Births

Herb Baumeister

1912 – Owen Caudle Butner – met his fate with the executioner at the Nevada State Prison on February 10, 1951, following his conviction for the murder of his ex-wife, Mildred Butner, on December 30, 1947, in Reno. A native of Gardnerville, Nevada, Butner, 39 at the time of his execution, offered a bizarre defense for his actions. He claimed that, at the moment of the shooting, he was engaged in a firefight with gangsters allegedly involved in heinous activities, including killing infants and stashing them in the icebox at the Mapes Hotel. Owen and Mildred Butner had entered matrimony in 1933, sharing their lives between California and Nevada. Owen served as a policeman with the Reno Police Department from 1941 until August 15, 1947. Despite a tumultuous relationship, the Butners experienced a cycle of divorce and remarriage. In September 1947, Mildred obtained her second divorce from Owen. Despite Owen’s impassioned pleas for reconciliation, Mildred remained steadfast in her decision. Tragedy struck on the fateful night of the murder when Owen, lurking outside his ex-wife’s residence, witnessed her arrival in the company of another man. Without hesitation, Owen fired three shots at Mildred as she exited the car. Upon his apprehension, he uttered, “God, that’s too bad, but I had to do it. She was an awfully nice woman. I suppose I will have to take the gas, but I had to do it.”

1929 – Joe Gallo – was more than just another New York City mobster. He was a flamboyant outlaw, a charismatic leader, and a symbol of rebellion within the Mafia itself. His life was a whirlwind of violence, power struggles, and headlines, ultimately cut short by a brutal gangland assassination. Gallo’s story began in the rough-and-tumble streets of Brooklyn in 1929. The son of a longshoreman and a homemaker, he grew up alongside his brothers Larry and Carmine, all destined for a life on the fringe. The Gallo brothers quickly rose through the ranks of the Profaci (later Colombo) crime family, becoming known for their ruthlessness and ambition. In the 1960s, a power struggle erupted within the Profaci family. Joseph, along with his brothers, challenged the authority of boss Joseph Profaci, leading to a bloody split. The Gallo brothers formed their faction, known as the “Cologne” faction, sparking a violent gang war that gripped New York City. Gallo earned his nickname “Crazy Joe” for his unpredictable and often erratic behavior. He cultivated a flamboyant image, sporting sharp suits and sunglasses, and holding extravagant parties at his luxurious Long Island estate. While some saw him as a cunning strategist, others viewed him as a loose cannon, driven by volatile emotions and a thirst for revenge. Gallo’s notoriety extended beyond the confines of the underworld. He courted the media, writing a book about his life and even appearing in Andy Warhol’s films. His larger-than-life persona resonated with the public, blurring the lines between gangster and folk hero. In 1972, Gallo’s meteoric rise met a tragic end. On his 43rd birthday, he was gunned down at Umberto’s Clam House in Little Italy, Manhattan. His assassination, allegedly ordered by rival mob boss Carlo Gambino, remains shrouded in mystery and served as a stark reminder of the brutal realities of the Mafia world. Joseph “Crazy Joe” Gallo’s legacy is a complex one. He was a violent criminal responsible for countless crimes, yet he also challenged the traditional Mafia hierarchy and captured the public imagination. His story serves as a cautionary tale about the allure and dangers of a life on the edge, forever etched in the annals of New York City’s mob history.

1947 – Herb Baumeister – was an American businessman and suspected serial killer. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Baumeister grew up in a seemingly ordinary family. He attended Indiana University and later founded his own business, Sav-a-Lot, a chain of thrift stores. Despite his outwardly successful life, Baumeister’s dark side became apparent in the late 1990s when he became the prime suspect in a series of gruesome murders. The investigation began in 1996 when human remains were discovered on his Westfield, Indiana property. As law enforcement delved deeper, they unearthed a chilling trail of evidence that implicated Baumeister in the deaths of numerous men, many of whom were believed to be gay. The victims were last seen frequenting gay bars, leading authorities to suspect that Baumeister may have targeted individuals from the LGBTQ+ community. The case drew attention not only for its heinous nature but also because Baumeister’s double life contradicted his public image as a family man and successful entrepreneur. Before authorities could apprehend him, Baumeister fled, leaving a note claiming he would not be taken alive. In July 1996, his lifeless body was discovered in Canada, a victim of suicide. The investigation into his alleged crimes continued, revealing a disturbing pattern of behavior that suggested a possible connection to other unsolved cases. Herb Baumeister’s life and crimes remain a haunting chapter in criminal history, leaving behind unanswered questions and a legacy of terror. The true extent of his actions and the motivations behind them continue to be subjects of speculation and investigation within the realm of true crime.

1947 – Gennady Mikhasevich – the “Vitebsk Monster,” lurked amongst the shadows of the Byelorussian SSR for over a decade, claiming at least 36 lives, though whispers suggest the number may be far higher. Born into a troubled childhood marked by an alcoholic father and social isolation, Mikhasevich’s descent into darkness began upon returning from the army, finding his girlfriend married to another. This rejection, it seems, ignited a twisted fire within him. His first kill in 1971 set the grisly pattern: targeting lone women, often hitchhikers or bus passengers, in isolated pockets of wilderness. A stranglehold with belts or stockings, followed by mutilation and necrophilia, became his chilling signature. Fear gripped the region as disappearances mounted, yet the vastness of the land and rudimentary forensics stymied authorities. However, in 1985, Mikhasevich’s meticulous facade crumbled. A daylight attack, witnessed by a horrified passerby, led to his capture. Driven by a perverse quest for notoriety, he readily confessed, even sketching maps to guide investigators to the hidden remains of his victims. Tried and convicted in 1987, he faced the ultimate penalty for his monstrous acts, leaving behind a legacy that exposed the Soviet system’s vulnerabilities and continues to intrigue criminologists seeking to understand the twisted minds of organized serial killers like Gennady Mikhasevich.

1950 – Brian Doyle – is a convicted murderer who was born in 1950 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He grew up in a troubled family and experienced sexual abuse as a child. He struggled with his sexuality and became addicted to drugs and alcohol. He was involved in the drug trafficking trade and had several criminal convictions for theft, assault, and robbery. In 1991, he killed Catherine Carroll, the mother of his best friend Greg Parsons, after breaking into her house. He claimed that he was rejected by her sexually and that he acted in a fit of rage. He then helped Parsons cover up the crime by lying to the police and providing an alibi. Parsons was arrested and convicted of second-degree murder but was later exonerated by DNA evidence in 1998. Doyle fled to the United States after stealing money from his drug partner in 1995. He was arrested in New Mexico with a stolen car and deported back to Canada in the late 1990s. In 2002, he confessed to killing Carroll to undercover police officers as part of a Mr. Big sting operation. He was sentenced to 18 years without parole. Doyle has been granted day parole several times since then but has violated his conditions by failing to disclose his relationships with other inmates, using drugs or alcohol, or leaving the jurisdiction without permission. His most recent parole hearing was on July 2, 2023, and he was granted six months day parole. He apologized for his actions and said he wanted to be a better person.

1951 – Jozef Slovak – is a Slovak serial killer born in 1951, currently serving a life sentence for four murders. He killed at least five women between the ages of 16 and 21 in Slovakia and the Czech Republic from 1978 to 1991. He was one of the most significant participants in the controversial wide-ranging amnesty of the newly elected President of Czechoslovakia Václav Havel, which allowed him to serve only eight years in prison for his first murder. After his release, he killed at least four other young women before being captured again. He is one of only two people convicted of a series of murders without any ties to organized crime in the modern history of Slovakia. His victims were mostly young women who worked as prostitutes or hitchhikers. He often lured them with promises of money or rides and then strangled them with his bare hands or a rope. He was arrested in 1991 after one of his victims managed to escape and alert the police. He confessed to all his crimes and showed no remorse or empathy for his victims. He is currently serving his sentence in Ilava Prison in Slovakia, where he has been isolated from other inmates and guards. He has not appealed his conviction or requested parole.

1955 – James Michael Briddle – accompanied by his ex-wife and another female companion named Pamela Perillo, found themselves hitchhiking in the vicinity of the Astrodome on the night of February 24, 1980. Their ride came in the form of Robert Banks, a 30-year-old oil company worker, who extended an invitation to his apartment. The following day took a dark turn as the trio, Briddle, his ex-wife, and Perillo, committed a robbery and carried out the gruesome strangulation of both Robert Banks and his friend, Bob Skeens, aged 26. Briddle’s ex-wife, turning against him, testified in court and was convicted of robbery, ultimately receiving five years of probation. Meanwhile, Pamela Perillo initially faced a death sentence, but her verdict was later amended due to a conflict of interest—her trial attorney had prior connections with and had represented Briddle’s ex-wife.

1957 – David Martinez Ramirez – is an American convicted murderer who was sentenced to death in 1990 for killing Mary Gortarez and her 15-year-old daughter, Candie Gortarez, in their Phoenix apartment in 1989. He stabbed them multiple times and sexually assaulted Candie while she was dying. He was a parolee at the time of the murders and had a history of violence, robbery, and aggravated assault. He appealed his conviction to the Arizona Supreme Court, but it was upheld in 1994. He also appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but his case was dismissed in 1995 due to lack of jurisdiction. He remains on death row at Arizona State Prison Complex Perryville.

1957 – Eric Allen Patton – was an American convicted murderer who was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on August 29, 2006. He was 49 years old at the time of his death. Patton was sentenced to death for the murder of Charlene Kauer, a white businesswoman from Oklahoma City, whom he stabbed to death with a set of knives, a barbecue fork, and a pair of kitchen scissors during a robbery at her home on December 16, 1994. He had previously worked as a handyman for the Kauers and had asked them for money when he knocked on their door. He later confessed to the crime but claimed that he was intoxicated and high on cocaine and could not form the intent to kill. Patton’s execution was controversial because he challenged the state’s lethal injection procedure, arguing that it caused him pain. He also received a large pepperoni pizza with extra mushrooms and a large grape soda as his last meal, which cost only $15. The state Department of Corrections revised its execution procedure in response to his challenge and used a slightly different lethal drug recipe for the first time. Patton’s execution was witnessed by four members of his legal team, including attorney Susan Otto, and a Catholic priest. No members of his family or Kauer’s family were present at the scene. Patton thanked his legal team, his family, and corrections department employees before he died. He also thanked his savior Jesus Christ and said that he looked forward to being with him in eternity. Patton was one of three inmates executed in Oklahoma in 2006. He was also one of 44 people executed in the United States in that year.

1961 – Fletcher Thomas Mann – A lifelong criminal who had previous convictions for robbery, rape, assault, and attempted escape, on September 11th, 1980 Mann entered the apartment of Christopher Bates who along with a couple of friends were relaxing and watching football, Mann’s intention was robbery, however he and his associated murdered Bates and raped and murdered 22-year-old Barbara Hoppe

1964 – Jeffrey D. Hill – An American man who was hopelessly addicted to crack cocaine who on the 23rd March 1991 had an argument with his mom regarding the number of times he had visited at this point he was furious and stabbed her 10 times before stealing $20 and her car, after spending the $20 on crack he went to his mom’s and stole a further $80

