Births
Eugenia Falleni
1875 – Eugenia Falleni – was a complex and enigmatic individual whose life has fascinated and intrigued for decades. Born in Italy and immigrating to New Zealand as a child, Falleni later lived most of their life in Australia presenting as a man. Falleni’s life was marked by a profound sense of gender dysphoria. From a young age, they exhibited a preference for masculine attire and roles, often running away from home to work in male-dominated environments. This early defiance of gender norms laid the foundation for a life lived in disguise. In 1920, Falleni was convicted of murdering their first wife, Annie Birkett. The case generated immense public interest and speculation, with many questions raised about their gender identity and the circumstances surrounding the crime. Despite being sentenced to death, their sentence was commuted, and they were released from prison in 1931. Falleni’s story is far more than just a sensational crime. It is a poignant exploration of gender identity, societal expectations, and the challenges faced by individuals who defy conventional norms. Their life has been the subject of extensive research, artistic interpretations, and ongoing public fascination.
1894 – Gavrilo Princip – was a Bosnian Serb nationalist whose assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28, 1914, ignited the spark that led to the outbreak of World War I. Born in 1894 in a remote Bosnian village, Princip grew up in a region under Austro-Hungarian rule. His exposure to the oppressive conditions faced by Serbs in the region fueled his nationalist sentiments. A frail and sickly child, he was unable to serve in the military but joined the radical Serbian nationalist organization, the Black Hand. Princip was one of a group of conspirators tasked with killing the Archduke during his visit to Sarajevo. While the initial attempts failed, Princip managed to shoot and kill both the Archduke and his wife. The assassination provided Austria-Hungary with the pretext to declare war on Serbia, ultimately drawing in the major European powers and plunging the world into conflict. Princip was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison, but died of tuberculosis in 1918 before completing his sentence. While condemned by many as a terrorist, he is also revered by some as a national hero in Serbia for his role in the creation of Yugoslavia, a unified South Slavic state.
1941 – Emmett Till – was a 14-year-old African American boy who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955. His death became a galvanizing moment in the Civil Rights Movement, symbolizing the pervasive racism and violence faced by Black Americans in the South. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Till grew up in a middle-class Black neighborhood. In August 1955, he visited relatives in Money, Mississippi, where he was accused of flirting with a white woman named Carolyn Bryant Donham. Four days later, Bryant’s husband Roy and his half-brother J.W. Milam abducted, beat, and shot Till. His body was found three days later in the Tallahatchie River. Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, made the courageous decision to have an open casket funeral, allowing the world to see the horrific results of her son’s lynching. This act sparked national outrage and brought attention to the brutal reality of racial violence in America. In December 1955, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam were acquitted by an all-white jury, despite overwhelming evidence of their guilt. However, they later confessed to the crime in a paid magazine interview, further fueling public anger. Emmett Till’s legacy continues to be a powerful reminder of the fight for racial justice and equality. His story serves as a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
1943 – Cheryl Christina Crane – is best known as the only child of iconic actress Lana Turner. Born on July 25, 1943, in Los Angeles, California, her life has been a complex blend of privilege, tragedy, and personal resilience. Growing up in the shadow of a Hollywood legend, Crane’s early years were marked by a tumultuous family life. Her life took a dramatic turn at the age of fourteen when she fatally stabbed her mother’s abusive lover, Johnny Stompanato, in a highly publicized incident. The event, though deemed justifiable homicide, cast a long shadow over her life. Seeking to escape the glare of publicity, Crane initially pursued modeling before working alongside her father in the restaurant business. Her candid autobiography, “Detour: A Hollywood Story,” offered a raw and personal account of her life, providing a deeper understanding of the woman behind the headlines.
