crimesandcuriosities

[crimesandcuriosities]

Pictured above is the first police composite sketch used to catch a criminal in the UK, dating back to 1881. The drawing was included on a wanted poster that was distributed to the public after a 64-year-old man was robbed, stabbed and fatally shot while aboard a train.

As well as a sketch of the attacker, the poster contained details of the crime as well as a thorough physical description of the perpetrator and a reward amount of £200 (valued at approx. £20,000 or $25,600 in 2023).

The poster resulted in a lot of public engagement, as nothing like this had ever been done before. Within one month, the man depicted in the sketch was identified as 22-year-old Percy Lefroy Mapleton, who was tried for the crime and executed by hanging.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Jennifer Pan: The Girl Who Hired Hitmen to Kill Her Parents

Just before midnight on 8th November 2010, a panicked 24-year-old woman named Jennifer Pan made a call to emergency services from her family home in Markham, Ontario. While watching TV in her bedroom, Jennifer overheard multiple people break into the house and confront her parents downstairs, followed by multiple gunshots.

Jennifer told the dispatcher that one of the intruders had come upstairs, tied her hands behind her back and then bound her to the bannister. As she was restrained upstairs, she was unable to provide any eyewitness details on what was happening downstairs. Towards the end of Jennifer's 911 call, a series of gut-wrenching screams for help can be heard in the distance. Jennifer's father - Hann Pan - was alive.

Jennifer seemed genuinely frantic with worry and puts on a convincing performance to the dispatcher. You would not initially believe she had masterminded the entire attack.

The full story can be read here.

#jennifer pan #parricide #hitmen #true crime #shooting #murder #long post #medium #netflix

[crimesandcuriosities]

These are Tuber Roots of Fleeceflower. You might think that these two pairs are the only ones that came out that way, but that is not the case. A majority of their roots look like this, some even creepier. I wonder why

[crimesandcuriosities]

The World's Most Evil Mother?

Theresa Knorr murdered two of her children after inflicting unimaginable torture.

Theresa Knorr murdered two of her children in a jealous rage after inflicting unimaginable torture.

Born in 1946, Theresa was only a teenager herself when she began bringing children into the world. Between 1963 and 1970, she gave birth to six children in total — three girls and three boys — to two different fathers.

In order of arrival, first came Howard in 1963, then Sheila in 1965, Suesan in 1966, William in 1967, Robert in 1968 and lastly Terry in 1971.

Despite being married a total of four times, Theresa’s relationships with men did not tend to last long and consequentially her children did not have a consistent father figure in their lives. A succession of failed marriages and short-lived flings meant that Theresa mostly raised her children as a single mother in their Sacramento, California home.

Although Theresa got along fairly amicably with her sons, she loathed her daughters. After her fourth divorce, Theresa’s mental health began to deteriorate and she irrationally blamed the teenage girls for her ageing and weight gain, which triggered her to become increasingly physically and psychologically abusive. Theresa eventually recruited her grown sons to assist her with carrying out acts of unthinkable violence towards the young girls — with fatal consequences.

You can read the full article here.

#theresa knorr #murder #child killer #filicide #female killers #child abuse #true crime #long post #medium

[crimesandcuriosities]

Burglar Knocked Woman Unconscious and then Stabbed Her Teenage Daughter to Death 

On 2nd February 1990, Gail Chauviere returned to her home in Brazoria County, Texas, after a day of work and was confused to find an unknown vehicle parked on her driveway. Things then took a sinister turn when Gail walked through the front door and was confronted by an intruder standing beside her 15 year-old daughter, Christie.

However, the intruder was not a stranger. The man standing in Gail's home demanding money was Gary Etheridge, a man she had hired as a maintenance worker just two weeks earlier. Gail worked as a project manager at an apartment complex, and Etheridge was aware that she returned home daily with a bag of cash.

Gail pleaded for Etheridge to take the money and not harm her frightened daughter. Instead, Etheridge grabbed Christie by the hair, threatening to slit her throat if she did not stay quiet. He then proceeded to pull a knife and viciously stab Gail multiple times, before striking her so hard across the head that she passed out.

Read the full story here.