1970 – Ruben Ramirez Cardenas – was a Mexican citizen who was executed by the state of Texas on November 9, 2017 for the abduction, rape, and murder of his 16-year-old cousin, Mayra Laguna. He was born in Mexico and grew up in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. He worked as a security guard and had a history of drug use and violence. He was convicted by a jury in February 1998 after he confessed to the crime, but he claimed that he did not intend to kill his cousin and that she left with him voluntarily. He also said that he was coerced into giving the confession by police who isolated him for 22 hours and interrogated him without a lawyer or a translator. He appealed his conviction and sentence several times, but all of his appeals were denied by state and federal courts. His execution sparked controversy and outrage from Mexico’s president Enrique Nieto, who condemned it as a violation of human rights and international law. The Mexican government argued that Cardenas was entitled to legal assistance from the Mexican consulate when he was arrested, according to the Vienna Convention of Consular Relations, which is an international agreement that Texas did not respect. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Cardenas’ last-ditch appeal for DNA testing before his execution, saying that it would delay the proceedings unnecessarily. Cardenas thanked his family, lawyers, and consulate for their help in a handwritten statement after his death. He said that he would not apologize for someone else’s crime and that he would be back for justice. He also said that he hoped that his case would raise awareness about the plight of immigrants and minorities in Texas.

1972 – Vernon Lamont Smith – Sohail Darwish, a Palestinian immigrant, owned and operated a small store known as the Woodstock Market in Toledo. Smith and Bryson devised a plan to rob the store and entered together. During a transaction where Darwish was ringing up the sale for a forty-ounce beer, Smith brandished a black gun, instructing Darwish to “[o]pen the cash register, motherfucker.” Without resistance, Darwish raised his hands. Bryson attempted unsuccessfully to open the register, prompting him to order Darwish to do so. Darwish complied, raising his hands again. Smith then demanded Darwish to “empty your wallet, motherfucker.” As Darwish reached for his wallet, Smith unexpectedly fired a single shot, striking Darwish in the chest. Following the shooting, Smith instructed Tahboub to empty his wallet, and the assailants quickly fled the scene. Darwish succumbed to his injuries from the gunshot wound. Layson, who had been waiting in Bryson’s car, observed Smith with a gun when they returned to the vehicle. Layson reported that Smith expressed frustration for forgetting to grab the beer and mentioned shooting Darwish because “he moved too slow,” adding, “[F]uck him, he’s in our neighborhood anyway. He shouldn’t be in our neighborhood with a store no way.” Subsequently, Smith, Bryson, and Layson divided the stolen money. Bryson and Layson pleaded guilty, testifying against Smith during the trial, along with a customer who identified Smith as the shooter. Bryson, an accomplice, received a sentence of 8-25 years for Involuntary Manslaughter, while Layson, another accomplice, was sentenced to 10-25 years for Aggravated Robbery and was paroled in 2001.

1978 – Gumaro de Dios Arias – was a Mexican serial killer infamously known as the “Canibal of the Caribbean”. His life was marked by abuse, drug addiction, and mental illness from an early age. At 18, he joined the Mexican Army but fled after stabbing a subteniente. He later moved to Quintana Roo, living in a shack near Playa del Carmen and selling sexual favors to tourists. It was here that he met Raúl González, a young man who owed him money. The two became lovers, but their relationship took a tragic turn on December 12, 2004, when a fight over the debt led to Gumaro killing Raúl. He hit Raúl with a block of concrete and hanged him with a cable. In a shocking act of cannibalism, Gumaro cooked parts of Raúl’s body in a tomato and onion sauce and ate them for three days. His gruesome act was discovered when the police received a phone call about his cannibalism. Upon his arrest on December 16, 2004, Gumaro confessed to the crime and expressed no regret. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005.

1989 – Esmie Kay Tseng – was a 16-year-old girl who stabbed her mother to death in their home in Johnson County, Kansas, on August 19, 2005. She was arrested and charged as an adult with first-degree murder. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Esmie was a talented and accomplished student who excelled in classical piano, academics, athletics, and debating. She was of Chinese descent and had a complex relationship with her parents, who were immigrants from Taiwan. She felt pressured by them to meet their high expectations and feared their disapproval. She also struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. Esmie’s case sparked a debate in the US about the treatment of juvenile offenders and the role of mental health services. Some people argued that she should have been tried as a juvenile and received more support for her emotional problems. Others defended the decision to prosecute her as an adult and hold her accountable for her actions. Esmie’s story is tragic and heartbreaking. She had so much potential and talent, but she also suffered from mental illness and abuse. She took her own life on July 9, 2010, while serving her sentence at the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Deaths

