The Backroom

Send us a Text Message.HELLO! It's been a long time. I'm sorry I have been gone so long but hopefully I'm here to stay! Just a quick little episode today. Enjoy!On the morning of January 29, 2022, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe was found unresponsive in a snowbank outside of fellow officer, Brian Albert's home. It is alleged that O'Keefe's girlfriend, Karen Read, ran him over and fled the scene after a night of drinking. In the past 2 years since, the truth is hard to find. Now there's a new narrative, John O'Keefe's death was a police cover up. 

Lana Clarkson gained fame in the 80s as a model and actress who appeared in movies such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Scarface. She also appeared in ads for Nike, Budweiser, and Mercedes. She is most well known for being the lead in low budget Sci-fi movies directed by Roger Corman. Corman's target audience was teenage boys. Lana was a small sex symbol in the 1980s. But her fame fell as time went on, eventually working part time as a hostess. On February 3, 2003, she met famed record producer Phil Spector. Spector, who was well respected in the music industry for producing work for John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Tina Turner, has a history of anger issues and was abusive. Within hours, Lana Clarkson would be dead. Her body was found in Spector's California mansion, slumped over in a chair with a gunshot wound to the mouth. Although Spector said that Lana had accidentally committed suicide, Spector's driver told investigators that Spector said "I think I killed somebody". Yet, forensic investigators didn't find Spector's finger prints on the gun. Spector was charged with Lana's murder, During the trial, it was uncovered that Spector had pulled a gun on four different women in the past, all because they rejected him. After a mistrial, he was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 19 years to life in prison, Spector died in 2021 from COVID-19 complications.

Meredith Kercher was a young exchange student from London, who was studying abroad in Italy. She had a lot to look forward to in life. All that changed on the night of November 1, 2007. Meredith's bedroom door was locked and her roommates tried to knock with no avail. Eventually, the door was kicked down after one roommate found both of Meredith's phones in a nearby garden, something that wasn't normal. They discovered Meredith's nude body, wrapped in a blanket on her bedroom floor. She had been stabbed and it was later discovered that she had been sexually assaulted. Before the discovery of her body, Meredith's roommates unintentionally moved things around in the apartment and contaminated the crime scene. Almost immediately, investigators pointed the finger at Meredith's American roommate. Her name was Amanda Knox. Amanda, her boyfriend, and a man named Rudy Guede were arrested and charged with Meredith's murder. Rudy Guede, who had a history of break ins and was infatuated with knives, stated that Amanda wasn't there at the crime scene. He then changed his story and said Amanda was there and she stabbed Meredith. All three were convicted in 2011. In the appeal case, it was concluded that evidence from the crime scene was mishandled and had no trace of DNA from Amanda or her boyfriend. Rudy's DNA was the only one found. This was ignored during the original trials. In 2015, Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend were acquitted of murder. In 2021, Rudy Guede was released from an Italian prison. It is believed that he acted alone. 

Today, we take a little break from true crime....kinda, as I talk with my friend Keith about random things. There's even a little appearance from Momma Mary (My mom). I'll be back next episode with a new case! enjoy!!!!

Israel Keyes was raised in a large family. He was the second of 10 children born to Heidi and John Keyes. The children were raised very religious and attended a church called the Arch, that taught white supremacist Christian ideologies. In his youth, Israel became obsessed with Ted Bundy, even idolizing the notorious serial killer. The Keyes children were raised in a one room cabin in Washington were their parents forced them to live in tents and hunt for their own food. As a hobby, Israel would hunt anything with a heartbeat, even skinning a deer alive on one occasion. Children at the church would isolate him because of this behavior.  Eventually, he realized that he was different from his peers and developed antisocial behavior and withdrew himself socially in his teen years. It's believed that between 1997 and 2012, Israel murdered at least 11 people. He picked his victims at random and prepare for a long while before committing the murder. His last confirmed murder was and 18 year old coffee booth worker named Samantha Koenig in Anchorage, Alaska. Keyes took her phone and debit card, sexually assaulted her, then strangled her. He left her body in a shed for two week while he went on vacation with his family. He returned, applied makeup to her face, sewed her eyes OPEN with fishing wire and took a picture with a four day old newspaper, posing as if she was still alive. After, he demanded $30,000 in ransom and then dismembered Samantha's body and dumped it in a lake. He was caught a month later in Texas. Israel Keyes committed suicide on December 2, 2012 in his jail cell. His trial was set to begin in March 2013. 

David Russell Williams was a trained Canadian Forces pilot with 23 year career. He was the perfect military man. He spent time all over Canada, but settled in Ottawa with his wife Mary. On January 28, 2010, 27 year old Jessica Lloyd vanished from her home in Tweed, Ontario. Investigators notice a footprint and tire tread marks in the snow next to Lloyd's home. Over the next week, police set up a check point on the highway to check the tire tread of every motorist who drove through. Williams was stopped and a one of the officers noticed the similarities between the treat on Williams' Nissan Pathfinder and the tread marks at the crime scene. On February 7, Ontario Provincial Police called Williams at his home in Ottawa and asked him to come down for questioning. In the ten hour interrogation, Williams confessed to murdering Lloyd, as well as 37 year old Marie France-Comeau, a military flight attendant. Williams also admitted to several sexual assaults and over 80 break ins. Investigators found 48 pairs of ladies underwear and bras taken during his break ins, as well as photographs of Williams wearing them. He also stated he had pedophiliac tendencies, stealing underwear from victims as young as 9 years old. Russell Williams was subsequently sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for his crimes. 

Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès was raised thinking that strength, wealth and success were key to life. Xavier's family was a known noble aristocratic family that dated back to mid 18th century France. Xavier married Agnès Hodanger in 1992 and Xavier adopted Agnès' two year old son Arthur. The couple had three more children: Thomas, Anne and Benoît. The family resided in an upper class neighborhood in Nantes, France. Xavier was a successful businessman and Agnès worked at a Catholic school. On April 21, 2011, french police entered the home of the Dupont de Ligonnès family for the sixth time in two weeks. Relatives and neighbors hadn't seen or heard from the family, which was unlike them. In the first five searches, police found nothing that was suspicious. This time, they made a horrific discovery. In the backyard, under the terrace was a hole containing large plastic bags full of bodies. They were the remains of Agnès, Anna, Arthur, Benoît and the family's two dogs. Thomas, believed to be killed the night after the rest of the family, was buried in a separate grave. They were believed to have been killed between April 3 and 5. Xavier's remains were nowhere to be found, making him a suspect immediately.  Between April 10 and April 22, Xavier was seen on security camera withdrawing money from his bank account. There wre also several charges on his credit cards for food. His car was found the next day in a parking lot of a hotel over 80 miles away. Investigators learned that Xavier was not as successful as thought and the family was almost out of money. It's believed that Xavier killed his family and fled. His whereabouts are unknown to this day. 

