The story of the bomb at the bank was told to a court in Salem, Oregon, in December 2010, when a businessman father and his son were accused of plotting to blow up and rob the bank because they were short of cash. Bruce Turnidge, 59, and his son Joshua, 34, faced an 18-count criminal
Within hours of committing some of his 33 murders, America’s most notorious serial killer would dress up as Pogo the Clown and entertain children. But on May 10th, 1994, it was somebody else’s turn to play the clown...at John Wayne Gacy’s execution. Mockingly, revellers painted their faces and donned clowns’ attire as they partied outside
On June 21st, 2000, the inspectors went to a committee meeting at their government offices. Jean Hillery and her federal colleague Tom Quadros, 52, outlined the case against Alexander. “We have been to this factory on several occasions,” she told the meeting. “Mr. Alexander is a very upset and angry man.” The committee agreed that
Bordering Los Angeles, Orange County, California, gets its name from its vast orange groves, whose fragrant blossom fills the air for miles around. This was the home of Steven Gordon, 23, who worked for a time at Disneyland and revelled in the Californian dream. Gordon was also a paedophile. In April 1992 he was jailed
In June 2020, a frail old man of 74, with hollowed cheeks and myopic eyes, was wheeled into the hastily converted ballroom of Sacramento State University. Rising from the wheelchair, he stood before a makeshift socially-distanced court in a visor. In an orange prison jumpsuit, the defendant admitted his guilt to 13 murders with additional
Brett Pearson’s schoolfriends laughed when he told them he wanted to kill his parents. No one took that kind of brag seriously. It was just teenage angst – all cheap talk and empty threats. And this was especially true in the wholesome little Oregon town of Keizer where Brett and his family lived. Four miles
So who was Mark Chapman, if he wasn’t a paid assassin? It’s too facile to write him off as a “deranged fan,” as has often been suggested. He was an ardent Beatles fan, like millions of others of his age. Months after the murder he announced that he killed Lennon to gain prominence for promoting
The romantic idyll of the middle-aged couple came to a tragic end that hot day August 3rd, 1990. In the morning Peter Heron drove off to his office. Ann, who had a part-time job as a care assistant, wasn’t working that day, so she went shopping. Before her husband left home that day she asked
Roy Dumas, 58, shuffled to the door to answer the call. He was a Second World War soldier disabled by a mortar blast. Now in failing health and weighing hardly more than seven stone as a result of his wounds, it took him some time to turn the key to lift the latch. As the
The 911 call came from Chacey Poynter. She claimed her husband had been shot, so she was understandably distraught. Chacey waved down the police cruiser as it arrived on County Road 2595 in Hunt County, North Texas, about 40 miles north of Dallas, on September 9th, 2016. “My husband – he’s been shot in the