The Biggest True Crime Story From The Year You Were Born

Jodi Smith
Updated June 30, 2020 328.0K views 31 items

Sometimes, one news story completely overtakes the airwaves. These high-profile incidents can be worldwide events, political struggles, or natural disasters, but sometimes, they're fascinating crimes. The last several decades have been full of prominent true crime stories, and a look back through history reveals which of these tales was on everyone's lips the year you were born. 

While most of these events spanned multiple years - thanks to lengthy investigations and court proceedings - each seemingly overtook the news cycle for a specific period of time.

  • 1976 - The Patty Hearst Trial Begins

    Patty Hearst was 19 in February 1974 when the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) entered her apartment, assaulted her boyfriend, and kidnapped the newspaper heiress. William Randolph Hearst was a powerful man in the country, and the SLA drew much attention to their cause when they snatched his granddaughter. Their goal was to destroy the American government, and they used Patty Hearst's abduction to leverage multiple demands.

    In April 1974, Hearst joined other members of the SLA to rob a bank while brandishing high-powered firearms. In May of that year, Hearst fired shots during a confrontation with the FBI following an attempted robbery of an ammunitions store. A majority of the SLA members were killed, including their leader, Donald DeFreeze.

    Hearst's capture in September 1975 led to her family hiring defense attorney F. Lee Bailey and arguing that the SLA brainwashed her into complying with their activities. The trial began in 1976 and introduced new media methods for covering the proceedings. A Los Angeles news outlet used a minicam to provide live shots of the courtroom throughout the trial, a tactic that is used to this day in high-profile cases.

    Hearst received a guilty verdict and a sentence of seven years, serving only two before the rest was commuted by President Jimmy Carter.

  • 1977 - Son Of Sam's Killing Spree Comes To An End

    David Berkowitz began his lengthy New York City killing spree in July 1976 - ending the lives of six people and wounding seven others - which lasted until his capture in September 1977. Calling himself the Son of Sam, Berkowitz walked up to people sitting in their cars or on porches, fired several shots, and walked away. Not until the January 30, 1977, attack on victims Christine Freund and John Diel did the police connect the .44 caliber bullet casings found at the crime scenes to one serial killer targeting women with long, dark hair in the city. 

    During the spree, police and newspapers received letters from Son of Sam filled with cryptic symbols and taunts directed at the law enforcement's inability to capture him. Berkowitz claimed a neighbor's dog urged him to kill. The case and Berkowitz's obsession with sending letters to the police were reminiscent of the Zodiac Killer and added to the horror trope of killers taunting police.

    That same year:

    Serial killer Ted Bundy had his time in a Colorado court working as his own defense lawyer. This allowed the killer access to a law library where the guards grew increasingly lax about watching him. On June 7, 1977, Bundy jumped from the second-story window located in the law library and went on the lam. Six days later, the fugitive was arrested and placed into a holding cell. He began losing weight and secretly dug an opening in the ceiling of his prison. On December 30, 1977, he escaped once again and continued killing victims until he was finally recaptured in February 1978.

  • 1978 - The Golden State Killer Graduates To Homicide

    The Golden State Killer terrorized several affluent towns in California from 1976 until 1986, sexually assaulting at least 45 people, binding all of his victims, and killing at least 12. However, not until 1978 did the series of assaults and home invasions become murder cases.

    February 1978 saw the murders of Brian and Katie Maggiore as they walked their dog in their Rancho Cordova neighborhood. After this incident, the Golden State Killer moved to the East Bay and along the coast, until he killed two more people in Santa Barbara in 1979.

    Throughout 1978, the Golden State Killer entered homes, tied up the residents, sexually assaulted the women, stole strange trinkets from the homes, and left behind items from previous victims. In fact, 14 other households were attacked in 1978. The perpetrator was able to continue for a decade by crossing into different law enforcement territories and taking advantage of the poor communication between jurisdictions.

    The cases haunted investigators and victims alike until 2018 when DNA evidence - and the DNA of a relative in an ancestry kit database - led police to Joseph James DeAngelo.

