Thursday, May 29, 2014

All Great Things Must Come to an End... Eventually

Well here it is. The last blog. FINALLY I'M DONE WITH THIS THING. Just kidding, I've really enjoyed learning about these various cases. It allows you to admire a different kind of intelligence. I hope you curious readers have enjoyed the past few blogs I have posted. But I really hope I haven't inspired any of you. Don't want a potential lawsuit on my hands here...

This blog has been a real eye opener for me because I've been learning that it's not always as difficult as we assume to do something like this. These criminals are intelligent, despite that I assume some of them have a mental disorder. To cover up your tracks like these last 8 people have done so well is beyond me.

I have provided my opinions over the past months on various murders that I discussed. Obviously my opinions will not be serving anyone justice, but it's more of a way to satisfy people who are bothered by unanswered questions. It may be vague sometimes, but it's better than nothing. My opinions were all educated guesses really. I didn't just say something because I had to have an opinion, I always had a reason to back up my ideas. I explored other opinions as well sometimes, and would explain how I agree or disagree with the testimonies.

Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoyed it. And if this blog did happen to inspire you, or give you some ideas... I'd prefer to be left out of your excuse as to why you killed someone. Anyway, see ya!

"The Highway of Tears"

If you are a Canadian originating or living in BC, it's very possible you've at one time taken a stroll or driven down Highway 16. That is the official name of the isolated county road, but locals from the area, as well as tourists often give it a different name. Ever since 1969, it has been more commonly known as the "Highway of Tears". It has earned that name because it is the last known location of over 11 (according to the Police department) young aboriginal women, before being found dead. The aboriginals from that community claim 11 deaths is only a fraction of the truth. They claim there have been more than 40 reports of missing natives from that highway, however there is no evidence to confirm that statement.
The lead suspect for this case is Bobby Jack Fowler. He passed away in an Oregon prison in 2006, after murdering a young aboriginal woman in the summer of 1974. 

Some people believe that this serial killing is the result of more than one person. I don't think so. Of course it is a possibility, but not one that I can believe. This is obviously either a racist individual, or someone who prefers sleeping with women of Native origins. I don't see this as being more than one person because that means there should be more evidence. This individual has done well at disposing of any evidence. If that person had an accomplice or accomplices, then there should be more evidence because there should be more evidence to cover up. 

If the murders were at the hands of Bobby Jack Fowler, the residents of BC can sleep a little more soundly at night knowing the potential killer won't be able to hurt any one else.


Source(s)
-http://www.highwayoftears.ca/
-http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/09/25/bobby-jack-fowler-highway-of-tears-killer-bc_n_1913693.html

Sunday, April 27, 2014

The Axeman of New Orleans

World War I and the Great Depression were not the only concerns that Americans had during the beginning of the 20th century. The citizens of the state of New Orleans, after the war ended also had another reason to keep themselves awake at night. It might have been due to the constant fear of someone driving an axe into their head while catching some shut-eye probably caused many sleepless nights.

Luckily for the victims, the Axeman was a lousy murderer, might I say. More than a third of his victims survived (which is a good thing... to us sane folk), even after being attacked in their sleep. Some argue that the Axeman might me an impersonator of Jack "the Ripper". I believe it is possible that this Axeman might have seen Jack as a sort of inspiration. In order to be inspired by something like this, you've got a problem. So since the 13 victims were believed to be chosen at random, and have no relations with eachother, makes me believe that this person might have had something horribly wrong in his head.

I'm surprised there hasn't been a movie based on this unknown killer. Although, American Horror Story did do an episode based on the Axeman. The nature of his crime is very odd, and this case probably has the most unknown factors. A part of me wants to believe that maybe this killer isn't nuts after all and is just going with his reason. Maybe he knew all his victims, and something happened where the killer thought his only option was to end their lives. 

Also, I'm skeptical about how 5 of his victims survived an axe attack in their sleep. I'm questioning if he had certain people he wanted to seriously injure, and others that he wanted to eliminate? 

