30 Most Notorious and Infamous Crimes of the 90s

30 Most Notorious and Infamous Crimes of the 90s

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most shocking crimes of the 1990s.

The North Hollywood Shootout

February 28, 1997. Gunfire erupts across the streets of Los Angeles, sending people fleeing into homes, cars - anywhere protected that they can find. It’s not the famous scene from “Heat” - it’s the North Hollywood shootout, when bank robbers Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Mătăsăreanu[a] fled a Bank of America and engaged in battle with the responding police officers. The two had the weaponry of a small army and were even outfitted in homemade body armor, making incapacitation virtually impossible. But the police and SWAT found a way, with some even going to a local gun shop to purchase high-powered rifles. But the police and SWAT found a way, with some even going to a local gun shop to purchase high-powered rifles. After 45 minutes of shooting, both robbers were killed, twenty people were injured, and nearly 2,000 rounds of ammo littered the streets of L.A

The Killing of James Byrd Jr.

Referred to by many as a modern-day lynching, the murder of James Byrd Jr. shocked the nation in the summer of 1998. Byrd, a Black accounting executive, accepted a ride from three white men in a pickup truck - John King, Lawrence Brewer, and Shawn Berry. The three men took Byrd to a remote area, assaulted him, and chained him to the truck. They then dragged Byrd for three miles, resulting in his horrific death. Aside from nationwide outrage, the crime resulted in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was put into law by Barack Obama in 2009. Berry was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Byrd, and both King and Brewer were executed by the state of Texas.

Mary Kay Letourneau

By the mid 1990s, Mary Kay Letourneau was teaching at Washington’s Shorewood Elementary School. It’s here that she met a Samoan student named Vili Fualaau[b]. Letourneau was drawn to Fualaau, taking a particular interest in the child’s artistic abilities. Before long, he was going over to Letourneau’s house to study, and the two began a relationship. However, it was around this time that Letourneau’s husband found love letters written to Fualaau and the police were contacted, resulting in Letourneau’s arrest. She spent six years in prison, but she went on to marry Fualaau after her release, and the two stayed together until 2019. Letourneau died of cancer the following year and left much of her estate to her ex-partner - and ex-student.

The Port Arthur Massacre

Martin Bryant snapped on the morning of April 28, 1996. Some years earlier, Bryant’s father attempted to purchase a bed and breakfast called Seascape in Port Arthur, Tasmania, but he was beaten to the deal by couple David and Sally Martin. Around noon on April 28, Bryant murdered both of the Martins at Seascape and proceeded to embark on an enormous massacre across the greater Port Arthur site. Equipped with two semi-automatic rifles, Bryant shot over 50 people, killing 35 of them and leaving the rest horribly injured. Following a standoff with the police that lasted over eighteen hours, Bryant was arrested and given 35 life sentences - one for each victim.

The Murder of Brandon Teena

You may know the story of Brandon Teena from the 1999 film “Boys Don’t Cry,” for which Hilary Swank won the Academy Award. Teena was a transgender man in 1990s Nebraska, and he faced hostility from some members of his conservative community. He earned the particular ire of ex-convicts John Lotter[c] and Tom Nissen. On the morning of December 31, 1993, Lotter and Nissen broke into the home of Lisa Lambert, with whom Teena had been staying. Here they murdered Teena, Lambert, and a mutual friend, Phillip DeVine. The case attracted widespread outrage and underscored the lack of legal protections for transgender individuals at the time, which in turn helped lead to legal and cultural reform.

Gary Ray Bowles

Perhaps better known as The I-95 Killer, Gary Ray Bowles was active throughout much of 1994. His first known murder occurred on March 15, when he strangled a man named John Roberts in Daytona Beach. Over the next eight months, Bowles would travel the country selling his body, strangling the men who picked him up, and stealing their credit cards. By the end of November, he had murdered at least six people and had even found himself on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. In court, it was ruled that Bowles was motivated by a need for money and homophobia, reportedly hating gay men and wishing for them to die. He was sentenced to death and executed on August 22, 2019.

