Births

Mel Ignatow

1923 – Gert Bastian – was a German military officer and politician who served in the Bundeswehr from 1956 to 1980. He was also a prominent peace activist and a member of the German Green Party from 1983 to 1987. He was born in Munich in 1923 and volunteered for the Wehrmacht at the age of nineteen. He fought on the Eastern Front during World War II and was wounded three times. After the war, he worked as a bookbinder before joining the military. He rose through the ranks and became a brigadier general by 1974. He retired from active service in 1980 due to his opposition to NATO’s nuclear missile deployment in Europe. He then became involved in various peace movements and founded “Generals for Peace” in 1981. He also supported the opposition in East Germany and was one of the most important West German backers of human rights there. In 1992, he was found dead in his house with his partner Petra Kelly, who had been shot while sleeping. The police suspected that Bastian had killed her before committing suicide, but they could not determine the exact time or motive of their deaths.

1927 – Palle Mogens Fogde Sorenson – was a Danish convicted murderer who shot and killed four police officers in 1965 on his way home after a break-in. He was born on March 26, 1927 in Copenhagen and died on February 1, 2018. He had a history of burglary, insurance fraud, and theft before he committed his crime. He used a Browning P-35 pistol to shoot the four policemen who chased him after he escaped from the house where he and his partner Norman Lee Bune had broken in. He was arrested two days later and sentenced to life imprisonment. He served 32 years and eight months in prison, the longest period anyone had served in a Danish prison in modern history. He was pardoned in 1997 and went to live in Valby for the rest of his life. His crime led to the arming of Danish police officers and the state funerals for the four murdered officers.

1929 – James W. Hutchins – was a notorious serial killer who murdered four people in two different states in the 1950s and 1970s. He was born in North Carolina in 1929 and served in the US Air Force during the Korean War. He was known for his violent temper and his tendency to attack others for no reason. He claimed self-defense when he shot a truck driver in New Mexico in 1954 but was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to five to 10 years in prison. He escaped from prison in 1957 and went on a killing spree across several states, targeting hitchhikers, motorists, and law enforcement officers. He killed three deputies and a state trooper in North Carolina between 1978 and 1979, using a stolen car and a rifle. He was finally captured after a massive manhunt that involved hundreds of officers and civilians. He was executed by lethal injection on March 16, 1984, becoming the first person to be executed in North Carolina since 1977 when capital punishment was reinstated. His crimes inspired a movie called Damon’s Law, which depicted the efforts of a sheriff to track him down.

1938 – Mel Ignatow – was a notorious criminal who was convicted of perjury for lying to a grand jury about the murder of his former girlfriend, Brenda Sue Schaefer. He was initially acquitted of the murder charge, but later confessed to killing Schaefer after his ex-girlfriend, Mary Ann Shore, testified against him and revealed the details of the crime. Ignatow and Shore had planned to torture and kill Schaefer in Shore’s house and bury her in the backyard. They also took photographs of Ignatow as he abused Schaefer. The case became controversial because Ignatow was not tried again for the murder due to the legal principle of double jeopardy, which prevents a person from being tried twice for the same crime. However, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for perjury, as he had lied about his involvement in the murder and tried to implicate Shore. Ignatow died in prison in 2008 at the age of 70.

1958 – Wesley Eugene Baker – An American thief who visited the Westview Mall in Catonsville, Maryland, and approached 49-year-old grandmother Jane Tyson who had her two grandchildren with her, he demanded she hand over her purse which she did, he then put the gun to her head and shot her in front of the kids for no apparent reason.

1962 – Troy Adam Ashmus – had a troubled childhood marked by abuse, neglect, and mental illness. He dropped out of school at 16 and worked as a carnival worker. On May 23, 1984, he abducted 7-year-old Marcella Davis from her home in Sacramento County while she was playing outside with her friends. He drove her to an isolated area, raped her repeatedly, suffocated her with his hands, and dumped her body in a ditch. He was arrested two days later after Marcella’s mother reported her missing. He confessed to the crime but claimed he did not know what he was doing because he had been drinking alcohol. He was tried by a jury in Sacramento County Superior Court, and the trial lasted for six weeks. The jury deliberated for four hours before finding Ashmus guilty of first-degree murder with special circumstances, kidnapping, rape, sodomy, robbery, burglary, false imprisonment, and conspiracy to commit murder. The judge sentenced him to death without the possibility of parole. He appealed his conviction and sentence to the California Supreme Court, but his appeal was denied on December 5, 1991. On July 20, 2020, Ashmus died of apparent complications related to COVID-19 at San Quentin State Prison. He was one of the 12 inmates who died from the virus at the prison since its outbreak in March 2020.

