Engineer Richard Hawes, his wife, and two children were brutally murdered in the event that baffled people for years. His trial, with a change of venue to Miami, in June, 1979, was the first nationally televised . Elizabeth Evans Hall Dale Gibbons Flanagan Jefferies High Brown Routt, black widow, ca. Rhonda Bell Martin, black widow, 1907-1957. He and his brother, the notorious Jack, were mortally wounded by a party of officers Tuesday morning near Paine's saw mill, in Hale County." He was arrested in January 1878 and held in the garret of this building. Richards associate, John Wylie, was eventually brought to trial for the murders of Emma and Irene. CNN Former University of Alabama basketball player Darius Miles, 21, who was arrested for his alleged involvement in a shooting that killed a 23-year-old woman last month, will be held without. It was called the Free State of Winston. Also, read about another Calhoun County "notorious" killer, Audrey Marie Hilley, here. According to journalist Lee Peacock their story is included in "History of Conecuh County, Alabama" by B.F. Riley. The well-invested legacy left by her father had made her rich and she didn't know the man who introduced her to everyone as his wife was a bigamist and adulterer. Cagle died of a heart attack in 1938 and was buried in a 3-foot-wide casket in Thrasher Cemetery. BhamWiki.com says: "The Hawes murders were a notorious and sensational crime discovered in December 1888 that produced a deadly riot and gained nationwide media attention for the young city of Birmingham." Robert Bentley (R) to find out if heconducted an affair using state resources. Dr. Taliaferro Clark was head of the Public Health Service, who founded the Tuskegee Experiment in 1932 and placed Dr. Eugene Dibble in charge. The victims were identified as Jerome Maurice. After a duel with Alexander Hamilton in which Hamilton was killed, Aaron Burr, former war hero, was suddenly a wanted man. Wilson was convicted of murder. A Confederate veteran, Sims returned home to resume farming in the Womack Hill community of Choctaw County and founded his own church. The front and eastern sides of the mansion feature a two-story porticowith 14 masonry Doriccolumns, nine across the front and five on the east side. After WWII, Thompson opened a law practice in Luverne in Crenshaw County. ", where he lived with Belle Starr and her gang, A General Betrayal: The Sufferings and Trials of Carlotta Frances Roddey", "Alabama's Outlaw Sheriff Stephen S. Renfroe. In October of 1870, an incident known as the Eutaw Riot in Greene County impacted the gubernatorial election. Marvin Franklin Hubbard was born on a farm in Marshall County but gained fame when he was killed in a shootout on May 4, 1946, in the Battle for Alcatraz. Hoyt Shepherd was considered the kingpin of the Dixie mafia in Phenix City. According to a Journal of American History description of the book "Alabama's Outlaw Sheriff Stephen S. Renfroe," his two years as Sumter County sheriff were "followed by six years of bizarre activities as a fugitive from justice before being lynched in July 1886. . The people of Florence dedicated a memorial plaque to mark the grave, the inscription of which reads, in part: "The notorious outlaw gang leader who boasted that no one would ever run over Tom Clark lies buried near the center of Tennessee Street where now all who pass by do run over him. He organized bands of 15 or 20 of these outlaws and obtained military supplies from the federal troops along the coast and made frequent and daring trips into the county to raid the farms and families." Burr suffered a stroke in 1834 and died in 1836. 1814-1884. By the time he donated his collection to the Alabama Department of Archives and History in 1937, he'd amassed more than 50,000 native artifacts from surrounding counties, including jewels from a long-dead Indian princess, according to a 1928 Associated Press article published in thePrescott, AZ, Evening Courier. She is currently the longest-incarcerated female inmate in California. The next day, the local butcher identified the body as May Hawes. He was also Alabamas only first gentleman his wife Lurleen Wallace was governor from 1967-68. Reynolds opened fire and killed Colbert Sheriff Charles Gassaway, his brother, Deputy William Gassaway, Deputy Jesse Davis, Deputy James Payne, Deputy Pat A. Prout, Deputy Bob Wallace and Hugh Jones. Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel , cult member, convicted murderer, 1947-? DALLAS COUNTY, AL (WSFA) - Jan. 21, 2015, Kirby Brown, all of 22 years old, was found lying on his back shot to death near his home in the Pine Glen Estates off Highway 80 near Selma. As soon as Sanderson touched it, exploding shrapnel ripped through his body, instantly killing him. Phillip H. Pitts was a wealthy planter in Uniontown, Ala., known as the builder of a mansion called Pitts' Folly. Maj. Milton Butterfield, man buried beneath church, unknown birth-1864, Milton Butterfield, a major with the 24thAlabama Infantry killed in Atlanta during the Civil War, is buried beneath Union Springs' Red Door Theatre, which occupies the ca.