[crimesandcuriosities]

14-year-old John Hron had no time for bullies or racists. The teenager from Sweden went to school with several people that would fall into those categories. He was a keen canoeist and enjoyed playing the guitar.

On the afternoon of the 17th of August, 1995, John and his friend, Christian, were camping by Ingetorpssjon Lake near Kode, Sweden. Shortly after they set up camp, four neo-nazis approached their tent. Ranging from 15-years-old to 18-years-old, John recognised one of them. It was Mikael Fjalljholm, a bully in his school. John and Mikael had bashed heads beforehand. John was horrified by his racist and cruel behaviour and was known to stand up to him when pushed. But now, Mikael had three friends with him, Daniel Hanson, John Billing and BM, as he was only referred to in the media.

They approached the tent and started to punch John. They told him to say that he “loves nazism” to which he refused and received another beating. They kicked and punched him and smashed beer bottles over his head. The sadistic group would beat him for hours and every now and then, would pretend to be apologetic and offer him a drink before starting the attack again. It was a cat and mouse type attack. They burnt him in the fire and burnt his neck with a piece of burning wood.

At some point during the attack, John managed to break free and jump into the lake. However, the group started hollering that they would kill Christian if he did not return. Barely clinging to life, he swam back and the torture continued. When John fell unconscious, they threw him into the lake where he drowned. Christian hitched a ride back home and called police and named John’s killers. When his body was retrieved, it was said that his injuries matched those to somebody who had been hit by a train.

If the grim murder of John wasn’t shocking enough, his killers all received lenient sentences. Daniel was released after just six years while Mikael was sentenced to five years in institutional youth care. The other two received just a few months in prison. John posthumously received the inaugural Stig Dagerman Prize for free speech and world peace.

#how horrifically sad #what a brave soul

[crimesandcuriosities]

The Public Rape and Murder of Kitty Genovese

In the early hours of 13th March 1964, 28-year-old Kitty Genovese finished her shift as a Bar Manager at Ev’s 11th Hour in Queens, New York, and began her journey home. Kitty worked long hours at two jobs in the hopes of one day earning enough money to open an Italian restaurant.

She left the bar at around 2:30am and got into her car. Unbeknownst to Kitty, while stopped at a traffic light, she was spotted by a man driving a white Chevrolet Corvair. Unfortunately for her, the stranger decided at that moment to follow Kitty and make her the victim of a viciously fatal attack.

Kitty arrived back in her home neighbourhood at approximately 3:15am. She got out of her car and walked towards her apartment building, turning onto a dimly lit alleyway in Kew Gardens. Her armed attacker followed closely behind and grabbed her as she almost approached the safety of her home. When Kitty screamed out from the shock, he plunged a knife into her back, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. Altered by Kitty’s cries for help, one neighbour named Robert Mozer opened his window and yelled “Leave that girl alone!” causing the attacker to flee the scene, but the police were not called.

Suffering from the stab wound in her back, Kitty stumbled into a nearby doorway, where she collapsed. Sadly, this did not mark the end of her trauma, as the perpetrator had only temporarily fled. He waited for ten minutes in his car, changed his hat, and then headed back to the crime scene to find Kitty — he then stabbed her over a dozen times and raped her in an attack which lasted for thirty minutes.

Read the full story here.

#kitty genovese #the bystander effect #sociology #murder #violence against women #medium #long post #true crime

[crimesandcuriosities]

Just after 2am on 29th March 2019, 21 year old student Samantha Josephson was last seen waiting for a taxi in Columbia, South Carolina, following a night out with friends. However, after getting into a car she mistook to be her Uber, Samantha was never to be seen alive again.

As shown in the CCTV footage above, Samantha confidently approaches a vehicle and gets inside, expecting that she would soon be home and tucked up in bed. However, she had mistakenly climbed into a black Chevrolet Impala driven by 27 year old Nathaniel Rowland - and he had no intention of getting her home safely.

By 4pm that same day, Samantha's roommates had become increasingly concerned about her whereabouts and contacted authorities, but it was too late. Approximately fourteen hours after Samantha had got into Rowland's car, her body was found by hunters in a field 65 miles away.

