Trial - Dark Stories True Crime Tours

1995: Locked Out: How the Wife of the Canadian Prime Minister Foiled an Armed Intruder

Andre Dallaire scaled the fence of the official residence in Ottawa and crept toward the bedroom where Prime Minister Jean Chretien lay asleep, a knife in his hand and murder on his mind. It was Aline Chretien who heard him first.

Acting fast, she pushed the heavy bedroom door shut and held it locked while Dallaire tried the handle from the other side, then slipped away to raise the alarm with security on this day in 1995. Guards arrested him minutes later, still inside the residence, and no one was harmed.

Dallaire was later found not criminally responsible for the break in due to a diagnosed mental illness, and was committed to psychiatric care rather than tried as a would be assassin.

Exterior rear view of official residence building

⬅ See all events from 5 November

Assassination Attempt Canada Ottawa Political Crime Trial

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

2003: The Green River Killer Pleads Guilty to 48 Murders to Escape the Death Penalty

Gary Ridgway killed women across the Seattle area through the 1980s and into the 1990s, most of them sex workers whose bodies he dumped near the Green River, and evaded capture for two decades until DNA evidence finally linked him to the murders. Facing the death penalty, he struck a deal: a guilty plea and full cooperation in locating the remains of still missing victims, in exchange for life in prison instead of execution.

On 5 November 2003, Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated murder, making him one of the most prolific confirmed serial killers in American history. He led investigators to burial sites he had kept secret for years, trading confession for survival.

⬅ See all events from 5 November

Cold Case Murder Serial Killer Trial USA

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

1816: He Blamed His Mate for the Shot, But It Was His Own Gun That Fired: Triple Hanging in Sydney

Four masked men broke into a farmhouse outside Sydney on the night of 30 September 1816, and when John Miller rose from his fireside chair a musket went off, killing him in front of his wife and four children.

One of the raiders, Colin Hunter, turned on his companion moments later outside the house, snarling that "that murdering villain" Thomas Dooley had shot the man. But when the guns were examined, it was Hunter's own gun that had been discharged. It made no difference under the law: Hunter, Dooley and Michael Ryan had all gone there armed and masked to rob the house, which made each of them equally guilty of murder, alongside a fourth man, George Fuller, who turned Crown evidence against them.

Convicted within days, Hunter, Dooley and Ryan were hanged in Sydney on this day in 1816, their bodies afterwards handed over for dissection.

On the way to the gallows, Ryan led his companions in prayer, and all three were said to have met their deaths with sincere contrition.

Interior of Settler's Hut in Australia, John Skinner Prout, 1849. National Library of Australia

⬅ See all events from 4 November

Australia Execution Murder NSW Robbery Sydney Trial

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

1895: "Look, Jimmy": The Chilling Instant Before a Fatal Tomahawk Attack Near Mount Morgan, Hanged in Brisbane.

Jacky shared a meal with Jimmy Williams, a Javanese gardener living with his partner near Mount Morgan, then walked off and sharpened a tomahawk at a neighbouring camp. Returning, he offered to sell Williams his boots for two shillings, and when Williams said he had no money, Jacky said only "Look, Jimmy" before striking him in the face with the blade. Williams suffered six wounds to the head and hands and died in hospital the following night. Jacky admitted the killing to police within days, explaining it followed from accusations that he had given Williams's partner money and drink. When told that Williams had died from his injuries, Jacky replied, "Yes, it will make it worse for me. I thought that fellow would be alright." At trial, the judge openly doubted whether Jacky could understand the proceedings. Asked if he had anything to say before sentencing, Jacky offered no defence for the killing, instead repeating his claims about Williams's partner. He was convicted of murder and hanged in Brisbane on 4 November 1895.

⬅ See all events from 4 November

Australia Brisbane Colonial History Execution Mount Morgan Murder QLD Trial

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Subscribe to Dark Stories