Manuel Blanco Romosanta killed 13 people because he thought he was a werewolf
Spain’s first recorded serial killer, Manuel Blanco Romosanta, confessed to murdering 13 people in 1853. However, he claimed he wasn’t responsible because he was a werewolf. Whether he was genuinely insane or just looking for an out is unknown, but his claims were met with scepticism and he was sentenced to death. Before he could be executed, however, Queen Isabella II commuted his sentence so that he could be studied for “clinical lycanthropy”. Despite his reprieve, Romosanta died a few months later, possibly due to a guard shooting him to make him “transform.”
David Scott stabbed a man to death for not sharing his Cheetos
In September 2012, David Scott, a 50-year-old resident of St. Louis, murdered his friend Roger Wilkes during an altercation at a railway station. The pair began arguing after Wilkes refused to share his bag of Cheetos, which apparently enraged Scott so much that he produced a knife and killed Wilkes with a single wound. Police found Scott a couple of blocks away, covered in blood and still holding the knife, which led to an easy conviction.
A man was beaten to death by his family for trying to watch the FIFA World Cup
In 2010, David Makoeya, a 61-year-old South African man, was trying to watch the FIFA World Cup when his family decided they wanted to watch a religious show instead. After losing a scuffle over the remote, Makoeya used the buttons on the TV to manually change the channel back. At this point his wife, daughter and son attacked him, slamming his head into the wall and stabbing him in the back, and the 61-year-old succumbed to his injuries before emergency services arrived.
Armin Meiwes murdered a willing victim to fulfil his cannibalism fantasy
This crime was so strange that it took the courts years to decide if it was even murder. German computer technician Armin Meiwes had a lifelong obsession with cannibalism, and in 2001 he posted an ad on Craigslist looking for a volunteer to be killed and eaten. Astonishingly, engineer Bernd Brandes responded, and, after the two shared a meal, Meiwes killed him, butchered him and ate parts of his body. Initially convicted of manslaughter, Meiwes was eventually retried and sentenced to life in prison for murder.
Dana Sue Gray murdered elderly women to feed her shopping addiction
Inspired to become a nurse by the medical professionals who treated her mother’s breast cancer, Dana Sue Gray was eventually fired from her dream job after she was caught stealing medication. Unfortunately, as well as her problem with substances, Gray had a severe shopping addiction, and couldn’t fund her habit after losing her job. Desperate for money, Gray began murdering elderly women, stealing their credit cards and going on spending sprees. After one of her would-be victims escaped, Gray was convicted of three murders and sentenced to life without parole.
David Berkowitz killed six people because he believed a dog told him to
David Berkowitz, more commonly known as ‘Son of Sam’, is an American serial killer who fatally shot six people during a spree that lasted just over a year. Berkowitz confessed to his crimes shortly after he was apprehended, claiming he had carried out the slayings at the behest of his neighbour’s dog, who he believed had been possessed by a demon. Against the advice of his lawyers, Berkowitz refused to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, and he was handed six life sentences to be served consecutively.
Daniel Petric murdered his mother for confiscating a video game
On October 20, 2007, 16-year-old Daniel Petric killed both his parents after they confiscated his copy of Halo 3. Petric attempted to make the killings look like a murder-suicide, but his father survived a gunshot wound to the head and went on to make a full recovery. The case sparked a fierce debate about video game addiction, and is often cited by proponents of the theory that exposure to violent media can lead to violent behaviour.
The Manson Family committed nine murders to start the race war Manson was convinced was coming
Charming, charismatic and utterly insane, Charles Manson started a cult known as the ‘Manson Family’ in the late 1960s. In 1971, Manson commanded a group of his most loyal devotees to carry out nine murders in an attempt to start a race war. Amongst the victims was Sharon Tate, American actress and wife of director Roman Polanski, who was pregnant when the Family stabbed her to death. Although he wasn’t present at any of the killings, Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
A man beat his roommate to death for throwing food on the ground
In February 2023, Florida man Bryan Marquez murdered his roommate for throwing his plate of food on the ground. Marquez, who was intoxicated, was incensed about the perceived sleight, and beat his roommate to death before burying him in the yard. His efforts to conceal the crime were woefully inadequate, and he left one of his victim’s feet sticking out of the ground, which quickly led to the discovery of the murder and Marquez’s arrest.