On January  25, 1959, 23 year old Igor Dyatlov and nine others set off on a skiing and hiking expedition in the norther Ural Mountains in the Soviet Union. Two days in, one of the hikers left the expedition due to health issues. Before leaving, Dyatlov was told to send a telegram once he had returned to the town of Vizhai, which was supposed to happen by February 12. When the 12th of February came and went, there was no immediate panic, as it was common for telegrams to be delayed during the time. However, by February 20th, the hikers' families were demanding for a search party to be sent, with police and the Soviet army becoming involved as well. Searchers eventually found the group's tent. It was mangled and had been cut open from the inside. Footprints made by shoeless feet were found. At the bottom of a slope, two group members were found dead. Three more, including Dyatlov, were found dead. They barely clothed  and it seemed as if they were headed back to their campsite. In May, the other four were found dead near a ravine. Three of the four had fatal internal injuries that were so severe that they were comparable to injuries sustained in a bad car crash. Besides soft tissue damage from being submerged in water, there were no external injuries, causing confusion among investigators. Six members died of Hypothermia, while three died of severe internal injuries that are unexplained. The official cause of the incident is an avalanche, but many believe it was something else. Many in the area on the night of the incident reported seeing large orange spheres floating and falling from the sky. The Soviet government silenced those claims. 

On the morning of January 15, 1947, a woman and her three year old daughter were out for a walk in the undeveloped neighborhood of Leiment Park in Los Angeles. The woman saw what appeared to be a discarded store mannequin lying in a vacant lot. As she got closer, she made a horrific discovery; the body of Elizabeth Short, nude and severed into two pieces. Her body was had been mutilated and severed precisely at the waist . All the blood had been drained, giving the skin a pale white glow. the bottom half of the body laid a foot away with the intestines neatly tucked under the buttocks. Giant lacerations were made from the corners of her mouth to her ears, giving her the effect of what as known as the "Glasgow Smile". Famed reported Aggie Underwood was one of the first reporters to arrive at the scene, taking the now infamous and gruesome photos of Elizabeth's body. In the weeks and months following the murder, investigators search far and wide for evidence and interviewed of 150 men who were deemed as potential suspects. The Los Angeles Examiner received cut and pasted letters from the "killer" with items belonging to Elizabeth. No suspect has ever been found and the case remains cold. George Hodel, a Hollywood physician, is believed to have been the one who murdered Short and even his own son, who was a LAPD homicide detective stands by that claim. Before the murder, Hodel was accused of killing his secretary, but no charges were ever filed. He also was accused of molesting his own daughter. Hodel fled the country on several occasions, even living in the Philippines from 1950 to 1990. George Hodel died in 1999 and was never formally charge with the Black Dahlia murder.

Juana Barraza's youth was everything but normal. Her mother was an alcoholic prostitute, who pimped Juana out when she was 12 years old, in exchange for three beers. When Juana was old enough she left the small Mexican town of Hidalgo for Mexico City. She worked many odd jobs and had multiple failed marriage; having four children from them. She toured central Mexico as a masked wrestler named La Dama del Silencio (The Lady of Silence). She began her career as a criminal in 1995, after the birth of her fourth child. Her and her friend would burglarize the homes of elderly people until her friend's boyfriend (who was a corrupt federal officer) forced Juana to pay him 12,000 pesos ($608) in return that she would not be arrested. In 2002, Juana committed her first murder. As her killing spree began to roll, police announced that there was a possible serial killer they named "El Mataviejitas", who was believed to be a homosexual man or transgender woman who was killing elderly people. Juana would wear all white and pretended to be a city council nurse sent to check on her targeted victim. Juana was eventually caught in 2006 and was tried for 30 murders, only being found guilty of 16. Her sentence? A easy 759 years in prison. Regardless, she will be paroled in 2058 at the age of 101. 

For many, family and faith are values held close to heart. But imagine choosing faith over your family. This was the case for Lori Vallow. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Family and faith go hand and hand. Around 2015, Lori began reading a book series by author Chad Daybell. The series was about the end of times and sacrificing everything for the second coming of Christ. Eventually, she met Chad, and the two were instantly linked. Lori didn't just sip the kool aid, she drank the whole bottle. Chad, who was married with five children, told Lori they were married in seven past lives. Lori eventually divorced her fourth husband and went off with Chad. She packed up and moved to Rexburg, Idaho with her kids Tylee and JJ. The children were last seen in September 2019. Lori's oldest son Colby and JJ's grandparents expressed concern for both Tylee and JJ. In October, Colby received a text from Tylee saying that she was okay but too busy to talk. A few days later, Chad's wife Tammy died. According to Chad, she went to bed with a bad cough and never woke up. Weeks after Tammy's death, Chad and Lori got married in Hawaii. Police were sent to Lori's home to conduct a welfare check at the request of JJ's grandmother, who hadn't heard from JJ since August. Lori said that JJ was in Arizona with a family friend, which he wasn't. When police showed up the next day, Lori's home was empty. Chad and Lori fled to Hawaii. Eventually they were arrested and as police and FBI searched Chad's home, human remains were found in the back yard, belonging to Tylee and JJ. 

Cary Stayner was just 11 years old when his younger brother Steven was abducted in 1972. The Stayner family struggled for years to figure out what had happened to Steven. During this time Cary was emotionally neglected by his parents, as they focused solely on finding Steven (or what remained). In 1980, Steven miraculously returned home after escaping his captor. As much as it was great Steven came home, the Stayner family spend much of the early 80s as subjects to media attention. This was hard on Cary, who hadn't received attention like this from his own parents, let alone an entire nation. Steven passed away in 1989 and things went downhill for Cary. He was arrested in 1997 for possession of Methamphetamines and Marijuana, but those charges were later dropped. He took a handyman job at Cedar Lodge Motel, near Yosemite National Park. In February 1999, Cary murdered three female guest of the motel. In July of the same year, he murdered a female backpacker. He was caught and charged with for counts of first degree murder. He was sentenced to death in 2002. In 2006, California overturned the ruling on Capital Punishment, which abolished the death penalty. Cary Stayner has spent the past 20 years in San Quentin State Prison.

