Top 10 Most Shocking Crimes in History

The Black Dahlia

On a cold morning in January, 1947, BetteyBersinger was walking through Leimert Park, Los Angeles when she saw a discarded store mannequin that had been cut in half…or so she first thought. As it turned out, Betty had just discovered the disfigured remains of Elizabeth Short, soon nicknamed ‘The Black Dahlia’ by the local news press. Elizabeth Short had been bashed around the head, had her face slashed, her body mutilated and then, finally, her torso sliced in half. This shocking crime was labelled one of the most horrible murders to ever occur, yet to this day it remains unsolved.

The Manson Family

One of the worst crimes ever in American history, the “Manson Family” was a quasi-commune led by Charles Manson that was based in the California desert during the late 60’s to early 70’s. Manson believed that there was going to be an apocalyptic race war and that a cataclysm was needed to precipitate this war. This is what led to the family breaking into the home of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and brutally murdering her along with four other guests in her home. The following day, they then murdered another two people, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

Teen Child Killers...

There are few things more horrific than the deliberate death of a child. When that death is caused by other children, the crime is elevated to one of the worst crimes in history. James Bugler was only 3 years old when he disappeared from a British shopping centre in 1993. His tortured remains were found two days later on some nearby railway tracks. The nation was horrified when just a few weeks later the sadistic killers were found – they were two ten-year-old boys. The youngest convicted murderers in modern UK history, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were locked up until they turned 18, at which point they were released with new identities.

Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre

Sandy Hook Elementary was just an average school in Connecticut until December 14^th, 2012. On that day, a 20-year-old man named Adam Lanza murdered his mother at their nearby home, then drove to the school and killed six adult staff members and 20 children before turning the gun on himself. The deadliest mass shooting at a grade school in US history, a further two people were injured in the massacre. Following the investigation into what has been called one of the worst crimes ever, the school was demolished and a new school was built in its place.

Four Weeks of Hell

At the age of just 17, British teenager Kelly Anne Bates was held captive by her partner, James Patterson Smith, for a period of four weeks in early 1996. During this time, unspeakable atrocities were committed to her before she was finally drowned in a bathtub. One of the most horrible murders to ever take place, a Detective Sergeant with 15 years’ experience said he had “never seen a case as horrific as this,” whilst the pathologist who examined the body catalogued her injuries as the worst he had ever seen. Her murderer was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, where he remains today.

September 11 Terrorist Attacks

September 11^th, 2001 is branded in the minds of the world as the date of one of the worst crimes in history. On this day, four commercial airliners were hijacked by terrorists. Two were flown into the World Trade Centre Twin Towers in New York, a third into the Pentagon and the fourth crashed in a field after passengers attempted to wrest control from the hijackers. In total, 2,996 people were killed, including almost 400 firefighters and law enforcement personnel, whilst over 6,000 others were injured and almost 18,000 people have developed health issues as a direct result. There should be no one that ever want to victim or hear such a tragedy again. God bless.

Mother Shot by 14-Year-Old Son

It seems teenagers these days really have some anger control issues. Here is another one of the worst crimes ever done by a teenage boy. 14-year-old Joshua Smith shot his mother to death while she was sleeping on the couch. Growing up in Detroit, his mother was a hard-working woman who wanted to instill perseverance and success in her son. As such, she set a reasonable curfew which required him to return home by 11:00 PM each night to stop him hanging out with the local gangs or bringing girls home. As a typical teenager, Joshua rebelled and ran away before coming back to sulk in his room, only to come down at three a.m. and shoot his mother several times. He was eventually caught by the police before he managed to run away in a car.

Death of a Pint-Sized Beauty Queen

JonBenet Ramsey was the darling of the pageant world, an adorable 6-year-old with bright blonde curls and big blue eyes. On Christmas morning, 1996, her wealthy parents awoke to find their little girl missing and a ransom note demanding $118,000; it turned out, almost the exact amount that her father had received as a work bonus that year. Police found no sign of forced entry, but on searching the house, they found her strangled body concealed in the wine cellar. Despite suspicions about family involvement, the crime remains unsolved due to, some believe, serious flaws in the initial investigation.

A Teen Killed His Adopted Siblings

As an honor student, a young boy, Steve, was believed to be perfectly capable of caring for his adopted siblings, which he did multiple times without incident. One night, however, he stabbed his ten-year-old and four-year-old adopted siblings to death. His mom came home to the terrible sight of her 4-year-old dead, and the police later found the 10-year-old in the basement. They were able to track down the 15-year-old in a nearby town and arrested him on suspicion of homicide before sending him to a juvenile holding center.

Norway Terror

On just one day in July, 2011, a right-wing extremist named Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Norway. He began the day by setting off a car bomb in Oslo before travelling to a youth summer camp and murdering an additional 69 people. 319 other people were injured as a result of his rampage, with a later investigation showing one in four Norwegians knew someone affected by the attacks. On his arrest, Breivik admitted he had carried out one of the worst crimes ever, but denied responsibility by claiming the attacks were “necessary”. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison.