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.

Prison Cell
Prison Cell

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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.

Prison Inmate
Prison Inmate

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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.

Poisonous death cap mushrooms
Poisonous death cap mushrooms

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On September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford granted former President Richard M. Nixon a full and unconditional pardon, covering any federal crimes he may have committed while in office during the Watergate scandal. The pardon came just a month after Nixon resigned the presidency on August 9, 1974, the first US president to do so, and it meant Nixon would never face criminal prosecution or trial over the affair.

Ford’s decision was hugely controversial, drawing accusations that a secret deal had been struck to spare Nixon accountability, and it is widely believed to have cost Ford the 1976 presidential election. No charges were ever brought against Nixon, and the pardon remains one of the most debated presidential acts in American history.

President Richard Nixon made of Wax. Wax figure Richard Nixon reading documents with american flag at desk | ID 59298060 © Lequint | Dreamstime.com
ID 59298060 © Lequint | Dreamstime.com

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On This Day in True Crime History
1829·Beaten Unconscious Within Sight of the Gaol Wall: Hanged in Sydney for a Brutal Robbery
1894·Caught Serving Poisoned Tea: Martha Needle Hanged in Melbourne for a Family Poisoning Spree
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