Famous Crimes' Locations, Infamous crime scenes
For those interested in murder mysteries from the past, or those who simply follow headlines, we’ve put together this collection of destinations made infamous by the crimes that occurred there. Scroll down to read about some of the most notorious crimes in history.
James Holmes' alleged mass shooting Aurora, Colorado
James Holmes is accused of opening fire in a crowded theater in this moderately sized Colorado city in July 2012, killing 12 people and injuring 70 as they waited for a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.” The theater has since been remodeled and reopened, a move that locals have mixed feelings about. James Holmes insanity
Jared Loughner Arizona shooting Tucson, Arizona
In 2011, Jared Loughner opened fire at a suburban Safeway during a constituents meeting just north of this Arizona city, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen, including his target, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Two years later, Giffords is still recovering from the gunshot wound to her head, which has left her with a paralyzed right arm and difficulty speaking and walking. Loughner is in prison serving a life sentence without parole. Constituents meeting, Jared Loughner victims, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords recovery, Jared Loughner life sentence.
A Colorado massacre/School shooting Colorado
This small town seemed an unlikely location for the brutal 1999 Columbine High School massacre: 12 students and one teacher killed and 21 others injured by seniors Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who committed suicide after one of the deadliest killing sprees in U.S. history.
The murder of JonBenét Ramsey Boulder, Colorado
Many factors made the 1996 murder of young JonBenét Ramsey one of the most infamous unsolved mysteries of the century: her success as a baby beauty queen, the fact that she was found dead at home hours after she was reported missing and the complicated set of evidence at the crime scene. The investigation that rocked her family’s Colorado town left the case unsolved still today, despite many signs pointing to JonBenét’s parents, John and Patsy Ramsey (were they ever charged with her murder? Patsy and John Ramsey suspected + cleared in 2008).
Unabomber Ted Kaczynski Lincoln, Montana
The FBI spent 17 years searching for Ted Kaczynski, child prodigy turned mail-bomb terrorist who lived in a 10-by-12-foot shack in a rural wooded area just south of the Canadian border. During his reign of terror, he killed three people and injured nearly two dozen more. His cabin was nearly destroyed after his April 1996 arrest, but it was preserved and is now on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Unabomber Ted Kaczynski Victims,
Tupac Shakur's murder Las Vegas, Nevada
Still regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, Tupac Shakur’s legend is almost larger than life — particularly considering his was cut short when he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting at age 25. Though he was born in New York and resided in California, Shakur died just outside this American party city on Sept. 13, 1996.
The abduction of Amber Hagerman Arlington, Texas
While riding bikes with her younger brother, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman disappeared in broad daylight near her grandparents’ Texas home. Her 1996 kidnapping and death later spawned the AMBER Alert system, in place today to notify the public when kids go missing. Amber Hagerman unsolved case,
Bomber Timothy McVeigh Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
In 1995, years before the 9/11 terrorist attacks rocked the United States, a homegrown terrorist blew up a government building in this unsuspecting Western city. Timothy McVeigh, 27, parked a rental truck outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building one morning. He walked away unscathed, while the bomb inside blew the building apart, killing 168 people and injuring hundreds more.
O.J. Simpson murder case Brentwood, California
In one of the most popularized criminal trials in history, dubbed the "trial of the century," former football star and actor O.J. Simpson was charged with the 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. A critical piece of evidence in the trial was found on the scene of Nicole Simpson’s home in this Southern California suburb. OJ.. Simpson trial bloody black glove, OJ.. Simpson acquittal + not proven guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt", OJ.. Simpson acquittal not proven guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt",
The killing of sect leader David Koresh Waco, Texas
A religious group (called what? Branch Davidian) owned the compound that was the site of a 1993 siege that started when the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms tried to search the rural Texas ranch. The siege ended 50 days later with the place burning to the ground, killing sect leader David Koresh and 76 others. U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms,
Jeffrey Dahmer killings Milwaukee, Wisconsin
It was in a modest apartment complex in this Midwestern city that serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer conducted his gruesome business: killing and dismembering 17 boys and young men over more than 10 years, ending in his 1991 arrest at his home (what did police find during the raid?). Dahmer died in 1994, just a few years into his incarceration. jeffrey dahmer apartment assortment of body parts and evidence, Jeffrey Dahmer beaten to death by another inmate.
Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance Bloomfield Township, Mich.
Labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa wasn’t free from accusations himself — he served four years in prison for a list of crimes, including jury tampering, mail fraud and bribery. But it’s the Teamsters leader’s disappearance from this Midwestern town in 1975 – coincidentally or not on the same day he met with mob bosses Anthony Giacalone and Anthony Provenzano – that remains an unsolved mystery today.
The Son of Sam killings New York
Movies have been made and songs have been sung about the Son of Sam killings, but the reality around these crimes in this East Coast metropolis is far from glamorous. David Berkowitz gunned down 13 people, killing six, over the course of more than a year in the mid-1970s before getting caught outside his home. New York, New York, David Berkowitz prison born-again Christian.
The kidnapping of Patty Hearst Berkeley, California
Though the 1974 saga of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst’s kidnapping ended with a shootout in Los Angeles, it all started when she was taken from her apartment in this Northern California city. The case remains a classic example of Stockholm Syndrome, where a hostage ends up empathizing with his or her captors. Patty Hearst joined forces with kidnappers, Patty Hearst shoot out LAPD, Patty Hearst married to former bodyguard garrison, new york,
The Zodiac Killer murders Vallejo, California San Francisco
A series of cryptograms sent to local press earned the Zodiac Killer that nickname. Seven victims, all attacked in the late 1960s and early 1970s, have been confirmed, though there are a number of other suspected victims as well. Read more about the investigation that has been open for more than 40 years. Zodiac Killer investigation,
The Charles Manson cult killings Topanga Canyon, Calif.
On a 500-acre property in Southern California, Charles Manson and his followers had a home base for his cult and later the headquarters from which Manson directed the killings of seven people – including pregnant actress Sharon Tate – over the course of two days in 1969. Sharon Tate Roman Polanski, Charles Manson co-conspirators + life imprisonment.
The Black Dahlia case Los Angeles, California
The Black Dahlia murder mystery case is more than 65 years old, but the grisly details have ensured its place among the best-known unsolved cases in history. The body of Elizabeth Short, 22, was found horribly disfigured in a park in this major metropolitan area.
Serial killer H.H. Holmes Chicago, Illinois
He’s been called the country’s first serial killer, and his story is particularly chilling: H.H. Holmes built a hotel in the Midwest’s biggest city just in time for the 1893 World’s Fair and then proceeded to murder dozens of people behind the walls of what became known as the "Murder Castle." Perhaps the creepiest part is the fact that a drugstore occupied the main floor, conducting business as usual while horrors occurred upstairs. 1893 World's fair
