True Crime On This Day June 10th

Last Updated on February 17, 2023 by Ben Oakley

June 10th

On June 10th in true crime, Hollywood actress murder, macabre discovery, cold cases, mystery death in Leeds, unsolved disappearance.

1978

In Putnam County, Georgia, the body of an unidentified black male was discovered. The victim was aged between 15-22-years-old and was found in a train coal car having been murdered a day or two earlier.

The train had come in from Kentucky, having made stops in Tennessee and Atlanta the same day before making its way to Georgia.

It remains unclear when and where the body had been added to the train. The many miles the train had travelled made the investigation difficult straight away. The identity of the body remains a mystery.

1979

In Leeds, England, the body of 42-year-old Marion Spence was found behind a derelict warehouse in the centre of the city.

She had recently been turned away from mental health care which would have seen her safe for at least 48 hours. Her clothing had been removed and piled on top of her body and it was suggested she had been strangled to death.

Her death was linked to The Yorkshire Ripper who was active at the time of her murder, but a lack of evidence proved that incorrect.

In 2016, West Yorkshire police, in response to a ‘Freedom of Information Request’, claimed that all files in relation to the Spence murder were destroyed because they deemed the case to have been what they refer to as ‘detected’.

Detected was another way of saying it was solved but no suspect has ever been made public. As of 2022, the Spence murder is officially closed but remains open in the eyes of online investigators.

1980

In Kansas City, Missouri, 68-year-old Paul Douglas Cappo disappeared under suspicious circumstances. He was last seen leaving his home, headed to Las Vegas on a gambling trip.

According to a later investigation, Cappo owed at least $75,000 (USD) in debts brought about by gambling. Cappo had long told his wife that if he didn’t answer her messages on his pager then she was to contact his attorney.

Cappo was known to be involved in organised crime in the city and this may have been linked to his disappearance.

His wife later tried to collect a $50,000 life insurance policy but the company refused to pay because it was unknown if Cappo’s disappearance was the result of a pre-meditated murder or if it had been accidental. Despite foul play being suspected, no trace of Cappo has ever been found.

1981

In Beverly Hills, California, 39-year-old actress Jennifer Helene Maxwell and her husband, attorney Ervin M. Roeder, were killed in the lobby of Maxwell’s condo.

Investigators suspected they were killed in the process of a robbery, but no suspect has ever been caught and the murders remain unsolved. Maxwell was best known for her role in the 1961 film, Blue Hawaii.

1982

In the Autumn of 1981, in Greencastle, Indiana, 24-year-old Martha Payne was raped and stabbed to death in her own home.

Her husband, James D. Payne returned home later in the evening to find her body on the bedroom floor. Some of the couple’s personal items had been robbed, including a jug of coins.

Shortly after, William A. Minnick was arrested and charged with the attack. He claimed he had been there but someone named Ace had raped and killed Payne.

Minnick was sentenced to death on this day in 1982. But on December 1^st 2004, the sentenced was overturned due to an appeal that declared Minnick legally incompetent.

He was committed to a psychiatric facility where he remains to this day. It was suspected that Ace was a name he gave himself.

1983

In Mason City, Iowa, 25-year-old Graciela Esquivel disappeared without a trace. She was the mother of a six-year-old daughter, who she left with her grandparents to go out with friends for the night.

When her daughter was brought home the following day, Graciela was nowhere to be found. Her personal belongings, including purse and driver’s license were left behind in her home.

Investigators believe she was abducted against her will. No trace of Graciela has ever been found and her social security number has been dormant ever since.

2016

In Orlando, Florida, 22-year-old singer and YouTuber Christina Grimmie had just finished performing and went to sign autographs for fans.

Crazed fan Kevin James Loibl was in the autograph line when he pulled out a gun and shot her three times, killing her instantly. He then turned the gun on himself taking his motive to the grave.