1949 – Chen Jui-Chin – His life took a dark turn due to a gambling addiction and mounting debts to loan sharks. Struggling financially, he turned to violence as a means of repayment. Chen’s first victims were his own family. He murdered his spouse and three children, fraudulently using their life insurance policies to amass a significant amount of money (approximately $38 million NT). For these crimes, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, Chen’s criminal spree didn’t end there. After his release, he continued down a path of brutality. He raped, robbed, and killed his girlfriend, Chen, from whom he stole millions more. In total, he is suspected of killing eight people, including two female friends. The media dubbed him “The Chiayi Demon.” Two women remain missing: Huang Xin-cheng, a colleague of Chen, and Zheng Wengqiuxiang, another colleague from the Minxiong Oil Depot. Chen claimed that both women were abducted by a man surnamed He, but the prosecutor doubted this explanation. Chen Jui-chin’s reign of terror came to an end when he was arrested. On April 19, 2013, he was executed by firing squad in Taichung Prison (now located in the Taichung Detention Center). Before his descent into crime, Chen had pursued education and a military career. He graduated from junior high school and studied horticulture at the National Chiayi University. He also served in the Air Force, rising to the rank of officer and eventually captain. Chen Jui-chin’s life remains a chilling chapter in Taiwan’s criminal history, leaving behind a legacy of violence and tragedy .
1952 – Johnny Leartice Robinson – Beverly St. George, a 31-year-old woman, left her home in Plant City, Florida, heading to Quantico, Virginia, on August 11, 1985. Her car broke down during the journey. The next morning, police found her partially clothed body in a St. Johns County cemetery, with two gunshot wounds to her head. Two individuals, Robinson and Clinton Bernard Fields, were arrested for her murder. Robinson claimed that they stopped to help St. George when her car broke down. He alleged that she engaged in consensual sexual activity with him on the hood of his car. However, Robinson’s story fell apart when he accidentally shot her in the face, and then deliberately shot her again. Fields, the accomplice, contradicted Robinson’s account. Fields testified that Robinson put the gun to St. George’s cheek and fired. Robinson had a history of rape convictions and was on parole at the time of the murder. Fields, who was 16 at the time, is now serving a life sentence.
1959 – Anatoly Onoprienko – also known as the “Beast of Ukraine,” was a Soviet and Ukrainian serial killer and mass murderer. He was born on July 25, 1959, in Lasky, Ukraine, and confessed to killing 52 people upon his arrest in April 1996. Onoprienko used various weapons, including axes, knives, and firearms, to carry out his brutal attacks. He often targeted families and inflicted extreme violence on his victims. Onoprienko’s early life was marked by trauma and instability. He lost his mother at a young age and was raised by his grandparents and aunt before being sent to an orphanage. His father, a war hero, was largely absent from his life. Onoprienko served in the Soviet Navy and later worked as a firefighter. He was also diagnosed with a mental disorder and spent time in a psychiatric hospital. Despite his horrific crimes, Onoprienko was not considered legally insane and was sentenced to death. However, due to a moratorium on the death penalty in Ukraine, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He died in prison in 2013 at the age of 54.
1970 – Clay King Smith – was an American mass murderer executed by the state of Arkansas. He committed the murders on March 25, 1998, at his home near Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The victims included Misty Erwin (age 20), Shelley Sorg (24), Shelley’s two children Sean Sorg (5) and Taylor Sorg (3), and babysitter Samantha Rhodes (12). Smith’s girlfriend, Misty Erwin, initially reported that he had battered her and requested police assistance to move out of the house. However, she later withdrew her complaint and decided to stay with Smith. Two days later, their bodies, along with the babysitter and two small children, were found shot to death with a rifle in the house. Smith was arrested the day after the bodies were discovered, following a shootout with authorities near Star City in Lincoln County, Arkansas. During the standoff, he yelled at the police, “I sent three of them to Hell, and two to Heaven.” Smith claimed that the murders were drug-induced. Despite the option to appeal, Smith quickly waived all rights to do so, expressing remorse for the pain he had caused. He wrote letters to the families of each victim, asking for forgiveness and waiving his right to appeal. No one asked him to reconsider, and he was executed by lethal injection.
