About 300 people crowded a small church in Union, S.C., for the funeral of 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex Smith, who'd been drowned by their mother, Susan Smith.
Links: USA, Murder, South Carolina

1994 Nov 11

Eddie Polec (16), a Fox Chase high school student, died after being clubbed to death by students of Abington High School. On March 20, 1996, Carlo Johnson (20) and Bou Khathavong (18) – believed by prosecutors to be the ring leaders in the assault, although neither beat Polec – received maximum five- to 10-year sentences for conspiracy. Prosecutors believe the two organized the rumble and provided the baseball bats. Anthony Rienzi and Nick Pinero, both 18, were sentenced to the maximum 15- to 30-year terms for third-degree murder and conspiracy. Thomas Crook (19) sobbed and apologized to his family before receiving 14.5 years to 30 years on the same charges. Dawan Alexander (18) who was convicted of manslaughter for kicking Polec, received an eight- to 20-year term. Seventh defendant Kevin Convey (19) had pleaded guilty earlier to third-degree murder in exchange for testifying against the others. In February he had been sentenced to five to 20 years. In 2000 Bryn Freedman and William Knoedelseder authored "In Eddie’s Name: One Family’s Triumph Over Tragedy."
Links: USA, Pennsylvania, Murder, Teens Amuck

1994 Dec 5

In India’s Bihar state a mob that pulled senior government official G. Krishnaiah out of his car and beat him unconscious before shooting him to death because the official's car had inadvertently crossed paths with the funeral procession of a noted underworld don and aspiring politician, Chottan Shukla. In 2007 Anand Mohan and two other politicians were sentenced to hang for their role in the attack. Four others, including Mohan's wife, Lovely Anand — also a former member of parliament — were sentenced to life in prison by the court in Patna, the capital of Bihar state.
Links: India, Murder

John Salvi opened fire at two abortion clinics in suburban Boston and killed 2 clinic receptionists, Lee Ann Nichols and Shannon Lowney. He was convicted on two accounts of first-degree murder in Mar, 1996. Salvi committed suicide in prison on Nov 29, 1996. His conviction was voided in 1997 because he died before his appeal was heard.

John C. Salvi III, accused of killing two receptionists at two Boston-area abortion clinics on Dec 30, was arrested in Norfolk, Va. Salvi, later convicted of murder, committed suicide in prison.
Links: USA, Massachusetts, Virginia, Murder

1994

In the US New Orleans was the murder capital with 425 homicides.
Links: USA, Louisiana, Murder

1994

French legislator Yann Piat of the UDF was shot to death in her car by 2 men on motorcycle. A 1997 book, "The Yann Piat Case" by Andre Rougeot and Jean-Michel Verne," says that she was killed by the French secret service to keep her from revealing a plot to sell military land to the Mafia. The book was suspended after its first printing sold out. Many believe the tale to be disinformation.
Links: France, Murder

19941995

South African Moses Sithole raped and strangled 38 women in the Johannesburg area. He was sentenced in 1997 to more than 2,400 years in jail.
Links: South Africa, Murder

Fred West hanged himself in his London prison while awaiting trial in the murders of a dozen girls and women. The victims included his wife's 16-year-old daughter and 8-year-old stepdaughter and several young runaways.
Links: Britain, Suicide, Murder

1995 Jan 5

A warrant was issued for the arrest of James “Whitey” Bulger (b.1929), top mobster of Boston’s Winter Hill Gang. He had disappeared with his girlfriend just days before the warrant was issued. Bulger was linked to 21 murders and in 2000 became a fixture on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted” list. In 2007 Kevin Weeks authored “Brutal: The Untold Story Of My Life Inside Whitey Bulger's Irish Mob.”
Links: USA, Massachusetts, Murder, FBI

In Union, S.C., a prosecutor announced he would seek the death penalty for Susan Smith, the woman accused of drowning her sons, 3-year-old Michael and 14-month-old Alex. Smith was later convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Links: Murder, South Carolina