  • 1979 - Ted Bundy Is Tried And Convicted In Florida

    After his two escapes from custody in Colorado in 1977 and his recapture in late 1978, Bundy faced trial in Florida for the deaths of Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy in his attack on their Chi Omega residence on January 15, 1978.

    His court proceedings were monumental in that the press was allowed unfettered access to the courtroom, bringing in cameras to record and broadcast the entire ordeal. Bundy took the opportunity to dress in smart suits while representing himself in the case, but the facade of civility failed to save him from being found guilty in the slaying of the two women and the attacks on their three roommates.

    The world watched as Bundy was convicted of three murders and was sentenced to death, ushering in a new age of televised justice that continues to this day.

  • 1980 - John Lennon Is Murdered By An Obsessed Fan

    On December 8, 1980, Mark David Chapman visited the Dakota where John Lennon lived with his wife, Yoko Ono. Chapman was somewhat of a fixture outside of the building, and on that day, he wanted Lennon to sign a copy of his Double Fantasy album, which the musician did around 4:30 that evening.

    Upon returning home from a recording session with his wife around 10:50 that night, Lennon once again noticed Chapman outside of the Dakota, still clutching his autographed album. Lennon exited his car and Chapman shot him four times in the back and chest.

    Lennon was pronounced dead at the hospital that night after unsuccessful attempts to resuscitate him. The news of the former Beatle's passing interrupted a Monday Night Football game, and news outlets released special reports covering his life and legacy. Police arrested Chapman outside of the Dakota where he waited patiently for them after the doorman wrested his gun away. Sentenced to 20 years to life, Chapman has been repeatedly denied parole.

    That same year: 

    In New York State, the .22 Caliber Killer (also known as the Midtown Slasher) began a spree in September 1980. Joseph G. Christopher spent his time moving from Buffalo to various other cities, stabbing and shooting his way through at least 10 victims. All of the targets were Black and Hispanic men. Christopher's crimes were another shock to the country, which was coming to terms with a wave of serial killers.

  • 1981 - Adam Walsh Is Kidnapped And Slain

    1981 - Adam Walsh Is Kidnapped And Slain

    While shopping with his mother in a Hollywood, FL, Sears department store on July 27, 1981, Adam Walsh went missing. The six-year-old's parents, John and Reve Walsh, immediately involved law enforcement and began campaigning on television for the safe return of their son. Two weeks later, Adam's head washed up in a canal near Vero Beach. His body never surfaced. 

    As a result of their son's disappearance and death, the Walshes worked to change legislation and standard operating procedures concerning missing children. They founded the Adam Walsh Outreach Center for Missing Children days after burying their son and championed the Missing Children’s Act to add minors to the missing person's database. In 1984, John Walsh co-founded the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In 1988, he began hosting America's Most Wanted, a show that asked its audience for tips concerning fugitives from the law. 

    Walsh was also instrumental in the use of "Code Adam" in stores to alert shoppers and employees to a missing child in their midst, as well as the implementation of The Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The latter expanded the parameters of the sex-offender registry and created a registry of child abuse on a national scale.

  • 1982 - Claus von Bulow Is Arrested And Tried For Murder

    1982 - Claus von Bulow Is Arrested And Tried For Murder

    A wealthy Danish socialite, Claus von Bulow went to court for allegedly putting his wife, Martha “Sunny” von Bulow, into a coma in order to inherit her money. Sunny was a diabetic, and prosecutors argued that Claus purposely gave her too much insulin, which placed her in an irreversible vegetative state and allowed him to openly continue his affair with his mistress. The defense argued that alcohol and substance use combined with her diabetes was the real reason for Sunny's ailment.

    His first trial, which took place in Rhode Island in 1982, ended with Claus convicted of his wife's attempted murder. However, a second trial three years later cleared him of the charges. The media swarmed to the story thanks to its intrigue, infidelity, and supposed peek into the lives of the wealthy.

    That same year:

    In West Hollywood, Raging Bull actor Theresa Saldana was attacked by a stalker in broad daylight outside of her home. The attacker, Arthur Richard Jackson, stalked the actor for 18 months before approaching her, confirming her identity, and stabbing her. Saldana's neighbor stopped Jackson, but not before Saldana lost 26 pints of blood and her heart stopped. Surgery and transfusions saved her from the brink of death, allowing her to champion for stronger laws concerning stalkers and the police response to reports of being followed.

