Sunday, March 18, 2012

21 Years Ago Today: Eyeball Killer Strikes Again!

Twenty-one years ago today, on March 18, 1991, Dallas prostitute Shirley Williams was found naked near a school, with facial bruising, a broken nose, gunshot wounds to her head and face, and both her eyes removed.

Four days later, police arrested 47-year-old Charles Frederick Albright -- who would become known as “the Dallas Ripper,” “the Dallas Slasher,” and “the Eyeball Killer” -- and charged him with that and 11 other murders. His trial began on December 13, 1991, and, five days later, he was convicted on a combination of circumstantial and forensic evidence and was given eight life sentences. He is currently confined in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Bill Clements unit in Amarillo.

Albright is one of the monsters covered in "Texas Ser-y'all Killers," one of the chapters in the "Murder" section of Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in the Lone Star State!

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Breaking News: Four Shot at Jefferson County Courthouse!

BEAUMONT, TEXAS -- At least one person was killed and three injured when a gunman went on a shooting spree at the Jefferson County Courthouse on Wednesday, March 14.

Police managaged to subdue the shooter and he is reportedly in custody. According to officials, the suspect in the attack is one Nathaniel Bartholomew, who had a hearing at the court later in the day. According to sources, Hawthorne had been charged with sexually assaulting his own mentally impaired daughter and that one of the people he attempted to kill was her mother.

Reportedly, the shooting occured outside of the courthouse near its entrance and all of the victims were visitors to the courthouse. The person killed was reportedly an elderly woman, who was found laying on the sidewalk, and one victim may have been found at a nearby bus station.

More details will be provided as they become available so keep your eye on this space!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

176 Years Ago Today: Crockett Searches for Fannin

On March 3, 1836, David Crockett and a handful of companions slipped out of the besieged Alamo in order to search the surrounding area for Col. James W. Fannin and his men, who they hoped were coming to relieve the fort. Crockett and most of his fellow defenders were killed three days later when the Alamo was overrun by Mexican forces under Gen. Santa Anna.

Fannin, who had been unwilling to risk himself in a risky attempt to relieve the San Antonio fort, prolonged his life long enough to surrender his command to the Mexican forces three-and-a-half weeks later and then become one of the victims of the infamous Goliad Massacre.

Read more about Crockett and his companions in "Rogues of the Alamo," one of the chapters in the "Scandal" section of Texas Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in the Lone Star State!