True Crime On This Day October 22nd

October 22nd

On October 22nd, in true crime, an ETA terrorist attack, Queen of Hearts cold case, cop killer, and the Aryan Brotherhood.

1978

In Spain, a mass shooting was carried out by the Basque separatist organisation ETA in the Basque town of Getxo, a suburb of Bilbao. The attack occurred six weeks before a referendum to approve a new Spanish constitution. Three people were killed and one injured. It was referred to as the Getzo Attack.

1979

In Snohomish Country, Seattle, 24-year-old Susan Schwarz was strangled and shot dead in her home in Lynnwood. Despite a large investigation at the time, the murder remained unsolved until 2011.

An inmate a Washington Prison left a tip with cold case investigators after seeing Schwarz’s image on a playing card.

The playing cards were the brainchild of Sgt. Dave Heitzman who created the first cold case playing cards in the United States. Susan Schwarz was the Queen of Hearts. In 2011, a suspect was arrested for her murder.

1980

In Nye County, Nevada, the decomposed and mummified remains of an unidentified white adult male were discovered near a dirt road just of Highway 95.

A coroner’s report showed that he had been shot four times, twice on either side of the head. The only clue to his identity was a gold medallion inscribed with $1.98. Despite being worth in the region of $700 (USD), the medallion was not stolen.

The medallion was linked to the game show ‘$1.98 Beauty Contest’, hosted by Rip Taylor but links to the murder could not be found. Despite being a case that involved FBI agents, the circumstances surrounding the death and identity of the victim remain a mystery.

1981

In Youngstown, Ohio, the half-brother of a prisoner ambushed 43-year-old Reserve Deputy John R. Litch as he was returning from hospital to the Mahoning County Jail.

Robert Glenn was an inmate at the jail who was periodically being taking to a local hospital for treatment of a broken leg. At some point before the 22^nd, he had arranged an escape with his half-brother, John Glenn.

As the police vehicle was returning from the hospital, John rammed the back of it, got out, and fatally shot Litch with a sawn-off shotgun.

Both men escaped but were apprehended shortly after. Robert was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, while John was sentenced to death. The death sentence was later commuted to life with his next parole hearing in November 2023.

1982

In Espanola, New Mexico, on October 22nd, the bodies of Margaret Ann Walden and 23-year-old Stewart Eric Simmons were discovered on the Northwest bank of the San Juan River.

They had been beaten and strangled to death in Colorado and taken over the State line to be dumped in New Mexico. They remained unidentified as a Jane and John Doe until 2014 when DNA technology matured.

Simmons was identified in February 2014, and Walden was identified in August 2014. Their murder has never been solved and remains an active cold case.

1983

At the United States Penitentiary of USP Marion, in Illinois, correctional officer Merle Clutts was stabbed to death with a shank. He had been killed by Thomas Silverstein, who was serving time for armed robbery.

While in prison, Silverstein developed ties with the Aryan Brotherhood and soon became the leader of the infamous prison gang. While serving time, he killed four people.

In 1980, he stabbed to death inmate Danny Atwell, who refused to be a drug mule in prison. In 1981, he was convicted of the murder of Robert Chapelle, who was a member of the D.C. Blacks prison gang.

The same year, he and another inmate killed leader of the D.C. Blacks, Raymond ‘Cadillac’ Smith, by stabbing him 67 times. Silverstein was sent to solitary confinement, where he stayed for 36 years, until his death by natural causes on May 11^th, 2019.

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