When a person wants to kill another person and get away with it, one of the most efficient methods is murder. By enlisting the services of another person to carry out the murder, the perpetrator can establish an alibi for himself and make it more difficult to link him to the crime. This can be a particularly popular method for those without criminal experience.
Of course, the big downside is that more and more people know about the murder. So there is always a higher risk of the system falling apart. The most unique cases of homicide are based on circumstances so heinous that they seem like incredible fiction. Some of these cases ended in murder, others were aborted before they even began, but it often seemed inevitable that the perpetrators would be caught.
10Brazilian television host organizes murder to boost ratings of his show
Photo credit: Manaus Em Noticia
For nearly 20 years, Wallace Souza hosted Canal Livre, a wildly popular Brazilian reality TV show that featured police investigations at crime scenes. In fact, the show proved so popular that Souza was able to turn it into a successful political career, and his show's crime-fighting platform helped him get elected to the state Assembly. In 2008, however, Souza was at the center of a shocking scandal. During this time Canal Livre There seemed to be a lot of homicides, and the show's camera crews often showed up long before the cops did. Suspicions mounted that Souza had hired thugs to kill people to boost his show's ratings.
After the murders, Souza immediately dropped off his reporters so they could show up on the scene and record new footage. Souza's bodyguard told police that at least a dozen murders had been staged Canal Livre. In fact, one of the victims had reportedly been a stroke who was taken from jail after turning down Souza's request to assassinate a judge. While Souza denied these allegations, a raid of his home uncovered guns, cash and a list with the names of four recent murder victims. This gave credence to the theory that Souza was involved in a multimillion-dollar drug ring and that many of his victims were rivals in the drug business. In October 2009, after being expelled from the state Assembly, Souza was charged with numerous crimes, including murder and drug trafficking, and was on the run. Souza later turned himself in to police, but did not want to stand trial again. He died on 27. July 2010 from liver disease.
9Mayor contra mafia boss is murdered innocent couple
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a criminal organization known as the "Dixie Mafia" ran rampant across the state of Mississippi. The alleged leader of the Dixie Mafia was career criminal Kirksey McCord Nix Jr., who was sentenced to life in prison for the 1971 murder of a businessman, but still controlled his criminal enterprise behind bars. Nix ran a "lonely hearts" extortion scam involving personal ads in homosexual magazines. If men responded to these ads, Nix staff would deny them money. In 1987, Nix organized a murder for hire involving an unlikely conspirator: the future mayor of Biloxi.
Nix took the money he made from the "lonely hearts" scam and entrusted it to his lawyer Pete Halat. However, Halat had about 500.Took 000 US dollars from these funds and spent it on themselves. Out of desperation, he made up a story about the money being stolen by his former partner, Vincent Sherry, who had recently become a county judge. As a result, Nix ordered Judge Sherry and his wife Margaret to run for mayor of Biloxi. Both were released on 14. September 1987 shot and killed in her apartment.
Since Margaret Sherry was his political rival, there was suspicion that Gerald Blessey, the mayor of Biloxi at the time, had orchestrated the hit. Pete Halat took advantage of this and went on to win the next mayoral election. It would take a decade for the Sherrys to finally get justice. In 1997, Nix, Halat and Thomas Holcomb, the killer who committed the murder, were charged for their roles in the crime. Nix and Holcomb received life sentences, while Halat received 18 years.
8The murder of "Lobster Boy"
Photo credit: The Human Wonders
Grady Stiles was born with a deformity called "ectrodactyly," which caused his fingers to fuse together into claw-like digits. He also had stumps in place of his feet, which left him unable to walk. The state was hereditary and had been run through the Stiles family for many generations. Like his ancestors, Grady Stiles would make a living in freak shows and carnivals. His deformity earned him the nickname "Lobster Boy". Despite his handicap, Stiles was a very dangerous person – an abusive alcoholic who frequently beat his wife and children. In 1978, he was accused of shooting his daughter's fiance and was convicted of third-degree murder. However, because no institutions were equipped to properly care for a man with ectrodactyly, Stiles got off with a 15-year suspended sentence.
Stiles continued to be violent and abusive toward his family over the next few years, until his wife Mary decided that the only way to get rid of him was to organize his murder. With the help of Glenn Newman, her son from a previous marriage, Mary recruited the services of 17-year-old Chris Wyant and paid him 1.$500 for killing Grady.
On 29. November 1992 Wyant entered Grady's home and shot him in the head while watching TV. It wasn't long before the three perpetrators were charged with murder. Because Glenn Newman was the mastermind behind the conspiracy, he was sentenced to life in prison, while Chris Wyant received 27 years. Mary expressed no regret that her husband had been killed. She claimed it was the only way to save her family. She received a 12-year prison sentence.