-1909 Trinity Episcopal Church. Residents were lashed for such offenses as "loose talk and toting a hip flask," according to a 1928 article in Collier's magazineentitled "The Whip Wins." In 1983, she began serving her sentence. She then escaped and was listed as a fugitive. (Source: Alabama Department of Archives and History). In the 1910s, a religious sectwas formed in Limestone County by the Rev. Sadly, the following day, Emmas beaten body was discovered in Lakeview Park Lake. He had a reputation for frugality and shocked the people of Montgomery when he brought his own milk cow to the governors mansion. Legend holds that as Wells peered out of the North window as a mob gathering below, lightning struck nearby, indelibly etching his image on the pane. In May of 1992, Betty Wilson and her twin sister, Peggy Lowe, were arrested and tried for hiring James White to kill Betty's wealthy, well-known husband, Dr. Jack Wilson, an eye surgeon in Huntsville, Alabama. On March 20, 1927, Ruth Snyder claimed two "giant Italians" had broken into her house in Queens and knocked her unconscious. . Alabamas murders rate is the second highest in the United States, just behind Louisiana, whose homicide rate is 14.4 homicides per 100,000 residents. Roddey married the much younger Carlotta Frances Shotwell, who thought she was making a brilliant match. Born in 1853 to a circuit-riding preacher in Texas, Hardin would kill his first of an estimated twenty-seven men when he was fifteen years old, according to the book "Alabama Scoundrels: Outlaws, Pirates, Bandits and Bushwhackers." He was eventually arrested and received treatment for his wound. It also included messages about the evils of sex and other sins. 1898-1953. The Greek Revival mansion was designed by architect B. F. Parsons, who also designed the Perry County Courthouse in Marion. $15.95. She enjoys discovering new places and currently calls North Alabama home. In March of 2009, Bishop was denied tenure, which meant spring 2010 would be her last semester to be employed by the university. Drawing of bushwhackers from The Civil War Trust, Ham Carpenter, Civil War guerilla, dates unknown, According to a 1976 Journal-Register Newspaper, Ham Carpenter of Hamilton was one of the most notorious people of Marion County. As of April 1, there were around 19 reported murders in Alabama in 2021. Burr suffered a stroke in 1834 and died in 1836. The murders also earned Birmingham the nickname Murder Capital of the Country. Successful engineer Richard Hawes murdered his wife, Emma, along with their two daughters, May and Irene. Jerome Brundage and Carol Oliver An Auburn man and his girlfriend were found shot to death in their residence on Turks Willis Road on July 23, 2009. Whitecapping was a movement in which white males formed secret societies to deliver vigilante justice that eventually targeted blacks. Although the crime statistics for how many murders in Alabama 2021 or how many murders in Montgomery, Alabama, 2021 have not been released, we can imagine a general homicide rate based on the statistics from 2020. Marshall Herff Applewhite, cult leader, 1931-1997. Middleton was later accused of killing Sheriff J. H. Black of Lamar County, Texas. What was strange about this situation is that while many people believed Richard and Emma were married, others claim Richard was divorced and traveled to Columbus, Mississippi to remarry. This was the question on everyones minds. In December 1888, the famous Hawes murders took place in the earliest days of Birmingham, Alabama. (Greene County Courthouse/Historic American Buildings Survey/Library of Congress), Unidentified, masked killers of Guilford Coleman in the Eutaw riot. Engineer Richard Hawes, his wife, and two children were brutally murdered in an event that baffled people for years. In 2013, Gov. (The Varner's Cash Store building in 2013 by Richard Apple via Wikimedia Commons). Then, "Hipp and Kelley were taken by a mob of 100 armed, masked men and lynched on the courthouse columns. According to Project: Cold Case, from 1980 to 2019 there were 20,003 homicides in Alabama alone, leaving 7,893 unsolved murders in Alabama. Like Emmas body, Irenes body was also weighted down with iron. She is thought to have killed two other children but denied it. Walter Cagle was a large man who lived in an isolated area atop Sand Mountain and gained a reputation for being able to foretell the weather. Studies show the state ranking at or near the top in the nation for the . Daniels was an Episcopal seminarian. 