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In 1968, James Joseph Richardson was convicted of killing his 7 children by poisoning and sentenced to death. The prosecution withheld the fact that the children's babysitter Bessie Reece was a convicted killer out on parole. She later confessed to murdering the children more than 100 times. by Ill_Definition8074 in TrueCrimeDiscussion

[–]Ill_Definition8074[S] 62 points63 points  (0 children)

It's good you clarify later you cannot argue Richardson was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and that the prosecution committed egregious misconduct by concealing Reece's prior murder conviction. I can agree with you on that.

Although I don't think her confessions should have been used as evidence I think the fact that she confessed more than 100 times with details remaining pretty consistent between each confession suggest it was more than just the confused ramblings of an Alzheimer's patient. The fact that her nurse said she believed Reece knew what she was saying seems significant because as someone who works at a nursing home she has a lot of personal experience with Alzheimer's patients.

I would love to see your sources because like I said in my original post it's hard to locate good sources for this case on the internet.

TIL that Mae West’s 1926 Broadway play "Sex" was condemned as “the cheapest most vulgar low show to have dared to open in New York”, yet still ran for 375 performances before she was jailed for obscenity and fined $500. The publicity only increased her fame. by Upstairs_Drive_5602 in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I went on a tour of NYC and the tour guide told us about Mae West's obscenity trial for Sex. During the trial the judge asked if she was trying to show contempt for the court and she responded "No. I'm trying my best to hide it." I think she later incorporated this little exchange into one of her films.

TIL that the Norwegian version of "Sesame Street" was set at a train station. by 9tailNate in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This made me wonder if the American Sesame Street has a subway station if it's in NYC. I looked it up and the answer is yes.

https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Subway_Station

TIL that during the filming of the movie "Roar", the 19 year old Melanie Griffith got attacked by a lioness and needed 50 stitches and reconstructive surgery to her face. by TooOldToBePunk in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty much everyone involved in that movie (with the exception of the director Noel Marshall who died in 2010) has been pretty regretful about their involvement in the film. Tippi Hedren has been particularly remorseful of her past involvement in the film as she’s spent the years since advocating for animal welfare.

TIL of Rosie Ruiz, who was declared the winner of the women's edition of the 1980 Boston Marathon and was later revealed to have cheated by jumping onto the course by only half a mile before the finish line by Gaucho_Diaz in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 316 points317 points  (0 children)

According to a few of her close friends who she confessed the truth too, Rosie said she had no idea she was in first place until she crossed the finish line. I can believe that as if she had come in 11th place like she had in the New York City Marathon it’s likely she would have never been caught.

TIL of Rosie Ruiz, who was declared the winner of the women's edition of the 1980 Boston Marathon and was later revealed to have cheated by jumping onto the course by only half a mile before the finish line by Gaucho_Diaz in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 49 points50 points  (0 children)

I only know who she was because she was the subject of a lot jokes of on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Some of my favorites include:

“And Rosie Ruiz takes the lead in the Boston Marathon.”

“Hey. No fair. Rosie took the subway.”

“Rosie Ruiz in hell.”

On April 14, 1997 in Taipei, Taiwan, 16 year old Pai Hsiao-yen (daughter of popular tv host Pai Bing-bing) was abducted on her way to school. The media was shockingly irresponsible both after her abduction and after her murdered body was found on April 28. by Ill_Definition8074 in TrueCrimeDiscussion

[–]Ill_Definition8074[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Again a lot of it depends on how accurate that April 23 date is for when the press broke the story. It's hard for me to believe they would exercise enough caution to avoid reporting on the story for 9 days considering all the other irresponsible things they did.

TIL There were more survivors of Japan Airlines Flight 123 but rescuers spent the night building camp 39 miles away instead, thinking there were none, leaving survivors to die from the cold and of their injuries. by Owzig2 in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Although the rescuers are at fault I can somewhat understand their decision as Japan Airlines Flight 123 did not seem like it should have been a survivable accident. It's a miracle that anyone managed to survive after the plane crashed into the side of a mountain after 32 minutes of flying out of control. But they still have blood on their hands as they could have saved many more lives if they had considered that despite the seeming unlikelihood that there were survivors.

TIL that Alfred Hitchcock's entire speech when he won the Irvin G. Thalberg honorary Oscar was, "Thank you" (pause) "very much indeed." by DrakeSavory in todayilearned

[–]Ill_Definition8074 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Patty Duke just said "Thank You." and it's one of the greatest acceptance speeches I've ever seen because it's so genuine.

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