    Her advocacy helped California pass the nation's first anti-stalking law in 1990 after the death of another actor, Rebecca Schaeffer, at the hands of a deranged fan.

  • 1983 - Robert Hansen, 'The Butcher Baker,' Is Arrested

    Alaska was on high alert in the 1970s when an unknown attacker began kidnapping women in order to hunt and kill them in the wilderness. Robert Hansen worked as a baker in Anchorage where he lived with his wife and children. Unbeknownst to them, over the course of 12 years, he lured sex workers and exotic dancers into his car and plane with promises of cash, only to sexually assault them. While he would set some free with orders to remain silent, others became his prey in the wooded area around Knick River.

    In 1983, one victim escaped Hansen and fled to the city, sending police to Hansen's front door. In 1984, Hansen confessed to the murders of 17 women, although investigators believed that the number of victims could be much higher. Only four trials took place to avoid a media circus, earning him a 461-year sentence.

  • 1984 - Bernhard Goetz New York Subway Shooting

    1984 - Bernhard Goetz New York Subway Shooting

    After he was allegedly mugged in 1981, Bernhard Goetz decided to carry an unlicensed .38 caliber firearm with him onto the New York Subway on December 22, 1984. Once seated, four young Black men approached Goetz and asked for $5, which he refused to provide. One of them pressed again for money, prompting Goetz to reply, "You can all have it," before opening fire on the young men and hitting all of them. At the next stop, he ran off the train and hid out in New Hampshire for several days.

    Goetz later turned himself in to police, and when he faced trial, loud supporters began calling him the "Subway Vigilante," offering to pay for his court costs and lauding his attempts to curb crime on the subway. An all-white jury found Goetz not guilty of attempted murder in 1987, but they did charge him with illegal possession of a firearm. Before and during the trials, Goetz courted his newfound celebrity status, attempting and failing to hold office while pushing for drug legalization.

    That same year:

    In June 1984, California 15-year-old Bernadette Protti lured classmate Kirsten Costas to a fake party and stabbed her multiple times. The media dubbed the crime "The Cheerleader Murder" due to Costas being a popular varsity cheerleader and Protti not making the team. Investigators took six months to connect Protti and her family's Ford Pinto to witness statements, which claimed the same car followed Costas home on the night of her end. Protti confessed to her crimes in a letter to her mother and was later sentenced to nine years in prison; however, she only served two before being released.

  • 1985 - Crime Boss Paul Castellano Is Murdered In A Mob Hit

    1985 - Crime Boss Paul Castellano Is Murdered In A Mob Hit

    John Gotti took over the Gambino crime family by eliminating the one man standing in his way: crime boss Paul Castellano. On a December evening in 1985, Castellano left his car to enter Sparks Steakhouse in Manhattan, NY. As soon as he exited the limo, assailants fired multiple shots, leaving Castellano dead. Gotti watched from his own car parked nearby.

    Gotti, once a protege of Castellano, disagreed with the crime boss on the handling of drug sales within the Family - Gotti sold them and Castellano forbade it. The hit cemented Gotti's place as the new head of the Gambino crime family, leading to a long career of mob dealings and run-ins with law enforcement until the Teflon Don finally fell in 1992 after a former Family member turned on him.

    That same year:

    Richard Ramirez earned the nickname "The Night Stalker" due to his penchant for breaking into homes late at night to sexually assault women, rob the home, and eliminate any witnesses. He terrorized Southern California throughout the warm months of 1985, until an unsuccessful carjacking in an East Los Angeles neighborhood that August. Neighbors descended upon Ramirez to beat him for his attempted theft and the assault of a woman in the area. The citizens held the perpetrator until police arrived.

  • 1986 - Robert Chambers, The 'Preppie Killer,' Pleads Guilty To Murder

    On August 26, 1986, Robert Chambers strangled Jennifer Levin to death in New York's Central Park. The pair began dating that summer, and witnesses saw them together at a bar earlier that night. Before Levin's slaying, Chambers was a troubled young man - five months prior, his mother pleaded for charges not to be brought after he stole a credit card. Chambers indulged in heavy substance use, and his privileged upbringing earned him the media moniker "The Preppie Killer."

