10 Infamous Sibling Criminals

10 Infamous Sibling Criminals

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the most notorious siblings who committed heinous crimes together.

Wayne & Paul Hardy

In the late 1980s, brothers Wayne and Paul Hardy founded a drug trafficking ring known as the Hardy Boys, operating between Los Angeles and their hometown, New Orleans[a]. They terrorized their city, silencing rivals and bribing police officers to protect their operations. One such officer was Len Davis, a corrupt cop known for his imposing build and ruthless tactics. In 1994, after a woman named Kim Groves filed a complaint against Davis for physically assaulting her nephew, he enlisted Paul Hardy to kill her. The murder sparked outrage in the city and exposed widespread corruption within the police force. Both Paul and Davis were sentenced to death, although Paul’s sentence was later commuted to life. Meanwhile, Wayne was killed in a shooting in January 1996.

The Fryer Brothers

What was meant to be a night of laughter and campfire songs quickly turned into a nightmare for five friends on November 17th 1973. The group, which consisted of five boys and one girl, Sandra Cheskey,[b] was ambushed at Gitchie Manitou State Preserve in Iowa by Allen, James, and David Fryer. The Fryer brothers posed as narcotics agents searching for illegal drugs, but instead murdered the four boys and abducted Cheskey to their farmhouse, where she was sexually assaulted before being released. Cheskey immediately reported the crime and led police to the farmhouse, where they arrested Allen, and eventually, James and David. Her testimony at trial was crucial in securing life sentences without the possibility of parole for all three brothers.

Tamerlan & Dzhokhar Tsarnaev [c]

The Tsarnaev brothers arrived in the U.S. as children, brought by their Chechen father who sought asylum to escape political persecution. Over time, they became influenced by extremist ideologies and orchestrated an attack in protest of U.S. foreign policies. On April 15th 2013, the brothers left two homemade explosives near the Boston Marathon finish line, killing three people and injuring nearly 300. They were eventually identified through surveillance footage. This led to a massive manhunt that ended with Tamerlan being injured in a police shootout, and ultimately dying at the hospital. While Dzhokhar managed to escape, he was later found hiding in a resident’s backyard. He was tried on 30 criminal counts, convicted and sentenced to death.

Micajah & Wiley Harpe [d]

Often regarded as the first known serial killers in U.S. history, Micajah “Big” Harpe and Wiley “Little” Harpe wreaked havoc on the frontier in the late 18th century. Born in North Carolina, the Harpe brothers drifted into crime during the American Revolution, siding with British loyalist militias. After the war, they continued a violent spree across Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi, indiscriminately killing men, women and even children, often without any motive beyond sadistic pleasure. As their spree continued, vigilante groups began to form to seek justice. In 1799, one group finally tracked them down and managed to kill Big Harpe. Little Harpe successfully escaped and began going by an alias, but he was ultimately captured in 1804 and executed.

Pete & Pat Bondurant [e]

The Bondurant twins were infamous in their Elkton, Tennessee hometown for dealing practically every drug. However, it wasn’t their trafficking that landed them behind bars. Pete and Pat Bondurant lived together in a farmhouse that became notorious for its parties, attracting many locals. But three individuals who visited never left alive. Gwen Dugger vanished after spending the night in May 1986, followed by Ronnie Gaines in October. During the investigation, police intended to question Pat’s girlfriend Terry Lynn Clark, but she also turned up dead. Eventually, Pat’s estranged wife, Denise, revealed that the brothers had murdered all three victims and disposed of their remains. This led to their conviction, with Pat sentenced to life and Pete serving 25 years before being released in 2016.

Reginald & Jonathan Carr

Over a one-week span in December 2000, Reginald and Jonathan Carr unleashed a horrific crime spree in Wichita[f], Kansas, claiming five lives and leaving two people severely injured. This event became known as the Wichita Massacre. It began on December 8th, when they robbed and shot two people three days apart, one of whom later died from her wounds. Then, on December 14th, they broke into a home where they found five individuals. After sexually assaulting the women, the brothers forced all five to engage in sexual acts with each other. They then emptied their bank accounts before shooting the victims and leaving them for dead. Miraculously, one woman survived and reported to the police. The brothers were arrested and ultimately sentenced to death.

