Historic Crimes

Art Agnos, San Francisco Mayor targeted by Zebra Killers The Zebra Murders were a series of racially motivated yet seemingly random murders and attacks that took place in San Francisco in 1973 and 1974.. The perpetrators of these murders and violent attacks were dubbed the "Zebra Killers." The San Francisco press originated the term Zebra Killers/Murders. The name stuck, and even the police picked it up, using channel Z on their radios strictly for the Zebra case. The designation may have had something to do with the fact that the killings appeared to be committed by black people against white people. The first known Zebra Murder took place on October 19, 1973. A young married couple, Quita and Richard Hague, were out walking in San Francisco when two young, well-dressed black men assaulted them. They were forced into a white van. Quita was sexually assaulted and then stabbed in the neck several times with a machete. Her head was nearly severed. After watching his wife be...

Lustig pictured center Victor Lustig, who preferred to be called Count Lustig, in spite of having no claim to the title, was an early 20th century confidence man. To hear some tell it, he was one of the greatest con artists of all time. He was always smooth and composed–the antithesis of the fast-talking con man. It was this poise combined with a knack for swindling that earned him a reputation as the man who sold the Eiffel Tower twice. While not exactly true, he did earn a pretty penny running scams. The 81-story wrought iron Eiffel Tower was designed and constructed for the 1889 World's Fair . Even before construction began, there were people who hated it. One group even called it a monstrosity. It was quite an unusual structure for Paris at the time. It would definitely stand out, but construction commenced anyway. Victor Lustig was born the January after construction on the monument ended. Lustig got the idea for his most famous con while reading about the Eiffel Tower in...

The Princes in the Tower by Delaroche The mystery of the Princes in the Tower is one of the most enduring scandals in England's history. It occurred when two young princes (one of whom was next in line to the throne) seemingly vanished while in their uncle's care. That uncle just so happened to become king himself– King Richard III . No one living today knows exactly what happened to these two boys. However, the circumstances of their disappearance were very suspicious, indeed. The Princes Prince Edward, or King Edward V, was the oldest son of King Edward IV and next in line to be King of England. His mother was the Queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Edward was born in Westminster Abbey in 1470 and sent to Ludlow Castle to be educated. Prince Richard, the 1st Duke of York, was Edward's younger brother and the second son of Edward IV and his queen. Richard was married to five-year-old Anne Mawbry when he was just four-years-old. The princes had a half-broth...

Governor Goebel Governor William Goebel was the only United States Governor ever to be assassinated while in office. His death was the result of a heated rivalry between himself and Governor William Taylor. William Goebel was a Democrat who was a proponent of women’s and African-American civil rights. He was not a well-liked man in many political circles and was even charged with the murder of another politician, John Stanford. However, he was acquitted of the charges. During the 1899 Kentucky elections, Republican William Taylor beat Democratic William Goebel 193,714 to 191,331. However, the Democratic General Assembly suspected that the election had been rigged and therefore challenged it. Following the start of the appeal, Goebel received death threats. It was said that if he won the appeal, he would be killed. On January 30, 1900, William Goebel walked up the steps of the State Capitol Building, escorted by bodyguards. A sniper shot him on the steps from the office of ...

George Parkman was a wealthy doctor who was educated at Harvard Medical College and abroad. Helping the less fortunate was something of a passion for him. Thus, becoming a doctor was a natural choice. When he studied abroad, he was exposed to humane insane asylums, something that was nearly unheard of in the states. He decided to bring his ideals home with him. Sadly, he was never able to establish humane asylums in Boston, but he remained an advocate for the humane treatment of the insane until his untimely death. Doctor George Parkman had inherited a substantial amount of wealth from his father and was a member of Boston's Brahmins or the "First Families of Boston." He had given Harvard College the very land on which Massachusetts General Hospital is located today. He was a well-known landlord. In short, he was one of Boston's elite. Therefore, when he turned up missing in 1849, the people of Boston were shocked. However, they were to be more shocked when another ...

Pedro Lopez may be the most prolific known serial killer of all time. He was convicted of the murder of 110 girls. He has confessed to the murder of more than 300. While more than 300 may be incorrect, he almost certainly killed more than the 110 he was convicted of killing. The story of his early life is known only from his lips, but if it is true, it certainly helps the "nurture" argument of what drives some people to kill. However, he could simply by lying, as serial killers are wont to do. True or false, here is his story. (His capture, incarceration, the information regarding his M.O. and the discovery of some of his victims are certainly true.) Pedro Lopez was born in October of 1948 in Tolima, Colombia. According to Pedro, his mother was a prostitute who had 13 children of which Pedro had knowledge, including himself. At the time of his birth, Colombia was in turmoil. It was not a safe place for a child to grow up, nor was Pedro's home, if he is to be believed. His...

In the annals of criminal history, there are a slew of serial rapists and sadistic killers who target young women. Nearly all of them are men. However, a rare few sexually deviant killers are women. Many of these women are involved with men who have the same sick sexual appetite. Such was the case for Karla Homolka and her husband Paul Bernardo . They are otherwise known as the Ken and Barbie killers. This couple had a repugnant habit of forcefully involving teenage girls in their sexual forays. On at least three occasions, these rapes ended in murder. Paul Bernardo's childhood was strange by most standards. He was the product of an adulterous affair by his mother. Nonetheless, he was accepted by his mother's husband and included in the family as if he was his adopted father's child. The man who accepted Paul was a pedophile who abused little girls, including his own daughter, Paul's sister. Mrs. Bernardo became aware of this somehow and reacted by becoming...

