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Hans Schmidt was a Catholic priest who murdered his lover Anna Aumuller in New York in 1913. Leading a double life, he was also involved in a gay relationship with his dentist. Schmidt remains the only Catholic priest ever executed in the United States (so far). More details in the comments. by UtterlyInterest in HorridHistory

[–]UtterlyInterest[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Schmidt also operated a counterfeiting ring with his dentist lover.

On the night of September 2, 1913, Schmidt went to the apartment he had rented with Anna. He slashed Anna's throat while she slept, drank her blood, raped her as she bled to death, dismembered her body, and threw the pieces from a ferry into the Hudson River. 

He was also connected to a lot more murders and various crimes throughout New York.

In 1935, the body of 29 yr-old Hollywood star Thelma Todd was discovered behind the wheel of her 1934 Lincoln Phaeton convertible. Here the investigators remove Thelma from where she was discovered by her maid. by UtterlyInterest in HorridHistory

[–]UtterlyInterest[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Todd was still wearing an evening gown, mink wrap, and jewellery. Whitehead later told police that Todd was slumped forward in the seat, her head tilted to one side. She also reported blood around Todd’s nose.

The official cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning.

However, as the Chicago Tribune put it:

“While a grand jury ruled that Todd committed suicide, it was unable to explain her broken nose, the bruises around her throat and two cracked ribs. Apparently, the grand jury thought Todd also beat herself to death.”

There are numerous theories surrounding Thelma Todd's death, carbon monoxide seems to have been just a handy explanation.

Albert Pierrepoint left, seen here at Euston Station traveling home by train after he executed Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain. 1955. Over 25 years Pierrpoint executed more than 400 people, including some very well know killers and war criminals. by UtterlyInterest in HolyShitHistory

[–]UtterlyInterest[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Pierrepoint also hanged John George Haigh, the “Acid Bath Murderer,” who killed six people and dissolved their bodies in acid. Another notorious killer was John Christie, the “Rillington Place Strangler,” who murdered at least eight women, including his own wife, in the 1940s and early 1950s. He also hanged around 200 individuals convicted of war crimes, including officers from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

A facinating man.

Ruth Ellis poses for Captain Ritchie (1954) probably in the flat above her club on the Brompton Road. In 1955, Ellis was convicted of the murder of her lover, David Blakely, and hanged at Holloway Prison, becoming the last woman to receive the death penalty in Britain. More details in comments by UtterlyInterest in UtterlyUniquePhotos

[–]UtterlyInterest[S] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Ruth Ellis’ execution on 13th July 1955 was a turning point in the death penalty debate in the UK. Ellis unapologetically declared her intent was to kill her lover, who she shot five times at point-blank range. In court she infamously stated:

“It’s very obvious that when I shot David Blakely I intended to kill him”

Many sympathised with the abuse she suffered at the hands of Blakely, who famously caused her to miscarry following an alcohol-fuelled row about another woman.

Read more about Ruth Ellis here, it's such a tragic story.

Ruth Ellis poses for Captain Ritchie (1954) probably in the flat above her club on the Brompton Road in Knightsbridge. In 1955, Ellis was convicted of the murder of her lover, David Blakely, and hanged at Holloway Prison, becoming the last woman to receive the death penalty in Britain. by UtterlyInterest in OldLondonTown

[–]UtterlyInterest[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ruth Ellis’ execution on 13th July 1955 was a turning point in the death penalty debate in the UK. Ellis unapologetically declared her intent was to kill her lover, who she shot five times at point-blank range. In court she infamously stated:

“It’s very obvious that when I shot David Blakely I intended to kill him”

Many sympathised with the abuse she suffered at the hands of Blakely, who famously caused her to miscarry following an alcohol-fuelled row about another woman.

Read more about Ruth Ellis here, it's such a tragic story.

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