An Almanac of Infamy

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,