7 Founder of Chippendales arranges the murder of his rival
Image credit: Indian emigrants
The Chippendales are the most famous male dance troupe and have performed striptease performances around the world for the past several decades. One of the group's founders was Somen Banerjee, who left his native India in the 1970s to open a nightclub with strippers in Los Angeles. Banerjee quickly realized that a club with male strippers could attract a potentially large female clientele. He set this idea in motion and changed the name of his club to the "Chippendales," paving the way for the later formation of the enormously successful dance group. Unfortunately for Banerjee, he's no longer around to enjoy that success after being involved in some murder charges.
The original choreographer for the Chippendales was Nick De Noia, a partner with Banerjee. De Noia eventually had a falling out with Banerjee and left to start his own Chippendales touring company. In 1987, De Noia was murdered in his office and shot in the face by a gunman disguised as a messenger. Things came crashing down for Banerjee in 1991 when an informant approached the FBI and claimed he had been hired to beat three members of a British male dance group called "Adonis". The potential victims were all former Chippendales dancers annoyed with Banerjee when he left the group and formed a rival troupe.
The subsequent investigation led to Banerjee's arrest for organizing these murders. During the detention came the evidence that Banerjee had also ordered the death of Nick De Noia. In 1994, Banerjee decided to plead guilty to the murder of De Noia, which would have meant a 26-year prison sentence and the loss of his interest in the Chippendales. On 23. October Banerjee committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell.
6Mary Ellen Samuels hires hit man to murder husband, two more hit men to murder hit man
In 1988, Robert Samuels, a camera assistant who worked on several Hollywood productions, lived in Northridge, California, with his wife Mary Ellen and stepdaughter Nicole, who was Mary Mary's child from a previous marriage. Am 8. December Robert was murdered in his home by a shotgun to the head. Since Robert recently asked his wife for a divorce, Mary Ellen was immediately suspected of having 500 after the death of her husband.000 US dollars inherited. However, there was nothing tying Mary Ellen to the murder until the case took a bizarre turn seven months later. A 27-year-old man named James R. Amber was beaten and strangled to death in a remote canyon. It turns out Bernstein was engaged to be married to Nicole Samuels.
An investigation soon revealed that Mary Ellen had made arrangements with Bernstein to murder her husband. Whether Bernstein did the deed himself or hired someone else is unknown. Mary Ellen eventually became paranoid that Bernstein might talk, and then hired two more men to talk him out of the way. For reduced sentences, these two killers agreed to testify against Mary Ellen. After her arrest, she was nicknamed the "Green Widow", because she had lost her entire inheritance of 500.000 US dollars in just one year. One of the most damning pieces of evidence against Mary Ellen was a photograph taken by her new lover shortly after Robert's death. She was shown lying naked on a hotel bed in Cancun and from 20.000 dollars in cash covered. In 1994, Mary Ellen Samuels was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. It remains on death row to this day.
5Restaurateur hires talkative hit man murder rival
On the evening of 30. August 1977, a restaurateur named Theodore "T.K." Harty found murdered in his home in Athens, Georgia. He had been shot execution style through the back of the head. Harty operated a saloon in a popular Athens shopping district (a defunct railroad depot known as "The Station") and was involved in a heated competition with another restaurateur named John Mooney. Mooney owned a pizzeria in The Station and constantly tried to disrupt Harty's business by stealing from his customers. When Harty succeeded in acquiring The Station's lease, he demanded Mooney's cooperation. Shortly thereafter, an attempt was made to set fire to Harty's Saloon, and Mooney was served with an eviction notice. Of course Mooney was the prime suspect in Harty's murder, but he had an airtight alibi and was in Ohio that night.
In the end, police didn't have to investigate much to link Mooney to Harty's murder. A restaurant owner came forward shortly thereafter, claiming that an electrician named Elmo Florence had fully complained that he was a professional killer and had been hired by John Mooney to kill Harty. Florence even provided specific details that only the killer could have known. As a result, he and Mooney were sentenced to life in prison for their roles in Harty's murder. Florence later made the dubious claim that Mooney had hired him only to force Harty to sign the lease documents at gunpoint, and that Harty had been killed when the gun was accidentally fired.Two years after his conviction, Mooney managed to escape from prison and was on the run until his case became public Unsolved Mysteries In 1989, bystander tips led police to Mooney, who was living in Arizona under a new identity. He was immediately sent back to prison.
4Wanda Holloway plots murder to help daughter join cheerleading team
Shanna Holloway, 14, was disappointed when she learned she would not be a high school cheerleader in Channelview, Texas. Instead, the job went to another girl named Amber Heath. This situation could have been nothing more than a normal high school drama, but Shanna's mother, Wanda Holloway, was devastated by the news. Shanna never had a strong desire to be a cheerleader, but since Wanda grew up with a strict Baptist background and was never allowed to try out for cheerleading squad when she was a teenager, she wanted to live vicariously through her daughter. In fact, Wanda Holloway was willing to commit murder for it.
Wanda approached Terry Harper, her ex-husband's brother, and asked him to help her arrange a hit song. Wanda wanted Amber Heath's mother murdered and believed Amber would be so devastated by her mother's death that she would leave the cheerleading squad and allow Shanna to take her place. Wanda's former brother-in-law was disturbed by this suggestion and informed the police, who asked Terry to wear a wire during his subsequent conversations with Wanda.