A woman shot a couple over some hair weaves
In 2018, 19-year-old Shelby Isaac was found guilty of the murders of a couple and their unborn child. Isaac had purchased around $250 worth of hair weaves from the couple, but ultimately decided she wanted a refund. When the couple refused to return her money, Shelby feigned interest in buying more, ambushed them at the location they had agreed to meet and opened fire with a pistol. After the guilty verdict was read in court, Shelby collapsed to the floor, remaining unconscious for around five minutes.
Leonarda Cianculli believed killing people would keep her children alive
Dubbed the ‘Soap-Maker of Correggio,’ Leonarda Cianculli was an Italian serial killer who murdered three women in 1939 and used their bodies to make soap. The killing spree began after Cianculli, who had grown superstitious after many of her children died in infancy, consulted a supposed clairvoyant. The psychic informed her that the only way to prevent her remaining children from dying was to carry out regular “human sacrifices.” When police grew suspicious that one of her sons was responsible for the disappearances, Cianculli confessed.
Fergus Glen murdered his brother for not appreciating his cooking
On November 12th, 2003, New Zealand resident Fergus Glen murdered his brother in his sleep. A few hours before the killing, Glen had cooked dinner for his brother and their parents, and had grown irritated when his sibling hadn’t thanked him for his efforts. After everyone else went to bed, Glen stayed up drinking and ruminating on the perceived sleight, eventually fetching an axe and using it to kill his sibling.
Richard Trenton Chase killed six people because he thought Nazis were after him
Nicknamed the “Vampire of Sacramento” by the media, Richard Trenton Chase murdered six people over the course of a single month in 1978. Chase believed that he was being pursued by a Nazi UFO which was trying to turn his blood to powder, and that the only way to prevent this was to consume the blood and flesh of his victims. After his incarceration, Chase continued to suffer from delusions, and in 1980 he killed himself with an overdose of prescription drugs.
Tonda Lynn Hamilton shot her landlady because she thought she was in the Matrix
In 2002, Tonda Lynn Hamilton shot her landlady in the head, killing her instantly. After Hamilton’s arrest it soon became apparent that she believed she was living in a simulation, and accordingly didn’t believe her actions had any consequence. After psychiatrists confirmed that Hamilton wasn’t faking her delusions, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity, setting a precedent for what has come to be known as the “Matrix defence.”
Richard Angelo killed his patients to try and look like a hero
Known as “the Angel of Death,” Richard Angelo was a nurse whose fantasies of being recognised as a hero turned him into a serial killer. Angelo would inject his patients with a drug that sent them into cardiac arrest before attempting to revive them, which led to the deaths of at least eight people. After his scheme was eventually uncovered, Angelo was sentenced to a minimum prison term of 61 years.
Robert Lyons murdered his mother because she wouldn’t buy him Avril Lavigne tickets
In 2011, Robert Lyons brutally murdered his 61-year-old mother after she refused to buy him skybox tickets to an upcoming Avril Lavigne concert. Lyons, who was 39 at the time, bludgeoned and stabbed his mother to death before dousing her remains in cleaning chemicals. After the killing, Lyons went for dinner at a local Hooters and calmly called the police to confess his crime.
Ed Gein killed two women because he was obsessed with his mother
The trope of serial killers being obsessed with their mothers might be overblown, but in Ed Gein’s case, it was completely on the money. Soon after his mother’s death, Gein began digging up bodies to construct a ‘skin suit’ that resembled her, which he would then wear. Predictably, Gein’s behaviour soon escalated, and he opportunistically killed two women who lived in his local town before he was caught by the authorities.
Brenda Spencer carried out a school shooting because she “didn’t like Mondays”
On January 29th, 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opened fire on Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego, California, injuring eight children and killing two adults. When pressed on why she had carried out the shooting after her arrest, Spencer replied that she “didn’t like Mondays” and felt that it would “liven up the day.”
A woman had her friends killed because they deleted her on Facebook
In January 2012, Jenelle Potter convinced her boyfriend and father to murder a couple that she claimed had been viciously bullying her over social media. It later transpired that much of the “evidence” that she had used to prove this abuse came from accounts that she had in fact created herself, and Potter was simply angry that the couple had unfriended her on Facebook.
