True Crime On This Day November 28th

November 28th

On November 28th in true crime, Doctor Death in Hyde, a shoot-out, murder, cold cases, and a Catholic Priest shot dead.

1978

In El Salvador, Roman Catholic Priest Ernesto Barrera was shot dead during a shoot-out with the National Guard.

Despite the uproar, the government claimed that he had been a member of the Fuerzas Populares de Liberación (FPL) rebel group. It was later confirmed that he was indeed a member of the FPL.

1979

In Hyde, England, 77-year-old Jack Leslie Shelmerdine was murdered by Harold Shipman. Also known as Doctor Death, Shipman killed at least 250 people in ‘angel of death’ murders from 1975 to 1998.

He was convicted of 215 murders, making him the most prolific serial killer in the world by convicted body count.

1980

In Montgomery County, Maryland, on this day, 29-year-old Lawrence William Fishman walked into his parent’s home and shot them both multiple times.

His father was shot four times and died instantly of his injuries. His mother was shot in the neck but later recovered in hospital. Fishman drove to Virginia to dispose of the murder weapon. His abandoned vehicle was later found in Richmond.

Despite a nationwide arrest warrant, no trace of Fishman has ever been found. He remains a fugitive, with claims that he may have eloped to South America.

1981

In Paderborn, Germany, at a British army base, two-year-old Katrice Lee Major vanished without a trace. The family of British born Katrice had just celebrated her second birthday when she disappeared on a visit to a shop near the base.

Despite an extensive search of the base, town, and surrounding areas, no trace of her has ever been found. In 2019, an ex-serviceman was arrested over the disappearance but was released without charge.

One theory suggests she was abducted and raised in Germany or the United Kingdom, not knowing anything of her past. Her disappearance remains unsolved.

1982

In Hayneville, Alabama, on November 28th, 36-year-old Conservation Officer Cecil C. Chatman was beaten to death outside of a tavern in the early evening. He had been killed by 19-year-old Huntingdon College baseball player C.B. ‘Buster’ Carlton III.

A witness to the attack claimed that Carlton knocked the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries officer on his back with one punch and had to be restrained by other tavern customers.

Chatman died of his wounds shortly after and Carlton was arrested and charged with manslaughter.

In August 1983, a mistrial was declared when a spectator claimed she overheard one of the jurors express an opinion about the case.

At a second trial in 1984, under the Youthful Offender Act, Carlton was found guilty of the attack and sentenced to seven weekends in jail.

He had to report to a prison each weekend for just seven weeks. He was also put on supervised probation for one year. When asked to explain his sentence, Judge Arthur Gamble said he could not discuss it further.

1983

In Lake County, Indiana, the bodies of 65-year-old Hal Fuller and his wife 63-year-old Margaret Fuller, were discovered in their home.

They had been robbed and stabbed to death by Johnny Townsend and Phillip McCollum who had gone to the property with the intention of robbing it.

A struggle with Hal ended in the two robbers killing their victims. The murder weapon, a serrated steak knife, was found in the Fuller’s driveway during the investigation. Townsend and McCollum’s girlfriends reported them to police after noticing similarities with their car and a cut on Townsend’s hand.

Both men later confessed to the robbery and murders and were each sentenced to death. They were resentenced to 120 years in prison on April 29^th 1999.

Check out the Mega List of True Crime Podcasts