    Levin perished after Chambers pushed her off of him during a bout of rough intercourse. Chambers later confessed to ending her and leaving her body in Central Park. He served 15 years in prison but returned when he was caught selling coke. He will be released in 2024 at the earliest.

  • 1987 - The Billionaire Boys Club Murder Trial Begins

    One of the first Ponzi schemes to make headlines was carried out by the Billionaire Boys Club (BBC) and led by Joe Hunt. Hunt approached his wealthy friends and their families in search of investments that he actually used to fund his opulent lifestyle of fast cars and designer suits.

    In 1984, Hunt met Ron Levin, a man 18 years his senior who allegedly promised to bring a new influx of cash into the struggling BBC. Levin went missing later that year, but Hunt didn't face a jury for his crime until 1987.

    According to a witness and former member of the BBC, Hunt and the group's security chief, Jim Pittman, had Levin write a check for $1.5 million before shooting him in the head. Aiding the police in their investigation was the "to-do list" Hunt left at the crime scene, which detailed the planned murder. Hunt received a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The crime itself inspired the Menendez brothers to kill their parents.

  • 1988 - The Oliver North Trial Begins

    1988 - The Oliver North Trial Begins

    A scandal broke out in November 1986 when a newspaper in Lebanon claimed the United States secretly sold weapons of war to Iran. The money from the sales went to guerilla forces, also known as contras, in an effort to bypass investigations from Congress.

    Among the many people complicit in the scandal was National Security Aide Oliver North, a former Lt. Colonel who served in Vietnam and Central America. The Iran-Contra trial began in 1988. North admitted to lying to Congress, his Iranian contacts, and other individuals involved in the operation.

    Although the jury found that North only followed orders from President Ronald Reagan and several other higher-ups, they did convict him for:

    Arranging for a $13,800 (£8,118) security fence for his Virginia home and for joining his secretary, Ms Fawn Hall, in the destruction of sensitive government documents and falsifying the record after congressional and other investigations of his activities had begun.

    North reentered the public's consciousness in 2018 when he emerged as the new head of the National Rifle Association. In 2019, he stepped down from his role as president of the group amid allegations that he released "damaging information" concerning financial misdeeds by other NRA leaders.

  • 1989 - The 'Central Park Five' Are Arrested And Convicted, Despite Public Outcry

    1989 - The 'Central Park Five' Are Arrested And Convicted, Despite Public Outcry

    On a spring night in New York's Central Park, someone attacked Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old white jogger, and left her body in a ravine. Meili had been severely beaten and sexually assaulted, and she fell into a coma for 12 days. Police brought in Kevin Richardson (14), Raymond Santana (14), Antron McCray (15), Yusef Salaam (15), and Korey Wise (16) based on witness claims that some of the Black and Hispanic teens were known for intimidating others.

    Over the course of seven hours, the teens underwent interrogation without their parents or a lawyer present, eventually confessing to the attack. Although the DNA evidence from the assault did not match any of the five teenagers, all received convictions based on their recanted confessions and were sentenced anywhere from six to 13 years. This result was allegedly aided by Donald Trump, who offered large amounts of money for their conviction.

    In 2002, Matias Reyes, the real perpetrator of Meili's attack, confessed to police, allowing the Central Park Five to clear their names and file civil suits against the city.

    That same year:

    On July 18, 1989, actor Rebecca Schaeffer perished at the hands of a long-term stalker who shot her on her own doorstep, leading to the first anti-stalking laws in both California and the United States.

    On October 23, 1989, Charles Stuart drove his pregnant wife, Carol, into the Mission Hills projects near Boston, MA. He killed his wife and shot himself in the stomach to collect insurance money, blaming an innocent Black man for his crime. Stuart ended his own life before he could go on trial, but his accusation exacerbated racial tensions in the area for decades.

  • 1990 - The Menendez Brothers Are Arrested For Killing Their Parents

    1990 - The Menendez Brothers Are Arrested For Killing Their Parents

    On August 20, 1989, brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their wealthy parents, José and Kitty, in their Beverly Hills home. Initially thought to be a mob hit, the brothers became suspects once police looked at their inheritance of a $14 million estate and $400,000 each in insurance money. 