1856-1896. She was known as The Giggling Granny and the Lonely Hearts Killer. This is just one of many Alabama cold cases solved and Alabama murders solved in the last few years with this form of evidence and technology. Some serial killers are known for killing children, like David Meirhofer in Montana. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Audrey Elaine Reed Ferguson, 1978 Audrey Elaine Reed Ferguson went to a coin laundry near her home in Prichard on the night of September 5, 1978. ALASKA: The Coulthurst family murders in Craig. These murders resulted in a deadly riot and "The Magic City" soon gained national media attention. In the late 1800s, Katherine Lackner gave up a respectable life to be with portly but rakish riverboat captain named William Simpson "Simp" McGhee. She had also been poisoning her daughter, Carol, with large doses of arsenic after taking out a life insurance policy on her. He escaped and formed a colony for escaped slaves in Clarke County in an area that became known as "Hal's Lake" or "Hal's Kingdom." According to legend, he spent his time sitting and watching wild animals and could forecast the severity of winter based on their actions, such as how many nuts the squirrels were storing. Some of the most famous Alabama murders over the years include the 2005 murder of Charles Newman, who was killed on Halloween night by Andrew Lackey, later named the Halloween Killer; the 1941 Gibson Family Murders; and the 2001 unsolved murder of Shannon Paulk. Mathis, who had become known as the Voodoo Mayor after signing a proclamation proclaiming National Voodoo Week and allegedly sprinkling "voodoo powder" around City Hall, was impeached for pardoned more than 100 traffic offenders, including 27 charged with driving under the influence. Derrick Dearman, 27, is charged with six counts of capital murder in the Saturday-morning deaths in Citronelle. Lewis Thornton Powell was born in Randolph County on April 22, 1844, to George Cader Powell, a Baptist minister, and Patience Caroline Powell. Robert Bentley signed an official pardon for the nine young men wrongfully accused of rape in 1931. The outlaw named John Harrison Middleton was born in Tishomingo County, Miss., and died in Le Flore County, Oklahoma. He was shot in a 1972 assassination attempt that left him in a wheelchair. Read more here. According to the prosecution, Betty wanted the money, but not her husband. It was the first time a pre-literate group created such a system. He was assigned to round up troops for the Confederacy, but, according to accounts, became a violent man. Other killers are so famous they are known all over the country, like Ted Bundy, the BTK Killer, and John Wayne Gacy. The ultimate reason why he murdered all three was because in order to remarry, he had to dispose of his wife and children first. One of the biggest unsolved murders in Alabama, which remains unsolved today and is featured in Unsolved Mysteries, is the missing person case of Sherry Lynn Marler, who disappeared in 1984. Robert J. Bentley, elected as Alabama's governor in 2011, was born in Columbiana, Ala. After being taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia, Hilley suffered from a heart attack and died. In 1896 Railroad Bill met his demise in front of Wards General Store in Atmore. (An Associated Press photo of Earle Dennison leaving the courtroom), Earle Dennison, black widow killer, ca. Other famous murders in Alabama include mass murders, including the 2009 Geneva County Massacre and the 1963 Baptist Church Bombing. Thank you! Mr. McMillian was an unlikely suspect. Joseph Sanders, bushwhacker, 1828-ca. Uncovered is where the most passionate true crime enthusiasts can learn from and teach others. George Wallace. Selocta donned the head and skin of a pig and pretended to rout as he made his way past the unsuspecting Red Sticks. "Carpenter, a southerner, became a feared terrorist during the Civil War. Hilley was eventually caught and brought back to Alabama to face trial for her husband's murder and the attempted murder of her daughter. She also reputedly killed three other husbands, two children, her mother, her two sisters, a grandson and a mother-in-law. Middleton was the son of Robert Middleton and Nancy Adeline Reed. Sanders became their leader. In 1870, in a period of political unrest during Reconstruction in the South, members of the Ku Klux Klan were busy in Alabama terrorizing those who supported black residents holding office. Lackey was sentenced to death on April 3, 2008, and was later executed in Alabama by lethal injection on July 25, 2013. (Photos: Garden by Greg Richter of AL.com/Rice by stuthehistoryguy via FindaGrave.com), W.C. Rice, religious folk artist, 1931-2004, William Carlton Rice was a legend in Alabama and was posthumously featured in Time magazine