The City Bonds Robbery

One of the largest bank robberies in history occurred on May 2, 1990. But this wasn’t just a simple bank robbery. Instead, it was an enormous undertaking orchestrated by the combined efforts of the IRA, Colombian drug lords, and the New York mafia. A courier named John Goddard was mugged at knifepoint in London’s Nicholas Lane while carrying 301 certificates of deposit and various Treasury bills. The stolen bonds were laundered through various criminal channels and totaled an astounding £[d]292 million - about £850 million today. However, the heist turned out to be a monumental failure. All but two of the certificates were recovered, countless criminals were arrested, and some were even murdered, including Patrick Thomas, the man who carried out the mugging.

Thurston[e]

The late 1990s saw a spat of school shootings, including Thurston in 1998. Perpetrator Kipland Kinkel was losing his grip on reality, hearing voices and developing an obsession with death. He later admitted to keeping a handgun in his locker, resulting in an immediate suspension. Following a lecture by his father, Kinkel shot and murdered both of his parents with a semi-automatic rifle. The following day he went to the high school and opened fire in the cafeteria, killing two students and injuring 25 others. Several students, including the injured Jacob Ryker, heroically captured and subdued Kinkel until police arrived, and he was sentenced to 111 years in prison. Kinkel was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, but his sentence remains unchanged.

Karla Homolka & Paul Bernardo

What is arguably the most notorious crime in modern Canadian history occurred between December 1990 and April 1992. Married couple Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo murdered three girls in that timespan, beginning with Karla’s younger sister Tammy on Christmas Eve, 1990. Homolka drugged her sister with sedatives, and she then died after aspirating on her own vomit. Homolka later claimed that she was coerced by Bernardo, but evidence suggests that she was a willing participant. The two then proceeded to kidnap and murder both Leslie Mahaffy and Kristen French. Following their arrest, Homolka struck a very controversial plea deal with prosecutors, agreeing to testify against Bernardo in exchange for a reduced sentence. Homolka was sentenced to twelve years, and Bernardo to life.

Aileen Wuornos

One of the most famous serial killers in American history, Aileen Wuornos murdered seven men in Florida while engaging in sex work. Six of those seven murders were committed between the months of May and November of 1990. Wuornos claimed that she shot the men in self defense after they attacked her, but this argument did not hold up to scrutiny, and most believe that she killed the men in order to rob them. Wuornos was later arrested following a tip and became increasingly unstable during her time in prison, often blaming others for her crimes and engaging in nonsensical rants. She was ultimately executed on October 9, 2002 at the age of 46.

Kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard

In the summer of 1991, the young Jaycee Lee Dugard disappeared in Meyers, California on her way to the school bus stop. Witnesses including Dugard’s stepfather Carl Probyn saw a man and woman force her into a gray vehicle, later identified as Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy. For eighteen years, Dugard was held in a shack behind their home in Antioch, where she gave birth to two girls. The story was featured on “America’s Most Wanted” within days of the abduction. Dugard and her daughters were finally found in 2009 after Phillip was ordered to attend a parole meeting. In 2011, he received a 431-year-to-life prison sentence while Nancy was sentenced to 36 to life.

Murder of Phil Hartman

Actor-comedian Phil Hartman was a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” from 1986 to 1994, earning an Emmy in 1989 for writing. Hartman married his third wife Brynn Omdahl in 1987 and the couple had two children together. Omdahl struggled with multiple substance use disorders for years which put a strain on their marriage. She also reportedly had anger issues, leading to many fights between the couple, including one on the night of May 27, 1998. In the early hours of May 28, she shot Hartman multiple times in his sleep, then confessed to two friends before taking her own life. Hartman’s murder shocked the entertainment industry at large. Family, friends, and fans continue paying tribute to the comedian.