On the evening of February 24, 1986, John Ruetten came home to find his wife, Sherri Rasmussen, dead on the living room floor. She had been shot three times and had a noticeable bite mark on her arm. LAPD investigators ruled in a burglary gone wrong. Due to the rising gang violence and crack epidemic in Los Angeles, the case went cold. In 2004, evidence that had gone missing was recovered. It was a cotton swab that contained the DNA of a possible suspect that was taken from the bite mark on Sherri's arm. The case continued to sit until 2009, hen it was reopened by police. The DNA was linked to a well respect, veteran LAPD detective named Stephanie Lazarus. Prior to John's marriage to Sherri, he had an intimate relationship with Stephanie. He only saw her as a hook up but she was in love with him. Stephanie became jealous of Sherri, eventually stalking her. While working as an LAPD officer, she killed Sherri and staged the scene to look like a burglary. Stephanie was charged with first degree murder and was sentenced to 27 years to life in prison. At this time, she has exhausted all her appeals

In December 1972, Steven Stayner was abducted by Kenneth Parnell, a convicted child molester and sex offender, while walking home from school in Merced, California. Parnell's plan was to raise the boy as his own, even changing his name. While in captivity, Stayner was raped by Parnell on a few occasions, even being molested by Parnell's girlfriend. As Steven grew older, Parnell would have Steven try to abduct other young boys. Steven later stated that he purposefully sabotaged the abductions On Valentine's day 1980, Parnell had Stayner's friend abduct five year old Timmy White. On the evening of March 1, 1980, while Parnell was at his night job, Steven and Timmy left the house and hitchhiked to near by Ukiah. The next morning, the boys were returned to their families and Parnell was arrested. Steven struggled to adjust to life outside of captivity, as Parnell would let the boy do basically anything he wanted. Stayner was shattered by the way his parents treated him like a teen rather than the seven year old he was when he left. He felt lost. His drinking habit continued to escalate as the mental and emotional toll had continued to weigh on him. Eventually, he got married and had two children. Unfortunately, on September 16, 1989, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. He was 24 years old. Steven's disappearance and escape was heavy on him and his family. This case wasn't the last time the Stayner family made national news....

While attending the University of York, Neil Entwistle met Rachel Souza, an American student studying in England. The two fell in love and eventually got married in 2003. The couple lived in Worcestershire where their daughter Lillian was born in 2005. The Entwistles migrated to the US, settling in Massachusetts, Rachel's home state. They stayed with Rachel's mother and stepfather before finding a home in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. Ten days after moving into their home, the love story came to a tragic end. On January 22, both Rachel and Liilian were found shot to death in the master bedroom, under a pile of bedding. Hours after the deaths of his wife and daughter, Neil bought a one way ticket to London at 5am and departed Boston at 8:15,  a day before the bodies were found. On January 23, a Massachusetts State Police trooper contacted Entwistle to tell him what had happened. He said that he left that morning and bother his wife and daughter were alive, when he came back, they were dead and he didn't know what to do. He also stated that he planned to kill himself but couldn't do it, so he fled the country. His recently viewed a website that stated "how to kill someone" and searched for escort services in the days leading up to the murders. At the time of the murders, Neil had been fired from his job for several months and his wife never knew. He also had $30,000 worth of credit card debt. He  was eventually arrested in London and extradited back to the US to stand trial. His trial began on June 2, 2008 and was found guilty on June 25, 2008. He was sentenced to two life sentences and ten years probation to run concurrently. 

In the early morning of July 23, 2007, the town of Cheshire, Connecticut would horrifically be changed forever. After following 48 year old Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her 11 year old daughter, Michaela Petit the night before, Joshua Komisarjevski and his crime partner, Steven Hayes broke into the Petit Family house. Komisarjevski struck the patriarch of the family, Dr. William Petit, over the head with a baseball bat. Both Komisarjevski and Hayes then tied Dr. Petit up in the basement before going upstairs. They then tied up Jennifer and the Petit's daughters, 18 year old Hayley and 11 year old Michaela in their rooms before ransacking the home. Hayes then forced Jennifer to drive to the bank as it opened for the day and take out $15,000. Jennifer told the bank teller what was happening and the teller contacted local police. Upon returning to the home, Hayes and Komisarjevski sexually assaulted Jennifer. Dr. Petit could hear the assault. In a quick moment of adrenaline, Dr. Petit escaped through the basement and ran for help. Komisarjevski had already raped Michaela by the time Hayes and Jennifer returned. After realizing William Petit had escaped, Jennifer was strangled and the two began dumping gasoline all over the house. They went upstairs and doused the girls with gasoline before leaving. The house was then set ablaze. Both men were arrested a block away after crashing the Petit family car. Jennifer, Hayley, and Michaela Petit were all killed. According to autopsy reports, both Hayley and Michaela were alive when the house was set on fire. Both men were eventually sentenced to death by lethal injection. In August 2015, Connecticut voted to abolish capital punishment. As a result, sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

As a respected decorated police officer, Drew Peterson took down some of Chicago's toughest drug dealers during the 80s and 90s. He could keep bad guys off the streets, but he couldn't keep his wives. Married four times, Peterson was unfaithful, controlling, and abusive. He was an arrogant asshole who really played the nice guy part. After two failed marriages, he married Kathleen Savio in 1992. Things turned sour soon after and Kathleen filed for divorce in 2003. The next year, Kathleen's body was found in a dry bathtub. Her body had scrapes and bruises and an unexplained gash on her scalp. Her death was ruled an accident. Drew was considered a suspect but those involved in the investigation knew Drew personally and all evidence that point to foul play was non existent. At age 49, he married 19 year old Stacy Ann Cales. The had two children together and she even adopted Savio's children. In 2007, after not showing up to help her sister, Stacy was reported missing. Drew was in the media quite frequently after this. He taunted reporters and camera crews outside his house. Finally in 2009, he was arrested and charged with Savio's murder after the case was reopened. Questions started to rise about Stacy as well. According to Drew, she ran away with another man. But according to Drew's stepbrother and some neighbors, Drew and his stepbrother loaded Drew's SUV with a blue, 55 gallon barrel in the middle of the night. Stacy Ann Peterson has never been found. He was convicted of Kathleen Savio's murder in 2012 and was sentenced to 38 years in prison. In 2015, Peterson asked another prisoner, who later turned out to be an informant, to kill the prosecuting attorney in his ex wife's murder case. Peterson was charged with soliciting murder for hire and was sentenced to an additional 40 years in prison. 