    Authorities also found a script written by Erik about an 18-year-old taking out his own parents. A witness also found a shotgun shell in the pocket of one of Lyle's jackets which matched the gun used in the killings.

    Police arrested the brothers based on that information, as well as recordings of them from sessions with their psychologist. The 1990 trial shocked the nation as the brothers alleged sexual and physical abuse from their father and called their mother an alcoholic. Due to the gruesome nature of the killings, many were sickened by the brothers' behavior afterward - purchasing fast cars and dining at expensive restaurants.

  • 1991 - Rodney King Is Beaten By Police Officers On Tape, Prompting The LA Riots

    On March 3, 1991, Rodney King led Los Angeles police officers on a high-speed chase. When they caught up with him, the four white officers - Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, and Stacey Koon - severely beat the Black King while George Holliday filmed the encounter without their knowledge. The officers received indictments for excessive use of force and assault with a deadly weapon and went to trial, where a jury found them not guilty in April 1992.

    The outrage over the verdict sparked riots in Los Angeles that began on April 29, 1992, and continued for five days. Buildings were burned to the ground, businesses were looted, and at least 50 people perished, while 2,000 more suffered injuries.

    That same year:

    Jeffrey Dahmer went to trial for the murder, dismemberment, and consumption of 17 young men. He received 16 life terms for his crimes.

  • 1992 - Amy Fisher Shoots Mary Jo Buttafucco

    Dubbed "the Long Island Lolita," Amy Fisher was only 17 when her affair with a 36-year-old man led her to confront his wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco, with a gun. The teenager allegedly only wanted to wound Mary Jo, but she shot her in the face instead. Fisher received a seven-year prison sentence for the assault, and Joey served four months for sleeping with a minor. The case grabbed the attention of tabloids, who granted Fisher her demeaning nickname.

    Mary Jo survived her injuries, although the bullet remained lodged in her skull. She also stayed with Joey until 2003, despite his infidelity. Fisher emerged from prison and used her infamy to star in adult films and appear on reality television.

    That same year:

    John Gotti earned the nickname "the Teflon Don" for his ability to escape punishment for any charges leveled against him by law enforcement. The head of the Gambino crime family finally saw justice in 1992 when charges of racketeering, extortion, and multiple other crimes led to his conviction. Gotti even received sentencing for the 1985 murder of John Castellano that led to his takeover of the mob.

  • 1993 - Lorena Bobbitt Mutilates Husband John Bobbitt

    On June 23, 1993, Lorena Bobbitt used a kitchen knife to sever her sleeping husband's genitals in retaliation for alleged sexual assault throughout their marriage. She then fled in a car and threw his member out the window, where authorities tracked it down for reattachment surgery.

    The crime itself caught the nation's attention for its uniqueness, as well as the fact that John Bobbitt survived the attack and regained use of his member. A jury found Lorena not guilty due to the abuse from her husband, which they claimed caused temporary insanity. Following the verdict, she spent five weeks in a psychiatric unit.

    That same year:

    From February 28, 1993, until April 19, 1993, federal agents raided the Waco, TX, compound of cult leader David Koresh and his Branch Davidians. Television cameras clamored to the location and broadcast every moment to waiting news stations. The last day of the raid ended with a fire that claimed the lives of 75 people, including 25 children within the compound. Analysts saw the raid as one of the most botched incidences of federal intervention in recent history.

    The first trial of Erik and Lyle Menendez for their parents' deaths began this same year, with a mistrial declared for both. Not until 1996 did both receive guilty verdicts and life sentences without the possibility of parole.

  • 1994 - O.J. Simpson Is Arrested For Double-Murder After A Lengthy Car Chase

    Television programming everywhere stopped on June 17, 1994, so the slow car chase between O.J. Simpson's white Ford Bronco and police could be broadcast. Simpson had an arrest warrant for his involvement with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman five days earlier. Viewers watched in awe as reporters revealed Al Cowlings, Simpson's former NFL teammate, driving the vehicle while Simpson sat in the passenger seat, pointing a gun at his own head.

