December 10, 2003Sugar Land, TexasThree members of the Whitaker family are shot as they return home from dinner The Whitakers’ elder son, Thomas Bartlett “Bart” Whitaker (23), announced to his family he had completed his studies at Sam Houston State University and would soon be graduating. (It was later revealed there were no records from…
The execution of Charles Brooks, the first person to be executed by lethal injection
December 7, 1982Huntsville, TexasCharles Brooks Jr. (also known as Shareef Ahmad Abdul-Rahim) is executed for the murder of a man, becoming the first person to be executed by lethal injection Lethal injection was first proposed by Oklahoma state medical examiner Jay Chapman who got the idea for a humane alternative to the electric chair while…
Newborn’s body found in dumpster
November 29, 1998Beaumont, TexasThe body of a newborn is found in a dumpster The newborn’s body was discovered by a couple collecting aluminum cans from a dumpster. They noticed a black plastic garbage bag and pulled it out after seeing what they believed was the leg of a baby doll. Instead, it was the body…
Woman is executed — probably wrongly — for the murder of a man
November 13, 1863San Patricio, TexasJosefa “Chipita” Rodriguez is executed for the murder of a man On August 25, 1863, the body of John Savage was found in a burlap sack in the Aransas River. The cause of death was immediately apparent: his skull had been caved in by an axe. Savage was a horse trader…
Man found in his home 3 years after he died, apparently due to a medical condition
November 12, 2019Dallas, TexasThe body of Ronald Wayne White (51) is found in his apartment three years after he died In November 2019, the maintenance staff of White’s apartment complex performed inspections on apartments which showed no water usage. Some of the apartments had been rented but were unoccupied, and it was suspected this was…