On the night of November 13, 1990, the small seaside town of Aramoana, New Zealand would be shaken to its core. After an argument over a dog on his property, David Gray shot and killed his neighbor, Garry Holden. Gray then shot at Holden's daughters, killing two. Gray set fire to the Holden house with the bodies of the two girls inside. He then shot at a family who stopped to help, killing four, including two six year old boys. His rampage continued through the night. By the next morning, he had barricaded himself inside a house. He ate and soon fell asleep. He had killed 13 people, including four children and a police officer. Almost 24 hours after his rampage began, Gray was found and a shootout ensued. Once out of ammunition, Gray came out and taunted police, telling them to kill him. He was shot five times but survived. He eventually died on his way to the hospital. This was New Zealand's largest mass murder in history until 2019. The events in Aramoana sparked swift changes to New Zealand's firearms legislation, which tightened the purchases of military grade semi-automatic firearms in 1992. 

Marvin Gaye, known for his R&B hits "Let's Get It On", "Sexual Healing", "What's Going On" and more, was shot and killed by his own father on April 1, 1984. He was one day shy of his 45th birthday. The murder had stemmed from an argument between his mother, Alberta Gay, and his father, Marvin Gay Sr. Marvin and his father always had a rough relationship. It had reached its peak. Because it was April 1st, many believed the news to be a hoax. A year prior, Marvin embarked on a comeback tour after spending time in Europe. Halfway through the tour, Marvin began using cocaine again to cope with the pressure of touring. He eventually became so paranoid that he'd wear a bulletproof vest up until he got on stage. Between August 1983 and April 1984, Marvin's mental health continued to decline. He was so low, death was always on his mind. He contemplated his own suicide many times. As his parents fought, Marvin saw this as an opportunity to provoke his father, to the point were he grabbed a gun and shot his own son. As Marvin laid dying, he whispered to his brother "I got what I wanted... I couldn't do it myself, so I had him do it... It's good, I ran my race, there's no more left in me". Marvin Gaye was pronounced dead on arrival at 1:01 pm. His father, Marvin Gay Sr., was sentenced to a six year suspended sentence and five years if probation. His siblings continue to believe that Marvin's death was a suicide by the hands of their father. His sister has stated that Marvin "knew what he was doing".

Junko Furuta was a 17 year old student at Yashio-Minami High School. She was a good student who had high hopes for the future as she was saving for a trip post graduation and had a job lined up. On the night of November 25, 1988, Furuta was on her way home from work when she was kicked off her bike by and unknown teenaged boy. A few seconds later, another teenaged boy appeared and helped her. He offered to walk her home. Unbeknownst to Furuta, both boys (Hiroshi Miyano and Shinji Minato) were friends who planned this out. Miyano lead Furuta to a warehouse, where she was beaten and raped. She was held captive at Misato's home for 40 days. Miyano, Minato and two of their friends, Jō Ogura and Yasushi Watanabe beat, tortured and raped Furuta. Minato's family never reported the crimes as they feared their son and his friends. Furuta succumbed to her injuries on January 4, 1989. Fearing the consequences, the boys wrapped Furuta's body in blankets and placed her in a metal drum, which was then filled with wet concrete. Over the next four months, the boys continued to commit more violent crimes. After being arrested for an unrelated crime, Miyano confessed to killing Furuta and dumping her body after thinking Ogura confessed as well. The four boys were arrested and charged with murder. They all served anywhere from 5 to 20 years in prison. Furuta's family and the public believed the sentences were too light. Once they got out, most of them continued to commit crimes.

Eric Edgar Cooke was a husband and father of seven children by day, but at night he was a a cold blooded killer, with no reason to kill other than he wanted. As a young adult, Cooke would burglarize and vandalize homes in Perth, Western Australia. Soon enough, his crimes came to haunt him and he was arrested after his finger prints were left on everything at every crime scene. He was sentenced to three years in prison for his crimes. Once he got out, his crimes escalated from robbery to murder. Between 1958 and 1963, Cooke murdered eight unsuspecting people in various ways. None of the victims had and similarities or connections, which led police to believe that multiple people were responsible. Eventually, Cooke was caught and confessed to the murderers. Although he described each murder to the point, two of the eight cases weren't believed to be him, as there were two men already in jail for them, wrongfully. Cooke was hanged in 1964, as the last to be hanged in Western Australia. 

Between 1968 and 1979, convicted sex offender Rodney Alcala raped and murdered several women across the country, mainly in Los Angeles and New York City. He came up with a front to lure unexpected victims to their deaths. He claimed to be a professional photographer and would take nude photos of women and children (both boys and girls). In 1978, Alcala appeared on an episode of "The Dating Game", a popular show at the time. Although he won the game and a date with the bachelorette, she ultimately rejected the date because he made her uncomfortable. At the time of his game show appearance, he had killed at least three women. 

This is a revamped version of a previous episode. I will select a few of my older episodes and remake them with better quality than before! On April 26, 1986, an explosion erupted the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine when the number four reactor, after a routine test, suddenly dropped power to near zero before overloading. Built up steam blew the 1,000 ton reactor lid through the roof, exposing a 700 mile radius to 400 times more radiation than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Two workers were killed in the initial explosion, while 29 others would die in the days and weeks following, mostly firefighters who were unaware of the exposure. The nearby town of Pripyat was evacuated three days later. The roughly 50,000 residents were told the move was temporary. They never returned. The cleanup efforts were costly and long, with many workers being exposed to high amounts of radiation. After almost a year, a steel sarcophagus was placed over the reactor to contain the radiation. In 2016, a dome like concrete sarcophagus was built over the reactor and old protection that will last 100 years. At the time of the explosion, the Soviet government did everything to conceal the event. Even the manager of the test that lead to the explosion threatened his workers and said that no explosion actually occurred. It wasn't until other European countries noticed the high levels of radiation, when the Soviet Union admitted to the world what had happened. The Soviet government continued to lie to its citizens in the surrounding area of the power plan and said they were fine. Since 1986, over 100,000 deaths are attributed to the explosion. The official death toll remains at 31 according to Soviet records. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone won't be livable for another 24,000 years. the soil, plants, water and animals are highly contaminated, although animals a seemed to adapted to the radiation and appear fine.

