragic incident that occurred on May 25, 1997, in Smith County, Texas. Bridgers, at the age of 27, murdered a 53-year-old black female with whom he had been living. He used a .38-caliber revolver to fatally shoot her in the throat and then stole her 1985 Lincoln Town car. Bridgers fled to Florida and was arrested in Ft. Lauderdale on May 28, 1997. He was sentenced to death on May 14, 1998, after being convicted of capital murder and robbery. Bridgers had completed 10 years of education by the time he received his sentence.

1973 – Tashia L. Stuart – is a woman from Pasco, Washington, who was convicted of first-degree murder for the death of her mother, Judy Hebert. The incident occurred on March 3, 2011, when Tashia Stuart shot her mother in a well-conceived plot to inherit her money. She was sentenced to 45 years in prison on September 4, 2013, after an emotional trial that lasted two years. During her sentencing, Tashia Stuart expressed indifference to her fate and claimed that she had been wronged by her mother and others. The case was a tragic family affair that resulted in a long prison term for Tashia Stuart, who will be 85 years old before she is eligible for release.

Deaths

Larry Eyler

1981 – Klaus Grabowski – was a man from West Germany who became infamously known for the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl named Anna Bachmeier. The crime took place in Lübeck, Germany, and led to a highly publicized case of vigilantism. On March 6, 1981, during his trial at the District Court of Lübeck, Marianne Bachmeier, the mother of the victim, shot and killed Grabowski in an act of revenge.  Grabowski had a history of sexual offenses and had previously been sentenced for the sexual abuse of children. In 1976, he underwent chemical castration as an alternative to a prison sentence. Despite this, he committed the heinous crime against Anna Bachmeier, which ultimately led to his death in the courtroom at the hands of her grieving mother.  The case of Klaus Grabowski and the subsequent courtroom shooting by Marianne Bachmeier sparked extensive media coverage and public debate on the topics of justice, vigilantism, and the legal system’s handling of sexual offenders.

1985 – Johnny Paul Witt – was born on January 13, 1943. He became known for a heinous crime that took place in Florida. In 1974, Witt, along with his accomplice Gary Tillman, was convicted of the first-degree murder of an 11-year-old boy named Jonathan Kushner. The murder occurred while Witt and Tillman were on a bow and arrow hunting trip in the woods. They had discussed killing people and even stalking humans as prey. During their trip, they encountered Jonathan riding his bike, attacked him with a star bit from a drill, and subsequently gagged and suffocated him. After driving to a deserted grove, they performed violent acts on the body and buried it in a grave.  Witt’s case gained further notoriety when it reached the U.S. Supreme Court in Wainwright v. Witt, where he argued that his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated during jury selection for his trial. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case clarified the standards for excusing jurors due to their beliefs on capital punishment.  Johnny Paul Witt was executed by the State of Florida on March 6, 1985, after a lengthy appeal process.

1994 – Larry Eyler – born on December 21, 1952, in Crawfordsville, Indiana, was an American serial killer who is believed to have murdered at least twenty-one teenage boys and young men between 1982 and 1984. His crimes, committed across the Midwest, earned him the nicknames “The Highway Killer” and “The Interstate Killer” due to the locations of his confirmed and alleged victims being close to or accessible via the Interstate Highway System.  Eyler was convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection for the 1984 kidnapping and murder of 16-year-old Daniel Bridges. He later voluntarily confessed to the 1982 murder of 23-year-old Steven Agan and offered to confess to his involvement in twenty further unsolved homicides if the state of Illinois would commute his sentence to life imprisonment without parole. However, Eyler died of AIDS-related complications in 1994 while incarcerated on death row.  Before his death, he confessed to the murders of twenty additional young men and boys to his defense attorney, Kathleen Zellner. Although he denied being physically responsible for the actual murder of Bridges, which he insisted had been committed by an alleged accomplice, Robert David Little. With his consent, Zellner posthumously released Eyler’s confession following the formal announcement of his death.  Eyler’s early life was marked by abuse and neglect. His father was an alcoholic who physically and emotionally abused his family. After his parents divorced, Eyler and his siblings were often left in the care of babysitters, foster families, or simply each other as their mother struggled to provide for them. This tumultuous upbringing contributed to the severe insecurity and fear of abandonment that plagued Eyler throughout his life.

