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

1981: Hinckley Pleads Not Guilty to Shooting President Reagan

In March 1981, John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at President Ronald Reagan outside a Washington D.C. hotel, wounding Reagan and three others. The attack was later revealed to be motivated by an obsession with actress Jodie Foster.

On 28 August 1981, Hinckley entered a plea of not guilty to charges of attempted assassination. He was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982 and was committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Washington D.C.

President Reagan presents an introduction for the Horatio Alger Association | ID 26274897 © Joe Sohm | Dreamstime.com

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Assassination Political Crime Trial USA

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1808: Joseph Moreton Hanged in Sydney for Forging a Promissory Note

In early June 1808, Joseph Moreton purchased livestock worth 24 pounds, paying with a promissory note he endorsed on the spot without hesitation. The note later proved to be a forgery.

At trial before the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction in Sydney, multiple witnesses corroborated the transaction and the note was produced as evidence. Moreton claimed he had found it near a bridge in Sydney and held it for some days before passing it on. The court returned a verdict of guilty and a sentence of death. He was hanged on 28 August 1808.

Ancient letter with old blue pen on paper

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Australia Execution Forgery Fraud NSW Sydney Trial

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1857: Frederick Turner Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Armed Robbery and Attempted Murder

Frederick Turner, just 21 years old, was hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 28 August 1857 for robbery under arms on the Flemington Road. He and accomplices had robbed a labouring man near Flemington, and when the victim begged for the return of half a crown to feed his children, Turner drew a revolver and fired at his head. The ball glanced off, inflicting only a minor wound, but the intent was clear. Turner had arrived in Victoria as a free emigrant aboard the William Jardine in 1849, accompanied by his parents and brother.

Convicted at the Criminal Sessions of highway robbery and shooting with intent to murder, Turner went to the gallows clinging to hope of a reprieve that never came. He refused to reveal his real name, admitting only that idleness and dissolute company had been his ruin.

He maintained he had never intended to kill his victim, and this belief appeared to sustain a lingering, ill-founded hope that mercy would be shown to him in this world.

Bushranger Robbery Under Arms

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Australia Bushranger Execution Melbourne Murder Robbery VIC

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1808: Charles Flynn Hanged in Sydney for Theft Aboard a Ship

In August 1808, Charles Flynn stood before the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction in Sydney, charged with stealing from aboard the ship Hero, anchored in Sydney Cove. The stolen items were modest: two brass spy-glasses valued at 40 shillings and a table cloth valued at 10 shillings.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty. In the harsh legal climate of early colonial New South Wales, the theft was enough to send Flynn to the gallows. He was hanged on 28 August 1808.

Vintage spyglass (brass telescope).

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Australia Colonial History Execution NSW Sydney Theft

1981: Hinckley Pleads Not Guilty to Shooting President Reagan

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1808: Joseph Moreton Hanged in Sydney for Forging a Promissory Note

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1857: Frederick Turner Hanged at Melbourne Gaol for Armed Robbery and Attempted Murder

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1808: Charles Flynn Hanged in Sydney for Theft Aboard a Ship

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