Between July and October 1965, sisters Sylvia and Jenny Likens was placed under the care of Gertrude Baniszewski by their parents who were carnival workers. The Likens' parents planned to come get them that November. The next four months would be hell on earth for the sisters, primarily Sylvia. As an agreement, Likes' father was to pay Gertrude $20 a week, but after two weeks, payments were a day or two late. Gertrude and her daughter Paula began to physically and mentally abuse the Likens Sisters. They shifted most of the abuse to Sylvia. She was burned, scalded, punched, kicked and hit with objects by the pair. It escalated to Gertrude allowing neighborhood kids to join in on the abuse for a fee of five cents. Gertrude would call Sylvia a prostitute and have her kids spread rumors that she was a sinner. Sylvia would suffer for no reason at all. She was malnourished since she was served expired food or denied food completely. She was incontinent and began urinating herself. Her body, littered with lacerations and bruises, grew weak as time went on. Her abusers would rub salt on Sylvia's wounds until she screamed. Jenny had no other option but to sit there and watch with tears in her eyes. In late October, Gertrude used a heated needle to etch and insult into Sylvia's abdomen. On October 26, 1965, Sylvia Likens died from her extensive injuries. Authorities believed Sylvia died eight hours before a call to police was made. Gertrude, her children Paula and John Jr. and two other neighborhood boys were tried together for Sylvia's murder. All five were found guilty with Gertrude and Paula receiving life sentences. The three boys spent two years in a reformatory since they were minors. All five were paroled, changing their identities and living out their days elsewhere. 

The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) is a Fundamentalist Mormon denomination that practices Polygamy. The more wives and children a man has, the closer he is to heaven. A woman is groomed to serve their husband and have babies. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has denounced the FLDS and has no affiliation to them. Warren Jeffs assumed the position of "Prophet" of the FLDS in September 2002 after his father, Rulon died. As Prophet and President of the church, he would set people up to be married. In most cases, underaged girls would be forced to marry someone much older and possibly related to them. Warren Jeffs himself had as many as 78 wives. In 2006, he was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List after fleeing from charges of arranging marriage between adult followers and underaged girls. He was also charged in Texas with sexual assault of a minor and aggravated sexual assault of a child. He was sentenced to Life in prison plus 20 years. When the FBI and local police search the FLDS ranch in Texas, they were aided by former members of the church. Hard evidence was found in a basement vault that contained marriage certificates and voice recordings of him sexually assaulting minors, one of them being 12 years old. Allegedly, he took 482 victims. 

From May 1979 to June 1980, William Bonin raped, tortured, and murdered a minimum of 21 boys and young men. He would dispose of their bodies alongside highways around Southern California, hence the name The Freeway Killer. As a child, Bonin was neglected by his parents and sexually abused by his grandfather. During his teen years he discovered that he was gay and would occasionally molest children, After graduation, he enlisted in the US Air Force and served in the Vietnam War. During his time in Vietnam, he raped two fellow soldiers at gun point. He was never charged. After his discharge from the military, Bonin moved to California and began to molest and rape young boys before being caught and sentenced to a mental institution. After 16 months, he was released with the assumption that he would not harm a child again. After being caught for the murders, he was convicted and sentenced to death. He was executed via lethal injection on February 23, 1996. He was the first to receive injection in the state of California. 

During the second week of the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich,  11 Israeli coaches and athletes were taken hostage at 4:30 am on September 5, 1972. The perpetrators, Black September, were a Palestinian militant group who were motivated by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After taking the Israeli team hostage, Black September demanded that 234 Palestinian prisoners be released from Israeli jails. During the subsequent break in, two members of the Israeli team were shot and killed. During the stand off, West German authorities tried to persuade the attackers. The also tried, and failed, to rescue the hostages. At 10pm, an agreement was made for the perpetrators and hostages to be helicoptered to a nearby airport and sent to Egypt, where the hostages could be held prisoner. This was all a ruse. When the helicopters arrived at the airport, all hell broke lose. Because there was no planning and tactics, the rescue was unsuccessful as there was no communication and the snipers were not actually sniper marksmen. A gunfight was well underway when the lead perpetrator turned and started shooting hostages dead. He then pulled a pin on a grenade and blew the helicopter up, leaving the hostages burnt beyond recognition. In total 17 were killed (11 hostages, 5 Black September members, and 1 police officer). West German police are to blame as they ignored prior warnings from others. 

On the night of October 9, 2012, 19 year old Lizzi Marriott went missing. The University of New Hampshire student had plans to go over her friend and coworker, Kat McDonough's apartment. McDonough shared the apartment with her boyfriend, Seth Mazzaglia in Dover, New Hampshire. In the days that followed, Kat and Seth were questioned by investigators. Although Kat stopped talking to detectives after 2 hours, Seth went on for 11 hours before admitting that Lizzi had died in the apartment. On Saturday, October 13, Seth was charged with Lizzi's murder. He led investigators to Peirce Island in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he said he dumped Lizzi's body into the Piscataqua River. The Piscataqua River is known for having some of the strongest currents in the country. It was obvious that Kat McDonough was in an abusive relationship. Two friends showed up at the apartment after Lizzi was murdered and stated that Kat was rocking in the fetal position. She helped Seth dispose of the body. Seth Mazzaglia was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in 2014. Because she testified against Mazzaglia, Kat McDonough only served three years in prison. To this day, Lizzi Marriott's body has never been found. 

On the evening of October 6, 1998, two men robbed and tortured 21 year old Matthew Shepard, outside of Laramie, Wyoming. Shepard, who was gay, was left severely injured and bloodied on a barbed wire fence in freezing temperatures. It wasn't until the next morning when Shepard was found by a cyclist. Matthew was clinging to life when he was transferred to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. He died six days later from his injuries. The suspects, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, were originally charged with robbery and attempted murder. The charge was upgraded to first degree murder following Shepard's death. the reasoning for Matthew's murder are debated. The prosecution believed that McKinney and Henderson were motivated by drugs and greed. The Defense argued that Shepard made sexual advances towards McKinney which enraged him. Both McKinney and Henderson were sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for the murder. 

After a small miscommunication, Randy Weaver missed his court date for guns charges. The ATF and FBI were undercover in northwestern Idaho, cracking down on anti-government militias, when Weaver sold a sawed off shotgun to an undercover agent. 18 months after his original court date, US Marshalls began surveillance on the Weaver home. On August 21, 1992, agents began to close in when all hell broke loose. Agents shot and killed the Weaver family dog and the Weaver's son, Sammy. It is disputed as to what actually happened on the trail outside the cabin but at the end of the day, two people and a dog were dead. During the 11 day stand off, Weaver's wife Vicki was shot in the head by a sniper. Weaver's world was coming to an end. Weaver finally surrendered and was put on trial. Randy Weaver was sentenced to 18 months in prison and had to pay a $4,000 fine. The question has always been who was in the wrong? It is believed the the government was the reason for the stand off and killings of Weaver's son and wife. In the years following the incident, Weaver and his surviving children became born again christians and forgave the FBI and ATF for what had happened. Randy Weaver passed away on May 11, 2022 at the age of 74.

