Births

Charge sheet for Ernest Baldree

1942Ernest Orville Baldree – was an American criminal whose notorious acts stained the pages of true crime history. Convicted for the brutal murders of Homer and Nancy Howard, Baldree deceived them under the pretense of help, only to ruthlessly shoot them. His criminal repertoire extended to stealing their car and looting cash and jewelry valued at $1500. Ernest Baldree’s malevolent actions marked him as a prolific and heartless offender, etching his name into the annals of criminal infamy.

1951Fred Willis -In 1984, Fred Willis committed a heinous crime, taking the life of Bonnie Ann Woods, a 25-year-old stripper and call girl in Las Vegas, Nevada. Woods was found strangled to death in a motel room, her body left unclothed. The following year, Willis pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and received a life sentence with the possibility of parole. Remarkably, he was considered a cooperative inmate and was released in 1995 after serving just over a decade behind bars.  However, fate took another dark turn. In 1987, Zabrina Seaborn, a 24-year-old stripper and call girl from Long Beach, California, suffered a similar fate. She was found semi-nude, strangled with her dress strap, and abandoned in a Las Vegas alley.  Police initially had little evidence, but a grainy videotape revealed Seaborn at a gambling table with a mysterious “burly man.” The public helped identify this man as Fred Willis. Subsequent investigation led to enough physical evidence to tie Willis to the crime.  In a plea deal, the prosecution dropped rape charges, and Willis was allowed to plead guilty to murder once again. This time, he received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

1952Eddie Leroy Trice – Trice’s life took a dark turn when he was convicted of first-degree murder, first-degree rape, first-degree burglary, and assault and battery.  The tragic events unfolded on Friday, February 13, 1987. On that fateful day, Trice left his apartment and targeted the home of Earnestine Jones, an 84-year-old woman, and her 63-year-old, mentally retarded son, Emanuel. Trice entered their house through a bedroom window and subjected Ms. Jones to a horrifying assault. Armed with a set of nunchucks (a martial arts weapon), he brutally beat her, leaving her with multiple injuries, including fractures to her eye sockets, jaw, ribs, and heart. Tragically, Ms. Jones succumbed to severe blunt-force injuries.  Not stopping there, Trice also assaulted Emanuel Jones with a hammer, causing serious injuries to his eye, cheekbone, and forearm. The violence inflicted upon this vulnerable family was unimaginable.  Eddie Leroy Trice’s heinous actions led to his conviction and subsequent death sentence. He was executed on January 9, 2001, at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. In his final moments, Trice expressed remorse, thanking his family and apologizing to the victim’s family.

1953Phil Leonetti – is an American former mobster who played a significant role in the Philadelphia crime family. His life story is a blend of intrigue, loyalty, and eventual betrayal. Abandoned by his father at a young age, he was raised by his mother. His life took a turn when he moved to Ducktown, the Little Italy of Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was under the protection and supervision of his uncle and other Scarfo family members. Despite his uncle’s reputation, Leonetti was the opposite – a quiet and laid-back personality. In 1979, Nicky Scarfo, the boss of the Philadelphia crime family, ordered Leonetti to murder Vincent Falcone, a criminal associate who had underestimated Scarfo’s power. Leonetti carried out the hit, shooting Falcone twice. This marked the beginning of his violent journey within the mob. He gained the nickname “Crazy Phil” from a local radio talk show host in 1978. Over time, Leonetti became a trusted member of the Scarfo organization, despite his seemingly calm demeanor. He rose through the ranks and eventually became the underboss of the Philadelphia crime family. His mentor and former boss, Nicodemo “Little Nicky” Scarfo, guided him. However, in 1989, facing a 45-year sentence for racketeering, Leonetti made a fateful decision. He broke his blood oath and turned government informant. As part of his cooperation, he served just five years in prison. Later, he authored a book about his life in the mob. Phil Leonetti’s story is one of contradictions – loyalty to family and betrayal of the same. From the streets of Philadelphia to the halls of justice, his journey remains a captivating chapter in the annals of organized crime.

