August 14, 1980 West Los Angeles, California 20-year-old Dorothy Stratten is shot to death by her estranged husband Stratten's husband, Paul Snider, had met Stratten while she was working part time at Dairy Queen. He convinced her to submit photos to Playboy which led to her becoming Miss August 1979, two months after they married.… Continue reading Woman murdered and raped by estranged husband who then killed himself
Tag: 1980s
Woman abducted, restrained, and set on fire after robbery
August 12, 1984 Tallahassee, Florida Jeanne Bickner is kidnapped, tied to a tree, and set on fire Bickner had met Joe Elton Nixon in a mall parking lot when he asked for help jumpstarting his car. When they were unsuccessful, Bickner offered Nixon a ride home. During the trip, Nixon forced Bickner to a remote… Continue reading Woman abducted, restrained, and set on fire after robbery
Former police officer executed for the robbery, beating, and murder of woman
August 10, 1982 Richmond, Virginia Frank Coppola is executed in the electric chair for the robbery and murder of a woman Coppola was a police officer in 1978 when he and accomplices gained entry to Muriel Hatchell’s home under the false pretense of selling roses. They then restrained her with the cord of a Venetian… Continue reading Former police officer executed for the robbery, beating, and murder of woman
Man kills 5 members of family, attempts to frame murdered sister
August 7, 1985 Tolleshunt D'Arcy, Essex, England Five people, including a set of 6-year-old twins, are shot and killed The murders were carried out by Jeremy Bamber, who killed his adoptive parents, adoptive sister, and her twin boys. He then staged the scene to appear as though his sister, a former model with schizophrenia, had… Continue reading Man kills 5 members of family, attempts to frame murdered sister
Bridge collapses from overcrowding, kills 32 and wounds over 1,000
July 31, 1988 Penang, Malaysia The Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal bridge collapses, killing 32 and injuring 1,634 The collapse was blamed on extreme overcrowding. The terminal was built in 1956 and was not designed to withstand the force of the over 10,000 people attempting to use the bridge and ferries. The influx of visitors… Continue reading Bridge collapses from overcrowding, kills 32 and wounds over 1,000