George Chapman

1739 – Dick Turpin – Born in 1705, Dick Turpin’s life wasn’t exactly glamorous. While his father ran an Essex butcher shop and inn, young Dick soon traded aprons for a life of crime. He joined a gang of deer poachers and thieves, quickly developing a reputation for skill and audacity. Turpin’s exploits landed him in hot water – cattle theft, burglary, and even murder accusations forced him to become a highwayman, robbing travelers on lonely roads. But amidst the lawlessness, a legend began to bloom. To the common folk, Turpin was a Robin Hood figure, taking from the rich and evading capture with dazzling escapes. One tale speaks of him leaping a river on horseback, forever cementing his image as a daring outlaw. Yet, some of Turpin’s most iconic elements, like his loyal steed Black Bess and the legendary 200-mile overnight ride from London to York, are likely pure fiction. These embellishments, popularized by Victorian novelist Harrison Ainsworth, added a layer of myth to the real Turpin, who was undoubtedly a skilled criminal, but probably not a romantic hero. In 1739, after years of evading capture, Turpin’s luck ran out. Arrested for horse theft, he was sentenced to death and hanged at York Castle, ending his short but infamous life at just 33. Despite his crimes, Dick Turpin remains a captivating figure in British culture. Books, films, and television shows continue to reimagine his story, often blurring the lines between criminal and folk hero. While the true Turpin may not be the dashing rogue of legend, his story serves as a reminder of a turbulent era and the enduring allure of rebellion against societal constraints. So, whether you see him as a villain or a symbol of defiance, there’s no denying that Dick Turpin continues to gallop through history, leaving behind a trail of legend and the enduring question: was he simply a criminal, or something more?

1866 – James Stack – A New Zealander and mass murderer who gained the nickname “The Otahuhu Murderer”, when his wife died he moved into the home of her mother Mary Finnegan, and her 3 sons. On September 26th, 1865, for reasons unknown Stack murdered Mary and her three sons by beating them to death with a hammer

1903 – George Chapman – was a Polish barber and murderer who lived in London in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born Seweryn Klosowski in 1865 in Warsaw, where he studied surgery and worked as an assistant to a senior surgeon. He moved to England in 1887 or 1888 and settled in the East End of London, where he opened a barbershop at 126 Cable Street. He married three times, but all his wives died under mysterious circumstances after being poisoned by him. He was arrested in 1903 and executed for his crimes. However, Chapman’s reputation as a serial killer was tarnished by the suspicion that he was also responsible for the Whitechapel murders of 1888, which were never solved. Some contemporary police officers, such as Inspector Frederick Abberline of Scotland Yard, believed that Chapman matched the description of Jack the Ripper, based on his appearance, occupation, residence, and movements during the murders. Abberline even told a journalist from the Pall Mall Gazette that he had “a score of things which make one believe that Chapman is the man”. However, there is no conclusive evidence that Chapman was Jack the Ripper, and many experts have dismissed this theory as unfounded and sensationalist. Chapman’s life and crimes have inspired many books, films, documentaries, and websites that explore his possible connection to Jack the Ripper.

1972  – Joe Gallo – An Italian American mobster, there is more about him if you check out 1929 above

1995 – Raman Raghav – was a serial killer who terrorized Mumbai in the mid-1960s. He was also known as Sindhi Talwai, Anna, Thambi, and Veluswami. He confessed to murdering 41 people, mostly poor and homeless people who slept on the streets or in shanties. He used a hard and blunt instrument to smash their heads while they slept. He was nicknamed “India’s Jack the Ripper” by the media and the public. He was arrested in 1968 by a young police officer named Ramakant Kulkarni, who later wrote two books about the case. Raghav was spared a death sentence due to his mental illness and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

1995 – Nicholas Lee Ingram – was a dual British-American national who became notorious for killing an elderly couple during a robbery in Georgia in 1983. Born in England to an American father and a British mother, he moved to Georgia with his family when he was one year old. He grew up in Marietta, Georgia, where he developed an interest in guns and cars. On June 3, 1983, he sold car wheels and a ring at a pawn shop while accompanied by a friend. Afterward, he retrieved a .38 caliber revolver from his father’s house; he told his friend he knew where he could get a vehicle that he would then use to go to California. At approximately 6:30 pm, his friend drove him to a house in Cobb County where J.C. and Mary Sawyer lived. Ingram entered their home demanding money and their car keys; he threatened them with his gun if they did not cooperate. Mary Sawyer gave him $60 while J.C. Sawyer surrendered the keys to his pickup truck. Ingram then led them outside into the woods surrounding their home; he tied their hands behind them with rope and wire; he gagged them with his shirt after shooting them both in the head at point-blank range; he then drove off with J.C.’s truck. Ingram’s crime shocked the nation as it received extensive media coverage in both countries. The British Prime Minister John Major refused to intervene or seek clemency for Ingram despite appeals from various religious leaders such as George Carey; many people also protested against capital punishment as they saw it as cruel and unjustified. Ingram confessed to the crime shortly after his arrest; he pleaded guilty to two counts of murder; he was sentenced to death by electrocution on April 7, 1995, at Jackson State Penitentiary.

1997 – Mohammed Ahman Al-Nazari – was a Yemeni man who committed a school shooting in Sanaa on March 30, 1997. He killed six people and wounded 12 others at two schools before he was arrested and executed. He claimed that he was motivated by revenge for the alleged rape of his daughter by the school administrator, but there was no evidence to support his claim. He was a veteran of the Soviet–Afghan War, where he fought against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He had five children who attended the schools where he attacked. His execution sparked controversy and anger among some Yemenis, who burned his body and clashed with the authorities. His daughter who was allegedly raped committed suicide five years later, and his other four children all died in a train accident in 2006.

1999 – Pierre Lebrun – was a Canadian man who worked for OC Transpo, the public transit company in Ottawa, before he committed a horrific mass shooting at the company’s garage on April 6, 1999. He killed four of his former co-workers and injured two others before taking his life. Lebrun was born in 1972 and had a speech impediment that made him shy and insecure. He started working at OC Transpo in 1988 as a mechanic and later became a supervisor. He had problems with anger management and was fired twice for slapping a mechanic in 1997. He was reinstated after a grievance by his union, but he quit in 1998. On the day of the shooting, Lebrun parked his car near the garage and entered with a rifle that he had bought from an online auction. He shouted “It’s Judgement Day!” and fired at random targets, hitting two men who ran away screaming. He then killed three more men who were working or taking a break in the garage: Brian Guay, Harry Schoenmakers, and Clare Davidson. He also wounded two other men: Joe Casagrande and David Lemay. He then set fire to some chemicals in a room and went to another room where four more men were sitting. There, he shot them dead: David Lemay (again), David Gagnon, Robert Lavoie, and Jean-François Tremblay. Finally, he went upstairs to a loft where he shot himself in the head. His pockets were full of ammunition when he died. The shooting shocked and traumatized the entire OC Transpo community and the city of Ottawa. It also raised questions about workplace safety, mental health, gun control, and security measures at public transit facilities. A coroner’s inquest was held to investigate the causes of the shooting and make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies in the future. The inquest found that Lebrun had shown signs of depression, anxiety, paranoia, and suicidal ideation before the shooting. It also found that OC Transpo had failed to properly screen Lebrun for his mental health issues or provide adequate support for him after his dismissal.

