Dark Stories: On This Day In True Crime History - Dark Stories True Crime Tours

1944: The Acid Bath Murderer: John Haigh Dissolves His Former Boss in a Barrel of Sulphuric Acid

John Haigh, a convicted fraudster, murdered his former employer William ‘Mac’ McSwan and dissolved his body in a barrel of sulphuric acid. Haigh later claimed the killing was driven by a compulsion he called blood lust, but McSwan had money and property, and the murder looks less like madness than a calculated escalation of Haigh’s earlier fraud schemes.

Tellingly, whatever ‘compulsion’ Haigh described did not resurface until the cash from the McSwan killing had run out, suggesting the acid barrel was less about bloodlust and more about a ruthless, practical solution to funding his lifestyle.

Portrait of john george haigh - acid bath murderer. Public Domain. — Portrait of john george haigh – acid bath murderer. Public Domain.

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England Fraud London Murder Serial Killer UK

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2005: The Granny Killer Found Hanging in His Cell

John Wayne Glover, 72, was found hanging from a shower rail in his cell at Lithgow prison in New South Wales. He had been serving life without parole for the murder of six elderly women on Sydney‘s North Shore between 1989 and 1990. The mayor of Mosman described his death as the end of a terrible era.

No evidence has ever surfaced that Glover killed before 1989, when he was 56 and had already been married for 20 years with children; his wife had no idea of the violence in his past. He only admitted to the murders once confronted with the police evidence against him.

Glover denied responsibility for other crimes in which he was a prime suspect. Years after his conviction, he admitted he never worried about who his victims were or why he killed them; he said he wanted to stop but could not, and simply returned to his normal life after each murder.

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Australia Death in Custody Lithgow Murder NSW Prison Serial Killer Sydney

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1971: Four Days of Rebellion: the Attica Prison Riot Leaves 39 Dead

On September 9, 1971, inmates at Attica Correctional Facility in New York seized control of the prison, taking dozens of guards and staff hostage in protest over brutal conditions, overcrowding, and demands for basic political and civil rights. For four days the prisoners held the yard, negotiating with officials and issuing a list of demands broadcast to the watching public.

On September 13, on the order of Governor Nelson Rockefeller, state troopers and police stormed the facility, opening fire on inmates and hostages alike. By the time the smoke cleared, 39 people were dead, including ten hostages, most killed not by prisoners but by the retaking force’s own gunfire.

The riot remains one of the deadliest prison uprisings in American history and exposed the brutal conditions inside Attica, triggering decades of lawsuits, investigations, and a landmark settlement for survivors and victims’ families.

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Disaster New York Police Prison Riot USA

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2025: Mushroom Murderer Erin Patterson Sentenced to Life, Could Walk Free at 82

Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale handed Erin Patterson three life sentences for murder and 25 years for attempted murder, setting a non-parole period of 33 years. That means Patterson, who poisoned relatives with a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms, cannot be considered for release until 2056, when she would be 82 years old.

The judge described the crime as an ‘enormous betrayal’ marked by substantial premeditation, and noted that Patterson had shown no remorse for the deaths she caused.

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Attempted Murder Australia Murder Poisoning Trial VIC

1944: The Acid Bath Murderer: John Haigh Dissolves His Former Boss in a Barrel of Sulphuric Acid

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2005: The Granny Killer Found Hanging in His Cell

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1971: Four Days of Rebellion: the Attica Prison Riot Leaves 39 Dead

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2025: Mushroom Murderer Erin Patterson Sentenced to Life, Could Walk Free at 82

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