    After a low-speed car chase, Simpson turned himself in to police. The Simpson trial, which many called the trial of the century, ended in an acquittal for the former football player and led to decades of other run-ins with the law.

    That same year:

    In January 1994, ice skater Tonya Harding and her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, conspired to hire someone to attack rival ice skater Nancy Kerrigan and take her out of the running for the '94 Olympics. Kerrigan sustained a leg injury from the attack but recovered enough to win silver in the competition. Harding never recovered from her role in the scandal, though a movie was made about her life and the incident in 2017.

  • 1995 - Oklahoma City Bombing

    1995 - Oklahoma City Bombing

    On April 19, 1995, one-third of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City crumbled due to a bomb inside a nearby rental truck. The blast claimed 168 lives, including those of 19 children, and caused damage to over 300 nearby structures and buildings. Many assumed Middle Eastern terrorists were responsible after the attack on the World Trade Center two years prior, but domestic forces were actually at work.

    Security guard and former Army soldier Timothy McVeigh carried out his attack due to anger over the mishandling of the Waco siege in 1993. Luckily for the investigation, police pulled over McVeigh within 30 minutes of the blast for driving without a license plate and carrying firearms. The case found that McVeigh had two co-conspirators: his friends Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier. 

    That same year:

    The O.J. Simpson trial continued to dominate television broadcasting until it ended with Simpson's acquittal on October 2, 1995. Simpson later had to pay damages to the families of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman in civil court.

  • 1996 - JonBenet Ramsey Is Murdered

    Child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey's parents found the body of their six-year-old in the basement of their Boulder, CO, home on December 26, 1996. Her skull was fractured, her wrists and throat were bound with white cord, her mouth was closed with duct tape, and her body was covered with a white blanket. The child showed signs of sexual assault, and the garote used to choke her was made from a paintbrush and length of cord in the family house.

    JonBenet's mother, Patricia Ramsey, found a ransom note written on a piece of paper from a legal pad in their home. It asked for $118,000 and no police involvement, but Patricia immediately called the authorities. Unfortunately, several family members and neighbors walked through the crime scene and the house, touching and contaminating possible evidence. Police mishandled the investigation by only cordoning off JonBenet's bedroom. After investigating JonBenet's mother, father, and nine-year-old brother, police never arrested a suspect, and the case remains unsolved.

    That same year:

    Rapper Tupac Shakur died in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, from wounds sustained after a vehicle pulled up next to his car and opened fire.

    Amber Hagerman was nine years old when someone abducted her in a grocery store parking lot near her home in Arlington, TX. Although no suspect ever emerged, her disappearance led to the creation of the Amber Alert, a system that law enforcement uses to immediately disseminate information about abducted children via alerts on cell phones and television sets.

  • 1997 - The Notorious B.I.G. Is Murdered, One Year After Tupac

    One year after the loss of Death Row Records rapper Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G./Biggie Smalls/Christopher Wallace died from a drive-by shooting on March 9, 1997. Just like Shakur, Wallace's vehicle was stopped at a red light when a vehicle pulled up beside it and opened fire. Also like Shakur's demise, Wallace's case remains unsolved.

    That same year:

    Famed designer Gianni Versace died on July 15, 1997. After visiting a cafe local to his Florida mansion, Versace began unlocking his front door when Andrew Cunanan shot him twice in the head. Cunanan walked away and eventually took his own life two weeks later. Although Cunanan was wanted in the deaths of four others across three states, no one knew his motivations.

  • 1998 - Matthew Shepard Is Murdered In A Hate Crime

    1998 - Matthew Shepard Is Murdered In A Hate Crime

    Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was openly gay in a time when such a thing was still somewhat taboo. On the night of October 6, 1998, he attended a meeting of LGBT students on campus before heading to the Fireside Lounge where two men approached him. 

    Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson struck up a conversation with Shepard before leaving the bar with him, taking him to a secluded spot where they tied him to a fence and beat him with a gun to the point of unconsciousness. The last hit destroyed Shepard's brain stem. He remained bound and unconscious for 18 hours before a cyclist found him. Shepard was in a coma for four days before he passed.