John & Lorena Bobbitt

Less than a week after their four-year anniversary, John and Lorena Bobbitt made headlines for a shocking reason. According to Lorena, her husband assaulted her the night of June 23, 1993 in their Manassas, Virginia home. When he was asleep, she took a knife from the kitchen and, “removed his manhood,” so to speak. Lorena alleged that John was emotionally and physically abusive. She was found not guilty due insanity and “irresistible impulse.” In years since, John has been arrested and charged for several alleged instances of battery involving wives and girlfriends. He and Lorena continue to talk to the media about the incident.

Shooting of Mary Jo Buttafuoco

In 1991, thirty-five-year-old auto body shop owner Joey Buttafuoco allegedly began an affair with teenager Amy Fisher. When she approached his wife Mary Jo on May 19, 1992, a heated confrontation led to Fisher shooting her in the face and fleeing the scene. Mary Jo survived and was able to help officials identify the young woman who shot her. Fisher, whom the press dubbed the “Long Island Lolita,” was arrested and charged. Meanwhile, Mary Jo suffered partial face paralysis and lost hearing in one ear. In December 1992, Fisher was sentenced to five to fifteen years, serving seven before being paroled in 1999.

The West Memphis Three

In May of 1993, three young boys from West Memphis, Arkansas were found murdered in Robin Hood Hills. Due to the shocking nature, officials speculated there was evidence of an occult ritual. Eighteen-year-old Damien Echols, known for his interest in Wicca, was later arrested along with his friend Jason Baldwin and acquaintance Jessie Misskelley, Jr. Despite lack of evidence, Baldwin and Misskelley got life sentences, while Echols was sentenced to death. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky directed three HBO documentaries beginning with trial coverage. The case gained attention when Metallica allowed their music to be used in the first film, and high-profile celebrities like Johnny Depp publicly supported the boys’ innocence. In 2011, the “West Memphis Three” were released after agreeing to an Alford plea.

Attack on Nancy Kerrigan

On January 6, 1994, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was practicing for the United States Figure Skating Championships in Detroit, Michigan when she was suddenly struck in her right leg with a baton. Rival skater Tonya Harding and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly were suspected of orchestrating the attack to eliminate Harding’s competition. The attacker was later identified as Shane Stant, an associate of Shawn Eckardt, who acted as Harding’s bodyguard and Gillooly’s friend. Stant and his getaway driver Derrick Smith accepted plea deals and were both convicted of conspiracy, while Eckardt and Gillooly pled guilty to racketeering. Harding was banned from the USFSA and didn’t skate professionally again. In 2017, interest in the infamous attack was renewed with the release of the film “I, Tonya.”

Murder of Matthew Shepard

In October 1998, twenty-one-year-old University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was robbed and brutally attacked by two men, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, who left him for dead. Shepard succumbed to his severe head injuries six days later in the hospital. In December, Shepard’s parents founded the Matthew Shepard Foundation. In 1999, Henderson received two life sentences after pleading guilty to murder and kidnapping charges and testifying against McKinney, who got the same sentences. While McKinney and Henderson maintained that they didn’t target Shepard because he was gay, the case sparked discussions surrounding hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community. In October 2009, then-President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law.

Assassination of Gianni Versace

After Giovanni “Gianni” Versace opened his first boutique in 1978, the Italian fashion designer quickly made a name for himself in the industry. His life was cut short at fifty years old when Andrew Cunanan shot him in front of his Miami Beach home on July 15, 1997. Eight days later, Cunanan took his own life. The cross-country spree killer had previously killed four other men before Versace, including his friend Jeffrey Trail in Minneapolis and well-known real estate developer Lee Miglin in Chicago. While his exact motivations are ultimately unknown, experts speculate Cunanan was jealous of Versace’s fame and fortune. In 2018, the second season of “American Crime Story” revisited the crime and the aftermath.