Albert DeSalvo after turning himself in for escaping imprisonment The Boston Strangler was a presumed serial killer that operated in the Boston area from June of 1962 until January of 1964. The killer (or killers, as some would say) was responsible for the deaths of thirteen women. Of course, as with most serial killings, it is difficult to know whether more murders took place in other areas. One man in particular–Albert DeSalvo–is widely believed to have been responsible for the Boston Strangler murders. However, it is important to bear in mind that he was never charged with the murders. In fact, no one ever was. The Boston Strangler first struck on June 14, 1962. The victim was 55-year-old Anna Slesers. Anna's son found her on the floor of the bathroom in her apartment on Gainsborough St. in Boston. She was wearing only a bathrobe, which had been left open, exposing her nude body. She had been sexually assaulted, but not raped. Anna was strangled with the belt ...

J. Ruffell portrait of William Bligh Back in 1798, the most infamous mutiny in history occurred on a ship known as the Bounty. The story has been immortalized in film and the history books. While, it's often sensationalized for the sake of entertainment, the true story is just as action-packed. Captain William Bligh was in command of the Bounty when it went on its fateful journey. He was hired to bring the Bounty to the South Pacific in search of breadfruit trees. Bligh was able, but quite strict. During the voyage, he kept a meticulous account of the ship's provisions, rationing out food carefully based on his calculations. He was also keen on keeping his men on task. At one point during the voyage, Captain Bligh was compelled to flog some of his men for attempting to desert the Bounty. A harsh punishment surely, but it was the practice. Captain Bligh's nature began to wear on master at arms Fletcher Christian, who began to show visible disdain for the captain. Ho...

Dana Sue Gray is a serial killer who is hard to categorize. She was a nurse, but she did not kill her patients. She killed elderly women, but she did not poison them as so many nurse killers are wont to do. Her serial murders were violent, but she did not have a male counterpart helping her as many female serial killers who commit violent murders do. She is not unique, though. She had a clear motive, a modus operandi that could be compared to those of other serial killers and she had a lack of remorse that is all too familiar in the world of serial killings. Dana Sue's parents divorced when she was two-years-old. Her mother raised her, though she died of cancer when Dana was still a teenager. Rumor has it that she tried to live with her dad, but that she could not get along with her stepmother. She graduated from high school with average grades and behavior. From there, she went to nursing school. While Dana Sue Gray was in nursing school, she dated athletic men and became som...

Drawing of Jesse Pomeroy Jesse Pomeroy or Boston's "Boy Fiend" is numbered among the most sadistic and remorseless serial killers of all time. He was brutal, demented and, well, fiendish. However, unlike most criminals who are dubbed "serial killers," his murder count was quite low. Jesse Pomeroy was guilty of killing only two people (two people is two too many, but few in the world of serial killers). Another very strange fact about Jesse Pomeroy that is also frightening is that he was only 14 years old when he committed these murders. He was even younger when he began torturing young boys.   Jesse Pomeroy was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts on November 29, 1859. His full name was Jesse Harding Pomeroy and he was the younger of two children (both boys) born to Ruth and Charles Pomeroy. According to his mother and records, Jesse took ill when he was just a baby. He fully recovered and was described as intelligent when he was older. However, his ...

Tommy Lynn Sells is an American serial killer who claims to have killed more than 50 people, possibly more than 70. Like many serial killers, his claims and reality may be very different. Nevertheless, Tommy Lynn Sells is known to have been responsible for several murders, all of them heinous. Sells was born on June 28, 1964. He was a twin. His twin was a girl named Jean. The twins had two older brothers. Three younger brothers would follow. Their mother was a careless woman named Nina. It is unclear who Tommy's father was. He was supposed to have been a man named William Sells. However, Tommy often told investigators his father's name was Joe Levins. When Tommy and Jean Sells were about a year and a half old, they were living in St. Louis. At that time, they came down with meningitis. Jean did not survive. Six months later, Nina sent Tommy Lynn to live with her aunt Bonnie. Nina rarely, if ever, visited the child, so Bonnie sought to adopt the boy. Nin...

Fred and Rosemary West are one of the thankfully rare serial killer couples in England's history. They are also among the most demented, cruel and sexually sadistic killers in world history. It is always shocking when more than one person is involved in a string of serial murders. However, it is even more shocking when it came to Fred and Rosemary West. They were a married couple with several children, two of which they brutally murdered. Before Fred and Rosemary West met and married, they were both on the wrong path. Fred was aggressive with women from his teenage years on. He claimed that his father raped his sisters and Fred himself was guilty of impregnating his own younger sister, a crime that made him a convicted child molester by the age of 20. When Fred was 17, he was in a serious motorcycle accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury and a plate in his head. He hurt his head again when he put his hand up a girl's skirt and she pushed him off a fire escape. E...