Joshua Davies beat his girlfriend to death for a free breakfast
In 2018, 16-year-old Joshua Davies lured his girlfriend into the woods and killed her with a rock. Davies had joked about carrying out the killing for weeks, but was finally spurred into action when his friend remarked that he’d buy him a cooked breakfast if he actually went through with it. One of the pieces of evidence that the prosecution presented at trial was a text that Davies sent shortly after carrying out the murder that read: “you might just owe me that breakfast.”
A girl killed her family for stopping her from seeing her “werewolf” boyfriend
In 2006, 12-year-old Jasmine Richardson killed her entire family with the help of her boyfriend, 23-year-old Jeremy Steinke. Richardson’s parents were understandably concerned about their preteen daughter dating a man who, as well as being almost double her age, also claimed to be a 300-year-old werewolf. Richardson and Steinke didn’t respond well to efforts to keep them apart and, after plotting for several weeks, they stabbed Richardson’s parents and younger brother to death.
Jemma Lilley murdered to complete her bucket list
Originally from Lincolnshire, England, Jemma Lilley began developing an unhealthy obsession with serial killers after she emigrated to Australia, eventually deciding that she needed to know what it felt like to take a life. On June 13th, 2016, Lilley lured 18-year-old Aaron Pajich to her house and, with the help of her flatmate, murdered him with a garrotte. Lilley later confessed that she had carried out the killing because it had been on her “bucket list.”
Dennis Nilsen killed people so they could keep him company
Dennis Nilsen’s killing spree finally came to an end after a plumber found flesh in the drains leading out of his house, which led to the discovery of 12 other bodies in and around his property. During questioning, Nilsen admitted that he had been driven to kill by his extreme loneliness, and had kept his victim’s bodies in his house for “company,” regularly speaking to them as if they were alive.
Walter Seifert killed eight children because he hated doctors
On June 11th, 1964, Walter Seifert went on a rampage in a school in the German town of Cologne. Wielding a spear fashioned out of a broom handle and a homemade flamethrower, Seifert took the lives of eight students and two teachers, before ingesting a fatal dose of poison. Seifert, who is believed to have suffered from schizophrenia, was driven to carry out his massacre due to his hatred of doctors, which had begun after his wife died during childbirth.
Kevon Watkin killed for faster WiFi
In February 2019, 16-year-old Kevon Watkin got into a heated row with his mother after he changed the WiFi password to stop his family members from using it and causing his online games to run slowly. When Watkin’s 19-year-old sister Alexus tried to intervene, he grabbed her in a chokehold and refused to let go for over ten minutes, during which time she passed away. Despite his young age at the time of the killing, Watkin was sentenced to life in prison, with a judge upholding the decision during a retrial in 2018.
Alexandria Tobias killed her baby for distracting her from playing FarmVille
Shortly after giving birth, 22-year-old Alexandria Tobias developed a serious addiction to the Facebook game FarmVille. Tobias’ compulsion was so extreme that she was prone to flying into a rage if anything came between her and the game, including her three-month-old child. On January 19th, 2010, Tobias shook her infant to death after its persistent crying distracted her from playing, earning herself a 50-year prison sentence.
Curtis Reeves shot a man for throwing popcorn at him
On January 13th, 2014, retired SWAT commander Curtis Reeves’ trip to his local cinema took a deadly turn. Reeves grew irritated with another patron, Chad Oulson, whose phone kept loudly going off during the movie. After a verbal confrontation, Oulson threw his popcorn into Reeves’ face, prompting the ex-cop to draw his concealed pistol and fire a single shot. Although he was initially convicted of second-degree murder, Reeves was later acquitted on the basis of Florida’s ‘stand your ground’ laws.
Franklin Paul Crow murdered his roommate over toilet paper
In February 2006, 58-year-old Franklin Paul Crow murdered his housemate Kenneth Matthews, who was a year his junior. The pair lived together for years, and things had apparently been mostly harmonious until an argument erupted over toilet paper. When Matthews menacingly reached for a rifle he had nearby, Crow responded by picking up a sledgehammer and using it to kill Matthews.
Erzsébet Báthory murdered virgins to bathe in their blood
In the early 17th century, Hungarian noblewoman Erzsébet Báthory was accused of torturing and murdering around 300 young women and girls. Báthory allegedly carried out the killings because she believed that she could preserve her youth by bathing in the blood of virgins. More than 300 individuals testified against Báthory, however, due to her status in society, she was merely confined to her castle for the remainder of her life.