I assume this person was a man, who had a hard life. Probably witness to abuse and neglect as a child, which developed into a form of mental misunderstandings. It's very possible he didn't know the victims, and killed them out of pleasure, like cases I've discussed in the past. He might not have been completely aware of the severity of his actions; A misunderstanding. 

Source(s)
-http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/axeman/9.html
-http://altereddimensions.net/2013/axeman-serial-killer-new-orleans
-http://www.fearnet.com/news/news-article/real-story-american-horror-storys-axeman-new-orleans

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The HinterKaifeck Farm Murders

This next case is easily one of the most terrifying. It takes place in early 20th century Germany, on a remote farm, where the Gruber family was brutally murdered, about 1 hour from the nearest city. The Gruber family was kilometres away from the nearest home, surrounded by empty crops and vegetation. The property was also very run-down, not taken care of, and the house and barn were beginning to fall apart. The husband of the household is known to have beaten his children, but I do not suspect it as the reason for murder since the kids, wife and maid were also killed in cold blood.

The family was average, not particularly liked, but also not hated. The day of the murder, the maid had been replaced with a new one. This rises my interest. To me, it seems too unlikely to be a coincidence, but there is no way to prove me right or wrong. The thought of the old maid killing the family after replacing her, popped into my head. But it seems unrealistic. The previous maid left on good terms. Four of the family members were found dead in the barn, believed to be lead there by someone. The other two kids, were killed in their sleep in the house.

This case reminds me of the movie The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which remains one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. The killer in this case killed the victims with a strike on the head with a pickaxe. Not a very friendly weapon. Andreas Gruber, the father, saw many signs to show that someone had been watching them, but he never put the pieces together. There were mysterious items placed around the house (such as a newspaper he had never heard of), there were foot prints in the snow found one morning coming from the forest. Also, one night Mr Gruber awoke in his sleep when he heard noises arising from the attic. That's the scary part, the fact that this killer might have been spying on them for days with out the family even knowing.

I get this feeling that the killers might have been distant neighbours, who may have had some unknown reason to kill the family. The police says that after the Grubers were killed, the murderer(s) lived in the Kaifeck farm for days afterward and even took care of the farm animals. It seems a little pathetic, but it's all I can think of. The family was obviously hated by the killers since they drove a pick between their eyes. The reason I think the murderer(s) were locals is because they took care of the animals.

There is also the spiritual possibility, where it is believed that the family was murdered by ghosts or some type of paranormal creature. The reason the first maid left, was because she believed the house was haunted... I seriously doubt it, but there technically is no proof against it.

"[The person who created] those strange footprints that cold March morning, only they know exactly what occurred in Hinterkaifeck." (Ghost Theory).



Source(s)
-https://excitingearth.wordpress.com/2013/03/26/the-mysterious-hinterkaifeck-murders/
-http://www.ghosttheory.com/2013/06/01/from-beyond-the-woods-the-hinterkaifeck-murders

The Ripper Murders




It has been 120 years since the famous Ripper Murders took place in London, so to burst your bubble before you get too anxious, there will never be justice for these victims. Jack "the Ripper" is dead by now, and there will most likely never be any new evidence presented. He was given his name by the town newspaper because he liked cutting the body open multiple times after their death.

Jack "the Ripper" has more books/movies made about him, then every United States President combined. We find his life so interesting and hard to turn away from, because of his uniqe was of killing his victims. "He comes from out of the fog, kills violently and quickly, and disappears without a trace.” (Crime Library). One of the reasons that Jack received his name is because he would cut open his victims throats, which tore their vocal chords (restricting them from screaming) and causing them to hemorrhage (loose blood extremely quickly) to death within a matter of seconds. There is no antidote for something like that. No fixing it.



He was a creative killer, not encouraging it, but it's hard not to be fascinated by his various methods of torture. This is pretty solid proof, if I might say, that he might have suffered from a mental illness or something of the sort. On one occasion, Jack would stab his victim a good 40-50 times. You would think that 1 or 2 would be enough. This murder alone leads me to think that some sort of hatred inspired him to kill that person. I hypothesize if Jack might have had Intermittent Explosive disorder, which causes you to go on extreme rampages without fearing consequences. On another account, the victim was found dead with "[...] a blunt instrument rammed into her vagina" (Crime Library) which was her cause of death.