1957Socorro Caro – is a name etched in infamy. Her life took a dark turn, culminating in a chilling act that shook the Santa Rosa Valley, California, to its core. Socorro, also known as “Cora,” was the wife of a respected San Fernando Valley doctor, Dr. Xavier Caro. Their once-promising marriage had soured, and resentment festered within Socorro’s heart. On November 22, 1999, fueled by anger and vengeance, Socorro methodically carried out a horrifying plan. In the dead of night, she entered her million-dollar Santa Rosa Valley mansion. Her targets? Her own children: Xavier Jr. (aged 11), Michael (aged 8), and Christopher (aged 5). Armed with a .38 caliber handgun, she shot each of them at point-blank range while they slept. The sanctity of their home shattered, and these innocent boys became sacrificial pawns in a failed marital relationship. Socorro’s actions were willful, premeditated, and committed with malice aforethought. The court sentenced her to death on April 5, 2002. Judge Donald Coleman aptly described the slayings as the “mass murder of innocent children.” Her surviving infant son, Gabriel, now resides with his father. Socorro Caro’s name remains synonymous with tragedy and darkness. Her story serves as a chilling reminder of the depths to which human emotions can plunge. May the souls of Xavier Jr., Michael, and Christopher rest in peace. 

1959Carl Eugene Kelly – was a man whose life was marked by tragedy and controversy. Born in 1959, he became entangled in a web of crime that would ultimately lead to his execution. In September 1980, Carl Kelly was involved in a robbery that escalated into a double murder. During the crime, he took the lives of two men: Steven Pryor, who was white, and David Wade Riley. The brutal act left families shattered and communities in shock. Kelly’s trial resulted in a death sentence in 1981 for the murder of Steven Pryor. His co-defendant, who had pleaded guilty to his role in the crime, received a life sentence for the murder of David Riley. However, Kelly’s journey through the legal system was far from straightforward.  In February 1990, just 13 hours before his scheduled execution, a stay was granted by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Kelly’s defense team presented new evidence related to his background, revealing a history of childhood abuse, neglect, and beatings that the original jury had not considered during sentencing.  While incarcerated, Carl Kelly found solace and purpose in the prison workshop. He crafted wooden jewelry boxes that were sold by Amnesty International, an organization advocating for human rights. Kelly expressed that this work made him feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.  Despite these efforts, the state of Texas remained resolute. On July 30, 1992, Carl Eugene Kelly was executed. 

1973Michelle Lynn Kehoe – gained notoriety for a tragic and horrifying incident in October 2006. She was an Iowa mother who drove her two sons, Sean (7 years old) and Seth (2 years old), to a remote pond near Littleton. There, she covered their faces with duct tape and then cut their throats with a knife before attempting to take her own life. Sean managed to lock himself inside the van and survived. He later testified against his mother during her trial.  In December 2009, Michelle Kehoe was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of Seth. She also received an additional 25 years for the attack on Sean, who survived. Additionally, she was given a 10-year sentence for child endangerment related to the injuries she inflicted on Sean. Her husband, Gene Kehoe, spoke of her “true sorrow” during the sentencing, emphasizing that her actions were a result of her “profound mental illness” and feelings of hopelessness and despair. Despite their pleas, the court denied contact between Michelle and her surviving son.