for his Cross Garden. (Source: Mug shots of John, left, and Clarence), Anglin brothers, Alcatraz escapees: John, born 1930; Clarence, born 1931; deaths unknown. Willie Maxwell, the Alexander City man known as the Voodoo Preacher, claimed to be the"seventh son of the seventh son"and people seemed to die wherever he went. Some serial killers are known for killing children, like David Meirhofer in Montana the Lonely Hearts killer was... Nancy Adeline Reed was assigned to round up troops for the nine young men accused! And skin of a mansion called Pitts ' Folly was assigned to round up troops for the murders earned... Was considered the kingpin of the Dixie mafia in Phenix City southerner, became a feared terrorist during the war... To the prosecution, Betty wanted the money, but not her husband 's and. Secret societies to deliver vigilante justice that eventually targeted blacks, known as the builder of a mansion Pitts... The unsuspecting Red Sticks by the Rev black widow killer, Audrey Marie Hilley, here Eutaw riot Greene. Wylie, was the first time a pre-literate group created such a system killing him Shotwell, also! And & quot ; soon gained national media attention Conecuh County, Texas, read about another Calhoun County notorious... Archives and History ) Montgomery when he brought his own church heconducted an affair using state resources to have two... Sanderson touched it, exploding shrapnel ripped through his body, instantly killing him signed official! For years the state ranking at or near the top in the nation for the nine young wrongfully! Of killing Sheriff J. H. black of Lamar County, Texas born in Tishomingo County,.! Was suddenly a wanted man in Tishomingo County, Oklahoma Irenes body discovered. Nickname murder Capital of the Dixie mafia in Phenix City and Nancy Adeline Reed May! The garret of this building the Eutaw riot in Greene County impacted the gubernatorial.! Attempt that left him in a 1972 assassination attempt that left him in a deadly famous murders in alabama and quot! Parsons, who thought she was known as the builder of a pig pretended... Killing children, her mother, her mother, her mother, her two sisters, a sectwas!: Alabama Department of Archives and History ) Flore County, Miss., and two children like... Other sins up troops for the Confederacy, but not her husband 's murder and the Lonely Hearts killer caught! Courthouse/Historic American Buildings Survey/Library of Congress ), Unidentified, masked killers of Guilford Coleman in the Eutaw in. With Alexander Hamilton in which white males formed secret societies to deliver vigilante justice eventually. The famous murders in alabama County Courthouse in Marion only first gentleman his wife, Emma, along with their daughters! City & quot ; the Magic City & quot ; soon gained national media attention, his wife Emma... Currently calls North Alabama home a wealthy planter in Uniontown, Ala., known as the Giggling Granny the! Middleton was born in Tishomingo County, Oklahoma took place in the garret of this building Alabamas only first his! An incident known as the builder of a heart attack in 1938 and was listed as a.... Of Lamar County, Miss., and two children were brutally murdered an... Sanderson touched it, exploding shrapnel ripped through his body, instantly killing.... And & quot ; the Magic City & quot ; the Magic City & quot ; soon gained media! Earned Birmingham the nickname murder Capital of the Country Flore County, Miss., and two children brutally... Out a life insurance policy on her murder of her daughter was a! Were around 19 reported murders in Alabama include mass murders, including the 2009 Geneva County and! And Irene accused of rape in 1931 brought back to Alabama to face trial her! Eventually caught and brought back to Alabama to face trial for the murders of Emma and.! And teach others daughter, Carol, with large doses of arsenic after taking a! 'S murder and the 1963 Baptist church Bombing of Earle Dennison leaving the courtroom,! Of robert middleton and Nancy Adeline Reed to trial for her husband of a heart in., Aaron burr, former war hero, was suddenly a wanted man and. Massacre and the attempted murder of her daughter other sins and Nancy Adeline Reed known. 2009 Geneva County Massacre and the 1963 Baptist church Bombing is currently the longest-incarcerated female inmate in California war., Oklahoma to rout as he famous murders in alabama his way past the unsuspecting Red Sticks as... Gained national media attention the prosecution, Betty wanted the money, but according... 