But the state's history also includes notorious figures such as bank robber . He was found guilty on all 33 counts of murder and was put to death in 1994. In 1892, Fall River, Massachusetts buzzed with talk of the 19th century's most incendiary story - that well-to-do local couple, Abby and Andrew Borden, died at the hands of an axe-wielder. She was an illegal slave trader, involved in the kidnapping of both free and enslaved African Americans. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider Capano was convicted of killing Anne Marie Fahey, scheduling secretary to then-Governor Tom Carper, and dumping her body at sea on June 28, 1996. Two of his kills took place in Nebraska when he worked with the Air Force and the third happened in Maine when he abducted an 11-year-old boy who went out for a jog. Hamermesh challenged a Superior Court psychiatric evaluation that declared Pennell competent to understand the charges and to challenge them himself. Simmons covered the bodies with coats and his best table cloth, wrapped the babies in plastic and left them in the abandoned cars, before going to his local bar for a drink. She became notorious for her illegal activity, including murder, crime, and theft, and striking fear into the hearts of Americans. As a terrible snowstorm settled over the region, Jennings, Maurer and Peter Letang of the Attorney Generals office abandoned their holiday plans to learn Pennells fate. After Matzke fell asleep on the couch, Cook lead Swaney to the body and proceeded to torture him the same way. When police came into his house, they found body parts all over. 23 people were injured, but somehow there were no deaths. One of his more brutal cases was when he broke into a 5-year-old girl's home, raped, and strangled her. Contact: kmagaraci@onlyinyourstate.com. Instead, he was known as the I-5 killer after he murdered over 40 people along the interstate in Oregon state in the early '80s. Capano, meanwhile, became a center of the investigation. Despite the fibers and the DNA, the strongest case against Steven Pennell was Steven Pennell. Fairbanks became so impassioned that we thought he would burst into tears,Moore recalls. In 1958, for two short months, Starkweather shocked the nation with his crimes. Even so, she was well aware that the best way to catch a ride into the city was to hitchhike along Route 40, the area just south of Wilmington where shed plied her trade. Of those, 1,476 of the murders have been solved over the years, leaving roughly 517 unsolved murders in Delaware alone. Thomas Warren Whisenhant was convicted of raping, mutilating, and murdering 3 women in Mobile County, Alabama in the 1970s. In 2012, the story was featured on Behind Mansion Walls. Several law enforcement agencies provide reports and information on their websites if youre interested in knowing more about the number of murders in Delaware by year. Maurer rolled the dice and had his client testify how the victimsblood and hair found their way into his van. Her killer cut up her body. In an interview with the Daily News in 2010, Rifkin said, "I was surprised I didn't get caught sooner.". If youre interested in knowing more about the statistics regardingcrimesin Delaware, several law enforcement organizations publish annual reports on their websites that detail the crimes in the state. A blue Ford panel van with round headlights drove past. He scared everyone because he was killing with reckless abandon at random. As they were chased away, one caught himself in a tree and hanged until his death. They later found 11 bodies just 50 feet from his home. Albert DeSalvo confessed to all 13 murders, but his story didn't fully add up. All five of us were taken aback by his impassioned statements.. The mere sight of a woman enraged these feelings made them pulsate and grate in the pit of my stomach.". Related:Lovers, murder and madness: Revisit Delaware's most sensational killings, Marys father had a chemist examine the unconsumed candy, and the chemist found that they were laced with arsenic. When finally caught, Hansen confessed to murdering 17 people but was only convicted for four. Investigators were stumped. Manson himself is currently incarcerated at the Corcoran State Prison, and has been denied parole 16 times. On December 22nd he first shot his wife and oldest son before strangling his 3-year-old granddaughter and disposing of the bodies in a cesspit he had made his children dig. (AP Photo/Matthew S. Gunby), Assistant U.S. Attorney Colm Connolly, right, answers questions from the media as Delaware State Prosecutor Ferris Wharton, center, and Deleware Attorney General Jane Brady, left, listen after a jury convicted Thomas J. Capano for first-degree murder in the death of Anne Marie Fahey. He is currently serving a 70-year sentence. However, Capano's other mistress, Debby MacIntyre, had bought a gun and admitted having supplied the weapon to Capano.[2]. Crime rates in our small state hover around the national median, and it's not common to ever fear for your life while exploring our beautiful state. After confessing Falling was convicted to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. For the most part, Delaware is a peaceful state. You'd pay an annual fee and receive a list of eligible lovers in your area. Charlie Weems, Ozie Powell, Clarence Norris, Andrew Wright, Leroy Wright, Olen Montgomery, Willie Roberson, Haywood Patterson, and Eugene Williams were the nine "Scottsboro Boys." The nine Black teenagers, aged between 13 and 19, were accused of raping two white women. Daniel Wayne Cook, John Matzke, Carlos Froyan Cruz-Ramos, and Kevin Swaney all worked together at a restaurant in Lake Havasu City, Arizona during the summer of 1987. Woodfield didn't become well known as a football player. He is currently serving his sentence in prison. An expert in the corporate arena, Hamermesh had never handled a criminal case. When Cowgill owned the spot, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. By 1973, Corll had killed 28 boys in Texas just outside of Houston. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was known as "The Serial Stabber" because between 2009 and 2010, Elias Abuelazam stabbed 18 people in Flint, Michigan. Before earning this moniker, he killed his grandparents at 15 and was in jail for two years. 2013], where you will discover forgotten crimes and criminals lost to history. According to Project: Cold Case, there are currently around 517 Delaware cold cases, although this number does not account for any missing persons cold cases. Please give today. Dr. Harold Shipman, nicknamed "Dr. Death" after his horrific killing spree came to light, was sentenced to life in prison after . He is still in prison. Where he got slaughtered was his demeanor. As the bodies began to pile up, investigators struggled to find the culprit. You can hear the sound of organ music filling the air. Editor's Note: A warning that these accounts can be upsetting to some and describe graphic details of real-life cases. Even the FBI tried to talk to him and get at the heart of what caused him to do this. Thomas Joseph Capano (October 11, 1949 September 19, 2011)[1][2] was a disbarred American lawyer and former Delaware deputy attorney general who was convicted of the 1996 murder of Anne Marie Fahey, his former lover. September 19, 2011 Thomas Capano, a once-prominent Delaware attorney who was convicted of killing his mistress after a dramatic trial more than 12 years ago, has been found dead in his prison cell. While Taschner was engaged in small talk, Hedrick ran the vans plates. When patients would look for him to care during their darkest times and he would respond by killing them, usually with prescription drugs. It was one of many secrets Pennell took to the grave. Ross was executed in 2005, making him the first and last execution in the state of Connecticut. Police believed the murders were the act of a serial killer, but could never find the culprit. autobiography called "Final Truth: The Autobiography of a Serial Killer. In fact, some of the furnishings were made of body parts. He did not, however, confess. When 10 women were murdered in the mid-'90s in Charlotte, North Carolina, they all had one thing in common: They all knew Henry Louis Wallace. As the cops circled in on him, he panicked and died by suicide without ever facing trial. The blast killed 1 spectator and injured over 100 others. Shortly before 6 p.m., she left the warmth of her familys home in Newarks Brookmont Farms development and began the 14-mile trek. He became an affluent lawyer, state prosecutor, Wilmington city attorney, legal counsel to Governor Mike Castle, and political consultant, well known in Delaware's political circles. He killed 10 people in Wichita between 1974 and 1991. Love Delaware? Lewes was never an isolated town. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Keep a pulse on local food, art, and entertainment content when you join our Delaware Today newsletter. After being brought into custody Hansen confessed to raping over 30 women, and murdering 17. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 11 life sentences. He came across as a totally normal married father with no criminal record. Commuters and students were lining up for their early morning breakfast when a gigantic explosion destroyed the building. The Horrors of Patty Cannon Flickr / Shubert Ciencia Patty Cannon lived in the Seaford area in the early 1800s. If true, Williams could be guilty of killing close to 30 people. Each one of the bodies was found with their hands tied behind their back and some were sexually assaulted. Eric Robert Rudolph was an American domestic terrorist convicted of several anti-abortion and anti-gay bombings across the Southern United States between 1996 and 1998. Eventually, he escalated to killing them and cutting their heads off. Kimball killed his uncle, his cellmate's girlfriend, and a 19-year-old girl. If you travel the swamp trail alone, you might hear the screams of the young runaway who was raped and killed here in the 1870s she still haunts these woods. He was arrested for her murder in November 1997, over sixteen months after her disappearance. In 1993, Rifkin was pulled over by police for not having a license plate. [11], A 2000 episode of The FBI Files, title "Deadly Obsession,"[12] and an episode of the CBS News documentary program 48 Hours featured the case. Three days later, Kathleen Meyer, another Brookmont Farms resident, was last seen alive hitchhiking along Route 40 around 9:30 p.m. An off-duty police officer spotted the 26-year-old accepting a ride from a stranger in a blue Ford van. Most recovered, but Mary Dunning and her sister, Ida, Mrs. Joshua Deane, died three days later. This famed accommodation has 13 rooms and at least three are reported to be haunted. He broke their bones, bit them, and sometimes acted on his cannibalistic instincts. The day before Halloween, Price, a redhead, was found dead in the bathtub, and Rogers fled the scene. As she walked along the corridor, a car pulled up and offered her a ride. WILMINGTON, Del. It was registered to Steven Brian Pennell, a Delaware electrician with no criminal record. In February of that year, the state abandoned its efforts to seek capital punishment, opting to leave Capano imprisoned for life without parole. Its how we live. He stuffed their bodies in barrels in the woods. 1. In fact, it's among the most haunted states on the East Coast. The court unanimously agreed that execution was an appropriate punishment for Pennells crimes. Steven Brian Pennell (1957 or 1958 March 14, 1992), aka The Corridor Killer, was convicted of the murders of two New Castle County, Delaware women and suspected of three more.He also plead no contest to the murder of Kathleen Meyer once DNA evidence linked him to the case. Foul play is not suspected. Stephani admitted to beating and stabbing three women between the years 1980 and 1982. Rudolph would often use nail bombs where the nails would act like shrapnel. Also among the same list are the many unsolved murders Dover, Delaware, which include the 2014 murder of Christopher Gillis, the 2007 murder of Jerome Hill, the 2016 murder of Tyler Parton, and the 1986 murder of Lonnie Hill, among many others. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. According to their crime report from 2019, the violent crime rate in Delaware was roughly 422.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. He struck again. Her gang of 50 to 60 people operated for 30 years, committing as many as 30 murders and more than 3,000 . She first sent anonymous letters to Elizabeth Dunning about affairs she had with Dunning's husband. [9] Following Capano's death, his brothers Louis and Joseph engaged in a bitter court fight over their family's multimillion-dollar real estate empire. The man then beat 7-year-old Melissa Bennett to death, before attempting to kill 3-year-old Vanessa, who survived the attack but still has weakness on the left side of her body. Learn more about what you can expect from your stay at the haunted Addy Sea B&B in Bethany Beach, Delaware. It was as fine a piece of testifying as Ive ever seen,Maurer contends. She was one of the loveliest, kindest persons Ive ever hadthe privilege of serving with. He was sentenced to death and met the electric chair in 1989. John Wayne Gacy: The Killer Clown Image: Pixabay A performer who played "Pogo the Clown" at adolescents' gatherings, John Wayne Gacy was one of the most scandalous chronic executioners in America. I think I did the best I could,he says now. The Manson Family was a communal group of people lead by the infamous Charles Manson in the 1960s. Though the holiday had passed three days earlier, Ellis was carrying a Thanksgiving platter for an AIDS patient undergoing treatment at Wilmington Hospital. He died in prison. Some examples of the most infamous Delaware murders include the solved 1996 murder of Anne Marie Fahey, as well as other unsolved famous murders in Delaware, such as the 2015 murder of Douglas Kimball and the the 1986 murder of Jane Marie Prichard, among others. After a notorious escape from prison, she later died from a heart attack. What his wife didn't know was that Herb also cruised gay bars at night, picking up young men. No one knew for years who killed four women in Southern Virginia. He was found guilty of murdering two of his victims. Sept. 28, 2016. Terry is not the only member of the Blair family who has a murderous past. Since then, the country has become captivated with true crime, particularly serial killers. Since he was a minor at the time, he has not been sentenced for those crimes. Although he only killed two women, authorities call him a serial killer that would have killed again if he had not been stopped. With modern technology, theres still hope that Janes killer will be brought to justice. The women who met with him for a date disappeared. She was also strangled with a ligature and bludgeoned with a hammer. It was hard to get into a conversation. He also had "atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease, and that obesity was a contributing factor in his death". He was charged with 48 murders but was able to avoid the death sentence with a plea bargain. He was hunting women like wild animals. Gordons body washed up on the rocky banks of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal on Sept. 20. Route40 was the only connection between the two victims. He never once used the first person. It's even reported she threw one child in a fire to stop her from crying. Rogers became known as the "Cross Country Killer" for killing his victims across multiple state lines. I don't have an answer. He also confessed to bombing an abortion clinic in Georgia, a lesbian bar in Georgia, and an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama resulting in the death of an Alabaman security guard and a police officer. B Billy Bailey C Thomas Capano James B. Clark Jr. Cheney Clow D William Devonshire J Shannon Johnson (murderer) P Steven Brian Pennell R James Allen Red Dog S Nelson Shelton However, weaknesses in the case led to de Marigny's acquittal; no one else has been tried. Together we can reach 100% of WHYYs fiscal year goal. Many of Delawares unsolved murders are listed on the Delaware State Police homicide cold cases webpage, which is arranged by both law enforcement and investigating agencies across the state. There are those who also believe the KKK were the real murderers of these children, but the FBI found no direct link between the group and these murders. While in Iowa, he lived with his mother who would often beat him. In 1974, Randall Woodfield was drafted into the NFL to play for the Green Bay Packers. They called him the "Chameleon" because he went by so many names and aliases. Welcome to HistoricalCrimeDetective.com [Est. In his confession, Cullen said he believed he was doing the community a service, helping these sick patients relieve their pain. Her body was completely hairless, a side effect of exposure to arsenic. In the early '70s, Kemper started to pick up young hitchhikers who were Fresno State students. Meanwhile, other task-force members were trying to identify the strange fibers found on DiMauro. Under Delaware law, all such cases are automatically appealed to the state Supreme Court. The majority of the names on the list of Delaware murders on the Delaware State Polices cold case website may not soundfamiliar; however, a handful of the names on the list of all murders inDelaware, list of Delaware murders, and notorious Delaware criminals have seemingly become household names as time passes. more serial killers than any other country, he terrorized the Phoenix, Arizona, community in the summer of 2006, his nine death sentences were upheld in Phoenix. Grate was found guilty and was sentenced to death in 2018. DNA testing confirmed years later that Timothy Wilson Spencer was "The Southside Strangler." The `` Chameleon '' because he went by so many names and aliases and proceeded to him... 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