Once inside the vehicle, Rowland activated the child locks and unleashed a completely unprovoked, frenzied knife attack. Horrifically, Samantha sustained in excess of 120 stab wounds all over her body. She was attacked so relentlessly that her skull had been penetrated by the knife, and her body contained just over one tablespoon of blood when discovered. Based on the injuries Samantha received, it is estimated that it would have taken her 10-20 minutes to pass away.

Street surveillance has since shown that Rowland had repeatedly driven around the same area that night, as though scouting out potential victims - therefore indicating that his actions were entirely premeditated. Although he persistently maintained his innocence, a physical examination detected Samantha's DNA underneath his fingernails and her blood in numerous places inside his car.

Following a trial which lasted 7 days, Rowland remained largely expressionless and showed a distinct lack of any remorse. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for abduction and murder.

Samantha was studying Political Science at the University of South Carolina and had recently secured a full scholarship to study International Law at Drexel University. It is so tragic that a young woman who just wanted to get home safely was robbed of the exciting and promising life that lay ahead of her.

[crimesandcuriosities]

Violet is currently 7th in the UK with almost 12,000 votes and there is only 9 hours left of the competition! Amazing 👏🏻 She is on track to win £80 for a wonderful cat rescue that deserves every donation they can get. If you love cats and can spare a second to vote (it’s totally free!) it would be so much appreciated. Massive thank you to anyone who has voted already! 💜🏆

Hi everyone! I'm raising money for a cat shelter and would love your help...

This is not exactly true crime related, but I am hoping to raise some money for a wonderful cat rescue that deserves every penny they can get.

I have entered my chonky girl Violet into a photo competition, and if anyone could spare just a second and vote for her, it would mean a lot! You get up to 10 free votes per day. It does not cost a single penny, it's literally just the click of a button.

Last year, Violet was found living stray and alone under a bridge, foraging through rubbish to find scraps of food. She now lives her very best, spoilt queen life with me and my partner in the North Wales countryside!

There are different cash prizes available. Every single penny won by Violet would be donated to Happy Cats Hyndburn, the wonderful rescue centre who saved Violet's life and continue to help so many others precious cats in need.

You can click here to vote. Every single vote counts. Thank you so much, from myself and Violet!

[crimesandcuriosities]

In March 2001, Armin Meiwes advertised on the internet for a “well-built 18-30 year old to be slaughtered and then consumed.” Surprisingly, he received a response from a willing participant, Bernd Brandes.

On the evening of March 9th, the two men met at Meiwes’ home, where Brandes swallowed 20 sleeping tablets and half a bottle of schnapps before having his penis cut off and fried for the pair of them to eat. However, it was subsequently discarded as “too chewy” and instead chopped up for Meiwes’ dog to eat. Brandes, by this stage bleeding heavily, then took a bath while Meiwes allegedly read a Star Trek novel.

During the early hours of the next morning, Armin Meiwes killed his victim by stabbing him in the neck with a large kitchen knife, kissing him first. He then chopped Mr Brandes into pieces, put several bits of him in his freezer and buried the skull in his garden.

Over the next few weeks, he defrosted and cooked parts of Brandes in olive oil and garlic, ultimately consuming a total 20kg of human flesh before he was finally apprehended by police.

[crimesandcuriosities]

The "Ice Cream Killer"

Pictured above is a woman named Goidsargi Estibaliz "Esti" Carranza Zabala, who was arrested in June 2011 for the brutal murders of her ex-husband and boyfriend.

The bodies of Holger Holz (ex-husband) and Manfred Hinterberger (boyfriend) were discovered by workers carrying out maintenance in the ice cream parlour where Carranza worked in Austria, Vienna. Both men had been shot in the back of the head, dismembered with a chainsaw, frozen for a short time and then concealed in blocks of concrete and hidden in the cellar of the store.

Although the victims had been killed and disposed of in very similar circumstances, the murders were carried out two years apart. Carranza, who was 33 years old at the time of her arrest, confessed to killing her husband in 2008 because he refused to move out following their divorce, and said he was violent, lazy and a bully. She shot him in the back of the head three times while he sat at his computer.

