March 19, 1926 Oakland, California Macario Timon is killed in his home Timon was a goat farmer who largely kept to himself, though neighbors began to think he was selling bootleg gin he made in his basement, based on the frequent visits he would receive. (At the time, the United States was in the middle…
Teen dies in a faked suicide orchestrated by mother
March 13, 1922 Chicago, Illinois Margaret Shader (16, pictured) is fatally shot According to Margaret’s family, the teen had become despondent when her mother refused to allow her to marry her boyfriend, Frank Lee (16), on the basis of his race. The location of the pistol used to take Margaret’s life was near the body…
Man executed for beating woman to death with piece of firewood
March 9, 1923 Fort Madison, Iowa Earl Throst (24, pictured) is executed for the murder of Inga Magnusson Magnusson (sometimes spelled Magnussen) was a 21-year-old teacher of a one-room schoolhouse in Allamakee County, Iowa, though she lived with her parents in Houston County, Minnesota, roughly 40 miles (64 km) north of the school. When she…
The first victim of “The Gorilla Killer” is murdered
February 20, 1926 San Francisco, California Clara Newman is killed, becoming the first known victim of serial killer Earle Nelson (pictured) Before Nelson was identified, the press dubbed him the “Gorilla Killer,” as he was described, as the Northern Territory Times reported, as “a degenerate with huge hairy hands.” (As you can see in the…
Teen fatally shoots mother; the press blames the killing on jazz music, white bread, and movies featuring kissing
January 12, 1925San Francisco, California16-year-old Dorothy Ellingson shoots her mother Anna to death following an argument Anna confronted Dorothy regarding her delinquent behavior, including her habitual patronage of speakeasies — illegal bars established during the Prohibition of the United Stated. An argument broke out culminating with Dorothy shooting her mother and taking $45 (approx. $660…
