An Almanac of Infamy

Wilder Intentions: Love, Lies and Murder in North Dakota is an intriguing true tale of small-town gossip, scandal, and murder. The author, CJ Wynn, is a native Minot, ND, so she can provide readers with an inside perspective that other authors can't. Youth pastor, law student, serial killer. Don Miller, the subject of Killing Women, is all three of those things. With Miller up for parole later this month, the release of this new book by Rod Sadler couldn't be timelier. The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 isn't just an odd chapter in American history, but it's also an example of deadly criminal negligence. What sets Stephen Puleo's excellent book apart is that it's the only book for adults written about the tragedy. Part memoir, part true-crime tale, The Book of Atlantis Black explores truth, justice, and family dynamics. Betsey Bonner pays tribute to her sister Atlantis without shying away from her flaws and foibles.

Sydney Smith What started as an ordinary summer day in June 1913 for two Scottish farmers ended in a gruesome discovery as they were walking along a quarry right outside of Edinburgh. Floating in the water were two small bodies that were so water-logged that the men couldn't tell if they were human. The bodies were tied together, and it soon became the task of forensics pioneer Sydney Smith to determine who they were and how they met their horrible fate. At the time of the discovery, Sydney Smith was working as an assistant to Professor Harvey Littlejohn at Edinburgh University. He was able to identify the bodies as belonging to two young boys. Using specimens taken from the bodies, Smith was also able to determine that the bodies contained adipocere, body fat that is hard and white. When exposed to water, it takes several months for adipocere to form in a human body. Based on the levels of adipocere that Smith found, he determined that the boys' bodies had been placed i

On this day in 1984, Christopher Wilder, the man who would come to be known as "The Beauty Queen Killer," died after a scuffle with state troopers in the town of Colebrook, New Hampshire. His death put an end to a month-long killing spree that began in Florida and claimed at least eight victims. However, long before his spree began, he had already terrorized several women. Christopher Wilder was born on March 13, 1945, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His father was an American naval officer, and his mother was an Australian national. His early life was marked by almost dying at birth and nearly drowning at the age of two. On January 4, 1963, just two months shy of his 18th birthday, Wilder and two teenage accomplices raped a 13-year-old girl. For this heinous crime, he only received probation. As an adult, he would claim that he was also sentenced to receive electroshock therapy. If he really did undergo these treatments, they may have exacerbated his violent sexual

Margaret and Graham Backhouse A detective displays the notes that Graham Backhouse tried to implicate his neighbor with. April 9, 1984, started out as an ordinary day for Margaret Backhouse, a resident of the rural farming community of Horton, England. That day, she intended to go into town to run errands. It didn't strike her as unusual when her husband, Graham, insisted that she take his station wagon. After all, she needed the cargo space as she would be bringing back supplies for the family farm. However, Margaret Backhouse's day turned into a waking nightmare as soon as she started the car. It turns out that Graham's station wagon contained a pipe bomb filled with nitroglycerine and shotgun pellets. The pellets were so numerous that they nearly tore Margaret's legs away. While the damage to her legs was severe, most of the bomb's force was deflected away from Martha, and she was taken to the hospital by some neighbors who happened to be passing by. Alt

On this day in 1968, Bernard Josephs arrived at his Bromley, England, home to find the body of his wife Claire under the couple's bed. Her throat had been cut so deeply that it was severed to the spine. Defensive wounds on her hands indicated that she had been attacked with a serrated knife. When police arrived at the scene, they could find no murder weapon, and it appeared that there was no other evidence to go on. However, this brutal murder would be solved, and Claire Josephs' killer would be convicted within four months of the crime, thanks to police determination and forensic evidence. As investigators examined the Josephs home, they noticed that Claire Josephs had been in the middle of preparing a meal. They could find no signs of forced entry and observed a half-empty cup of coffee on the kitchen table. Clearly, Claire knew her attacker. As detectives began to focus on Bernard and Claire's relatives and circle of friends, one man stood out. Roger Payne had met Clai

On this day in 1780, rural Connecticut grist mill operator Caleb Mallory, his wife Jane, and the couple's three grandchildren, nine-year-old Charlotte, six-year-old John, and four-year-old Sherman were murdered by their border Barnett Davenport. This mass murder was one of the first major crimes in post-Revolution, and it would affect how criminals are perceived in the United States for centuries to come. Barnett Davenport was born in the town of New Milford, Connecticut, in 1760. In his early teens, he was convicted of horse theft. At the age of 16, he joined the Continental Army and served under General George Washington at Valley Forge. He likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his military service. This trauma may be why he deserted the army and returned to Connecticut. After his desertion, Davenport took a job at Caleb Mallory's gristmill in what is now Washington, Connecticut. He also rented a room in the Mallory home. On February 3, 1780,