By the mid 1970s, "The Troubles" in Ireland was at it's bloodiest point. The people of Ireland and Northern Ireland could not see eye to eye, some even taking a more violent approach. In the early morning hours of July 31, 1975, the Miami Showband was on their way back to Dublin after a show in Northern Ireland. The band's minibus was stopped at a checkpoint by a group of soldiers. Many of the soldiers seem to be members of the British Army, so the band was relaxed. The members were forced to get out and face a field with their hands on their heads. Two soldiers began looking through the car, eventually placing a time bomb under the driver's seat. Due to poor handling and soldering, the bomb went off prematurely, killing both men. All hell broke loose and the soldiers began firing at the band. Of the five members, three were executed and one was severely injured. In total, five people were killed. The checkpoint was found to be fake and the soldiers were members of the Northern Ireland paramilitary group, UVF. Their goal was to send the band to the next town and detonate the bomb at a police station and claim the band was part of the IRA. Only three members were tried and convicted. They were sentenced to life imprisonment but were all released in 1998. Although names have been tossed around, seven of the ten UVF soldiers involved have been identified. 

On July 17, 1988, Frank Goodish, known as Brusier Brody to many, was stabbed by fellow wrestler Jose Gonzalez in a locker room shower at a show in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Brody lay bleeding on the shower floor for a whole thirty minutes before paramedics arrived. Wrestler Tony Atlas had to help carry Brody to the ambulance because Brody, who stood at 6 feet 8 inches and weighed 300 pounds, was too big for paramedics to lift alone. Bruiser Brody died a few hours later from his injuries. He was 42. The reason as to why Gonzalez killed Brody is still unknown. The three main theories are: 1) There was an argument over money, 2) There was an argument over a match finish and 3) There was a decade long grudge Gonzalez held over Brody. Either way, the locker room was full of people when Gonzalez asked to speak to Brody privately in the showers, yet none of them saw anything. Jose Gonzalez was tried and acquitted of murder in 1989. He continued to wrestle until 2014. The only one who was willing to testify was Tony Atlas. He was in contact with authorities in Puerto Rico and was told a subpoena would be sent to him by mail. The subpoena, dated January 3rd, wasn't sent until January 13th. The letter wasn't received by Atlas until January 24th, a whole day after the trial had started and a verdict was reached. Atlas believes that the fix was in. 

On November 10, 1985, a hunter stumbled upon a 55 gallon barrel that contained the skeletal remains of a woman and a young girl. The remains were buried in the town cemetery. Their tombstone read "Here lies the mortal remains known only to God of a woman aged 23-33 and a girl child aged 8-10. Their slain bodies were found on November 10th, 1985, in Bear Brook State Park. May their souls find peace in God's loving care". The small community of Allenstown, New Hampshire would never be the same. 15 years later, in May 2000, a second barrel was found with the skeletal remains of two young girls. Local police determined the victims in both barrels were killed by the same person(s). In 2014, three of the remains were linked together by DNA. In 2019, the identities of the three were released: Marlyse Elizabeth Honeychurch (24), Marie Elizabeth Vaughn (7), and Sarah Lynn McWaters (11 months). Honeychurch was the mother of Marie and Sarah. The suspect remained unknown for a long time until 2017, when it was determined that Terry Peder Rasmussen was the suspect. Rasmussen died in prison while serving a life sentence in 2010. 

On September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot four times by an unknown shooter in a white Cadillac on East Flamingo Road in Las Vegas, Nevada. After leaving a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand, Tupac and his Death Row entourage brawled with Southside Crips member Orlando Anderson. The Death Row entourage attended a party at Club 662 later that night. The shooting occurred 15 minutes after leaving the club at a red light. A four door white Cadillac pulled up to the drivers side. The backseat passenger side window went down and shot rang out. Tupac was hit four times and his driver and friend, Suge Knight, was grazed. Tupac was rushed to the hospital, were he died six days later. He was 25 years old. The investigation was hard since no witnesses wanted to tell police what had happened. Over the years, many names have been brought up and many theories have been explored as to who really killed Tupac. The case remains cold to this day. Despite many allegations, after the brawl in the MGM Grand lobby, Orlando Anderson was seen with three others getting out of a white Cadillac at Club 662 before the shooting. It's most likely that Anderson is the one responsible. Anderson was killed two years after Tupac in a gang shooting. 

Martial Arts star Bruce Lee passed away on July 20, 1973 in Hong Kong. He was only 32 years old. The official cause of death was a cerebral edema. Many theorize that Lee's death was too suspicious. Many believed that Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei had poisoned Lee with a "painkiller", either because Lee ended their "affair" or she was paid by the Triads to kill him. Another theory is that his business partner, Raymond Chow, poisoned Lee after Chow found out Lee planned to move back to the United States to make more movies. Lee was suspected of having a drug problem which may have contributed to his death. This has since been debunked. 

On May 22, 2013, Pearl Fernandez called 911 and said that her 8 year old son, Gabriel, was not breathing. Upon arrival, they found Gabriel naked with several injuries. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, where doctors declared him brain dead. He died two days later as a result of blunt force trauma and neglect. His mother Pearl and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre were immediate suspects. The real truth is that Fernandez and Aguirre severely beat and tortured Gabriel for the eight months leading up to his death. They forced him to eat cat litter and feces, shot him with BB guns and knocked his teeth out. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Aguirre abused Gabriel just off. the assumption that he was "gay". A finger was never laid on Gabriel's siblings. Pearl abandoned Gabriel just three days after giving birth. Gabriel was raised by his uncle until the age of four, then his grandparents. In 2012, Pearl regained custody. Gabriel would miss days of school and when he did go, he was covered in bruises and welts. He would tell his teacher what his mom would do to him. The teacher did contact social services but nothing was ever done. Pearl Fernandez pleaded guilty for the murder and torture of Gabriel and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2018. Aguirre plead not guilty and a trial began. Ultimately, he was found guilty of first degree murder and torture that resulted in death. He was sentenced to death.

