Births
Andrea Yates
1939 – Mariano Juarez Rosales – was a businessman in Houston, Texas. He and his wife, Mary Rosales, had six children. Their marriage faced difficulties, and in January 1985, Mary began seeing a younger man named Hector Balboa. Despite their marital issues, Mariano and Mary continued to have conjugal relations. On March 30, 1985, fueled by jealousy and rage, Mariano committed a heinous act. He entered Hector’s home and shot Pete Rodriguez, Patricia Balboa, and 15-year-old Rachel Balboa. Rachel, who was seven months pregnant, lost her life in this tragic incident. Mariano Rosales was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. Later, he sought habeas relief, alleging constitutional violations related to his legal representation.
1946 – Raymond Deleon Martinez – a convicted murderer, was involved in a tragic incident in 1983. He was found guilty of capital murder in Texas state court and sentenced to death. The crime occurred at the Long Branch Saloon in Houston, where Martinez and two accomplices entered the bar. After locking the front door, they demanded that everyone get on the floor. Martinez pointed a .357 revolver at a bar patron’s face and ordered him not to move. He then went behind the bar, grabbed the barmaid, and demanded money from the cash register. When the bar owner, Herman Chavis, questioned their actions, Martinez fatally shot him. Chavis died from two gunshot wounds—one to the head and another in the back. Despite a reversal of his initial conviction, Martinez was again found guilty and sentenced to death in 1989. His case has seen multiple rounds of review, both in state and federal courts.
1958 – Clinton Lee Spencer – was an African American man who committed a heinous crime. On May 19, 1989, he approached Shandora Johnson-Marrow, a Caucasian woman, and struck up a conversation. They rode together to a local club. Later that night, Spencer sexually assaulted and stabbed Shandora twice in the back. He then set her body on fire using a liquid accelerant. His actions were especially cruel and depraved. Spencer had prior convictions, and his motive appeared to be pecuniary gain. After a trial that began on September 10, 1990, he was found guilty and sentenced to death on December 27, 1990. His case remains a tragic part of criminal history
1963 – John Joubert – was a notorious American serial killer who terrorized communities in Maine and Nebraska. Despite appearing unassuming – excelling in school and participating in extracurricular activities – Joubert harbored a dark side. Born in 1963, Joubert’s upbringing was marked by a strained relationship with his mother and a history of bullying. In 1982, at the age of 19, he committed his first documented murder in Maine, strangling an 11-year-old boy. A year later, Joubert joined the Air Force and relocated to Nebraska, where his killing spree continued. In 1983, Joubert abducted and murdered a 13-year-old paperboy in Nebraska. Following this crime, he displayed a period of seemingly normal behavior, even becoming a Boy Scout leader. However, suspicion arose when Joubert was arrested for accosting a young boy. During questioning, he unexpectedly confessed not only to the Nebraska murder but also to the one in Maine. Psychiatric evaluations of Joubert revealed a complex personality marked by obsessive-compulsive disorder, sadistic tendencies, and a schizoid personality disorder. He pleaded guilty to the murders and received the death penalty. John Joubert was executed in Nebraska’s electric chair in 1996. Joubert’s crimes shattered the sense of security in the communities he targeted. His case serves as a chilling reminder that danger can lurk beneath an unassuming facade.
1964 – Andrea Yates – is a heartbreaking one, marked by academic achievement, mental illness, and a horrific tragedy. Born Andrea Pia Kennedy in 1964, Yates excelled in school. She was a valedictorian, a swimmer, and a leader in extracurricular activities. She went on to become a registered nurse, a path that indicated a caring and responsible nature. However, Yates also battled depression and bulimia as a teenager. These struggles foreshadowed the deeper mental health issues that would emerge later. In 1993, Yates married Rusty Yates. The couple had strong religious beliefs, influenced by a preacher who pressured them to have many children. Over a short period, they had five children. The birth of each child appeared to exacerbate Yates’ mental illness. She suffered from postpartum depression and eventually psychosis. In 2001, in the grips of severe mental illness, Yates drowned her five young children. Yates’ trial became a national conversation about mental illness and motherhood. Initially convicted of capital murder, her case was appealed due to questions about her mental state. A later trial found her not guilty by reason of insanity. Yates remains in a secure mental health facility. Her case serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of untreated mental illness, particularly postpartum psychosis. It also highlights the complexities of the justice system in cases involving mental health.
1969 – Matthew Bevan Cox – As a former mortgage broker, he became notorious for his involvement in mortgage fraud. He was charged with 42 counts of fraud and additional felony charges for fleeing while on probation from an earlier conviction. Initially facing a sentence of over 400 years, Cox entered a plea bargain that reduced his sentence to a maximum of 54 years and included a $2 million fine. His criminal activities extended to impersonating a Red Cross worker to steal identities from homeless people and individuals in drug rehabilitation programs. His arrest occurred in November 2006 after authorities were tipped off about his schemes. Cox also wrote an unpublished manuscript called “The Associates,” which features a protagonist who engages in a nationwide mortgage fraud scheme, closely resembling the crimes Cox committed. He is often described as one of the most prolific mortgage fraud con artists in history.