1965 – Frank Cali – was a notorious American mobster who rose to prominence as the acting boss of the Gambino crime family, one of the five major organized crime groups in New York City. Known also as “Franky Boy”, he had strong connections to the Sicilian Mafia, particularly the Inzerillo family from Palermo. His criminal activities spanned a wide range, including extortion, racketeering, gambling, loan sharking, drug trafficking, and murder. In 2008, Cali was arrested and pleaded guilty to an extortion conspiracy related to a failed NASCAR speedway project on Staten Island. After serving 16 months in prison, he was released in 2009. However, his life came to a violent end when he was shot and killed outside his Staten Island home on March 13, 2019. The murder led to a massive manhunt and the subsequent arrest of Anthony Comello, who confessed to killing Cali under orders from his uncle-in-law, Joseph Massino, the former boss of the Bonanno crime family. Born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants, Cali’s parents owned a household goods store and a video store. His involvement with the Gambino family began through his friendship with Jackie D’Amico, a lieutenant of John Gotti, the infamous “Dapper Don”. Cali’s ties to the family were further solidified through his marriage to Rosaria Inzerillo, a cousin of John Gambino and a relative of Frank Inzerillo, another Gambino associate. He had several children who lived with him at the time of his death. Cali was considered by law enforcement to be the Gambinos’ “ambassador to Sicilian mobsters” and had links to various Italian mafias. In addition to his criminal activities, he ran several legitimate businesses in Brooklyn and was connected with politicians and celebrities. Cali’s legacy is marked by violence and betrayal. He was seen as a ruthless and ambitious leader who sought to expand his influence and wealth within the Gambino family and beyond. His murder marked the end of an era for one of New York’s most powerful crime families, which had been plagued by internal conflicts for decades.

1968 – Curtis Moore – Having previously served jail time for robbery and possession of cocaine, Moore on two separate occasions abducted 3 people intending to rob them, he then tied them up and put them in the trunk of his car, drove to a secluded spot, shot them and set them on fire

1979 – Jose Larchire Carranza – A thief and murderer who was convicted of the schoolyard killings of 18-year-old Terrance Aerial, 20-year-old Dashon Harvey, and 20-year-old Iofemi Hightower, in court Carranza’s mom begged for mercy at the sentencing but the judge felt the murders were worthy of a sentence of 155 years, he will be eligible for parole after 107!!

1980 – Chris Wayne Shuffield – Shuffield and his brother Billy were socializing with friend Lance Luke Walker until things went awry and the brothers decided to rob Walker, Chris shot and killed Walker and they stole a wallet, some guns, a few knives, and some prescription medication. Initially, he was sentenced to death but on appeal, this was commuted to life without parole

1984 – Chelsea Lea Richardson – is a woman who was convicted of capital murder for her involvement in the killing of Rick and Suzanna Wamsley, a wealthy couple from Mansfield, Texas, in 2003. She was the girlfriend of Andrew Wamsley, the son of the victims, and they plotted to inherit their $1.65 million estate by murdering them. She was also the roommate of Susana Toledano, who confessed to shooting and stabbing the Wamsleys on their orders. Chelsea Richardson was sentenced to death by lethal injection in 2005, becoming the first female on death row in Tarrant County, Texas. However, her sentence was later commuted to life in prison after an appeal because prosecutors had withheld evidence at her trial. She is currently incarcerated at the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Texas.

1988 – Terence Andrus – was a Texas death row inmate who committed suicide on January 21, 2023, at the age of 34. He was convicted of capital murder for killing two people in a carjacking attempt in 2008 when he was under the influence of PCP-laced marijuana. He had been on death row for more than a decade, despite his appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which were denied. He had a history of mental illness, trauma, and abuse, which were not adequately addressed by his lawyers or the courts. His suicide came after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his second appeal for review in June 2022.

