At the girl's funeral, Robert Lewis Burns, the girl's uncle, took justice into his own hands and shot 52-year-old Maxwell to death. A Confederate veteran, Sims returned home to resume farming in the Womack Hill community of Choctaw County and founded his own church. According to the Hawes housekeeper, the weekend before Mays body was discovered, she saw Richard and May assist Emma with packing. But they insisted on having the last word about their former son-in-law and inscribed her headstone: Murdered By Her Husband. Richard intoxicated May and drowned her in East Lake. George Corley Wallace Jr.was Alabamas only four-term governor, having served from 1963-67, 1971-79, and 1983-87. As a cowboy in Texas in 1876, he killed a fellow buffalo hunter but was never prosecuted. A former Playboy and Maxim model entered a plea deal this week in the death of a 71-year-old psychiatrist who paid her $3,200 per-month rent until he abruptly stopped in 2018. In 1896, Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff Henry Cole, a famous lawman, killedThrasher. Initially, Robert Bruce Sims, born in 1839, seemed an unlikely outlaw. The ultimate reason why he murdered all three was because in order to remarry, he had to dispose of his wife and children first. Although he publicly denied his involvement in the bombing, relatives and friends testified that he continuously "bragged" about being part of the crime. Read on to find out the true story behind the Hawes murders. 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. 1898-1953. If they refused, they were killed. He was convicted of three murders and confessed to at least five. As Lackey tried driving himself to the hospital, he had to make a stop. Billy the Kid escaped from jail on April 18, 1881. The case was an immediate sensation. ", Charles Kelley, birth unknown-1892; John Hipp, birth unknown-1892, On Dec. 17, 1892, two well-known outlaws gunned down local tax collector C.J. Jennifer is the Alabama staff writer for Only In Your State and has nearly 15 years of professional writing experience. 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. The sect would become known as "Simsites." The remains were never identified. 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. On his twenty-first birthday on May 26, 1874, notorious Texas outlaw John Wesley "Wes" Hardin committed the crime that forced him to take an alias and go into hiding for three years, 18 months of which were spent in Escambia County, Ala.: he shot and killed Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb in Brown County. He is best known for his Stand in the Schoolhouse Door when he blocked the entrance to the University of Alabama in an attempt to stop the enrollment of black students. The Chairman and Board are at Holman on death row. Reuben Houston Burrow was fascinated by tales of Jesse James and his gang of outlaws. Three city officials were indicted for Pattersons murder: Chief Deputy Sheriff Albert Fuller, Circuit SolicitorArch Ferrell and Attorney General Si Garrett. Nannie Doss, born in Blue Mountain in Calhoun County, died in an Oklahoma prison after being convicted of killing her husband Samuel Doss in 1953 in Oklahoma. Engineer Richard Hawes, his wife, and two children were brutally murdered in the event that baffled people for years. During his last month in jail, he admitted to his brother and a guard that he paid John Wylie, an associate, to murder Emma and Irene. Forman "Austin" Mize was barely 18 years old when he disappeared in 1918 in the Bermuda Triangle. Whats even more terrible is when it occurs close to home. 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. Jefferson Davis Carter was a well-known merchant in Linden in Marengo County when he became famous as the man who shot and killed Alabamas most notorious outlaw, Rube Burrow. Gayle claimed the ad was meant as but was convicted. At some point he moved to Alabama. His reign of terror lasted six years. Newspaper accountssaid that on Dec. 28 or 29, a deputy at the jail where Kelley and Hip was surrounded by a mob and ordered to release the man. Sanders' acts culminated in the Battle of Newton, which occurred in a part of the county that was then located in Dale County. Hawes was an engineer for Georgia-Pacific and reportedly killed his family so he could marry Mayes Story. She was riding with her husband, H.C. Price Jr., when the lights on their car suddenly stopped working and it careened over an embankment. The best hidden gems and little known destinations - straight to your inbox. Born in Rockford in Coosa County, Teel, a devout Christian, later moved to Millerville in Clay County and developed a reputation for helping people find misplaced objects or wayward livestock. The case. The outlaw brothers were executed on Nov. 18, 1859, for murder: Irvin and Stephen Ward were hung for the murder of Allen Page during a failed