At 2:49 pm on April 15, 2013, a pressure cooker bomb containing ball bearings and nails, exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street. 14 seconds later, another bomb exploded 200 yards away. As the crowd began to panic and run, police officers and medical personnel jumped to action. As a result of the bombing, 3 died, including an 8 year old boy, and 264 people were injured. The suspects, later identified three days later, were Tamerlan Tsarnaev (26) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (19). The brothers immigrated from Kyrgyzstan in 2002. Tamerlan was an amateur boxer, while Dzhokhar studied Marine Biology at UMass Dartmouth. The brothers, who were practicing muslims, had a disliking towards the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more so Tamerlan (who influenced Dzhokhar). Tamerlan wanted revenge for what US forces were doing to the muslim community in both countries. On April 18, after their identities were posted everywhere, they shot and killed an MIT police officer while he was sitting in his cruiser. They then stole an Mercedes SUV and held the driver hostage. While they stopped for gas, the hostage escaped and called 911. After the Mercedes was ID'd, police attempted to stop the car, but a shootout ensued. Tamerlan was accidentally ran over by his brother while Dzhokhar was trying to flee. He died an hour later. The entire city of Boston and its surrounding areas were placed on lockdown as a manhunt began. The next day, Dzhokhar was found hiding in a parked boat in someone's backyard. He was arrested and charged with 30 counts. He was sentenced to death on June 24, 2015. 

In the early 19th century, Edinburgh was the leading European center for anatomy. Dissections were so popular, that the city began running out of cadavers. By Scottish law, the only bodies that could be used were those who died in jail, suicide victims, and orphans. People began stealing bodies from graves, which wasn't illegal. Anatomists would pay handsomely for bodies. As measures to stop grave robbing heightened, two men took matters into their own hands. William Burke and William Hare began a killing spree in exchange for money from anatomist Robert Knox. In November 1828, both men and their wives were caught after suspicion had arose. Hare was granted immunity as long as he testified against Burke. Hare's wife was also granted the same. Hare admitted to killing sixteen people along with Burke and went into great detail of the methods. Burke was found guilty and sentenced to death. His wife was found no proven, which meant she was guilty but there wasn't enough evidence to convict. Burke was hanged in February 1829. His body was dissected and his skeleton was preserved. To this day, it is on display at the Anatomical Museum of the Edinburgh Medical School. 

We all know the story that the Titanic stuck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912. The event killed thousands. But, is the ship that lies at the bottom of the ocean really the Titanic? In 1911, Titanic's sister ship, Olympic, struck a small ship. The incident caused damage to the Olympic that was costly. With White Star Line losing revenue from Olympic being docked, members of the board came up with a plan. The plan... switch the Titanic for the Olympic and sink the ship for insurance compensation. Both ships looks identical inside and out, no one could tell the difference. Several White Star Line owners cancelled their ticket for the Titanic only hours before the ship set sail, a small ship left in a hurry with only blankets and clothes. At the end of the day, many lost their lives regardless of what happened. 

On April 4, 1968, Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was on the balcony in front of his motel room at the Loraine Motel in Memphis. At 6:01 p.m., a shot rang out. The bullet entered Dr. King's cheek, fracturing his jaw, neck, and through the jugular before lodging in his shoulder. He was taken to the hospital, before being pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m. The shooter was later identified as James Earl Ray, who was an escaped prisoner from Missouri. He was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport before being extradited back to Tennessee. He plead guilty on March 10, 1969 and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. King's funeral was attended by 300,000 people in his hometown of Atlanta. Over the years, many conspiracies have arose from the King Assassination. One of which being, the government killed King and used Ray as a scapegoat. 

Between 1978 and 1983, Dennis Nilson murdered at least 12 young men and boys in two apartments in North London. Nilson would lure his victims with alcohol and food. Once the victims drank themselves into a stupor, Nilson would strangle them to unconsciousness or death. If the victim lay unconscious, Nilson would drown them in his bathtub. He would dress the bodies and cuddle with them, as if they were still alive. He then masturbated over them before discarding them under his floorboards. He would keep several bodies for weeks before dissecting them and disposing of them, either by burning them in a bonfire or flushing them down the toilet. On February 10, 1983, after making a complaint that his pipes were clogging, plumbers discovered what appeared to be human flesh stuck in the pipes of the flat. The police were contacted and Nilson confessed without hesitation. Nilson was tried for six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. He died on an aortic aneurysm on May 12, 2018. 

On the morning of February 28, 1997, Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Matasareanu entered the Bank of America at the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Archwood Street. Both men were heavily armed and armored and their plan was to steal $750,000 from the bank vault. As they walked in, two LAPD officers spotted them entering and called it in. While the men were robbing the bank, LAPD began surrounding the bank. When the two men left the bank (one out through the north exit, one through the south), a 44 minute shootout ensued. Phillips ended up taking his own life as his gun jammed. Matasareanu was shot in the legs multiple times three blocks away. He was arrested but bled to death while waiting for the ambulance that showed up 70 minutes after Matasareanu was handcuffed. In all, almost 2,000 rounds of ammunition was fired by the suspects and LAPD.

Today, I will be talking about three men who have mad a mark in Soviet/Russian history as the most infamous killers:Anatoly Onoprienko - Burglar turned serial killer. Confessed to killing 52 men, woman, and children. He'd rob a house, kill the fathers, then the mothers, then the children, before setting the house on fire, He'd also kill anyone who would be seen as a witness.Alexander Pichushkin - When he was a child, he hit his forehead and it caused major brain damage. He would be prone to fits of rage and aggression. His grandfather kept him calm by placing him in local chess games in the park. After his grandfather's death, Pichushkin killed 52 people between 1992 and 2006.Alexander Solonik - A Russian hitman who was ruthless. Every time he got arrested, he'd escape prison. He was responsible for killing some of Russia's largest mob bosses. After his third prison escape, Solonik went to Greece and began his own organization. He was killed by a Russian assassin in January 1997. 

On April 22, 1958, David Early was released from Fort Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. In a pre-release letter, he said that he'd like to return to his home state of Colorado. He also mention that is attorney, Merrill Knight, would help him upon his release from prison. Early arrive in Denver two days later and showed up to Knight's residence. No one was home, so Early entered through an unlocked basement door. Once inside, he began to search for money and jewelry that he could pawn. He came across Merrill's .22 caliber rifle, which he then loaded before making himself comfortable. Early had been in and out of jail or prison for most of his life. Merrill Knight represented him out of pity. During one of his stays in prison, doctors at Colorado State Penitentiary diagnosed Early as a "dangerous psychopath". I'm joined by my best friend Keith for this episode.Follow him on instagram @9zu

On the evening of August 20, 1989, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez shot and killed their father, Jose and their mother, Kitty while they slept in the living room. After the murders, Lyle and Erik left and went to see Batman and attended a food festival. Upon returning to their Beverly Hills mansion, the brother "found" their parents dead and called police. During the investigation, LAPD had no intent to investigate the boys as suspects. In the months after the murders, the brothers began spending money wildly. It is belied that they spent $700,000 between the murders and their arrests. Lyle confessed to killing their parents to their psychologist, and Erik turned himself in three days later. Both were tried separately, but both trials ended in a mistrial. Eventually, they were retired together. It was clear the Jose Menendez was physically, verbally, and sexually abusing the brothers their entire lives. Kitty Menendez was a functioning alcoholic who condoned her husband behavior. This was used as a motive by the defense as to why the Menendez brothers took their parents' lives. The real reason was because they knew they would inherit their father's multimillion dollar estate. in 1994, they were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. They were sent to separate prisons. After 22 years, both brothers reunited after they were placed in the same housing unit in a prison in San Diego County. 

