While we would all agree Indiana is a beautiful and exciting place to live, there have been some bad eggs in our history. Not the most pleasant history to read about, but an important part of your Hoosier history nonetheless. Here are seven of the most wicked and notorious crimes committed in the state of Indiana.
1.) Judy Kirby Accidentally Kills Seven People
In March of 2000, Judy Kirby intentionally drove on the wrong side of the road to commit suicide. In a failed attempt, the woman killed seven other people, but not herself. Three of her children, her nephew (who she was raising at the time). The other driver and two of his children were also killed in the accident. Kirby, on the other hand, is serving 215 years behind bars.
2.) Herb Baumeister, Respectable Family Man and…. Serial Killer?!
On the outside, Herb Baumeister appeared to be a respectable part of the community. He was a family man and the owner of a Sav-A-Lot. In his free time, however, he enjoyed cruising gay bars, finding men, and taking them back to his home in Hamilton County. Once he got them home, he would murder them, chop up their body, and bury it on his 18 acres of land. Responding to a tip, police discovered the bodies of 11 men buried on his property in 1996. Unfortunately, he had driven up to Canada and killed himself before he could be prosecuted.
3.) Jealous and Enraged Husband Kills Eight People
Celestino P. Gonzalez was believed to be enraged with jealousy and very ill when he used an ax to chop his wife and six children to pieces. He also shot a man named Jose Aro who was staying in their home followed by himself. This horrible crime was committed in July of 1936.
4.) Ku Klux Klan Leader Was Also a Sex Offender
Back in the 1920’s, D.C. Stephenson was the leader of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1925, he was accused of abducting, raping, and killing a young woman.
5.) Live-In Babysitter Doubles as a Killer
In December of 1975, Sarah Isabel "Cindy" White lit the greenwood home of the Roberson family on fire. The fire killed a husband, wife, and all four of their child. At the time, Sarah was their live-in babysitter. She had been hired to help the family care for the children shortly after being released from a psychiatric hospital. She was sentenced to six life sentences behind bars.
6.) First Mass Killing in Indiana
According to several news reports, November of 1984 is when the first mass slaying took place in the state of Indiana. James Day, a 36 year old man from Evansville shot and killed all six of his children before turning the gun on himself.
7.) Evansville Man Kills a Family of Four
On January 14, 1980, Donald R. Wallace was convicted of killing George P. Gilligan, his wife, their 5 year old daughter, and their four year old son. The man was sentenced to death and executed in March of 2005.
Which one of these crimes made your stomach twist more than the others? Maybe you can think of another crime in Indiana that really twisted up your stomach the first time you heard about it? Share it with us in the comments! Please also take a moment of silence to mourn all of the innocent lives who were lost as a result of this horrid crimes.
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