True Crime On This Day December 23rd

Last Updated on September 19, 2022 by Ben Oakley

December 23rd

On December 23rd in true crime, mass violence, armed robbery, restaurant bombing, murder, and a cold case from North Carolina.

1978

In Turkey, political violence was rising. The Maraş Massacre in Kahramanmaras on the 19^th December kick-started a week-long protest that lasted until the 26^th.

On this day, crowds destroyed many government offices and between 105 and 111 people were killed. More than 200 houses and approximately 100 shops were destroyed. On December 26^th, martial law was put into effect.

1979

In Gorman, California, the decomposed body of an unidentified black adult male was discovered in a plastic bag. The bag had been retrieved in a ravine just north of the Oak Flat Ranger Station in Santa Clarita.

The estimated age of the body was between 36 to 50-years-old. The only clue to the identity of the body was a medical amputation of the left little finger. The circumstances surrounding his murder remain a mystery.

1980

In Shelby County, Alabama, 86-year-old Annie Orr, was raped, beaten, and suffocated to death in her home. She had been killed by career criminals Victor Kennedy and Darrell Grayson, who had broken into her home with the intention of robbing her.

They had taped a pillowcase around Orr’s head but the tape had been wrapped around her mouth, causing her to suffocate. As news of the murder went around town, Kennedy surrendered himself to police the next day and Grayson was found hiding in bushes.

They were both subsequently sentenced to death. Kennedy was executed in the electric chair in Alabama on August 6^th 1999 and Grayson on July 26^th 2007.

1981

In Valdese, North Carolina, just after midnight, 19-year-old Rhonda Annette Hinson was killed after leaving an office Christmas party.

Between 12.30am and 1am, she was driving back home when she was shot in the heart with single bullet from a high-powered rifle.

Her car was discovered on the side of the road and her body was just a few feet away. She was found lying on her back with her arms deliberately placed at her side. The bullet had travelled through the trunk, her seat, and then penetrated her heart.

Investigators believe she was being stalked and that she knew her killer. Despite a large and ongoing investigation, the case remains unsolved.

1982

In Beersel, Belgium, a restaurant was robbed at gunpoint shortly after closing for the night. The restaurant manager was later tortured and then shot dead.

Dozens of cases of wine and coffee were stolen. The armed robbers were known as the Brabant Killers, AKA: Mad Killers of Brabant.

They were a small group of three men who killed 28 people between 1982 and 1985. The identity of the three men remains a mystery but they were referred to as The Giant, The Killer, and The Old Man.

Despite a large investigation that continues to this day, and a raft of conspiracies, the case remains unsolved.

1983

In Paris, France, a large bomb exploded outside of the luxury Le Grand Véfour restaurant, in the downtown area. The explosion injured 12 people, including five Americans and two Japanese, and left a large crater where it had detonated.

The restaurant is known as one of Paris’ most exclusive restaurants. It hit the headlines again in 2008 when it lost one of its three Michelin stars, a rating system for exceptional cuisine.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack and the case file has since been closed.

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