Deaths
Peter Kurten
1778 – Bathsheba Spooner – was a complex and tragic figure who became entangled in the American Revolution. Daughter of prominent Loyalist Timothy Ruggles, Bathsheba married Joshua Spooner in an arranged marriage. Their seemingly comfortable life unraveled as the Revolutionary War brewed. Bathsheba’s father, a staunch Loyalist, clashed with the rising tide of independence. This likely influenced Bathsheba’s own sentiments. Her marriage to Joshua Spooner, though financially secure, was reportedly unhappy. Some accounts describe Spooner as abusive, leading to Bathsheba’s discontent. The war brought Ezra Ross, a young Continental soldier, to Bathsheba’s doorstep. An affair blossomed, and Bathsheba became pregnant. Facing societal scorn and a potentially violent husband, Bathsheba, along with Ross and others, plotted Joshua Spooner’s murder in 1778. The murder exposed Bathsheba’s defiance and desperation. Tried and convicted, she became the first woman publicly executed in the newly formed United States. Bathsheba Spooner’s story remains a subject of debate. Was she a cunning manipulator or a victim of circumstance? Her tale reflects the social and political turmoil of the Revolutionary era, where personal lives intertwined with the fight for a new nation.
1850 – Robert Peel – a towering figure in British politics, was both Prime Minister and a key architect of the modern Conservative Party. Born into wealth in 1788, Peel excelled academically at Oxford before entering Parliament at a young age. He rose through the ranks of the Tory party, becoming Home Secretary in 1822. During this period, Peel championed police reform, introducing the concept of a professional, salaried force – the forerunners of today’s “bobbies” and “peelers.” Peel served twice as Prime Minister (1834-1835 and 1841-1846). He was a complex political figure, known for his pragmatism and willingness to evolve his views. Though initially an opponent of Catholic emancipation, he later championed the cause, splitting his party but ultimately securing its passage. Most significantly, Peel defied his own protectionist principles in 1846, repealing the Corn Laws that restricted grain imports. This move, driven by the Irish Potato Famine, secured food supplies but further divided the Conservatives. Peel’s legacy is multifaceted. He is remembered as a reformer who modernized policing and the criminal justice system. He is also seen as a political pragmatist, willing to adapt his views for the greater good. Despite fracturing his party over the Corn Laws, Peel is also considered a founder of the modern Conservative Party, one that embraced social reform alongside its core values.
1931 – Peter Kurten – a name synonymous with sadistic horror, was a German serial killer who terrorized Düsseldorf, Germany in the late 1920s. Also known as the “Vampire of Dusseldorf” and the “Düsseldorf Monster,” Kürten’s crimes not only shocked the nation but also left a lasting impact on the understanding of serial killers and sexual sadism. Kürten’s life began in 1883, a harsh introduction to a world of poverty and abuse. The eldest of thirteen children in a dysfunctional household, Kürten witnessed his alcoholic father’s violence firsthand. This nightmarish environment is believed to have played a significant role in shaping his dark urges. Disturbingly, there are even reports of Kürten himself killing two classmates before he even reached the age of ten. Kürten’s criminal path extended far beyond his childhood murders. Throughout his teenage years and into adulthood, he amassed a lengthy criminal record filled with petty crimes, arson, and attempted murder. In 1913, he confessed to the murder of a young girl, a crime that foreshadowed the horrors to come. Between 1929 and 1930, Kürten unleashed a reign of terror on Düsseldorf. He targeted mostly women and young girls, subjecting them to brutal assaults and savage murders. The press, desperate for answers, dubbed him the “Vampire of Dusseldorf” due to rumors of him drinking his victims’ blood (a detail later disproven). Kürten’s capture in 1931 brought a sense of relief to the terrorized city. His trial became a media spectacle, with Kürten displaying a chilling lack of remorse. He was ultimately sentenced to death and beheaded in 1931. Peter Kürten’s crimes left a dark stain on German history. His case studies by psychologists and criminologists helped shape the understanding of serial killers and sexual sadism, providing a foundation for future criminal profiling. The “Vampire of Dusseldorf” serves as a grim reminder of the depths of human darkness.
1997 – Flint Gregory Hunt – was born on June 27, 1959, and was executed by the state of Maryland on July 2, 1997. He was convicted for the murder of Baltimore police officer Vincent Adolfo on November 18, 1985. Adolfo was shot twice after spotting Hunt running from a stolen Cadillac in an East Baltimore alley. Hunt was apprehended five days later at a bus station in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Events
The Grateful Dead
1778 – Bathsheba Spooner is executed for the murder of her husband
1822 – 35 slaves including Denmark Vesey are hanged in South Carolina after being accused of organizing a slave rebellion
1839 – Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 kidnapped Africans led by Joseph Cinque mutiny and take over the slave ship “Amistad”
1881 – US President James Garfield is shot by Charles J. Guiteau, a disappointed office-seeker, Garfield dies 79 days later
1901 – Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid rob a train of $40,000 at Wagner, Montana
1964 – A grand jury indicts Byron De La Beckwith in the murder of Medgar Evers
1970 – Neil Blaney is found not guilty of illegal arms importation to the IRA by a Dublin jury
1976 – The US Supreme Court rules that the death penalty is not inherently cruel or unusual
1980 – The Grateful Deads Bob Weir & Mickey Hart are arrested for incitement
1985 – Richard Ramirez bludgeons & stabs 75-year-old Mary Louise Cannon to death
1989 – Tianamen Square student leader Wang Dan is arrested & imprisoned for spreading counterrevolutionary propaganda and incitement (he was not tried until 1991)
1990 – Imelda Marcos & Adnan Khashoggi are found not guilty of racketeering
1994 – John Wayne Bobbit & Kristina Elliot were arrested for domestic battery
2012 – GlaxoSmithKline settles the largest healthcare fraud case in history, $3 US billion
2014 – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is criminally charged with corruption by French prosecutors
