Lawrence Russell Brewer was born on March 13, 1967 in Lamar County, Texas. By 1998, Lawrence was no stranger to the judicial system. He had spent time in prison for burglary and cocaine possession. 49 year old James Byrd, Jr. spent the evening of June 6 at a party. He asked a friend for a … Continue reading Weird Last Meals Series: Lawrence Russell Brewer
Ricky Ray Rector was born on January 12, 1950 and grew up in Conway, Arkansas. He was an odd kid with few friends. His father was abusive and he suffered from a learning disability. On March 21, 1981, Ricky became angry when a friend was refused admission to the dance hall at Tommy's Old-Fashioned Home-Style … Continue reading Weird Last Meals Series: Ricky Ray Rector
James Edward Smith was born October 19, 1962 in Jefferson County, Kentucky. James attended, but didn't finish college. In his late 20s, he worked as a tarot card salesman and taxi driver. He also claimed to be a voodoo priest. On March 7, 1983, James attempted to rob the Union Life Insurance Company in the … Continue reading Weird Last Meals Series: James Edward Smith
Edmund Zagorski was born December 27, 1954 in Michigan. His family was poor. His father wasn't around and his mother suffered from a brain injury. Edmund had an intellectual disability and dropped out of school. When he met John Dotson in 1983, Edmund was going by the name Jesse Lee Hardin. He scheduled a meeting … Continue reading Weird Last Meals Series: Edmund Zagorski
Built in 1215, Dragsholm Castle is one of the oldest non-religious buildings in Denmark. It was the only castle in Zealand to survive the Count’s Feud of 1534. From 1536-1664, it was used as a prison for the highest-ranking prisoners, mostly noblemen and clergy. The former owner, Joachim Rønnow, was imprisoned there. The castle was … Continue reading James Hepburn
Also called The Boats, Scaphism is a form of torturous execution. The most famous account of Scaphism is the story of Mithridates. In 401 BC, Mithridates, a Persian soldier, killed Cyrus the Younger. The king was pleased by this because Cyrus had claim to the throne. Mithridates had killed a threat to the king and … Continue reading Scaphism
In Elizabethan England, if you needed to torture a man, there was a cheap and easy method available. The Tower of London was right there. Just let the Thames River flow into a window and create something called the Rat Room. Rats were washed into the room and when the water went down, the rats … Continue reading Rat Torture
Romell Broom’s execution by lethal injection was scheduled for 1:30pm on September 15, 2009. On the phone with his brother the night before, Romell told him that he was ready for it to be over and he was tired of being told what to do all the time. The execution drugs were delivered at 1:31pm … Continue reading Romell Broom
At approximately 12:30am on May 17, 1891, 36 year old George Painter came running out of the room he rented at 86 South Green Street in Chicago, Illinois and told fellow boarders that his wife had been murdered. He ran out the front door, looking for a police officer. At the crime scene, police found … Continue reading George Painter
December 22, 1987 in Dover, Arkansas... 46 year old Ronald Simmons woke up 3 days before Christmas with a plan to kill his family. He stabbed and shot his 47 year old wife, Rebecca. He then turned his .22 caliber pistol on his 29 year old son, Gene. Lastly, he strangled his 3 year old … Continue reading Ronald Simmons