2002 – Jeffrey Lane Tokar – was a man from Missouri who was convicted of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death and was executed on March 6, 2002. The case of State v. Tokar was notable, as a jury recommended the death penalty, which was subsequently affirmed by the trial court. Tokar’s appeals were consolidated, but ultimately, his sentence was carried out as per the ruling of the court. His case is listed among those executed in the United States in 2002, reflecting the gravity of his crime and the finality of the justice system’s decision.

2007 – Robert Anthony Martinez Perez – was born on June 29, 1958, in San Antonio, Texas. He became infamously known for his involvement with the Mexican Mafia and was convicted for the gang-related murders of Jose Travieso and Robert Rivas on April 17, 1994, during an internal power struggle within the organization. Perez rose to the rank of general in the Mexican Mafia in San Antonio and was linked to at least 15 murders in the city.  Perez had a criminal history before these events, including a conviction for attempted manslaughter in 1986 for stabbing a man multiple times. He was sentenced to ten years in prison but was paroled in August 1990. While on parole, he received convictions for aggravated assault and evading arrest and was briefly returned to prison in 1992.  His trial for the Travieso and Rivas murders was held in Dallas County, where Jesse Travieso testified against him, as did a member of Perez’s gang who turned into an informant. Perez did not testify in his defense.  On March 6, 2007, at the age of 48, Robert Anthony Martinez Perez was executed by lethal injection at the Walls Correctional Facility in Huntsville, Texas. His life and actions reflect a tumultuous period in the history of organized crime in Texas.

2013 – Frederick Treesh – was known for his involvement in a 1994 crime spree that ended with a fatal shooting at an adult bookstore in Eastlake, Ohio. On August 27, 1994, Treesh fatally shot the security guard, Henry Dupree, marking the end of his multistate criminal activities.  Treesh’s crime spree spanned several states and included bank robberies, business robberies, sexual assaults, car thefts, carjackings, and murder in Michigan. He was accompanied by a co-defendant during these crimes.  After being apprehended, Treesh was tried and sentenced to death. Despite his defense team’s arguments that he was a cocaine addict and high during the robbery and their concerns about his health problems potentially causing suffering during the execution process, Treesh was executed on March 6, 2013. He was 48 years old at the time of his execution, which was carried out by a single dose of pentobarbital at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.

Events

Ethel & Julius Rosenberg

1788 – The British first fleet arrives at the Australian territory of Norfolk Island to found a convict settlement

1912 – Myer Abramovich is executed

1921 – Police in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, issue an edict requiring women to wear skirts at least 4 inches below the knee

1951 – The trial of Julius Rosenberg and his wife Ethel begins

1967 – Jimmy Hoffa enters Lewisburg Federal prison

1975 – The world premiere of the JFK Zapruder film

1978 – Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and his lawyer are shot by a militant white supremacist sniper (later found out to be Joseph Paul Franklin) in Georgia, leaving Flynt crippled and wheelchair-bound

1997 – Picasso’s painting Tete De Femme is stolen from a London gallery and is recovered a week later

1998 – After returning from a 4-month stress-related absence, Matt Beck, an angry lottery accountant killed his 4 bosses at the Connecticut state lottery before putting a bullet in his own head

1999 – Richard Fielding killed his former school friend Lee Day because he believed that Day had stopped him from becoming famous. He set fire to the family home of Day killing him and four generations of his family. As an addendum, Fielding has made friends with Soham killer Ian Huntley whilst in prison.

2007 – Former White House aide I. Lewis Libby Jr is found guilty on 4 of 5 counts of perjury & obstruction of justice

2015 – The US State Department charges 2 Vietnamese and a Canadian citizen with cyber fraud