True Crime On This Day January 9th

January 9th

On January 9th in true crime, cold case double murder, triple murder in Florida, cop killer, protest massacre, and axe murder in England.

1978

In Iran, large protests turned violent after someone smashed a bank window with a rock. The protests were due to an Ettela’at newspaper article two days earlier that was used to attack politician Ruhollah Khomeini.

Security forces turned on the crowds of people and began firing at random. No final death toll has ever been published but researchers and witnesses claimed it may have been up to 300 people.

1979

In Brevard County, Florida, the bodies of Franklin Shumaker and Patricia Doyle were found in their motorhome.

The vehicle was parked all day at an I-95 rest stop near Grant. Workers on the site became suspicious as it had been parked for longer than usual.

Police were called who then discovered their bodies. Both victims had been met with foul play but no suspect was ever found. As of 2022, the case remains unsolved and an active cold case in the State of Florida.

1980

In Henry County, Indiana, on January 9th, Sergeant Ronald L. Lampe was shot and killed while serving a warrant on a home. He was with five other officers at the time.

Two officers in plain clothing had attempted entry to a party at the house but the suspect became nervous and failed to let them in.

Lampe then decided to proceed with the warrant himself and went to the back door. While the officers searched the house, the suspect opened fire on them with a rifle.

Lampe was hit multiple times and died shortly after. Another officer was also hit in the chest and went on to survive.

The suspect was later acquitted during the trial after his defence proved that he had fired in self-defence because the officers had not identified themselves.

1981

In Polk & Lake Counties, Florida, Paul Johnson killed three people during a drug-induced rampage. Along with his wife, he visited the home of Shayne and Ricky Carter and they ended smoking marijuana and injection crystal meth all night.

Ricky later claimed at the trial that Johnson left the residence stating that he was going to rob people to get more money for drugs.

At some point during the night, Johnson was picked up by taxicab driver William Evans who was later found shot in the head with his fare money missing.

The taxicab itself had been set on fire. An hour or so later, Amy Reid and Darrell Beasley were leaving a restaurant in Lakeland when Johnson approached them claiming he needed a lift home.

They obliged but Johnson asked them to stop the car in a remote location where he exited the vehicle with Beasley and shot him in the head. Reid locked the doors and sped off to get help.

Two patrol cars were despatched to the area. When the second car got there, the deputies discovered the first car was empty.

On the side of the road, they found the body of deputy Theron Burnham who had been shot dead by Johnson. Johnson fired some shots at the second car and then disappeared into the woodland.

A few hours later on the morning news, a police sketch of the suspect was shown. Johnson’s wife and the Carter’s were watching the news when they recognised Johnson.

He was arrested the next day and convicted of all three murders. He received three death sentences, one for each of the murders.

1982

In a snowy Ipswich, England, 76-year-old Dora Pratt was found lying on the floor of home, above the corner shop that she owned. She had been hit in the head with an axe three times.

She spent several weeks in hospital before being discharged into the care of a relative where she died of her wounds on July 6^th. At some point in the early hours of the morning, her attacker broke into the shop and then into her home before killing her.

It remains unclear if anything was stolen. An investigation traced and eliminated all of the customers who entered her shop that afternoon and evening, except one, a man with steel-rimmed spectacles.

Investigators believe he was the killer but he has never been found. The case remains unsolved and an active cold case.

1983

In Kauai, Hawaii, 33-year-old Keith Haig Makakaualii Williams was shot and killed in the yard of his own property. His pregnant wife and five-year-old son were in the residence at the time.

Despite an investigation into the murder and an active cold case, no suspect has ever been caught. On an island with a 72,000 population, it remains one of the few unsolved murders.

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