1974Lindsay Hoani Beckett – In 1997, the tranquility of Kalaru in Australia was shattered when two teenagers disappeared under unsettling circumstances. The victims were Lauren Margaret Barry, a 14-year-old, and Nichole Emma Collins, aged 16. They hailed from Bega, New South Wales, Australia.  On October 6, 1997, Lauren and Nichole were abducted by two men: Leslie Camilleri and Lindsay Beckett. Both perpetrators were from the New South Wales town of Yass. Over several hours, the girls endured repeated rapes and sexual assaults while being driven to remote locations across rural New South Wales and Victoria.  Ultimately, they were taken to Fiddler’s Green Creek in Victoria, where they met a tragic end. Under the orders of Camilleri, Beckett stabbed them to death. The girls’ disappearance had sparked a massive manhunt involving family, friends, police, and community volunteers, but tragically, they couldn’t be located in time.  Leslie Camilleri, one of the perpetrators, had a troubled past. Born in Liverpool, New South Wales, he grew up in challenging circumstances. His childhood was marked by theft, vandalism, and social ostracism. Camilleri spent time in juvenile detention and even lived as a street kid in King’s Cross, Sydney. His criminal record was extensive, with over 200 convictions.  Camilleri’s accomplice, Lindsay Beckett, carried out the brutal act that ended the lives of Lauren and Nichole. The Bega schoolgirl murders remain a haunting chapter in Australian criminal history, forever etching the names of these young victims into our collective memory

Deaths

Wayne Boden

1977Ali Marjek – A Syrian serial killer who operated for one year starting in 1976, believed to be the only case of its kind in Syria, Marjek sexually assaulted and killed three young boys and was given the death penalty

1984Gourgen Mkrtich Yanikian – was born on December 24, 1895 in Erzurum, Ottoman Armenia. He witnessed the Armenian genocide firsthand as a volunteer soldier in the Russian army during World War I. He lost 26 members of his extended family in the massacres and fled to Iran with his wife Suzanna in 1930. He became a successful engineer and civil contractor, working on various projects across Iran and the United States. He also wrote several novels, including The Triumph of Judas Iscariot (1950), Harem Cross (1953), and The Voice of an American (1960)  In 1973, he moved to Santa Barbara, California with his wife and settled in Fresno, where he had many Armenian friends and relatives. He became involved in the Armenian cause for recognition and reparations for the genocide from the Turkish government, which denied or downplayed the atrocities committed against Armenians. He also became a target of anti-Armenian sentiment among some Turkish-Americans who resented his presence and influence  On January 27, 1973, he lured two Turkish consular officials, Mehmet Baydar and Bahadır Demir, to the Biltmore Hotel under the pretext of offering them gifts of art treasures for their government. He then pulled out a Luger pistol from a hollowed-out book and shot them both dead at close range. He calmly called the reception desk and said he killed “two evils”, then sat on the patio waiting for an arrest. His motive was “to demand justice” for the Armenian genocide.   He was arrested later that day and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder due to his experiences during World War I and that he acted under duress from external forces. He also claimed that he was not Gourgen M. Yanikian but unacknowledged history coming back for the 1.5 million Armenians whose bones desecrate his invisible existence  He took the only Armenian genocide witness stand at his trial, accompanied by his friend and interpreter Santa Barbaran Aram Saroyan, who was also an uncle of famous author William Saroyan. He told of his personal losses during the genocide and how he watched as Turks slit his brother’s throat in front of him. He said that he killed Baydar and Demir as representatives of “the government that had massacred his people”  He was convicted by a jury on July 7, 1973, and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. He appealed several times but his conviction was upheld by higher courts until it was finally reversed by an appeals court in 1984 due to errors in jury selection and evidence presented at trial. However, by then he had already been paroled on January 15, 1984, over the objection of the Turkish government, which refused to extradite him or recognize him as a victim of genocide. Two months later, he died of natural causes at age 88 in Fresno Hospital. Gourgen Yanikian’s assassination remains one of the most controversial events in modern Armenian-American history. Some view him as a hero who fought for justice against oppression and denial; others view him as a terrorist who violated human rights and international law; still, others view him as a misguided individual who acted out of anger or delusion without regard for consequences or alternatives.