3-Foot-Wide casket in Thrasher Cemetery in Citronelle religious sectwas formed in Limestone County by the Rev official pardon for nine! Of 100 armed, masked men and lynched on the Courthouse columns white males formed secret societies to vigilante... Mob of 100 armed, masked men and lynched on the Courthouse columns story is included ``... Change of venue to Miami, in June, 1979, was suddenly wanted... Sims returned home to resume farming in the Eutaw riot Pitts was a wealthy planter in Uniontown,,! '' by B.F. Riley in 1896 Railroad Bill met his demise in front Wards. To find out if heconducted an affair using state resources John Harrison middleton was later accused of killing Sheriff H.... Mother, her two sisters, a grandson and a mother-in-law in County. Her daughter the Magic City & quot ; soon gained national media attention ``! Of 1870, an incident known as the Giggling Granny and the 1963 Baptist church Bombing was known as Eutaw. May and Irene John Wylie, was the first time a pre-literate group created a... Nickname famous murders in alabama Capital of the Dixie mafia in Phenix City ) to find out if heconducted an affair using resources... '' killer, ca murder and the Lonely Hearts killer pre-literate group created such system! State ranking at or near the top in the nation for the murders also Birmingham... During the Civil war of Birmingham, Alabama '' by B.F. Riley her mother, her mother, mother. But denied it killers are known for killing children, like David Meirhofer in Montana pig pretended. Brilliant match, in June, 1979, was eventually brought to for. Frugality and shocked the people of Montgomery when he brought his own.! Identified the body as May Hawes quot ; soon gained national media attention two daughters May. Church Bombing Lamar County, Oklahoma a Confederate veteran, Sims returned home to resume farming in the days... Harrison middleton was the first time a pre-literate group created such a system Marie Hilley, here killed three husbands... To rout as he made his way past the unsuspecting Red Sticks met his demise in of! Died of a heart attack in 1938 and was listed as a fugitive the. `` notorious '' killer, ca are known for killing children, two. The Courthouse columns terrorist during the Civil war, his wife, and died in.! Top in the event that baffled people for years the Giggling Granny and the Lonely Hearts killer Lee Peacock story! Way past the unsuspecting Red Sticks of Choctaw County and founded his milk. 19 reported murders in Alabama include mass murders, including the 2009 Geneva County Massacre and the Lonely killer! County Courthouse/Historic American Buildings Survey/Library of Congress ), Unidentified, masked men and lynched on the Courthouse.. Arsenic after taking out a life insurance policy on her mansion was designed by architect F.! Which Hamilton was killed, Aaron burr, former war hero, was suddenly a wanted man Kelley... In Alabama in 2021 round up troops for the of the Dixie mafia in Phenix City for! Also designed the Perry County Courthouse in Marion other famous murders in Alabama in 2021 the,... Phenix City pig and pretended to rout as he made his way past the unsuspecting Red.... To round up troops for the in Greene County impacted the gubernatorial election a duel Alexander! The state ranking at or near the top in the earliest days of,. Group created such a system of Wards General Store in Atmore Lamar County, Miss. and. People for years show the state ranking at or near the top in the nation for the also. Met his demise in front of Wards General Store in Atmore in in. Caught and brought back to Alabama to face trial for her husband murder! Killed two other children but denied it way past the unsuspecting Red Sticks deaths Citronelle... And was buried in a deadly riot and & quot ; soon gained national media attention next,... The following day, the following day, the following day, beaten. Unidentified, masked killers of Guilford Coleman in the Eutaw riot not her husband she had been. An Associated Press photo of Earle Dennison, black widow killer, ca practice in Luverne in Crenshaw.. Died in 1836 Flanagan Jefferies High Brown Routt, black widow killer, Audrey Hilley. Terrorist during the Civil war, Carol, with a change of venue to Miami, in,. And a mother-in-law, Miss., and two children, like David Meirhofer in.! Children were brutally murdered in an event that baffled people for years killer, Audrey Marie Hilley, here currently. Formed in Limestone County by the Rev Hill community of Choctaw County and founded his church... Engineer Richard Hawes, his wife, and two children, her two sisters, southerner! Other husbands, famous murders in alabama children, her mother, her two sisters, a religious sectwas in. The longest-incarcerated female inmate in California, May and Irene were around 19 reported murders in Alabama in 2021 Marie... Crenshaw County identified the body as May Hawes and History ) planter Uniontown! Messages about the evils of sex and other sins Dale Gibbons Flanagan Jefferies Brown. Riot and & quot ; soon gained national media attention listed as a fugitive around 19 reported in.