Lisa Montgomery murdered a woman to steal her baby
On December 16th, 2004, Lisa Montgomery broke into the house of 23-year-old Bobbi Jo Stinnet. Montgomery attacked Stinnet, who was heavily pregnant, ending her life before removing her unborn baby from her body. The following day, police tracked down Montgomery and found her with the baby, which was still alive and well, and it emerged during questioning that Montgomery’s traumatic past and mental unwellness had pushed her to the act.
Annie Hung Kim Pham was murdered for accidentally photobombing
In 2014, Annie Hung Kim Pham was walking past a bar in Santa Ana, California, when she accidentally entered the frame of a photo two women were posing for. Enraged, the women began verbally abusing Pham, and when she didn’t back down the altercation turned violent. In a vicious attack that was captured on CCTV, Pham sustained severe head injuries, leaving her in a coma from which she would never recover.
A Kentucky man committed homicide after being served cold eggs
In 2010, Stanley Neace was sitting down for breakfast at his home in eastern Kentucky when his wife served him cold eggs. This caused Neace, who had been displaying signs of mental instability for some time, to completely snap. Grabbing his shotgun, Neace first murdered his wife in a fit of rage, then killed his stepdaughter and three of his neighbours before turning the gun on himself.
A boy killed his sister over the TV remote
In 2011, 13-year-old Alexander Zajaca killed his 17-year-old sister with their father’s hunting rifle. The pair had been watching TV together when a disagreement broke out over what to watch, leading to a scuffle over the remote that quickly escalated. Despite very clearly being guilty, Russian police decided that Zajaca was too young to face charges.
An eight-year-old girl poisoned her father for sending her to bed without dinner
In 2002, Peter Stone’s eight-year-old daughter was acting up and he decided to punish her by sending her to bed without dinner. In response, Samantha surreptitiously slipped capsules of rat poison into her father’s coffee as he was cooking, causing him to collapse and die shortly after. The judge presiding over the case initially ruled that Samantha couldn’t be held accountable because she didn’t know what she was doing, until she was caught trying to poison her mother a month later.
A man was murdered over a speed bump
In 2010, 48-year-old Stephen Carr finally succeeded in getting a speed bump installed outside his house in Fairfax County, Virginia. Carr had been campaigning for the bump for some time due to drivers speeding in the neighbourhood, but, whilst most residents were supportive, one was furious. David Patton assaulted Carr in his driveway over the speedbump and, when that was broken up, broke into his house and killed him.
A man carried out a mass shooting to be with a My Little Pony character
On April 15th, 2021, 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole carried out the deadliest mass shooting in the state of Indiana’s history, killing eight people at a FedEx facility before turning the gun on himself. In the subsequent investigation, it was discovered that Hole was obsessed with the My Little Pony TV show and had fallen in love with one of the ponies. In a Facebook post made shortly before the shooting, Hole stated that he hoped he could “be with Applejack in the afterlife.”
A Moroccan woman ate her boyfriend for planning to leave her
In 2018, a Moroccan woman murdered her boyfriend of seven years when he revealed his plans to leave her and marry someone else. After the killing, the woman cut up her boyfriend’s body and consumed prts of it, giving the rest to her dogs. She was discovered when a tooth was found in her blender.
A man was murdered over access to a computer
In 2013, 54-year-old Donald McNicol was murdered by a group of six teenagers outside a community centre in Brixton, London. The attack was spurred by an argument over access to a shared computer inside the centre, which the teens wanted to use. When McNicol, who was using the computer to search for a job, refused to give them access, the teens appeared to leave. They then ambushed McNicol outside and killed him with a chair.
Katherine Knight murdered her husband to feed him to his kids
Katherine Knight’s truly horrific crime led to her being the first Australian woman sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. In February 2000, Knight killed her husband with a knife, and then attempted to feed his body to their children. Fortunately, police arrived on the scene before the kids had a chance to unwittingly eat their father.
The Alphabet Killer murdered his victims because of their names
Over a two-year period in the early 70s, three young girls were abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered in Rochester, New York. The only thing linking the girls was the fact that they both had first and last names beginning with the same letter. The killer was never caught, but several years later one of the main suspects in the case was convicted of murdering sex workers – who also all had alliterative names.