In 2010, Carranza's new boyfriend met the same fate after the pair got into a drunken argument. She suspected he was cheating on her, for which she had no evidence, and to end the argument he turned to face away from her in bed and went to sleep. Enraged, Carranza took out the same gun she had used to kill her ex-husband and shot him in the back of the head.

After finding out the remains had been discovered, Carranza fled to Italy but was quickly captured and extradited back to Austria. During the trial, a PowerPoint presentation showed photographs of the victims' sawn-off heads and other severed limbs, prompting the chief prosecutor to describe Carranza as a "highly dangerous woman" whose actions were "depraved and horrific".

In November 2012, Carranza was sentenced to life in a psychiatric institution. Her lawyer Rudolf Mayer - who also defended Josef Fritzl - said at the time he would appeal to have the verdict overturned.

At the time of her arrest, Carranza was two months pregnant to another man, whom she later went on to marry while incarcerated. After the birth, her baby boy was taken away to be raised by Carranza's parents in Barcelona, and Carranza sought to apply for a transfer to Spain so she could remain in contact with her son.

You can also read this post here.

[crimesandcuriosities]

The term ‘bathophobia’ refers to the overwhelming fear of any kind of depths. For example, it can be used to describe the feeling of dread when confronted with or merely thinking about large volumes of water, deep wells, mountain valleys, caves or even long, dark corridors. Generally, bathophobia applies to any situation where the bottom or end of something cannot be seen due to its imposing and seemingly endless depth. The symptoms which accompany exposure to this fear can include becoming physically distressed and hysterical, sweating, increased heart rate, nausea and shaking. 

[crimesandcuriosities]

Violet is doing amazing! Please continue to vote whenever possible, 10 free votes per day and any money won will all be donated to the wonderful cat rescue that saved her life. They are only a small organisation and run entirely by hard-working volunteers. They need and deserve every penny they get. Thank you 💜

Hi everyone! I'm raising money for a cat shelter and would love your help...

This is not exactly true crime related, but I am hoping to raise some money for a wonderful cat rescue that deserves every penny they can get.

I have entered my chonky girl Violet into a photo competition, and if anyone could spare just a second and vote for her, it would mean a lot! You get up to 10 free votes per day. It does not cost a single penny, it's literally just the click of a button.

Last year, Violet was found living stray and alone under a bridge, foraging through rubbish to find scraps of food. She now lives her very best, spoilt queen life with me and my partner in the North Wales countryside!

There are different cash prizes available. Every single penny won by Violet would be donated to Happy Cats Hyndburn, the wonderful rescue centre who saved Violet's life and continue to help so many others precious cats in need.

You can click here to vote. Every single vote counts. Thank you so much, from myself and Violet!

[crimesandcuriosities]

Hi everyone! I'm raising money for a cat shelter and would love your help...

This is not exactly true crime related, but I am hoping to raise some money for a wonderful cat rescue that deserves every penny they can get.

I have entered my chonky girl Violet into a photo competition, and if anyone could spare just a second and vote for her, it would mean a lot! You get up to 10 free votes per day. It does not cost a single penny, it's literally just the click of a button.

Last year, Violet was found living stray and alone under a bridge, foraging through rubbish to find scraps of food. She now lives her very best, spoilt queen life with me and my partner in the North Wales countryside!

There are different cash prizes available. Every single penny won by Violet would be donated to Happy Cats Hyndburn, the wonderful rescue centre who saved Violet's life and continue to help so many others precious cats in need.

You can click here to vote. Every single vote counts. Thank you so much, from myself and Violet!

#fundraiser #cats #cat shelter #animal resue #violet

[crimesandcuriosities]

A Corsican Vendetta knife with a floral design. The blade reads: “Che la mia ferita sia mortale” which roughly translates to: “May all your wounds be mortal.”

[crimesandcuriosities]

In 2006, Russian teenager Marina Motygina survived a lightning strike so powerful that it melted the gold cross necklace she was wearing, leaving a severe burned imprint around her neck and on her chest. The bolt struck her on top of her head, surged through her body and exited into the ground.

[crimesandcuriosities]

you are gorgeous!

Aw thank you so much, that’s so kind of you 🤍