The last woman hanged in public in London

On 20 October 1862, Catherine Wilson became the last woman to be hanged in public in London. A big crowd turned out to watch the event. The last woman to be hanged in public in Britain was Frances Kidder in 1868. The last woman to be hanged in the USA was Mary Holmes in 1937. (Since then women have been executed by the electric chair, gas chamber, or lethal injection).

The Last Werewolf

In 1691 a Latvian named Theiss confessed to being a werewolf. But he claimed he was a 'good' werewolf. He said witches stole grain and domestic animals and dragged them off to Hell. Theiss made his way to Hell then brought the stolen goods back. People must have slept easier in their beds knowing they had a werewolf to defend them from witches. Theiss was lucky. He was only sentenced to 20 lashes.

Shared post

Timothy Evans

On 18 October 1966, the Queen granted Timothy Evans a royal pardon, 16 years after he was hanged for a murder he did not commit. This YouTube video with Fred Dineage is about the serial killer John Reginald Christie and the unfortunate man Timothy Evans.  

Serial Killer Rosemary West

 A newspaper report on the female serial killer Rosemary West 

Nazi War Criminals Hanged

On 16 October 1946 10 Nazi war criminals were hanged at Nuremberg. Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)  Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) - Instead of Water Scene (5/11) | Movieclips - YouTube

Ruth Ellis Headstone

 Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in Britain finally gets a headstone Ruth Ellis: Family of last woman to be executed in UK finally get headstone for grave 70 years after death - The Mirror

Maartje Tamboezer

 

I wrote about Maartje Tamboezer, a 15 year old Dutch schoolgirl who was murdered in East Horsley, Surrey, England in 1986 by an evil pair known as the railway killers.

Badlands

 The film Badlands premiered on 13 October 1973. It was based on the case of Charles Starkweather who shot 10 people in 1957-58.

World Day Against the Death Penalty

 10 October is World Day Against the Death Penalty 

Infanticide

 In 1849, Rebecca Smith became the last woman in Britain to be hanged for infanticide (killing one’s own child). She poisoned her baby son with arsenic. She was hanged in Devizes, Wiltshire. 

Madeleine Smith

 I found a very good video about Madeleine Smith. She was accused of poisoning her former lover in Glasgow in 1857. A jury returned a verdict of 'not proven', a Scottish verdict that meant she was not necessarily innocent but there was not sufficient evidence to convict her.

Dr Bodkin Adams

 Bodkin Adams was a doctor who murdered people in Brighton, England in the 1950s. The not-so-good doctor made a lot of money from his crimes. This is an excellent video about him.

Octogenarian hanged

 On 4 October 1843 an 84 year old man was hanged in Scotland for the murder of his wife. His name was Alan Mair. 

House in Philadelphia

 A frightening case in Philadelphia USA 

A letter from Jack the Ripper

 On 27 September 1888, Central News Agency in London received a letter signed 'Jack the Ripper'. It was probably a hoax. It's unlikely it was from the murderer but it gave him his name. It's almost certain now that we will never know the killer's real name, too much time has passed and things like the victim's clothes that might contain evidence were destroyed long ago because at that time they didn't see any point in keeping it. Obviously, they had no concept of DNA or other modern forensic techniques.

The first murderer caught by DNA evidence

 On 19 September 1987 Colin Pitchfork was arrested at his home in Leicestershire, England. He was the first murderer to be caught by DNA evidence. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 1988.

Beheaded in Denmark

  In Denmark beheading with an axe was the traditional method of execution. The last person in Denmark to be beheaded with an axe was Jens Nielsen in 1892. The guillotine was never used in Denmark but it was used just once in Sweden, in 1910.

True Crime Trivia

 I wrote another article. It's called True Crime Trivia.

Fingerprints

 On 13 September 1902 a burglar named Harry Jackson became the first person in Britain to be convicted by fingerprint evidence. He left a his prints on a freshly painted windowsill. Jackson was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

DNA

 On 10 September 1984 Alec Jeffreys discovered DNA fingerprinting. It has proved to be a vital tool for law enforcement. Colin Pitchfork was the first murderer caught by the new technology.