The González Sisters

Known as Las Poquianchis[g], the González Sisters were four women from Jalisco, Mexico, who ran a network of brothels across the country in the 1950s and ‘60s. The eldest, Delfina, and the youngest, María de Jesús, led the operation. They often recruited girls from low-income areas with promises of jobs as maids or waitresses. Once trapped, the girls were forced into sex work, and when they became too ill or deemed unfit to continue, they were killed. The horror came to light when police arrested one of their recruiters, who then ratted them out. When their property was searched, police discovered the remains of 91 people buried on-site. The sisters were tried in 1964 and each sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Alberto & Vito Agueci[h]

The Agueci brothers, Alberto and Vito, were key figures in a drug smuggling ring that operated between the U.S. and Canada in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. This ring was closely linked to the New York mafia, particularly the Buffalo crime family. Using Sicilian immigrants as couriers, the brothers transported drugs in suitcases, and paid tributes to Buffalo boss Stefano Magaddino. However, their operation began to unravel in 1960 after two smugglers were arrested and turned informants. By 1961, the Aguecis were indicted and Alberto was detained. Frustrated by Magaddino’s refusal to cover his bail, Alberto threatened to expose him. Shortly after, he was found dead, likely on the boss’ orders. Meanwhile, Vito was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Ronnie & Reggie Kray

In the 1950s and ‘60s, identical twin brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray were fixtures of the Swinging London scene, as they owned a famous nightclub and mingled with celebrities. But behind that glamorous front, they led a ruthless gang called the Firm, engaging in crimes like armed robbery, arson and murder. By the late ‘60s, the Kray twins had become even more brazen in their criminal activities. In 1966, Ronnie murdered rival George Cornell in a packed pub, and the following year, Reggie did the same to Jack “the Hat” McVitie over a failed hit job. Following these high-profile killings, authorities built a solid case against the Krays and arrested them in May 1968. They were both tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Lyle & Erik Menendez

The affluent community of Beverly Hills, California was rocked by a double murder on August 20th 1989. The victims, José[i] and Kitty Menendez, left behind two sons, Lyle and Erik, who initially claimed they were not home during the killings. However, police became suspicious after the boys began lavishly spending their inheritance. Eventually, the brothers confessed, claiming that years of sexual, emotional and physical assault drove them to murder. But the prosecution argued they acted out of anger after being disinherited from their father’s will. Their 1993 trials ended in deadlocks, but a retrial in 1996 convicted both of first-degree murder, sentencing them to life without parole. In October 2024, renewed public interest prompted the LA District Attorney to recommend resentencing for both brothers.

Did we miss any other criminal relatives? File a report against them in the comments below.

[a]ORE-linz not ore-leens
[b]CHESS-kee https://youtu.be/2f9ybwxTLmk?si=3s29UL3HflaU9hQ_&t=77
ghitchy MANNA-too https://youtu.be/2f9ybwxTLmk?si=JxhhKZADiOClCl83&t=8
[c]TAMMER-lin https://youtu.be/cF2O2YuG854?si=4hAOQZZlIvrmuvKv&t=67
ZSHOH-car sar-NYE-yev https://youtu.be/uI8kB3XGjbk?si=Tqz5TdpbumqXaAsV&t=4
CHETCH-in https://forvo.com/word/chechen/#en
[d]muh-KAY-zsuh
WHY-lee harp https://youtu.be/eh_IMpoL8T0?si=AQd-z5ZzOaJASqKf&t=53
[e]BONDA-rawnt https://www.oxygen.com/killer-siblings/crime-news/pete-pat-bondurant-brothers-murders-gwen-duggar-tennessee
ELK-tin https://www.wvlt.tv/video/2024/02/28/elkton-middle-school-evacuated-after-reported-threat/
[f]witcha-TAW https://www.dictionary.com/browse/wichita
[g]lass pokey-AHN-cheece https://youtu.be/SrZFznoQDp4?si=LlUHZe4BA4rCPWvJ&t=19 OR https://translate.google.ca/?sl=es&tl=en&text=Las%20Poquianchis&op=translate
hah-LEASE-coh https://www.dictionary.com/browse/jalisco
dell-FEE-nah https://youtu.be/SrZFznoQDp4?si=K3VrGs1gZYt08EUy&t=22
mah-REE-ah day hay-ZEUS https://youtu.be/SrZFznoQDp4?si=K3VrGs1gZYt08EUy&t=22
[h]I can't find "Agueci" anywhere, so I assume it's "ag-WAY-chee" https://translate.google.ca/?sl=it&tl=en&text=Agueci&op=translate
stef-FAW-noh (not STEFFA-noh) maga-DEE-noh https://youtu.be/rQd_MfsCPlI?si=Bca8qc3AdPtciL5T&t=1209
[i]hoh-ZAY https://youtu.be/ZiW0G0DLWhk?si=B0c4k115Q4I5U5-a