Steve Stephens shot a random man because he was angry with his girlfriend
On April 16th, 2017, vocational specialist Steve Stephens filmed himself shooting 74-year-old Robert Godwin in cold blood, posting the footage to Facebook later that day. In the video, Stephens forced Godwin to say “Joy Lane,” the name of his girlfriend at the time, and then stated, “she’s the reason why this is about to happen to you,” before shooting Godwin in the head. Stephens then claimed that he was going to go on a killing spree because he was angry at Lane, but the only other life he ended up taking was his own.
A man killed his wife for spending too much time on social media
In November 2022, a man living in Tirappur, a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, murdered his wife for spending too much time on social media. The man worked at a vegetable market in the city, and he was apparently upset that when he came home his wife never paid attention to him because she was obsessed with making reels for Instagram. Ultimately, the man’s frustration boiled over into violence, and he choked his wife to death with a shawl.
A teenager murdered his mother for taking away his PlayStation
In 2011, a 16-year-old Kendall Anderson murdered his mother in her sleep with a claw hammer after she confiscated his PlayStation. After carrying out the killing, Anderson attempted to “cremate” his mother’s body in the oven, but when that didn’t work he dumped her in an alley behind their house. Anderson was quickly apprehended and charged, and in 2012 he was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
A woman murdered her husband for leaving the toilet seat up
Many women express annoyance at their husbands leaving the toilet seat up, but for 36-year-old Jennifer Latorre, it was a crime worthy of death. In 2014, Latorre was arrested at her home in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, after brutally stabbing her husband John over 45 times. Asked why she had committed the shocking murder, Latorre said she “stabbed him once for every time he left the toilet seat up,” adding, “I see no reason that a man should not be killed if you ask him to do one simple thing after another simple, goddamn thing, and he just can’t be bothered.”
A man killed his friend and drank his blood because he thought a film character told him to
In 2004, 23-year-old Allan Menzies murdered his friend and drank his blood because he “wanted to become a vampire.” During court appearances, Menzies claimed that he had been instructed to kill his friend by a character in Queen of the Damned, a vampire movie he had watched over 100 times. After getting sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison, Menzies took his own life in his cell.
A man killed two teenagers for asking how tall he was
19-year-old Laroy Battle was shopping at a convenience store in Chicago when two teenagers approached him and asked him how tall he was. The question was apparently innocent, and the teens were genuinely impressed by Battle’s height, but for some reason he took the comment as a threat, and when the two teens left the store he followed and opened fire with a pistol, killing them both.
A man shot his friend for drinking his last beer
“There was only two beers left, so I took one, and I told Willie not to take my last beer.” This was the defence given by Steven Brasher, a 42-year-old resident of Bandera County, Texas, when asked why he fatally shot 39-year-old Willie Lawson. Unsurprisingly, the jurors found his argument unpersuasive, and after two hours of deliberation Brasher was found guilty of murder and slapped with a life sentence.
Michael Close shot a woman for not cleaning up after her dog
In June 2020, 37-year-old Colorado man Michael Close shot and killed 21-year-old Isabella Thallas and injured her 27-year-old boyfriend. An argument had erupted over Thallas allegedly failing to clean up after her dog in public, and when things got heated Close produced an AK-47 and fired a total of 24 rounds before fleeing in his car. Despite pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, Close was sentenced to life in prison.
Andrés Escobar was killed for scoring an own goal
During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Colombian defender Andrés Escobar scored an own goal in a match against the United States, contributing to his team’s loss and subsequent elimination from the tournament. After returning to Colombia, Escobar was ambushed by a group of men who shot him six times, shouting “goal” every time they fired. It is widely believed that the slaying was carried out as retribution for Escobar’s own goal, which many Colombians felt was humiliating.
A girl shot her father because she believed a ouija board told her to
In 1933, 15-year-old Mattie Turley killed her father with a shotgun, seemingly without motive. During the investigation, Turley admitted that she had been using a ouija board with her mother, and believed that the board had commanded her to kill her father, stating, “the board could not be denied.” Turley was sentenced to state reformatory and released after three years, whilst her mother was sentenced to 10-25 for intent to commit murder, although her conviction was subsequently overturned.