His victim count has not been confirmed since other unsolved murders in the area could possibly also be from him, but the 5 victims that were certainly him were female prostitutes in a small town in London, but none of his victims had been raped before death. I can't stop to wonder why prostitutes? He doesn't seem to be much of a vigilante, so what could it be?

There have always been speculations on who it might have been, but never any justice. I'm determined that Jack "the Ripper" was a younger man who had been suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness. To do those kinds of brutal killings, you must not be concious of the severity of what you are doing. Killing someone is one thing It doesn't take a psychopath to murder someone, but to impale someone, or to stab someone 50 times, that takes a real lunatic. I still don't completely understand why he chose to murder prostitutes, if he didn't sexually abuse them, then why them? There is always the thought in my head that he might kill these women to feed hunger for murder. He might have chosen prostitutes because to him, they might have been the most vulnerable, and most unlikely to defend themselves or seek protection.


Little Side Note:
Frances Coles was a woman who was found dead near the Ripper murders locations, but her death was assumed to be by another man of the area. He was sentenced, then years after, it was finally discovered that he wasn't Coles' killer, but she had in fact been part of the Ripper serial killings.

Source(s):
-http://www.jack-the-ripper.org/
-http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/ripper/lady_2.html
-http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/ripper/index_1.html
-http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/notorious/ripper/suspects_11.html

Thursday, April 10, 2014

"O.J Simpson: Monster or Myth?"

This next case is a little different. There was a suspect who was nearly proved guilty thanks to DNA evidence, but in the end, he still got away with the murder and he is living like a free man today.

The reason I am discussing this case is because, despite the evidence nearly proving that he committed the murder, other evidence or tampering or mishandling of evidence brought to the trial was enough to create a reasonable doubt that he was guilty.

Orenthal James Simpson was a star NFL player who played for the 49ers until 1979. He was accused for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, during the summer of 1994.

In June 1994, O.J arrives home shortly after dinner. He leaves for a flight at 11pm to Los Angeles. Simpson's ex-wife and her friend are found dead outside of his house. He evades the scene and has 20 police cars chasing him down the freeway for hours because he refused to pull over. Why would he do this if he "has nothing to hide"? Doesn't make any sense to me.

Since there are many dates involved in this process I took the liberty of arranging it into a time line to simplify your understanding of it all.  O.J pleads "absolutely, 100% not guilty" during his trial.

August 1994
In court, it is revealed that O.J's DNA is found around the scene of the crime.

January 1995
911 dispatch operator testifying in court, claims to have heard a woman screaming and someone being hit in the background during the emergency call.

February 1995
Nicole Simpson's sister admits that her husband has been physically abusive in the past. A former friend of Orenthal's testifies that O.J told him he fanaticized about killing his wife.

July 1995
Toxicologist assigned to the case says that he found that the evidence on scene had ben tampered with. He believes that the police may have manipulated some evidence.

Because of this, the case is pretty much destroyed. Who knows what evidence is actual evidence. It could all be fake for what we know and he might in fact be innocent!

September 1995
It turns out that the detective responsible for the case, Mark Fuhrman, has a history of racism. He believes all black people are inferior and identifies them as n****s. "if [Fuhrman] had his way, n****s would be gathered together and burned".


After Fuhrman's racism toward O.J was exposed, the evidence was no longer trust-worthy. Because like the toxicologist had predicted, it may have been tampered with. O.J Simpson was a free man as of October 1995. I believe if Fuhrman had not been judgemental to the color of Simpson's skin, then he might have succeeded in putting O.J behind bars. By being racist, he created a reasonable doubt for the case.

A part of me wants to believe that he is the innocent man that he claims to be, but I can't because of his history. The fact that he got in an argument with his ex-wife before her death, and that he used to beat her and also admitted to a friend that he had thoughts of killing her is too big to overlook. He was let free because someone wanted him to go to prison not only for the murder, but because of his skin colour; And because of the unprofessional judgement made by that detective, he is free. He wanted it too badly. Not to forget the fact that O.J refused to pull over after hours of being chased through Los Angeles, while he claimed to have done nothing.