The prosecution gave its opening statement at the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
Links: USA, California, Murder

1995 Jan 25

The defense gave its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles, saying Simpson was the victim of a "rush to judgment" by authorities who had mishandled evidence and ignored witnesses.
Links: USA, California, Murder

1995 Jan

In Georgia Andrew Cook (21) shot and killed Michele Cartagena (19) and Grant Hendrickson (22) in a lover’s lane. Cook, the son of a former FBI agent, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1998.
Links: GeorgiaUS, Murder

1995 Jan

In Nevada the charred body of Ron Rudin (64), a millionaire real estate developer, was found in the desert. His 5th wife, Margaret, was suspect but there was insufficient evidence to arrest her.
Links: Murder, Nevada, Real Estate

TimelinesA text-based site.

1995 Feb 17

Colin Ferguson was convicted of six counts of murder in the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings. He was later sentenced to a minimum of 200 years in prison.
Links: USA, New York, Murder

1995 Feb 25

In Oklahoma store manager Richard Yost was beaten to death with a baseball bat and placed in the freezer of his supermarket in Tulsa. Three men were later executed for the murder and a 4th was convicted to life in prison.
Links: USA, Murder, Oklahoma, Robbery

1995 Mar 3

In Georgia Glenn Turner (31) was discovered dead in bed by his wife. A Cobb medical examiner ruled that he died from an irregular heartbeat. Lynn Turner murdered her police officer husband, Glenn Turner, to get his life insurance money. In 2001 she killed her boyfriend, Randy Thompson, by poisoning him with antifreeze. In 2007 Turner (38), convicted in 2004 for her husband’s death, was convicted again for the Thompson’s murder. Turner (42) died in prison on Aug 30, 2010.
Links: GeorgiaUS, USA, Murder

1995 Mar 22

Convicted Long Island Rail Road gunman Colin Ferguson was sentenced to life in prison for killing six people.
Links: USA, New York, Murder

1995 Mar 27

Joanne Marie Mascha, an Ursuline Sister, was murdered while walking near her motherhouse just outside Cleveland.
Links: USA, Ohio, Murder

In Italy Maurizio Gucci (46), businessman, was shot to death in Milan. He was the last family member to have held shares in the Gucci fashion company, now part of the Bahrain-based Investcorp. In 1997 police arrested his former wife, a psychic, a doorman, and two hitmen for their roles in the murder. In 1998 Patrizia Reggiani Martinelli (50) was convicted and sentenced to 29 years in prison. The psychic got 25, the doorman got 26, the driver got 29 and the gunman got life.
Links: Italy, Murder

1995 Mar

In Louisiana Patsy Byers, a convenience store clerk, was shot and seriously wounded by Sarah Edmonson and Benjamin Darrus. The two had just killed a Mississippi man and later asserted that the film "Natural Born Killers" inspired their actions.
Links: Louisiana, Murder, Film

1995 Mar

In Mich. Jonathan Schmitz shot and killed Scott Amedure 3 days after the 2 appeared on the "Jenny Jones Show," where Schmitz learned that his secret admirer was Amedure. Schmitz was convicted of murder in 1996 but the verdict was overturned due to an error in jury selection. Schmitz was sentenced to a 25-50 year prison term. In 1999 a jury pronounced a $25 million verdict against the producers of the show in a wrongful death suit by the family of Amedure. In Aug 1999 a 2nd jury convicted Schmitz of murder. Judge Wendy Pots sentenced Schmitz to 25-50 years in prison.
Links: USA, TV, Murder, Michigan

1995 Apr 15

Norma Patricia Esparza, a Southern California college student, pointed out Gonzalo Ramirez (25) at a bar to her boyfriend Gianni Van and two others as the man who had recently raped her. Ramirez was then kidnapped and hacked to death. In 2014 Esparza pleaded guilty in exchange for a prison term. In 2015 Van was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In 2016 Esparza was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
Links: USA, California, Murder, Rape