    After leaving Shepard, McKinney and Henderson involved themselves in a street fight, and responding officers found Shepard's identification and the bloody gun on their persons. Their charges escalated to felony kidnapping and murder when Shepard passed on October 12, with news outlets already labeling the case a hate crime due to the victim's sexuality. Shepard's parents founded a non-profit that year to promote LGBT-positive education within Wyoming.

    The crime helped push states to pass hate-crime laws imposing stiffer penalties on those that assault or kill members of protected groups.

  • 1999 - Columbine Shooting

    1999 - Columbine Shooting

    On April 20, 1999, two Colorado students, Dylan Klebold (17) and Eric Harris (18), opened fire on their fellow Columbine High School classmates and teachers in what was then the deadliest school shooting in history. Armed with guns and explosives, the two killed 13 and injured 23 before taking their own lives.

    The pair exhibited questionable behaviors in the months and weeks prior to the massacre, filming themselves shooting bowling pins in the woods, making hit lists, and planning to blow up the school in a fashion similar to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing.

    The attacks initiated gun-control talks that continue to this day.

  • 2000 - The Texas Seven Escape From Prison And Murder A Guard

    2000 - The Texas Seven Escape From Prison And Murder A Guard

    On December 13, 2000, seven inmates at Connally Unit in Texas broke out of the prison and went on the run. They were able to overtake the prison guards, stealing their uniforms, guns, and ammunition before using a prison vehicle to leave the property. The seven evaded law enforcement until Christmas Eve that same year when they attempted to rob a sporting goods store. 

    As the seven attempted to empty the store, a bystander called 911, and Irving Police officer Aubrey Hawkins responded to the scene. Officer Hawkins was no match for inmates who opened fire on him, killing him within moments of his arrival. The escaped convicts fled to Colorado and stayed there until January. By the time police tracked them to an RV park, Larry Harper had taken his own life. The remaining six were charged.

    The trials against the living six included one member, Joseph Garcia, who argued he did not shoot at Hawkins, but the Texas law of parties - a policy that holds all participants in a group responsible for a crime, even if it is committed by just some of its members - waived his denials. Every member received the death penalty, with four of their executions taking place between 2008 and 2018.

  • 2001 - Andrea Yates Confesses To Drowning 5 Children In A Bathtub

    Andrea Yates, a Texas mother of five, drowned all of her children in a bathtub on June 20, 2001. Yates had a history of mental illness, attempts on her own life, and hospital stays. Following the murder of her children, she was diagnosed with postpartum depression.

    Yates pled not guilty by reason of insanity in both of her trials, with the first ending in a guilty verdict before being overturned. The second trial found her not guilty and sentenced her to a psychiatric care facility for life. 

    The case brought mental illness and the severity of postpartum depression to the forefront of public conversation.

    That same year:

    Actor Robert Blake's wife, Bonnie Lee Bakley, died in the parking lot of Vitello's Restaurant on May 4, 2001. Bakley was shot twice, while her husband claimed he left her in the car to retrieve his gun from their dinner booth. The ensuing trial put Blake in the spotlight for the death of his troubled spouse, a woman married ten times and prone to identity theft and fraud. Public opinion landed mostly on the side of Blake's guilt, but in 2005, a jury declared him not guilty.

  • 2002 - The DC Sniper Attacks Target Washington

    The DC Snipers, also known as the Beltway Snipers, terrorized the Mid-Atlantic and Washington area during the fall of 2002. The spree began on October 2, 2002, when a sniper shot 55-year-old James D. Martin in the parking lot of a grocery store. Over the course of October, 10 people perished and three sustained injuries from the snipers. On the early morning of October 24, the FBI captured John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo as they slept in a 1990 Chevy Caprice.

    Around 400 agents worked the case, but a phone call from one of the perpetrators taunted police with details of an unsolved murder which took place a month prior to the sniper attacks. This eventually led them to pinpoint Muhammad and Malvo as their suspects. Muhammad received the death penalty for his role in the spree, and he was executed in 2009. As Malvo was a juvenile at the time of the attacks, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    That same year:

    Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, abducted 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart and held her captive for nine months. On March 12, 2003, police returned Smart to her family, and she used her experience to advocate for other missing children while also testifying against her abductors to ensure their conviction.