Source(s)
-http://articles.latimes.com/1995-09-06/news/mn-42720_1_mark-Fuhrman
-http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/index/nns053.htm
-http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/o-j-simpsons-white-bronco-police-chase-happened-19-years-ago-today/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Thursday, March 20, 2014

The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway

Though I am not positive, I imagine that this case is part of the reason why my parents won't allow me to leave the country with my friends for a grad trip until I turn 18. This case is frightening because it has many possible endings. It is different from the other cases I have discussed because not only is the killer unknown, but the body is also missing. The corpse plays a huge part in the investigation. In this case it might have even revealed the missing clues to put the offender behind bars.


Natalee Holloway on her Aruba grad trip (2005)
Natalee Holloway was born on October 21st 1986. She was a beautiful girl with a promising future. She was a senior at a school in Mississippi looking to have a fun and wild week in Aruba with her friends to celebrate their success in May of 2005. After settling in at their resort, on May 30th, Natalee and her friends from school went to a bar near by. She met this Dutchman named Joron van der Sloot. He was an international student taking his classes in Aruba. The night was eventually coming to an end, so Natalee accompanied him back to his place. That was the last time her friends had ever seen her. Van der Sloot being the last person to see her is the only suspect.

Natalee Holloway was declared dead after being missing for 7 years by an Alabama judge, even though her whereabouts are still unknown to this day.

This case has no concrete information on what happened to Natalee. Nancy Grace announced before that "The Jaw bone of Natalee Holloway" had been found on her show. But it was not true. There are plenty of different 'clues' online at anyone's disposal. Mind you they are mostly all fake. Each one is different from the next.


Suspected body of Holloway found in Aruban waters
A couple years after Holloway's disappearance, a Pennsylvania couple was snorkeling in the Aruban waters. Upon their arrival at home, they finally developed the picture that they had taken underwater. This is what they found. This image is suspected to be the deteriorated body of Natalee. Investigators claimed to get a scuba diving team together to investigate, but there has been no new news concerning this event for years. Which means it probably wasn't even a body to begin with.

On a side note, van der Sloot has confessed to murdering a white female in Peru by the name of Stephany Flores Ramirez. He claimed to have killed her 5 years after the accusations toward him regarding Holloway.

Joron van der Sloot

There are many theories to what happened to Holloway the night of her disappearance. The most common one was that she was raped and killed on Joron van der Sloot's boat. Investigators suspect that she has bricks tied to her feet and she is at the bottom of the ocean. Then there is another theory, the more unlikely one that I believe in. The interview was removed from the internet, but years ago I watched this video with van der Sloot implying that he sold Holloway to some men that he had met up with in the ocean. This of course, might just be another one of his lies, but I think he actually admitted the truth.

Van der Sloot admits to taking Holloway to the beach, where most people think he raped her on his boat and dropped her body in the water. But I believe he sold her body to someone in the waters who might be using her for a sex service in another country. That's right, I do believe she's still alive. So does Dr. Phil McGraw. It's a terrifying thought to think that she is still out there praying for help. If my assumption is true, and she is a white slave, her chance for being found is close to none. These industries work very secretly and often have the women drinking or taking drugs constantly. They aren't completely conscious of what's is going on. The sex industry generates billions of dollars each year. It was something he could profit from, since he didn't have much of it. By selling a beautiful American girl, he was probably paid a satisfying amount. All sex slave industries want to get their hands on an American to be their property and join their business.

It makes me sad that the Holloway family will never have the reassurance to know what happened to their daughter that night. With all the theories, some being worse than others, I can't even imagine what goes on in their head. All the different thoughts would keep me awake every night until I found out the truth. I would stop at nothing to find out what happened, just like Mrs. Beth Holloway has been doing for nearly 10 years.

We can all avoid this situation from repeating, especially since our own graduation is just around the corner. See you all next time and thanks for reading.