2011 – Edward Edwards – was born in Akron, Ohio in 1933. He grew up in an orphanage, where he suffered abuse from the nuns. He joined the U.S. Marines, but ran away and became a criminal. He escaped from jail in Akron in 1955 and fled across the country, robbing gas stations and holding up people. He became famous for his daring escapes and his flamboyant style. He was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for 10 years. In 1962, he was captured in Atlanta, Georgia after a tip from a woman who had been robbed by him. He was sentenced to life imprisonment at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. However, he was paroled in 1967 after serving only five years of his sentence. He claimed that he had changed his ways and become a motivational speaker. He married and had a daughter, April, but he soon returned to crime. He was arrested again in Pennsylvania in 1982 for arson and sentenced to two years in prison. Between 1974 and 2009, he lived in more than a dozen different states under various aliases. He wrote an autobiography called The Metamorphosis of a Criminal: The True Life Story of Ed Edwards, which was published in 1972. He died of natural causes on April 7, 2011, at the age of 77.

2011 – Wellington de Oliveira – The 2011 Rio de Janeiro school shooting was a tragic event that occurred on April 7, 2011, when a former student of the Tasso da Silveira Municipal School opened fire on the students and teachers, killing 12 children and injuring 22 others. The gunman, Wellington Menezes de Oliveira, was a 23-year-old man who had converted to Islam two years before and had expressed suicidal thoughts in a letter he left behind. He was shot and killed by a military policeman who arrived at the scene. The motive of the attack remains unclear, but some texts found at Oliveira’s home suggest that he was obsessed with terrorist acts and Islam. This was the worst school massacre in Brazil’s history and shocked the nation. President Dilma Rousseff declared three days of national mourning and called for unity against violence. The victims were buried within a day of their death, following the Brazilian tradition. The survivors and their families received support from various organizations and institutions. The school reopened after two months of renovation and security measures.

2020 – Leonard “Nipper” Read – wasn’t your typical Scotland Yard detective. A meticulous, no-nonsense man from Nottingham, he lacked the rough-and-tumble, hard-drinking image of his peers. Yet, it was this very tenacity and unwavering dedication that made him the perfect adversary for London’s most notorious gangsters: the Kray twins. Born in Nottingham in 1925, Read’s life wasn’t easy. He lost his mother young and faced family struggles. Despite these challenges, he excelled in school and developed a passion for boxing, earning the nickname “Nipper” at his local club. This love for the sport would stay with him throughout his life, later influencing his work as a boxing administrator. In 1947, Read joined the Metropolitan Police, rising through the ranks and eventually landing in the prestigious CID. In 1964, his fate intertwined with the Krays when he was tasked with investigating their activities in the East End. The twins, Reggie and Ronnie, were notorious figures, wielding fear and violence to build their criminal empire. Read’s initial attempt to bring down the Krays on extortion charges failed due to witness intimidation and a crucial witness changing their story. However, Read was undeterred. He meticulously built a case against the twins, gathering evidence and cultivating relationships with individuals close to their inner circle. This included Charlotte Kray, Ronnie’s wife, who eventually provided crucial testimony. In 1968, Read’s relentless pursuit paid off. The Krays were arrested and charged with the murder of George Cornell, a rival gangster. The trial was a media spectacle, and Read’s calm, determined demeanor contrasted sharply with the twins’ volatile outbursts. In the end, both Reggie and Ronnie were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. Read’s legacy extends beyond his takedown of the Krays. He went on to investigate other high-profile cases, including the Great Train Robbery, and served as a boxing administrator, advocating for improved safety standards in the sport. He retired from the police force in 1975, leaving behind a reputation for integrity, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to justice. Nipper Read’s story is an inspiration for anyone who dares to stand up against seemingly insurmountable odds. His meticulous attention to detail, unwavering determination, and quiet courage ultimately brought down one of the most notorious criminal gangs in British history. He remains a reminder that even the most persistent terrier can bring down the mightiest foes.

Events

Alberto Fujimori

1739 – Dick Turpin is executed for horse stealing

1988 – The murderer of Gerrit Jan Heijns, Ferdi Elsas is arrested in the Netherlands

1994 – Singer Percy Sledge pleads guilty to tax evasion

2009 – Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori is sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering killings and kidnappings by security forces

2020 – Australia’s highest court overturns the child sexual abuse conviction of Catholic Cardinal George Pell