On 30. January 1991, the day after Wanda was listed and Terry made a down payment for a stroke, she was arrested and charged with murder. Wanda was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison for the crime, but the sentence was overturned. At her second trial, Wanda opted to ask for a shortened sentence of 10 years of "no competition". She was released after only six months in prison and spent the rest of her time on parole.
3Clarence Ray Allen orchestrates a devious killer who finds himself behind bars
In June 1974, Clarence Ray Allen and his accomplices staged a burglary at Frans Market in Fresno, Calif. In the process, they stole $ 500 in cash and payment orders in the amount of 10.000 USD from the vault. This crime would set off a chain of events that led to the deaths of numerous people. Mary Kitts was the 17-year-old girlfriend of Allen's son and participated in the project by cashing the stolen money orders. However, Kitts felt guilty about the crime and confessed her involvement to Byron Schletewitz, whose parents belonged to Frans Market. In response, Allen had one of his colleagues take a swipe at Kitts. Nevertheless, Allen was eventually linked to the burglary and murder of Kitts and sentenced to life in prison in 1977. Clarence Ray Allen, however, proved to be more dangerous in prison than out of it.
While incarcerated, the vengeful Allen decided to arrange an assassination to eliminate the seven witnesses who testified against him at trial. He befriended an inmate named Billy Ray Hamilton and paid him 25.000 dollars to commit the murders after he was released. Am 5. September 1980 Hamilton and his girlfriend went to Frans Market to kill Byron Schletewitz. They shot Schletewitz and two innocent employees to death and injured two others. Hamilton was captured days later. In his pocket was a hit list with the names of all the people Allen had hired to kill. Clarence Ray Allen would receive the death penalty for organizing these murders. Even after diabetes was legally blinded by Allen and confined to a wheelchair, there would be no mercy for him. On 17. January 2006, 77-year-old Allen received a lethal injection. This made him one of the oldest to be executed in the history of the United States.
2Dora Cisneros hires men to murder her daughter's ex-boyfriend
Dora Cisneros was a seemingly ordinary suburban housewife living in Brownsville, Texas, with her husband and five children. Things took a shocking turn, however, when Dora's youngest daughter Cristina said goodbye to her boyfriend of 18 years, Joey Fischer. Cristina seemed very affected by the split, and Dora was obsessed with putting an end to her daughter's misfortune. She even went so far as to offer Joey $500 to get back together with Cristina, but he declined. On the morning of the 3. March 1993, Joey was shot twice in the driveway outside his home. A strange business card was found at the crime scene, leading police to an unlikely source for uncovering the truth behind the murder: a 73-year-old fortune teller named Maria Martinez.
One of Martinez's most frequent clients was Dora Cisneros. After her daughter's separation, Dora had gone to the fortune teller in order to make Cristina's ex-boyfriend "deadly". Instead, Martinez turned to another client named Daniel Garza, who helped acquire the services of two Mexican hitters. Dora paid these hit men at 3.000 dollars to assassinate joey fischer. In 1994, Dora Cisneros and Daniel Garza were sentenced to life in prison for their roles in the crime. Maria Martinez spent six years in prison, but the two suspected gunmen returned to Mexico and were never charged. In 1996, Dora's conviction was overturned on appeal because the prosecution erred with its jury instructions. However, Dora Cisneros was retried two years later and sentenced to another life term in prison. This time the conviction stopped and she remains locked up.
1T. Cullen Davis is recorded arranging murder on tape
Photo credit: TCU Magazine
On 2. August 1976, a gunman broke into a home in Fort Worth, Texas, and shot and killed twelve-year-old Andrea Wilborn. Andrea's mother, Priscilla Davis, soon came home with her boyfriend, Stan Farr, and both were shot as well. Wounded, Priscilla managed to leave the scene and survive, but a neighbor was shot and paralyzed by the gunman when he tried to help her. At the time, Priscilla was in divorce proceedings with her husband, a billionaire oil baron named T. Cullen Davis. Priscilla identified Cullen as the shooter, and he would become the richest man in American history to stand trial for murder. Cullen was acquitted, however, because the jury didn't believe a billionaire would go to the trouble of carrying out a home invasion murder himself. This would be an eerie prefatory remark for T. Cullen Davis' next legal application.
In 1978, Cullen was arrested while attempting to retain the services of a batterer who murdered both Priscilla and the judge in their divorce proceedings. Cullen had been set up through an elaborate sting operation. The so-called "hit man" was an undercover FBI informant who secretly recorded the conversation. Now that there was evidence that Cullen had arranged a murder-for-hire, a conviction seemed inevitable. His first trial ended with a hung jury, but remarkably Cullen would be acquitted the second time around. When recording Cullen's conversation with the informant, a forensic discourse analysis was conducted. Defense succeeded in convincing jury that Cullen hired man merely to spy on ex-wife and judge, and did not ask for murder. This created enough reasonable doubt for a "not guilty" verdict. T. Cullen Davis is a free man to this day.