Source(s)
-http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-01-12/missing-teen-aruba/52512174/1

-http://www.biography.com/people/natalee-holloway-573944

-http://abcnews.go.com/International/natalee-holloway-jaw-bone-missing-american-teen/story?id=12222677

-http://www.cbsnews.com/news/natalee-holloways-body-found-picture-leads-divers-to-renew-search/

-http://www.cbsnews.com/news/joran-van-der-sloot-pleads-guilty-to-murder-of-stephany-flores/

-http://www.nbcnews.com/id/10086587/ns/msnbc-the_abrams_report/t/why-some-say-natalee-may-still-be-alive/#.UyteqrBOVow


-http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/natalee-holloway-legally-dead_n_1202737.html

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The "Tylenol Murderer"

Welcome back. This next case takes place about 30 years ago in Illinois. Something in particular about this one is that it ended dry, there were no leads and it was closed because there wasn't going to be any new evidence appearancing any time soon.

This case appeals to me so much because I found that the offender is pretty intelligent. Yes there were finger prints on the bottles, but they could not be traced back to him/her. He was a ghost. I can't imagine how the families of the victims feel when they have no reassurance, no answers to their questions. The thought knowing he/she's still at large probably haunts them still to this day.

In September 1982, 12 year old Mary Kellerman was feeling sick at home and took a Tylenol Extra Strength to stop her from feeling any pain. What she didn't know is that it would do so much more.  It would also stop her heart from beating. Mary lied dead on the floor shortly after ingesting the medication. Little did we know, Mary had become the first victim to have lost her life to this famous unknown American serial killer.

That same day, only a few hours later, a 27 year old man, named Adam Jenus, was the next victim. He took the pill for headache relief and died as a result. The day prior to his funeral, his fiancé and his brother took the same medication to soothe them from the physical pain that came from grieving. They were both dead before the funeral could take place. Police suspected it might have been a gas leak.

Eventually it became evident that the 4 people had died shortly after ingesting Tylenol. A couple days after that discovery, 3 more people lost their lives to the Tylenol terrorist. So the investigators decided to do a toxicology test on the medication, and it came out positive with traces of cyanide (chemical often used in the gas chambers during WWII). There were only 2 suspects to this case, and they both turned out to be innocent in the end. Which left this case completely dry, with no evidence to point the investigators in any direction.


In my opinion, for someone to get their hands on such a toxic and dangerous chemical, they must have worked in one of the chemical factories in the area. Or they simply had profound chemistry knowledge. The reason to why this person did this is unknown. I suspect he/she might have been a social misfit and wanted to punish their community because they didn't fit in. Which would be why they planted their lethal poison in the 6 pharmacies in the small town.

According to Johnson & Johnson (the Tylenol manufacturing company), the cyanide was inserted into the capsules after they were manufactured in the factory. That leads investigators to believe the killer stole the medication from the stores, added the lethal chemical then returned them to their place on the shelf to be sold to some poor soul.

But whoever he/she is, must have planned everything carefully to avoid getting caught by law enforcement. I think that whoever did this must have mental issues to think that they have the right to take somebody's life, especially that of a child.  It is a heinous act and difficult to understand.  Even if the law enforcement did figure it out, it would still be hard to wrap your head around it trying to understand why. It's an act against nature.

Source(s)
-http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/terrorists/tylenol_murders/index.html
-http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/terrorists/tylenol_murders/index.html

Monday, March 17, 2014

America's Angel: Caylee Anthony

Caylee Marie Anthony (age 3)
Welcome to my first official case discussion. I've chosen this particular case to begin with because I'm sure most people are familiar with it and I'm looking to grasp your attention as soon as possible.

For those of you who have not heard of this story, or simply have forgotten the details, it is the story of a irresponsible mom (Casey Anthony) who loved to party and had been pregnant at the age of 19, with her daughter Caylee Anthony. When Casey wanted her old "fun" life back, she did what she had to do. In my opinion, as well as probably most others, I believe she killed her own daughter in cold blood. The only reason Casey is not in prison at this very moment, and is living a free life, is because of the Presumption of Innocence. There is not enough evidence to determine that she committed the crime 100%. That being said, she is off the hook.