2001Robert Lee Massie – was an American convicted murderer who met his fate through execution by lethal injection in the state of California. His crime? The 1979 murder of a liquor store owner in San Francisco. But Massie’s story is more complex than a single act of violence. Born in Virginia on December 24, 1941, Massie’s early life was marked by adversity. His parents’ marriage was a result of avoiding statutory rape charges, and he endured physical abuse during his childhood. At age 17, he stole a car and ended up in prison, where he was brutally gang-raped by fellow inmates. This traumatic experience led him to feign insanity and be committed to a prison psychiatric facility.  Massie’s criminal record began with a violent incident on January 7, 1965. Armed with a rifle, he confronted a man outside his home in West Covina, California, demanding money. After shooting at the man (who survived), Massie went on to commit a more heinous act. On the same night, he fatally shot Mildred Weiss, a San Gabriel resident, during a robbery. Later, he assaulted another man named Frank Patti, firing shots that wounded Patti.  Remarkably, Massie had previously received a death sentence for the 1965 murder of Mildred Weiss. However, the landmark Furman v. Georgia decision led to the overturning of that sentence, and he was resentenced to life in prison. In 1978, he was paroled, only to commit another murder shortly after his release. This time, he killed Boris G. Naumoff, a liquor store owner in San Francisco.  Despite legal challenges, Massie was sentenced to death a third and final time in 1989. His execution took place in 2001 at San Quentin State Prison. His case remains notable for its twists and turns, reflecting the complexities of the criminal justice system and the tragic consequences of violence 

2005Braeden Benjamin Nugent – was a convicted murderer whose actions sent shockwaves through the community of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Born in 1975, Nugent’s criminal history is marked by extreme violence and brutality.  In the spring of 1995, Nugent committed two vicious murders that would forever stain his name. His victims were Jean Joseph Boutin, aged 44, and Victor Wilson, aged 41. The details of these gruesome crimes are chilling.  On March 31, 1995, Nugent encountered Boutin at a bar. Along with a Pickle Lake youth, he brutally attacked Boutin, stealing his jewelry and wallet. When they returned to find Boutin still alive, Nugent kicked him repeatedly until he lost consciousness. They bound him and continued their assault. Boutin was discovered the next day, beaten and bloodied.  Nugent’s second victim, Victor Wilson, met a similar fate. Nugent’s bare hands were the instruments of death, and his actions horrified the community. The court sentenced him to double life imprisonment in January 1997, with a minimum of 18 years before parole eligibility.  However, Nugent’s story took another dark turn. In March 2005, he died of a drug overdose while incarcerated at the Collins Bay Institution in southern Ontario. His demise marked the end of a life marked by violence and tragedy

2006Wayne Boden – was a Canadian serial killer known as the “Vampire Rapist.” Active in the late 1960s, he gained notoriety for assaulting and murdering several young women. Boden earned his ominous nickname due to his disturbing habit of biting his victims during the attacks. He was convicted in 1971 for the murders of three women in Montreal and later died in prison in 2006. Boden’s heinous crimes left a lasting impact on Canadian criminal history.

2011Dorothea Puente – was an American convicted serial killer. In the 1980s, she operated a boarding house in Sacramento, California, where she preyed on vulnerable residents, including the elderly and mentally disabled. Her modus operandi involved murdering her boarders and then cashing their Social Security checks. She buried some of the victims in the yard of her boarding house. Newspapers dubbed her the “Death House Landlady.” Puente’s total murder count reached nine, although she was convicted of three murders. The jury hung on the other six cases. She received two life sentences for her crimes and died in prison on March 27, 2011. Dorothea Puente’s chilling actions and manipulation of trust continue to haunt the annals of criminal history.

Events

Donnie Wahlberg

1915 – Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon) is arrested and returned to quarantine on North Brother Island, New York after spending 5 years evading health authorities and causing several further outbreaks of typhoid

1964 – The Great Train Robbers are sentenced to a total of 307 years behind bars

1973 – Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist & vocalist of The Grateful Dead is stopped for speeding & LSD possession

1991 – New Kids On The Block singer and actor Donnie Wahlberg is arrested on arson charges in Kentucky

1997 – Martin Luther King’s son meets James Earl Ray, his father’s killer

2022 – El Salvador’s parliament declares a state of emergency after 62 gang killings in one day

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