cotton wagon robbery near Brewer Creek in Conecuh County, Ala. A posse caught the brothers, who confessed." But an angry mob took the four men and hung them from nearby trees. In later life, he traveled Indian territories and had hopes of reuniting the Cherokee people. Burns was later acquitted of Maxwell's murder after a jury found him "innocent by insanity," according to anarticle in The Afro American. This man, Sanders, was a millwright by trade who had served well during the Civil War, but following his resignation he became allies with a band of deserters who sought shelter along the Florida state line. Sanders became their leader. Hawes was charged with all three murders, but the trial focused on May's murder. Like Emmas body, Irenes body was also weighted down with iron. The family lived for a time in Pleasant Site, Ala., in Franklin County, where, according to church records, they attended Harmony Missionary Baptist Church. William Martin died in 1931 at the age of 86 and, as Alberta became known as the "last surviving Civil War widow" a title later challenged by Maudie Hopkins. Hilley was arrested on October 9, 1979 for the attempted murder of her daughter, and on November 9, 1979, she was released on bail and registered at a hotel under the name Emily Stephens. On February 28, 1890, Richard Hawes was executed. Hearing of Burr's plans, Thomas Jefferson declared him a traitor and issued an order for his arrest. While some homicides received more attention than others, all were very horrible events that shouldve never happened. (Wallace in 1957/AL.com File/The Birmingham News), George Wallace, controversial Alabama governor, 1919-1998. Hells Gate Bridge is located in Oxford, Alabama, and acquired its name from the legend involving a young couple who drove off the bridge into the water below. Mize was a sailor aboard the collier USS Cyclops when it vanished that March along with 306 crew members and passengers on its way from Brazil to Maryland. In 1997, as the Hale-Bopp comet approached, Applewhite and 38 of his followers, all dressed in purple robes, drank a concoction of vodka and barbiturates and died at their compound in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Jimmy Files, confessed to killing JFK, 1942-? These categories include assault, murder, rape, and robbery. As they searched Newman's house, they came across blood that matched Lackey's DNA. In recent news, there was a rise in the reward for the 1991 murder of Elizabeth Spence, who is one of the many unsolved murders Montgomery, Alabama. In 1992, he was indicted for theft, conspiracy, and ethics violations, accused of taking $200,000 from a 1987 inaugural account to buy such things as marble showers. Hilley was eventually caught and brought back to Alabama to face trial for her husband's murder and the attempted murder of her daughter. He died near the Texas-Mexico border. 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. Eventually, all nine were paroled. ", George Washington Gayle, threatened to assassinate Lincoln, 1807-1875. Peacock said legend states the brothers were so despised that they were buried facing west instead of the traditional east when they were cut down from the gallows., (A late-19th century photo of John Kirkham from Barbara Kim Thigpen), John K. McEwen, beloved businessman and reader, 1856-1939. And while in jail, he wrote letters to his new bride seeking forgiveness. George Washington Gayle, born in South Carolina in 1807, was an attorney who served in the Alabama Legislature, chaired the House Ways and Means Committee and was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama. Why would he want to kill his family? ", (A portrait of Aaron Burr in 1802 by John Vanderlyn via Wikipedia Commons). After being taken to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia, Hilley suffered from a heart attack and died. The telegram also listed their train itinerary, so when cops caught up with Richard in Birmingham, they arrested him for murder. That same afternoon, a telegram announced that Richard married the former Mayes Story in Mississippi. 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. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Fifteen of these famous American crime houses deserve special mention, the crimes and criminals associated with them a timeless collection that won't ever be forgotten. Wyatt Tate of Monroe County was an outlaw who murdered Sheriff J.D. She enjoys discovering new places and currently calls North Alabama home. The Rev. Some serial killers are known for killing children, like David Meirhofer in Montana. Click here to read more. Robert Sanderson, a Birmingham police officer who worked off-duty at the clinic as a security guard, and nurse Emily Lyons, approached the package. One legend claims "he burned the Fayette County Courthouse in 1866, to delay the trial over his debt situation involving his father's will." They found her floating face down. 1868. Many famous murders in Alabama made headlines over the years. Mountain Tom Clark, outlaw, birth unknown-1872, Tom Clark, one of the most feared men in North Alabama in his day, is buried beneath Tennessee Street near Florence City Cemetery in Lauderdale County. (Studio portrait of Belle Starr probably taken in Fort Smith in the early 1880s/Public Domain). Even when those charges were dropped, Burr was accused in 1805 of plotting to split the Americas by forming an army to forcefully take over Spanish-held territories in America. These murders resulted in a deadly riot and The Magic City soon gained national media attention. After the children were found chained at the bottom of Lakeview Lake a mob came to the jail for vigilante justice and 10 people were killed by deputies. Bart Thrasher was one of Alabamas most notorious outlaws, one who helped Bibb County earn the moniker Bloody Bibb at a time when it was an extension of the Wild West. 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." Wed love to hear your thoughts! Also, read about another Calhoun County "notorious" killer, Audrey Marie Hilley, here. They took about $19,000 in cash but were later arrested. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime communitytogether we can do better. On February 28, 1890, Hawes was executed. Let me know by emailingkkazek@al.com. He didnt want May murdered. These murders resulted in a delay riot that quickly garnered media attention across the country. The body was laid out to the general public at the local funeral parlor in hopes that someone would be able to identify her. Bishop didn't have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and she was in total denial after the event. The creepiest place in Alabama is a haunted bridge known as Hells Gate Bridge. (Source for photo of grave of Gassaway/TIW via FindaGrave.com), William Reynolds, mass murderer, ca. Many people take him seriously. Later, the parents of the two little girls sued the insurance companies, saying they should have been suspicious of Dennison's reasons for taking policies on the children without the family's knowledge. "Now, this place is very desolate, no one lived near there. In 1867,Gayle received a full pardon from Andrew Johnson. She and her daughter, by then 11 years old, had been living in Vincennes, Ind., and had just heard of the trial. Two years prior to this event, Rudolph had attempted to shut down the 1996 Summer Olympics by bombing Atlanta's Centennial Park. Getty Each state has a connection to an infamous serial killer. "Alabama Scoundrels: Outlaws, Pirates, Bandits and Bushwhackers. It also included messages about the evils of sex and other sins. Finding the most notorious person from each of Alabamas 67 counties was no easy task. Listed below are 7 well-known homicides that occurred in Alabama and will never be forgotten. All nine were innocent it just took eight decades for Alabama to admit it. In Phenix City, Serafin writes, things got so bad that after the bloody assassination of a local reformer named Albert Patterson, the governor of Alabama was forced to declare martial law, and bring in a decorated World War II general to straighten the town out. Edward Aaron was a Black handyman who was abducted by the KKK, badly beaten, castrated with a razor and left to die in a nearby creek . Kelsey Turner, 28, entered an Alford plea in the case which means she still insists she's innocent but agrees a conviction is highly . 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." 1814-1884. After his release he petitioned to play pro baseball and eventually played for the Albany Senators. In 1983, she began serving her sentence. Following the 1890 death of Rube Burrow, Alabamas previous King of the Outlaws, Thrasher stepped into the spotlight as the states most vicious and wanted outlaw, committing a streak of robberies and murders that made news across the nation. According to the book"Escape from Alcatraz"by J. Campbell Bruce, Hubbard ended up at Alcatraz Island in 1944, after kidnapping a Chattanooga police officer and stealing his Tommy gun, escaping from a county jail and taking part in a riot at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary. She is currently the longest-incarcerated female inmate in California. He was shot in the back by an El Paso, Texas, lawman in 1895. 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. A history from the Geneva County Librarysays: "During and shortly after the Civil War, bands of deserters headed by a Joseph Sanders continued the harassment of the residents of Geneva and Dale Counties and the neighboring parts of north Florida. 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. It's unclear what happened to the younger brother, Willie Hawes. 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