Here is a simplified timeline of only few of the key events in the trial:

July 2008
Casey's mother contacted authorities to arrest their daughter for stealing their vehicle. Upon inspecting the vehicle after it's return to the owners, Mr. & Mrs. Anthony found that the trunk smelt like that of a body decaying. It is also brought to attention that their granddaughter had been missing for 31 days, with no records filed of a missing persons report.

This part alone drives me crazy. The thought of a mother not contacting police after her child's disappearance, to me is a red flag right away. The only reason the police were informed on this is because the child's grandparents were worried that something had happened to their grand daughter. If the grand parents hadn't contacted authorities, I wouldn't be surprised if the child's absence remained a mystery forever.

August 2008
The police took samples of air from the trunk of the vehicle and determine that it once held the body of a dead victim. Casey is arrested for suspicion of child neglect.

December 2008
The body of Caylee Anthony was found in a  forest near the Anthony home. The body was found in a black garbage bag by a local resident. There was duck tape placed on the child's lower face as well as traces of chloroform in the bag.

May 2011
The defence attorney states that the child had drowned in the pool of her grandparents home in Orlando.

Which is a lie that they end up contradicting themselves with. For this lie, she is charged for giving false information to law enforcement.

July 2011
Casey is found guilty only for 2 counts of providing false information to law enforcement. As consequence, she serves one year of supervised probation.

Skip to 1:30 for the charges


I remember hearing about this case as a kid, and just thinking to myself how much of a rotten person she is. For a kid to conclude that she is guilty of murder, it should be pretty obvious for any adult to understand. It's cases like these that make me wish the Presumption of Innocence didn't exist. I don't  believe she planned any of it. I feel that she simply got lucky. I forgot to mention that her computer had a reoccurring research history of the word "chloroform" 84 times. As well as "foolproof suffocation".

After all the evidence that I've mentioned, plus all extra evidence I haven't mentioned in this blog, there's no way in my mind that this woman is not guilty of the murder of her little daughter. She has luckily, yet unfortunately, been given a second chance.


If you wish to learn more about this case, you should click here, it is a link to the CBC timeline which mentions every single event that took place in her case.

I'd love to hear your opinion, make sure you state your opinion anonymously through the polls !





Source(s)
-http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/us/casey-anthony-trial-fast-facts/
-http://www.cbsnews.com/news/casey-anthony-detectives-overlooked-google-search-for-fool-proof-suffocation-methods-sheriff-says/
-http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/14874887/casey-anthony-googled-word-chloroform-84-times




Sunday, March 16, 2014

Introduction

Welcome to my blog about unsolved murder cases. In 2012, Canada had a total of 543 homicides, which was 55 less than in 2011.  This equates to about 1.56 persons in a population of 100,000.  In the United States, the FBI says there were 14,827 murders that same year. Which is approximately 40 people every day. Nearly 40% of those criminals are at large every year. To me, a citizen, that number seems dangerously high. But then again, in the eyes of law enforcement, it's a great success. The main reason that these percentages are so high is because of the Presumption of Innocence, which is the principal that the United Nations had adopted in 1948. One murder case in particular inspired our nation to adopt this rule was the case of Steven Truscott.  Steven was a 14 year old boy at the time and was accused for the murder of his friend which almost lead him to death row. The Presumption of Innocence means, in other words, that you are innocent until proven guilty. So amongst the 40% of those criminals who have been given a second chance at freedom, very few of them get away without being at least a suspect.





This News clip is prior to Steven Truscott's confirmed innocence. 

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be discussing various murder cases that have been closed or held off until new evidence is provided. All of these cases have ended at a dead end, with out putting anyone behind bars. But there have been suspects. Either there were missing clues, or the boot didn't fit. Which is where I come in; I will be filling in the blanks and giving my opinion on who committed the crime. Now if I've captivated your interest, come visit this page again next week for one of the most controversial murder mysteries in American history. 



Source(s):
-http://www.cancrime.com/2009/06/09/if-steven-truscott-didnt-kill-lynne-harper-who-did/
-http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/131219/dq131219b-eng.htm