10 Shocking Crimes Committed on Halloween

Top 10 Shocking Crimes Committed on Halloween

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most horrific crimes that have occurred on All Hallows’ Eve.

The Dastardly Dentist

Some dentists give floss and toothbrushes on Halloween. Others stick to cavity-inducing sweets to drive up business. William Vincent Shyne crossed a line on Halloween 1959 when he gave trick-or-treaters heart-shaped laxatives. The authorities unearthed 450 pills, at least 16 given to children. While some became ill, thankfully nobody died. Within the ensuing days, the police tracked down Shyne and nurse Hazel Engelby, who was believed to be his accomplice. Although they claimed to have only passed out lollipops, the evidence suggested otherwise. Engelby got off, but Shyne was found guilty, receiving a brief jail stint and a $525 fine. The state dental board put him on probation as well. In the following years, Shyne’s marriage collapsed as he was also tried for insurance fraud.

The Trick-or-Treat Murder

An hour of Halloween remained in 1957 when Peter Fabiano answered the door. Instead of a late trick-or-treater, Fabiano was confronted by a grown person concealed behind face paint and a domino mask. This stranger was also hiding a gun in their paper bag, firing at Fabiano. His wife Betty overheard, but by the time Peter was taken to the hospital, it was too late. The shooter was revealed to be Joan Rabel, who was enlisted by Betty’s friend, Goldyne Pizer. Infatuated with Betty, Pizer claimed that Peter had been mistreating his spouse, convincing Rabel to execute him. Both were sentenced to five years to life, although Pizer was a free woman when she died in 1998 while Rabel vanished from the public eye.

Killed Over Candy

It’s common for people to get defensive over their Halloween candy, but murder is never a rational reaction. In 2011, 55-year-old Ledell Peoples’ Halloween candy mysteriously disappeared. Peoples accused his sexual partner Maria Adams since his possessions typically went missing when she spent the night. Although Adams denied snatching the treats, Peoples found his candy in her coat pocket. Thus ensued a fight involving thrown plates and steak knives with Adams being stabbed to death. Peoples considered abandoning Adams outside, but since they’d recently engaged in intercourse, he knew the police would trace the crime back to him. So, he got dressed and called 911, leading to his arrest. Found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder, Peoples received a 30-year prison sentence.

The Halloween Killer

Trick-or-treater Lisa Ann French planned to spend Halloween 1973 with her friend Ann Parker. Since Parker was grounded, though, French flew solo. She eventually arrived at the house of Gerald Miles Turner, never to be seen alive again. After being a suspect for nine months, Turner finally confessed, being sentenced to more than 38 years. Turner was released early in 1992 for “good behavior,” but he returned to prison in 2003 upon violating his parole. Although Turner completed his sentence in 2018, French’s mother launched an online petition to keep him incarcerated. Turner has since been moved to the Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center as the courts decide his fate. 50 years later, this heinous crime continues to affect the Fond du Lac community.

Johnny Frank Garrett

In the early hours of Halloween 1981, Sister Tadea Benz was found dead in her convent room. Several days later, the police apprehended teenager Johnny Frank Garrett, who was a neighbor of the 76-year-old nun. Garrett was convicted of assaulting and murdering Benz with his execution set for January 6, 1992. Pope John Paul II appealed on Garrett’s behalf, resulting in a reprieve that lasted a month. Although forensic psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Lewis argued that Garrett was living with multiple personality disorder and childhood trauma, the execution ultimately went through on February 11, 1992. Garrett’s last words have been debated, but many believe that he thanked his family for looking after him before telling the rest of the world to kiss his rear end.

Egging Gone Wrong

Nobody likes getting egged on Halloween, but it’s generally a harmless prank that doesn’t stick with people beyond November 1. Some eggs crack harder than others, however. According to The New York Times, at least 24 individuals were wounded or killed due to Halloween eggings between 1984 and 2010. Among the most tragic cases occurred in 1998 when Karl Jackson accompanied his girlfriend and her son to a party. On the way, their car was hit with eggs. Jackson confronted the teenagers responsible before returning to the passenger seat. Suddenly, one teen removed a gun, killing Jackson with a shot. Curtis Sterling was sentenced to 20 years for the senseless crime. Jackson’s mother annually sent Sterling a Halloween card reading, “I’m glad you’re still there.”

Son of Sam Strikes Again?

On Halloween 1981, Ronald Sisman and his girlfriend Elizabeth Platzman were having a photoshoot when masked strangers knocked on the door. Although they initially ignored them, the two eventually answered. Not long after, the couple was found dead in the ransacked apartment, their driver’s licenses and Sisman’s .25-caliber pistol missing. Some suspected that the crime was drug-related. The most bizarre theory links the murders to David Berkowitz, aka Son of Sam, who was incarcerated at the time. An informant claims that Berkowitz told him that his cult was going to commit a Halloween ritual killing at an apartment resembling Sisman’s. Sisman also supposedly possessed a Son of Sam snuff film. No such video was ever found, nor were those responsible for the murders.

The Liske-Griffin Family Massacre

Devon Griffin thought he was the target of an elaborate Halloween prank when he returned home to find his mother, stepfather, and brother slain. Realizing that this wasn’t a gag, Griffin alerted his aunt, who called the authorities. It wouldn’t be long until the police arrested Griffin’s older step-brother, William “BJ” Liske, who was hiding out in a family cabin. Following a phone call with his biological mother, Liske confessed, attributing his crimes to mental illness and Satan’s influence. He was sentenced to three life sentences with no possibility of parole. Liske was only about four years into his sentence when he took his own life in 2015. Meanwhile, Devon Griffin graduated and married his high school sweetheart, starting a family together.

The Tool Box Killers’ Last Murder

For five agonizing months in 1979, teenage girls were targeted by Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris. These two were nicknamed the Tool Box Killers due to their instruments of torture. Their reign of terror came to an end after October 31 of that year. Shirley Lynette Ledford was hitchhiking home from a Halloween party when Bittaker and Norris picked her up. She apparently knew Bittaker, who was a regular at the restaurant where she worked. Ledford tragically didn’t survive the night, but she would be the pair’s last known victim. 20 days later, Bittaker was arrested for another crime while Norris was apprehended for violating parole. It was only a matter of time until they were linked to Ledford and four others, dying in prison.

The Man Who Killed Halloween

Finding himself $100,000 in debut, Ronald Clark O’Bryan attempted to erase his financial woes in the most monstrous way imaginable. Taking his son Timothy and daughter Elizabeth trick-or-treating in 1974, O’Bryan gave them Pixy Stixs laced with potassium cyanide, hoping to collect the life insurance. To throw suspicion off him, O’Bryan gave poisoned Pixy Stixs to three others. While those three and Elizabeth never ate their candy, Timothy tragically did. Following an autopsy and a look into O’Bryan’s finances, the police quickly connected the dots. The following June, it took a jury less than an hour to find O’Bryan guilty and just over an hour to settle on the death penalty. History remembers O’Bryan as The Candy Man, or The Man Who Killed Halloween.

Which Halloween crime shook you to the core? Let us know in the comments.