1995 Apr 23

Hideo Murai, head of the science ministry of the Aum Shinri Kyo cult, was stabbed and killed. Police suspected that a cult leader ordered his murder so that he would not testify about Aum’s nerve gas production.
Links: Japan, Murder

At the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Simpson struggled to don a pair of gloves that prosecutors said were worn the night Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, were murdered.
Links: USA, California, Murder

1995 Jun 19

Jennifer Lea Evans (21), a vacationing college student, was killed outside a Virginia Beach nightclub. Navy SEAL trainees Dustin Turner and his best friend, Billy Joe Brown, were convicted for the same crime. When they were arrested, each man accused the other of being the killer. In 2009 Brown said he killed Evans with no help from Turner. Brown said he wanted to tell the truth after almost 13 years because he had found religion in prison. A court soon overturned the convictions against Turner (33).
Links: USA, Virginia, Murder

1995 Jun 23

In Mexico Hector "El Guero" Palma, reputed head of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was arrested after his plane crashed near Guadalajara. He faced 9 counts of murder for the killing of 9 relatives and associates of his rival Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo. Gallardo had earlier decapitated Palma’s first wife and arranged the murder of his 2 children.
Links: Mexico, Murder, Drugs

The defense opened its case at the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles.
Links: USA, California, Murder

1995 Jul 18

Opening statements were presented in the trial of Susan Smith, the South Carolina woman charged with drowning her two young sons.
Links: USA, Murder, South Carolina, Mad Woman

1995 Jul 22

Susan Smith was convicted by a jury in Union, South Carolina, of first-degree murder for drowning her two sons. She was later sentenced to life in prison.
Links: USA, Murder, South Carolina

1995 Jul 22

In San Luis Obispo, 15-year-old Elyse Pahler was murdered by 3 teenagers of the death metal band called "Hatred" patterned after the group "Slayer." Her body was not found for 8 months until revealed by Joseph Fiorella (16), who received a 26 year to life sentence in 1997 as part of a plea bargain. Royce Casey (18) and Jacob Delashmutt still faced trial as adults. Death metal was a sub-genre of heavy metal that featured explicit lyrics dealing with murder, torture and occult practices.
Links: California, Murder, Pop&Rock

1995 Aug 13

Hans-Christian Ostro, a 27-year-old Norwegian who had come to India to study dance was found dead in the Pahalgam district with his severed head balanced between his thighs, close to the sight of a previous kidnapping by Kashmir guerillas.
Links: India, Murder, Kashmir, Norway

TimelinesA text-based site.

1995 Aug 16

In Orinda, Ca., Maria Corrieo and her sister, Gina Roberts, were killed by Dalton Lolohea and 2 others during a robbery. Lolohea was tried and convicted for the double murder in 2000 along with robbery and burglary. David Ross was sentenced to 20 years in prison in exchange for testifying against Corey Williams. In 2013 the state Supreme Court upheld the death sentence against Williams.
Links: USA, Murder, SF Bay Area

1995 Aug 21

In Thailand Prince Thitiphan Yugala (60) was poisoned by his new wife Chalasai Yugala (23), aka Luk Pla (Baby fish). He died after 8 days and Luk Pla ran off with Uthet Choopwa (19), a chestnut peddler. She had become his lover at 14 and wife at 23. In 2002 she was sentenced to 6 years in prison.
Links: Thailand, Murder

1995 Aug 29

At the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles, without the jury present, tape recordings of police detective Mark Fuhrman were played in which Fuhrman could be heard spouting racial invectives.
Links: USA, California, Murder

1995 Aug 31

At the O.J. Simpson trial in Los Angeles, Judge Lance Ito ruled the defense could play only two examples of police detective Mark Fuhrman’s racist comments from taped conversations with a screenwriter.
Links: USA, California, Murder

