Most Intriguing Classic Unsolved Single Murder Poll

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What classic unsolved single murder are you most intrigued by?

  • Rose Harsent 1902

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Caroline Luard 1908

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • George Storrs 1909

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • William Taylor 1922

    Votes: 5 2.7%
  • Margery Wren 1930

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • Julia Wallace 1931

    Votes: 4 2.1%
  • Evelyn Foster 1931

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • Hubert Chevis 1931

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • Lord Errol 1941

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Harry Oakes 1943

    Votes: 4 2.1%
  • Elizabeth Short 1947

    Votes: 89 47.6%
  • Shirley Collins 1953

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • Marilyn Sheppard 1954

    Votes: 14 7.5%
  • Valery Percy 1966

    Votes: 21 11.2%
  • Another Please Explain

    Votes: 39 20.9%

  • Total voters
    187
Thanks gaia. No, I'm from Illinois U.S. The British just seem to have a penchant for creating a baffling case.
 
And some Australian cases, too, are pretty baffling.

Yes, Australia is probably the only other country besides the U.S. and the U.K. where I could easily up with a top ten classic unsolved murder list. Not all of them would be single murders though.
 
I knew Percy was a pretty big deal here in Illinois but I was unaware of its wider interest.
 
I think the fact that she was an attractive young woman, a twin, it being in the middle of her father's senatorial campaign, a large house in an upscale neighbourhood etc.

And that the motive is unclear, that there seem to be still few theories today.
 
Plus, it's the most recent.
 
Actually perhaps the mystery of my cousin Mary Ellen Kaldenberg brutally murdered in 1967 in Kenosha Wisconsin & was found in an abandoned hearse. She was only 17 yrs old. Still unsolved & the details are horrifying and baffling. I recently listed it here on WS under "Cold Cases" I pray people will research this & offer any information. The murderer needs to be brought to justice and offer our family some long needed peace. This evil person has gotten away with murder for 44 years. Public awareness in everything, that is why Elizabeth Short won your poll Stan, It has been in the public eye since it happened. Maybe with my efforts the world will realize who Mary Ellen Kaldenberg was & her life will have not been in vain. Thank you to all who are helping me keep her memory alive.
 
Yes, that's #169 on my top 200+ list which includes cases other than single murders.
 
I voted other because the one that has intrigued me the most was the murder of capt Perry from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. i'll try and find a link when I'm not so tired and sore.
 
I hadn't heard of the Perry case before so thanks for adding the information.
 
I hadn't heard of the Perry case before so thanks for adding the information.

You're welcome. Several reasons it has always been interesting is I know the area well, the house was several blocks from where I was born and my grandfather was a POI in the case, he was also a good friend of the Capt. The house was gone long before my time though so I've only seen hand drawn renditions of it.
 
It seems that practically every community has at least one unsolved murder case that's not well known elsewhere.
 
It seems that practically every community has at least one unsolved murder case that's not well known elsewhere.

That's definitely true. I can only think of a few classic unsolved murder cases that are nationally known. I think the reason is that it's very difficult for cases to stand the test of time, especially at a national level. Every case has to leave the media at some point, but will people still recognize the case when it's not in their face everyday? Also, we hear about new cases constantly so for people to still want to know about what happened in a cold case, it has to really stand out.
 
Yes, there are cases pretty much known to everyone like Lizzie Borden, those widely known only mostly by crime buffs like Hall-Mills and those known primarily only in local lore.
 
Of course, Borden and Hall-Mills aren't listed above because both are double murders - minimalist mass murders.
 
I was interested to read on there the case of William Goebel in 1900...the only US Governor to be assassinated in office.

Political murders do interest me...I've just finished reading Stephen King's 11/22/63 and I can heartily recommend it. Whilst fiction, he does seem to have done his research meticulously, and I found out a lot about the JFK murder that I didn't know.
 
If I remember correctly, Goebel was sworn into office on his deathbed.
 
I believe there were convictions in the Goebel murder but all were eventually given pardons. That said, legally speaking, a pardon is only a forgiveness. It is not the same as a reversal of conviction.
 

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