25 June 1959 – Charles Starkweather
Serial killers always seem to gain notoriety.
And Americans certainly have a love-hate affair with Charles Starkweather. His story spawned films, songs, you name it, he inspired it and hence he was immortalised.
And when you hear the story, you’ll know why.
26 June 2007 – Patrick Knight
If you were on death row, we’re sure the last thing you’d feel like doing was laughing. Not so our next subject for execution – Patrick Knight, who kicked off a joke fest to ensure he went out with a smile on his face.
This mission statement earned the Texan the nickname ‘Dead Man Laughing’.
27 June 2006 – Angel Maturino Reséndiz
On the FBI’s top-10 most wanted list at one point, the railroad killer, Angel Maturino Reséndiz was to stop at nothing to target his victims.
Bludgeoned, beaten, shot, stabbed, raped, with the help of garden tools, sledgehammers, even tyres.
No method was beyond his insatiable lust for blood.
28 June 2006 – Sedley Alley
The sheer animal violence of our next crime is enough to make you heave. Sedley Alley was executed in Tennessee for kidnap, rape and murder of the most depraved kind.
But did he do it? The crime was evil incarnate – not only was the 19-year-old victim beaten viciously, but she was struck about the head with a screwdriver, strangled and raped.
29 June 1961 – Zsiga Pankotia
In the twilight of British execution history, Leeds hit a milestone today in 1961. Armley Gaol executed its final prisoner on this day. His name was Zsiga Pankotia and he was a Hungarian, who actually committed murder mid-robbery.
30 June 1934 – Edmund Heines
Deputy to one of Hitler’s henchmen, Edmund Heines was to be picked out as one of 78 key targets in the now infamous ‘Night of the Long Knives’. They were executed in Nazi Germany by their would-be peers, and this was seen as a purge within the party. It targeted key individuals, who were in conflict with the direction in which the Nazis were headed, namely the stormtroopers – aka the ‘Brownshirts’ or to give them their posh name, Sturmabteilung (SA for short).
1 July 1681 – Saint Oliver Plunkett
Archbishop Plunkett remained poised and calm to the last, even forgiving those responsible for his death…right before he was hanged, drawn and quartered.
Born in Ireland in the early part of the seventeenth century, Oliver studied to enter the priesthood in Rome.
Bookmark this site
del.icio.us | digg | facebook | reddit | StumbleUpon
Execution of the day 