1995 Aug

In Austin, Texas, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, leader of United Secularists of America, disappeared with her son and granddaughter and more than $600,000 in funds from her various organizations. Her diaries, some 2,000 pages, were scheduled to be auctioned in 1999. The IRS filed an affidavit in 1999 against David Waters and 3 others in relation to suspected murders and theft. In 1999 Waters (52) was sentenced to 60 years in prison for skimming over $50,000 from the atheist organization. Waters was later given another 8 year sentence on a federal weapons charge. [See Oct 3.] In 2001 bones were found on the ranch where she was believed to have been buried following an agreement between Waters and prosecutors. All 3 bodies were identified in Mar.
Links: USA, Murder, Texas, IRS

The prosecution in the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles reluctantly began its rebuttal case, as ordered by Judge Lance Ito, after the defense refused to rest.
Links: USA, California, Murder

1995 Sep 11

Jimmy Ryce (9) was kidnapped, raped and murdered in south Florida. In 1998 Juan Carlos Chavez, a Cuban ranch hand was convicted. His defense was that he was framed by his bosses into a confession for fear of being deported. The defense held that Edward Sheinhaus, the son of Chavez’s bosses, was the killer. Chavez was executed on Feb 12, 2014.
Links: USA, Cuba, Murder, Florida

1995 Sep 17

A 3-year old girl, Stephanie Kuhen, was shot dead in Los Angeles when the car she was riding in driven by Timothy Stone made a wrong turn into a dead-end alley in Cypress Park, and happened on a gang setting. Her 2-year old brother was wounded in the foot. Accused of the murder are Manuel Rosales Jr., Augustin Lizama, Hugo David Gomez, Marcos Antonio Luna and Anthony Gabriel Rodriguez. A 6th defendant, Marvin Pech, is expected to testify for the prosecution.
Links: USA, California, Murder, Tragedy

O.J. Simpson’s jurors stunned the courtroom and the nation by reaching verdicts in the sensational eight-month murder trial in less than four hours. The decision was kept secret until the following day, when it was announced that Simpson had been acquitted. Simpson was acquitted in the double-murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Links: USA, California, Murder

1995 Oct 3

The jury in the O.J. Simpson murder trial found the former football star innocent of the 1994 slayings of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman. Simpson was later found liable in a civil proceeding. The verdict, reached Oct 2, was announced Oct 3.
Links: USA, California, Murder

In Mississippi Rhonda Hatten Griffis (28), a mother of two, was found dead at her home in Petal. Larry Matthew Puckett, a local landscaper, was convicted of her murder in 1996 and sentenced to death. Puckett said it was David Griffis who murdered his wife with the club after accusing her of having an affair. Puckett (35) was executed on March 20, 2012.
Links: USA, Murder, Mississippi

In California Deborah Sammons (40) was raped and murdered by Robert Bacon. He had been hired to murder Deborah by her husband Charles Sammons, who later pleaded guilty to non-capital murder and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. In 2010 the California state Supreme Court upheld the death penalty for Bacon.
Links: USA, California, Murder, Rape

1995 Oct 27

William Kreutzer, US Army sergeant, opened fire on a field of 1300 soldiers at Fort Bragg, NC. He killed a fellow 82nd Airborne soldier, Major Stephen Badger and wounded several others. Defense lawyers in 1996 pleaded that he suffered from depression. He was convicted of pre-meditated murder on 6/11/96. The next day he was sentenced to death. His death sentence was later overturned. In 2009 Kreutzer pleaded guilty under a deal that could get him life in prison at most.
Links: USA, Murder, North Carolina, Mad Man

1995 Oct

In Kewanee, Ill., Scott English, the boyfriend of Tabitha Pollock, killed Jami Pollock (3) as she and her mother slept. Tabitha Pollock, the mother, was later convicted of 1st degree murder for not preventing the murder and sentenced to 36 years in prison. In 2002 the state Supreme Court overturned the sentence. English was sentenced to life in prison.
Links: Illinois, Murder