  • 2003 - Scott Peterson Is Arrested For The Murder Of His Wife And Unborn Child 

    2003 - Scott Peterson Is Arrested For The Murder Of His Wife And Unborn Child 
    • Photo:
      • The Murder of Laci Peterson
      • A&E

    On December 24, 2002, Scott Peterson reported his wife, Laci Peterson - who was seven months pregnant - missing from their home in Modesto, CA. One month later, Amber Frey approached police to admit she had been seeing Scott since November 2002, when he told her he was single.

    Police used this information to focus on Scott in the investigation, although he claims he was on a fishing boat in the San Francisco Bay at the time. On April 13, 2003, the body of the Peterson's unborn son washed ashore near Scott's alleged whereabouts on the night of the disappearance. A day later, Laci washed ashore as well.

    Scott's infidelity and demeanor - as well as the death of an unborn child - made for a compelling trial, and cameras were banned from the courtroom. Scott received the death penalty for his conviction in the murder of Laci and their unborn child, Conner.

  • 2004 - Martha Stewart Is Sent To Jail

    2004 - Martha Stewart Is Sent To Jail

    Martha Stewart built an impressive empire of television shows, a magazine, a lifestyle website, and a home goods line over the span of her multi-decade career. In 2001, Stewart sold stock for company ImClone immediately prior to the price dropping by 16%.

    In an investigation concerning the possibility of insider trading, Stewart allegedly lied to the investigators concerning her reasoning for selling the stock, leading to her conviction for obstruction of justice, though not for fraud.

    Stewart received a five-month sentence in a minimum-security federal prison and gave up her $900,000 annual salary for the term of her sentence. The public had a field day with Stewart's conviction since the lifestyle guru's entire empire sat upon a foundation of simplicity, food preparation, interior design, and other relatively tame pursuits.

  • 2005 - Michael Jackson Is Tried For An Alleged Assault On An Underage Cancer Patient

    Rumors of untoward behavior between singer Michael Jackson and underage children swirled for decades during his career. Jackson's 2005 trial - not to be confused with out-of-court settlements to other accusers - revolved around the relationship between Jackson and young cancer patient Gavin Arvizo. A documentary released by British journalist Martin Bashir had Jackson admitting to sleeping in the same bed as Arvizo, although he claimed no sexual activities occurred.

    An investigation into the arrangement led to Arvizo claiming Jackson did molest him, while his parents said that they were prisoners in the singer's Neverland Ranch and that they had been held against their will. On November 20, 2003, police arrested Jackson and charged him with child molestation. The trial took place in February 2005, with the singer's supporters standing outside with signs. Other young men that spent the night with Jackson testified on his behalf, though Wade Robson and another victim later admitted they lied on the stand.

    After three months of testimony, a jury found Jackson not guilty. In 2013, Robson sued Jackson's estate for the sexual abuse he allegedly suffered, but the statute of limitations ended his case. In 2019, a two-part documentary called Leaving Neverland interviewed Robson and fellow alleged victim James Safechuck about their experiences with Jackson, reigniting the speculation about the singer's relationships with young boys during his life.

  • 2006 - Kenneth Lay And Jeffrey Skilling Are Convicted In The Enron Trial

    Enron, an energy trading company formed by a merger in 1985, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in December 2001, prompting an investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission and US Department of Justice. It came to light that the higher-ups in the company defrauded their investors and employees by overvaluing assets and pushing workers to buy company stock for their retirement. In January 2002, accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP admitted to destroying documents for Enron that would implicate the company in crimes.

    Kenneth Lay stepped down as CEO and member of the Enron Board of Directors in 2002, while former vice chairman J. Clifford Baxter took his own life in the wake of the scandal. Former CEO Jeffrey Skilling was charged with 35 counts of fraud and insider trading in 2004, while Lay received 11 charges. The two received convictions for several charges in 2006, with Lay dying of a heart attack prior to his sentencing. Class-action lawsuits from employees result in a $7.2 billion settlement in 2008, paid by banks complicit in the fraud.

    The case was the first in several examples of corporations defrauding their employees and investors to line the pockets of the highest-ranking officials in the hierarchy.