1989 – Galareka Harrison – originally from the Navajo Nation, was a University of Arizona student convicted of murdering her roommate, Mia Henderson, in 2007. The two shared a room during their freshman year. The crime occurred on September 5, 2007, when Harrison stabbed Henderson multiple times following an accusation of theft. Harrison was arrested the next day after police found evidence linking her to the crime. Despite pleading not guilty by reason of insanity and undergoing several psychological evaluations, she was found guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, forgery, and identity theft on September 16, 2008. Judge Scott Rash sentenced her to life in prison without parole on November 25, 2008. In August 2013, Harrison sought a reduced sentence, citing inadequate representation and difficulties adjusting to her new environment. Her attorney also mentioned an email she had sent to university officials about her financial struggles.

Deaths

Joseph Kallinger

1996 – Joseph Kallinger – was a notorious serial killer who terrorized New Jersey in the early 1970s. He was born Joseph Lee Brenner III in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to an abusive mother and a father who abandoned them. He was adopted by a couple of Austrian immigrants who also mistreated him and forced him to work as a shoemaker. He suffered from mental illness, physical injuries, and sexual trauma throughout his childhood. He married twice and had seven children, but he was also violent and cruel to them. He was arrested in 1972 for child abuse and sent to prison, where he met his son Michael, who was 12 years old at the time. Together, they planned and executed a series of murders and tortures that lasted for about a year. They killed three people: an elderly woman named Mary Ann Kallinger, her husband John Kallinger, and their neighbor Roberta Ann Kallinger. They also tortured four families: the Kallingers, the Smiths, the Joneses, and the Browns. They used various methods such as burning, stabbing, shooting, poisoning, mutilating, and burying their victims. They also left behind clues such as shoe prints, footprints of animals, and messages written with blood or ink. They were eventually caught by the police after one of their victims managed to escape and alert the authorities. Joseph Kallinger was convicted of three counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. His son Michael was also convicted of three counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 25 years. Joseph Kallinger died in prison in 1996 from complications of diabetes.

1997 – Marshall Applewhite – was an American cult leader who gained notoriety as the co-founder of the infamous cult known as Heaven’s Gate. Born in Spur, Texas, Applewhite initially pursued a music career and later worked as a teacher.  In the early 1970s, Applewhite’s life took a dramatic turn when he met Bonnie Nettles, with whom he formed a deep and complex spiritual connection. Convinced of their divine purpose and inspired by a blend of Christian theology, science fiction, and New Age philosophy, the duo established the Heaven’s Gate cult in the early 1970s. They attracted followers with their beliefs in extraterrestrial salvation and the idea of transcending the physical body to reach a higher plane of existence.  Heaven’s Gate gained widespread attention in 1997 when Applewhite led 39 of his followers to commit mass suicide. Convinced that an approaching comet (Hale-Bopp) concealed a spaceship that would transport them to a better life, the members ingested a lethal cocktail of drugs and alcohol in a mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California.  Marshall Applewhite’s leadership and the tragic end of Heaven’s Gate underscore the dangers of charismatic leaders who exploit vulnerable individuals through a combination of psychological manipulation and distorted spiritual beliefs. The events surrounding Heaven’s Gate remain a chilling example of the extreme consequences of unchecked authority within a cultic environment.

1999 – James David Rich – Whilst serving a life sentence for murder, Rich made a knife and because he wanted a transfer to a different prison, he believed that a fellow inmate could help him but refused so Rich stabbed him to death he would then receive the death penalty

2007 – Siswanto – also known as Robot Gedek, experienced a difficult upbringing in Pekalongan, Central Java. He later found employment in Jakarta as a collector of used items. Between 1994 and 1996, he committed heinous acts against 12 street children, all boys, ranging from nine to 15 years old. He engaged in disturbing rituals involving their blood and disfigured their bodies, keeping certain parts as keepsakes. During his court proceedings, he made the chilling claim that he believed he was merely slaughtering chickens. In May 1997, Robot was sentenced to death and imprisoned at Nusakambangan Island jail. He passed away in 2007 due to a heart attack, a mere two days after a fellow inmate suggested his execution was near.

Events

Lucious Boyd

1970 – Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul & Mary) pleads guilty to taking “immoral liberties” with a 14-year-old girl and serves 3 months in prison; he is granted a presidential pardon in 1981

1992 – Boxer Mike Tyson is sentenced to 10 years for the rape of Desiree Washington

1997 – 39 bodies are found in the Heaven’s Gate cult suicides

1999 – A jury in Michigan finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of 2nd-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man

1999 – Lucious Boyd is arrested

2019 – The stolen Pablo Picasso painting “Buste de Femme” is recovered after 20 years

2020 – Brenton Tarrant pleads guilty to 51 murders in New Zealand