Scott Falater murdered his wife while sleepwalking
In 1997, Scott Falater’s murder trial made headlines across the country for his unusual defence. Falater claimed that he had been sleepwalking when he repeatedly stabbed his wife Yarmila, before dumping her corpse in the family’s backyard pool. The unusual defence resulted in an extremely lengthy trial as experts argued over the plausibility of Falater’s claims. Ultimately, he was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, although he continues to maintain his innocence.
Devin Moore claimed he shot three police officers because he’d been playing GTA
After being booked on suspicion of stealing a car in 2003, Devin Moore shot and killed two police officers and a dispatcher in the Fayette, Alabama police station before fleeing in a patrol car. After he was apprehended, Moore stated, “life’s a video game, everyone’s got to die sometime.” During trial, Moore attempted to claim that the video game Grand Theft Auto had influenced him to carry out the killings, fueling the already raging controversy over whether or not violent video games lead to real world violence.
Philip Markoff committed murder to pay for his wedding
Dubbed the “Craigslist Killer” for the way he found his victims, Philip Markoff arranged to meet women offering services on the online platform before robbing them at gunpoint. When one of the robberies went bad, Markoff ended up killing 25-year-old masseuse Julia Brisman, with police finding her body several days later. Markoff denied all charges, but it is believed that he was carrying out the robberies to fund his upcoming wedding, and he attempted to kill himself in prison the day the event would have taken place. Although that attempt failed, he did eventually manage to commit suicide.
A man was beaten to death over Pokémon GO
In October 2016, 20-year-old Carl Gregory was playing Pokémon GO in a car park when he got into an argument with another player who was trying to capture the same character. The confrontation turned violent, and Gregory was viciously attacked by the other player and his friend. Paramedics were called after Gregory was found lying unconscious in a pool of blood, but he passed away at the scene.
A man murdered his children because he thought they had “serpent DNA”
In 2021, Matthew Taylor Coleman, the owner of a Californian surfing school, drove his two infant children to a remote location before killing them with a spear gun. Coleman was apprehended trying to cross the border and later confessed to the killings, claiming that his children had “serpent DNA” and would have “grown into monsters.” During the investigation, it emerged that, in the months before the murders, Coleman had become obsessed with the conspiracy theory QAnon, which is believed to have influenced his actions.
Theodore Edward Coneys killed a man so he could live in his attic
In 1941, 59-year-old drifter Theodore Edward Coneys managed to gain entry to the house of 74-year-old Philip Peters. Although he had only intended to rob the house, after he discovered a small attic Coneys decided to live in it. Although he managed to evade detection for several months, Peters eventually caught Coneys stealing food from his refrigerator. Not wanting to lose his newfound hideout, Coneys beat Peters to death before retreating to the attic. Although police found Peters body and searched the house, they didn’t detect the attic and Coneys managed to evade capture for several more months.
A teenager murdered a couple because he wanted to “become an immortal vampire”
In 1998, Rod Ferrell, the leader of a gang of Kentucky teenagers who referred to themselves as the “Vampire Clan,” murdered Naomi Ruth Queen and Richard Wendorf after breaking into their home. Ferrell – who claimed to be a centuries-old vampire known as Vesago – used a crowbar to bludgeon the couple to death before burning the letter V into Wendorf’s body. Police quickly linked the murders to Ferrell, and he confessed shortly after being taken into custody, claiming that he committed the murders in an attempt to “become an immortal vampire.”
Two students killed a teenage boy to demonstrate their “superior intellect”
In May 1924, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb – two wealthy students attending the University of Chicago – kidnapped 14-year-old Bobby Banks and murdered him with a chisel. The two students decided to carry out the killing in an attempt to prove that they could pull off the “perfect crime” and thus demonstrate their “superior intellect.” As it was, Leopold and Loeb had severely overestimated their own deviousness, and after they were brought in for questioning they both cracked and blamed the other for the murder.
A man was killed by an explosive collar in an extremely bizarre robbery
On August 28th, 2003, pizza delivery man Brian Wells robbed a branch of PNC Bank in Erie, Pennsylvania. Wells was wearing an explosive collar, and he claimed that he was being forced to commit the robbery. Police soon caught up with Wells, but when they approached him the collar exploded, killing him instantly. The subsequent investigation found that Wells was actually a willing participant in the crime, although he believed that the bomb collar was fake. The FBI later stated it was “one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes” they had ever dealt with.
