Most Intriguing Classic Unsolved Single Murder Poll

[STANDREID]

Yes, I think, particularly in the case of JtR, there may not be much beyond census records on the guy.

 

[kline]

Yes, I think, particularly in the case of JtR, there may not be much beyond census records on the guy.

Wow,can you imagine trying to take an accurate census in the Whitechapel district in the 1880's.Good Lord.
Especially with so many folks bedding down in four different Doss Houses on four different nights when they could afford it and sleeping in an alley when they couldnt?

 

[STANDREID]

Wow,can you imagine trying to take an accurate census in the Whitechapel district in the 1880's.Good Lord.
Especially with so many folks bedding down in four different Doss Houses on four different nights when they could afford it and sleeping in an alley when they couldnt?

That would be a nightmare, no doubt.

 

[chlban]

STANDREID;9806072 I think Dahlia is at the same stage as Jack the Ripper now. That is, people are picking a pet suspect then building a case around them while ignoring any evidence that points away from them or to another suspect.[/QUOTE]

I agree. it is interestihg how this happens in these cases. The Zodiac is another where people become convinced that their favoirte "suspect" is guilty and no amount of evidence will ever convince them otherwise.

I have never been all that fascinated with the Ripper, but in the case of Dahlia and the Zodiac, my personal feeling is the the actual killers are not anyone that have yet been identified as suspects. That's boring though, so no one wants to really accept it.

 

[ctaylor]

To quote Raymond Chandler : "‘The Wallace case is the nonpareil of all murder mysteries ... I call it the impossible murder because Wallace couldn’t have done it, and neither could anyone else. ... The Wallace case is unbeatable; it will always be unbeatable.’"

I'm from the UK and spent time in Liverpool in the 1980s, so maybe that makes me lean towards the Julia Wallace case in the poll, however I think in general the case is fascinating.

 

[zatanna]

I had to second Elfrieda Knaak, the 'girl in the furnace' case. The story is so bizarre.

How did she get in the furnace? Did someone put her there? Did she do it to herself? I mean, this story has it all....

Mysterious deathbed statements! Creepy spiritual gurus! Random security guard/hollywood actor! Lesbian romances! Sunday school teacher heiresses! Suspicious access to locked rooms! Random confessions!

It was technically ruled a suicide in the 20s due to Elfrieda insisting she did it herself as an act of 'psychic love', but I think it's generally regarded to be a murder due to the manner of injury/death.

 

[STANDREID]

To quote Raymond Chandler : "‘The Wallace case is the nonpareil of all murder mysteries ... I call it the impossible murder because Wallace couldn’t have done it, and neither could anyone else. ... The Wallace case is unbeatable; it will always be unbeatable.’"

I'm from the UK and spent time in Liverpool in the 1980s, so maybe that makes me lean towards the Julia Wallace case in the poll, however I think in general the case is fascinating.

It got my vote.

 

[December]

The Black Dahlia case was covered in newspapers at the time. I don't remember this time as I wasn't born, but I have seen such reports for years now. Reporters talk about who was first on the scene when she was found, thing like this. The murderer (he claimed, who knows?) wrote letters and sent items to the L.A. Times.

 

[STANDREID]

Yes, Dahlia received national coverage in a manner reflective of today's cases in the era of the internet and 24 hour news channels.

 

[Winward1]

A year's anniversary story in one of the Chicago papers (I think it was the Daily News) on the Percy case ran under a sub-headline, IIRC it was, "the Impossible Crime."

Well, for investigators it was impossible to solve.

 

[STANDREID]

Yes, and if they have all the evidence they'll ever have, it will never be solved, save perhaps, a confession.

 

[STANDREID]

Yes, Dahlia received national coverage in a manner reflective of today's cases in the era of the internet and 24 hour news channels.

I think Marilyn Sheppard did also (newspapers, magazines, radio and TV).

 

[Winward1]

Percy case was front page news on the NY Times and many others. Follow up stories were carried by papers nationwide as well.

 

[STANDREID]

I think Taylor got some national, if not international, coverage.

 

[STANDREID]

Odd that no UK cases after 1931

 

[STANDREID]

Odd that no UK cases after 1931

Not counting the ones from the empire in the 40s.

 

[STANDREID]

Even the 3 with 0 votes are very interesting cases.

 

[STANDREID]

Even the 3 with 0 votes are very interesting cases.

Although unsolved, there were pretty good suspects in the cases of Luard and Erroll.

In the case of Chevis, before his son's death was announced, his father received a jeering telegram from "J. Hartigan", a man who was never identified, celebrating the murder. After more communications and 6 weeks after the murder, the elder Chevis received a message from "Hartigan" stating, "It's a mystery they will never solve." Unfortunately, he was right.

 

[STANDREID]

Chevis is the only one on the list who was poisoned.

 

[STANDREID]

And, Foster was burned alive, the rest were either beaten, knifed or shot.