Death of James Bulger

One of the most shocking criminal cases in British history took place on February 12, 1993, when two of the country’s youngest offenders took the life of the even younger James Bulger. The now widely viewed CCTV footage shows Robert Thompson and Jon Venables leading Bulger out of the New Strand Shopping Centre. Days after the boys’ unspeakable acts, Bulger’s body was found in Walton, Liverpool. Professionals determined Thompson and Venables knew right from wrong despite their young ages. In November that year, they were found guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping. In 2001, both were released from youth detention centers at the age of eighteen and given new identities. Venables returned to prison on several occasions for possession of explicit material involving minors.

Rodney King Beating

While driving home with friends on the morning of March 3, 1991, Rodney King was allegedly speeding on the highway and refused to stop for police and a high-speed chase ensued. They were eventually pulled over by five officers from the Los Angeles Police Department. George Holliday, a nearby witness, filmed the officers tasing King, repeatedly striking him with batons, and kicking him. According to officers, he resisted arrest, though King and witnesses denied this. The footage was sent to a local news station and ignited widespread criticism of the LAPD and law enforcement’s excessive force. After the four officers avoided conviction in 1992, public outrage in the African-American community led to the six-day Los Angeles riots.

Death of JonBenét Ramsey

On December 26, 1996, the young JonBenét Ramsey went missing from her home in Boulder, Colorado. Her parents, John and Patsy, allegedly found a ransom note demanding a suspiciously specific amount of money. Just hours after she was reported missing, John found his daughter’s lifeless body in the basement. Her death was ruled a homicide. Documentaries and TV programs still revisit the case, analyzing the evidence, going over statements, and uncovering secrets surrounding the family members. The persisting mystery of her death will seemingly always captivate the nation. Despite many ongoing theories and suspects, the case remains unsolved to this day.

Centennial Olympic Park Tragedy

In 1996, Atlanta, Georgia hosted the Summer Olympics. Security guard Richard Jewell discovered what appeared to be a pipe bomb under a bench in the park. He immediately called the police and helped lead people to safety before the blast. The bombing resulted in one death and 100 injuries. Jewell was labeled a hero, but then quickly became the FBI’s main suspect. For almost three months, the FBI investigation and the media attention ruined his life. His name was eventually cleared, but the real bomber, Eric Rudolph, wasn’t caught until 2013. Jewell was the subject of a Clint Eastwood film, as well as Season 2 of Discovery Channel’s anthology series “Manhunt.”

Murders of Tupac & Biggie Smalls

In the late ‘90s, two of hip-hop’s most influential artists were killed within six months of each other. On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was gunned down, dying six days later; then on March 9, 1997, Biggie Smalls (aka Notorious B.I.G.), a suspect in Tupac’s murder, was shot and killed. The two started off as friends, but quickly became enemies in the East Coast-West Coast war. Suspects range from former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight, to corrupt officers in the LAPD. New theories still arise today from lifelong fans hoping to solve the murders of two young rappers at the height of their careers.

World Trade Center Bombing

Eight years before the September 11 attacks, the World Trade Center was hit with a bomb. On the afternoon of February 26, 1993, a rental van containing a bomb went off, killing six people and injuring over a thousand. The van was located in the underground parking garage. Shockingly, one of the men who planted the bomb actually went to the rental agency to get his security deposit back. Not-so-shockingly, he was brought in by the FBI. Mohammed Salameh and his three accomplices were arrested and later convicted. The granite memorial fountain built to honor the victims was destroyed in 2001, but the names of the victims are included in the North Pool of the 9/11 Memorial.

The Murder of Selena Quintanilla Pérez

Selena Quintanilla Pérez was just twenty-three-years-old when she was killed by her fan club president and friend Yolanda Saldívar on March 31, 1995. Yolanda was caught embezzling the singer’s money, and Selena confronted her at a motel to collect tax papers. Rather than face the consequences of her crimes, Yolanda fatally shot her supposedly best friend. Given Selena’s bright and bubbly presence that touched so many, her sudden death is still a shocking reality. It’s impossible to listen to “Dreaming of You” and not cry thinking of the heartbreaking ending of the 1997 film. Love for the iconic singer was revitalized with Netflix’s “Selena: The Series.”

The Crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer

He’s sometimes called the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster. But everyone knows the name Dahmer. From 1978 to 1991, he killed seventeen young men, doing unspeakable things to their remains. The killer was finally caught on July 22, 1991, after an intended victim escaped and flagged down police. A lot of media attention has focused on his upbringing, attempting to explain why anyone would commit such horrific crimes. What makes him enduringly fascinating is just how normal he looked. Ryan Murphy’s Netflix original series starring Evan Peters is based on Dahmer’s life, but told through the eyes of his victims.

Waco Siege

Beginning February 28, 1993, the FBI led a siege against David Koresh, leader of the Branch Davidians, and his cult followers. Suspecting that the group was stockpiling illegal weapons, ATF agents had arrived at Mount Carmel Center outside Waco, Texas, to serve a warrant. Instead, a deadly gunfight ensued, resulting in the deaths of four agents and six Branch Davidians. The siege continued for fifty-one days, finally ending April 19th, when the FBI flooded the building with tear gas attempting to force everyone out. A fire, allegedly started by one of the cult members, consumed the building, and by the end, seventy-six Branch Davidians were dead.

Oklahoma City Attack

Two years to the day after the Waco siege, a bomb went off under the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The bombing killed at least 168 people, wounding over 680 others. The nine-story building contained offices of fourteen federal agencies. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, two soldiers turned anti-government extremists, targeted this location because it housed the DEA and ATF, two of the three agencies they sought to attack. McVeigh was sentenced to death for this act of domestic terrorism, one of the worst in U.S. history.

Columbine High School Massacre

When you say Columbine, everyone knows what you’re referring to. Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado became front-page news on April 20, 1999, after two heavily armed students killed thirteen and wounded over twenty others before taking their own lives. This wasn’t the first school shooting in the US; there had been a string of others around the country. But at the time, it was the deadliest in US history. This infamous attack forever changed how security and safety protocols are handled in schools. Victims of the shooting suffer lasting trauma, some continuing to speak about their experience in hopes of preventing more tragedies.

Murders of Nicole Brown Simpson & Ronald Goldman

On June 13, 1994, the bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found in front of her Brentwood home, having been stabbed to death the night before. Nicole’s ex-husband, former football star OJ Simpson, became the number one suspect. The trial, dubbed “the trial of the century,” began seven months after the murders on January 24, 1995, and would last 134 days, with the shocking verdict being announced on October 3rd. In the media, it’s often forgotten that it isn’t all about Simpson. The families of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman lost their loved ones. The infamous Bronco chase, trying on the gloves, the theatrics in and out of court — all distracts from the reality of the case: two people were brutally killed.


Do you remember where you were when you heard about these crimes? Let us know in the comments below!

[a]mawttus-say-RAH-noo

https://youtu.be/Z4pJGaGaieE?si=36VEMhNO7U-pYqmS&t=1 OR https://forvo.com/search/M%C4%83t%C4%83s%C4%83reanu/
[b]https://youtu.be/zqpMDZG1tHs?si=O6V5Ij5DQQBHLg7i&t=3
[c]https://youtu.be/GVEwOtZufbY?si=d2pp9K3otVJMV9HZ&t=28
neesin https://youtu.be/GVEwOtZufbY?si=WpRTexU38LdX5-wp&t=37
https://youtu.be/GVEwOtZufbY?si=VEQJ41cP8Ke_6lEZ&t=33
[d]£ = pounds
[e]https://youtu.be/t28ADjl5_so?si=PezHDOWH07qkfTwH&t=3
https://youtu.be/QN29bbbsV4g?si=8KxIKaRa_z0aTug9&t=30
https://youtu.be/t28ADjl5_so?si=9ZyClyDhwmfDrYpC&t=58