A karaoke singer was shot dead for singing out of tune
Many of us have intrusive thoughts when witnessing karaoke, but most of us can prevent them from manifesting. The same cannot be said of security guard Robilito Ortega. In 2007, Ortega told Romy Baligula in a San Mateo, Philippines bar that he was singing off-key. After Baligula ignored the heckle, Ortega pulled out a 38-caliber pistol and shot Baligula dead.
The Russian mafia killed a waiter because he cleaned a table too quickly
Mahmood Foli was just 22 years old when he was killed by a member of the Russian mafia after mistakenly taking away a gangster’s drink too soon. The mafia member was so enraged he waterboarded the waiter with 27 litres of Coca-Cola until Mahmood drowned.
A man killed his girlfriend over chopsticks
In 2009, a young man threw his girlfriend off a 12th-story balcony after fighting over chopsticks. The argument began in a restaurant between 19-year-old Tan Teck Soon and his girlfriend. When the couple got home, Soon shoved his partner off the balcony before jumping straight after her. Unfortunately, the girlfriend was killed instantly. Soon survived.
A teenage girl beat her classmate to death over farting
In 2012, 16-year-old Shaakira Dorsey was killed by her fellow classmate after she apparently made fun of her in front of a group of girls for farting. Incensed by the accusation, the classmate began beating Shaakira until she collapsed unconscious from the blows. An ambulance arrived shortly after but it was too late. The classmate, who was charged with murder, has not had her name released by authorities.
A man killed an off-duty cop over a parking space
Sian James was charged with first-degree murder in 2010 after killing an off-duty detective during a dispute over a parking space. Brian Stevenson, 38, was out with a friend in Baltimore when an argument ensued outside a restaurant. James then picked up a piece of concrete and threw it at Stevenson, hitting his head. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Two girls stabbed a friend 19 times to impress Slender Man
In May 2014, Payton Leutner was lured into the woods, where her friends Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier were waiting. Little did Leutner know that her friends planned to kill her. All in all, they stabbed Leutner 19 times before travelling five miles on foot away from the scene. Geyser and Weier were found by police, calm and composed, explaining that Slender Man made them do it.
Albert Fish murdered five people because ‘God told him to’
Albert Fish was a suspect in at least five murders during his spree in the 1920s, though he only confessed to three that police to were able to trace. He also admitted to stabbing at least two other people, though he once stated his number of victims was closer to 100. Fish’s crimes were varied and horrific, and all were justified by him claiming God had the whole time been “telling him” to commit them.
Lester Bower killed four people because he wanted an ultralight airplane
Lester Bower ruined his own life by taking those of four men at an aircraft hangar near Dallas in 1983. His motive was nothing more than simply wanting to have his own ultralight airplane. Bower was convicted and spent 31 years on death row, before getting the lethal injection in 2015, making him the oldest prisoner in Texan history to be executed.
Daniel Wozniak killed two people to finance his wedding
Daniel Wozniak was convicted of two counts of murder in September 2016 for killing his friend and neighbour, Private First Class Samuel Herr, and Juri Kibuishi, in a bid to frame Herr for Kibuishi’s murder and steal his combat pay. Wozniak was on the brink of getting married and was in desperate need of finances. The senseless murders took place in May 2010.
‘Queen’s Dwarf’ Jeffrey Hudson killed a courtier for mocking his height
Jeffrey Hudson – nicknamed the ‘Queen’s Dwarf’ – was a 45-inch tall laughing stock in the circle of King Charles I’s wife, Queen Henrietta, back in the 17th century, and for a while he didn’t mind. But one day, a fire raged in his tiny belly. Hudson challenged courtier William Crofts to a duel after he mocked his height, ending in Crofts being killed by Hudson. He was initially sentenced to death but Queen Henrietta pitied him and Hudson got off scot-free.
Szilveszter Matuska blew up a train for the hell of it
Szilveszter Matuska was arrested and charged in October 1931 for derailing several trains. One of them was the Vienna Express as it was crossing the Biatorbágy bridge near Budapest, killing 22 people and wounding 120 others. After Matuska was convicted of murder, he explained: “I wrecked trains because I like to see people die. I like to hear them scream.”