Deaths
Judith Barsi
1929 – Doc Scurlock – was a pivotal character in the tumultuous era of the American Old West. Born on January 11, 1849, in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, his life was marked by adventure, violence, and a touch of irony. Despite the nickname “Doc,” Scurlock’s medical training was brief. After a stint in New Orleans, he headed to Mexico, where a fateful card game earned him a reputation as a quick-draw gunfighter. A bullet through the mouth, miraculously exiting through his neck, only solidified his legend. Scurlock’s path led him to New Mexico, where he became a founding member of the infamous Regulators, a group embroiled in the Lincoln County War. Riding alongside legendary figures like Billy the Kid, he participated in a series of violent confrontations that shaped the region’s history. Beyond the gunfighter image, Scurlock was also a cowboy, a complex individual caught up in a world of lawlessness and survival. His life, marked by both courage and controversy, remains a captivating chapter in the annals of the American West.
1988 – Judith Barsi – was a promising American child actress whose luminous talent was tragically cut short. Born on June 6, 1978, in the San Fernando Valley, California, Barsi quickly captured the hearts of audiences with her endearing performances. Her career began at a tender age, with appearances in numerous commercials and television shows. She gained wider recognition for her roles in films like Jaws: The Revenge and for providing the voice of the beloved character Ducky in The Land Before Time. Sadly, Barsi’s life was marked by a heartbreaking end. At the age of 10, she and her mother were murdered by her father in a devastating act of domestic violence. Her legacy serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of addressing domestic violence and protecting children. Despite her brief time in the spotlight, Judith Barsi left an enduring impact on the entertainment industry and continues to be remembered as a talented young actress whose life was tragically cut short.
2008 – Jamiel Chagra – was an American drug trafficker, carpet salesman, and professional gambler. Born in El Paso, Texas, he became one of the largest drug smugglers in the United States, trafficking drugs from Mexico and Colombia by plane and boat. His flamboyant lifestyle attracted attention, and he was known for using gambling as a method to launder money earned through drug trafficking. Chagra’s wealth was estimated at approximately $100 million, including a $1 million mansion in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was implicated in the assassination of United States District Judge John H. Wood Jr. in San Antonio, Texas. Chagra’s criminal activities came under close scrutiny by law enforcement, and he served 24 years in prison before being released.
2009 – Gerald Patrick Lewis – born in 1965, had a challenging childhood marked by family instability as they moved between Atlanta and the Boston suburb of Brockton. At age 11, his parents separated, and he began dabbling in petty crimes. Despite finding employment, he struggled to hold onto jobs. In 1986, he committed his first murder, raping and killing a victim in Brockton. In 1987, he attempted to murder five-year-old Stephanie. His next known victim, Peggy Lynn Grimes, went missing in 1993, but it took five years to recover and identify her body. Kathleen Bracken’s murder in 1998 finally led authorities to Gerald. He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping with bodily injury, and feticide. Gerald Patrick Lewis passed away in 2009 while incarcerated at the Holman Correctional Facility in Alabama
Events
Joaquin Murrieta
1855 – Joaquin Murrieta, the famous Californian bandit known as “Robin Hood of El Dorado” is killed by California rangers
1969 – Edward Kennedy pleads guilty to leaving the scene of an accident a week after the Chappaquiddick car accident that killed Mary Jo Kopechne
1982 – Debra Lynn Bonner was murdered by the Green River Killer
1992 – The army refused to overturn a 127-year-old conviction against Dr. Mudd
1993 – The St. James church massacre in Kenilworth, Cape Town by Azanian Peoples Liberation army
1997 – Autumn Jackson is found guilty of trying to extort $40m from Bill Cosby
1997 – Rocker Rick Danko receives a suspended sentence in Japan for drug smuggling
1997 – Vincent “The Chin” Gigante is found guilty of racketeering in New York City
2019 – US Justice Department announces it is resuming the death penalty, scheduling five executions