On the night of April 19, 1989, a group of 30 to 32 youths ran around the north end of Central Park, causing trouble. A handful of people were attacked, beaten and robbed. Around 1:30 AM, 28 year old jogger, Trisha Meili was found naked and bound in the woods. She had been beaten severely and raped. Her injuries were to the point where doctors assumed that she would die. She was in a coma for 12 days before waking up. NYPD took to the streets, searching for the suspect(s) who did this. Since the group of teens caused havoc, the police were called on them several times that night. Investigators believed the teens had something to do with the assault and rape of Meili. Five black and latino teens were convicted of the attack on Meili. It was later brought to light that the NYPD coerced and pressured the boys into confessing to the rape. Some were not recorded or had wrote a written confession. At trail, it was said that they did confess on paper and camera. In 2002, all charges were dropped, as the five teens, now men, were innocent. Throughout the trial and even up to now, the case is connected to racial profiling, discrimination, and inequality, as the teens were assumed to be guilty based on their race and never got a fair trial. 

Between February and October 2002, random shootings occurred in Washington D.C. , Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Alabama, and Louisiana. Many victims were shot at gas stations and in large parking lots of stores. Fear spread through communities and the shootings were at random. Many witnesses claimed they saw a white box truck speeding away from the crime scenes, which then got out to the media. Of course, this information caused suspicion of anyone with a white van or truck. As many law enforcement agencies (both local and federal) investigated the shootings, they notice that some of the evidence was the same. It was determined that two men were responsible, John Allen Muhammad, 41, and Lee Boyd Malvo, 17. Authorities closed in on them, after a man spotted two men sleeping in a 1990s dark blue Chevy Caprice. The two men were arrested and eventually tried for their crimes. In total 17 people died and 10 were wounded as a result of these attaks 65

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was preparing to give a speech to the Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. As Malcolm X began speaking, a disturbance came from the crowd, as someone began to yell. As the leader's bodyguards began to move towards the audience, a man stood up and shot Malcolm X in the chest with a sawed off shot gun. Two other men stood up and began shooting Malcolm with semi automatic pistols. As the crowd stood up with terror, the second and third gunmen fled. The first gunman, Talmadge X Hayer, was shot in the leg by a bodyguard before being attacked by the crowd. Eventually, Thomas Johnson, Norman 3X Butler, and Hayer were arrested and charged with murder. They were sentenced to 20 years to life imprisonment in 1966. There have been many theories as to who was involved in Malcolm X's death, with the FBI, NYPD, and Nation of Islam being some of the mentioned. Ultimately, it is believed that the Nation of Islam was behind the assassination. Malcolm, who was a member at one point, had a falling out with the Nation. The Nation was against the idea of integration and believed that whites were the enemy. in 1964, Malcolm seemed to have a change of ideas and began to side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, which angered the Nation of Islam. 

Between 1970 and 2005, Samuel Little has allegedly killed 93 people, mostly women. In his youth, Little confessed to having sexual fantasies of strangling women. He was a career criminal. He was arrested for anything from robbery to rape. In the early 70s, Little started traveling across the country, murdering unsuspected women when he pleased. He would rape and strangle his victims to death, before dumping their bodies in secluded areas. He was arrested for the final time in September 2012 on narcotics charges. DNA testing was used and established Little as the murderer of three women in Los Angeles between 1987 and 1989. While awaiting trial, Little was also being investigated for at least three dozen murders in the 80s. Samuel Little was sentenced to life imprisonment, without parole in 2014. He was given an additional life sentence in Mississippi after being tried and convicted of a murder there. Between 2018 and 2019, Little confessed to 93 murders, with 60 of them being confirmed. Samuel Little died in a Los Angeles area hospital on December 30, 202o at the age of 80. 

In the August of 1955, 14 year old Emmett Till was visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi.  Before leaving his home in Chicago for Mississippi, his mother Mamie warned Emmett of Mississippi. Mamie, originally from Mississippi, told Emmett, "The north and the south are two different worlds". On August 24, Till and his cousins, entered Bryant's Groceries to buy candy. The store was being managed by 21 year old Carolyn Bryant. The exact interaction between Till and Bryant are uncertain and widely disputed, as several different accounts were taken. Till, who had a persistent stutter, would whistle before pronouncing a word he struggled with. It is believed that Bryant took this as an advancement by Till. In Bryant's account, Till held her and put his hand on her waist. She stated that Till had asked her for a date. According to Till's cousins, this did NOT happen. In the early morning of August 28, after finding out what happened from a friend, Carolyn's husband, 24 year old Roy Bryant and his half brother L.W. Milam abducted Till from his uncle's home. They took Till to a barn and beat, tortured, and mutilated the young teen to death. Bryant and Milam then stole the fan to a cotton gin, took Till's body to the Tallahatchie River, wrapped barbed wire around his neck and tied him to the fan. One shot Till in the head before submerging his body in the river, using the fan as a weight. Three days later, Emmett Till's body was discovered. Officials in Mississippi wanted to bury Till almost immediately, but his mother demanded his body be returned to Chicago. The funeral directors highly suggested a closed casket funeral due to the extensive trauma and disfigurement of Till's bloated body. But Mamie insisted that the casket be open. She wanted the world to know what had happened to her son. Emmett's open casket was photographed and published on the cover of black based magazines and newspapers. Bryant and Milam were indicted on murder charges. Their trial began in September 1955. Although their guilt was clear, Bryant and Milam were acquitted by the all white, male jury. In an interview with Look magazine in 1956, both men admitted to killing Till. In the years following, both Bryant and Milam suffered financially and socially, being shut out by the public. The life and death of Emmett Till became an early stepping stone for the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1950s and 1960s.