Historical True Crime

In 1931, a Liverpool insurance agent returned home to find his wife savagely murdered—and himself at the center of one of Britain’s most baffling murder mysteries. With an airtight alibi, a fake appointment, and no clear motive, the case of Herbert and Julia Wallace remains unsolved to this day. SourceMaterials: https://www.williamherbertwallace.com/general/the-murder-of-julia-wallace/ [https://www.williamherbertwallace.com/general/the-murder-of-julia-wallace/] https://www.livpost.co.uk/chess-prank-calls-and-murder-who/ [https://www.livpost.co.uk/chess-prank-calls-and-murder-who/] https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/551903/impossible-1930s-murder-still-fascinates-crime-writers [https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/551903/impossible-1930s-murder-still-fascinates-crime-writers] https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpools-oldest-unsolved-murder-baffled-22804932 [https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpools-oldest-unsolved-murder-baffled-22804932] https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/infamous-man-pru-murder-thats-29642600 [https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/infamous-man-pru-murder-thats-29642600] https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/pd-james-unmasks-the-perfect-killer-r29xwkgdw0b?region=global [https://www.thetimes.com/best-law-firms/profile-legal/article/pd-james-unmasks-the-perfect-killer-r29xwkgdw0b?region=global] https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/wallace.html [https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/wallace.html]

In 1930s Texas, Joe Ball was just another bootlegger-turned-barkeep—until the women around him started disappearing. With a backyard alligator pit, a string of missing waitresses, and a pistol always close at hand, Joe’s story blurs the line between fact and folklore. Step into the shadowy legend of the Alligator Man. Source Materials Joe Ball: The Butcher of Elmendorf — Introduction — Crime Library [https://crimelibrary.org/serial_killers/history/joe_ball/index.html] Chilling story about the man known as “The Butcher of Elmendorf” [https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/07/02/chilling-story-about-the-man-known-as-the-butcher-of-elmendorf/] Two Barmaids, Five Alligators, and the Butcher of Elmendorf – Texas Monthly [https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/butcher-of-elmendorf-alligators/] Suspected local serial killer who may have fed his victims to alligators killed himself 83 years ago [https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/Butcher-of-Elmendorf-serial-killer-joseph-ball-16485565.php] CRIME HUNTER: Bootlegger Joe Ball fed women to gators | Toronto Sun [https://torontosun.com/news/world/crime-hunter-bootlegger-joe-ball-fed-women-to-gators]

In April 1836, 23-year-old courtesan Helen Jewett was found murdered in a New York City brothel. The prime suspect, Richard P. Robinson, was acquitted despite strong evidence. The case became a media sensation, highlighting the power of press coverage and exposing harsh 19th-century societal realities. Source Materials https://allthatsinteresting.com/helen-jewett [https://allthatsinteresting.com/helen-jewett] https://www.thoughtco.com/murder-of-helen-jewett-1773772 [https://www.thoughtco.com/murder-of-helen-jewett-1773772] https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/classics/helen_jewett/ [https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/classics/helen_jewett/] https://www.grunge.com/1009628/the-murder-of-helen-jewett-americas-first-tabloid-murder-trial/ [https://www.grunge.com/1009628/the-murder-of-helen-jewett-americas-first-tabloid-murder-trial/] https://reader.library.cornell.edu/docviewer/digital?id=sat3207#mode/1up [https://reader.library.cornell.edu/docviewer/digital?id=sat3207#mode/1up] https://www.murderbygaslight.com/2009/10/girl-in-green.html [https://www.murderbygaslight.com/2009/10/girl-in-green.html] https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/c/cohen-jewett.html [https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/c/cohen-jewett.html]

On February 4, 1880, the quiet town of Biddulph, Ontario, erupted into chaos as a mob set fire to a farmhouse,slaughtering the notorious Donnelly family in a brutal act of frontier justice. In this episode, we uncover the truth behind one of Canada’s most infamous true crime cases—a tale of feuds, vengeance, and a massacre that still haunts history. Source Materials: https://www.thoroldtoday.ca/local-news/donnellys-legend-lives-on-in-thorold-1226182 [https://www.thoroldtoday.ca/local-news/donnellys-legend-lives-on-in-thorold-1226182] https://www.donnellymuseum.com/history [https://www.donnellymuseum.com/history] https://www.wanderlustcanadian.com/post/canadian folklore-black-donnellys https://www.torontoghosts.org/index.php/the-province-of-ontario/south-western/313-lucan-the-donnelly-homestead-?showall=1 [https://www.torontoghosts.org/index.php/the-province-of-ontario/south-western/313-lucan-the-donnelly-homestead-?showall=1] https://canadianmysteries.ca/sites/donnellys/prelude/settlingin/indexen.html [https://canadianmysteries.ca/sites/donnellys/prelude/settlingin/indexen.html]

In 1927, 12-year-old Marion Parker was kidnapped in Los Angeles by William Edward Hickman, who demanded ransom from her father. But even after he was paid, Hickman had no intention of letting her go. This shocking case gripped the nation and changed the way kidnappings were investigated. Source Materials: Fiend Captured at Echo, Or; Jailed; Confesses, Report" [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/51246704/albany-democrat-herald/]. Albany Democrat-Herald. December 22, 1927. p. 1. Archived [https://web.archive.org/web/20200613111313/https:/www.newspapers.com/clip/51246704/albany-democrat-herald/] from the original on June 13, 2020. What Marion Parker's Ransom Note Really Said [https://www.grunge.com/1578743/what-marion-parker-ransom-note-really-said/]Girl's Grisly Killing Had City Residents Up in Arms - Los Angeles Times [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-feb-04-me-21037-story.html] How Marion Parker Murder Case Inspired 'Perry Mason' | Crime News [https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/how-marion-parker-murder-case-inspired-perry-mason] HICKMAN HANGED AS HE COLLAPSES; Loses Nerve as He Pays the Penalty for the Murder of Marian Parker. TELLS GUARD OF CRIME Youth Declares He Was Not Grazy --Would Have Killed Best Friend to Gain Ends. - The New York Times [https://www.nytimes.com/1928/10/20/archives/hickman-hanged-as-he-collapses-loses-nerve-as-he-pays-the-penalty.html]