Murder of Catherine (Katie) Shands

On August 8, 1922, 28-year-old Ernest Shands would attack his wife 29-year-old Katie with a hatchet. He had the weapon hidden in their home on 225 D street in Washingtion D.C. He had previously threatened to hurt his wife and was jealous of her. On this day he told her to "change her ways" and in response she laughed at him which angered him. He would grab the hatchet and hit her about the head with it.

Katie did not automatically die from this. Police told Ernest that she was still alive and he was quoted telling police "If she ain't dead let me go over and finish the job." Katie would not live long as her wounds were too severe she would die 8 days later on the 16th. 

It only required two hours for Ernest to be convicted. He would then be executed on March 9, 1923.

SOURCES:

Legal Executions page 22

The Washington Times September 17, 1922

The Evening Star September 17, 1922

The Evening Star September 19, 1922

The Washington Herald November 16, 1922

The Washington Herald December 15, 1922

The Evening Star December 22, 1922

The Washington Herald December 23, 1922

UNIDENTIFIED: February 1915, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Unknown Girl

 In February 1915 a body (believed to be a teenage girl) was found in the basement of a home on 133 s 14th st, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A plumber was going to lay a sewer in the basement and the skeletal remains were found underneath the stairs from the outside access. The stairs had to be removed in order to get to the body. so the killer would have removed them also. The grave was shallow and was 2 by 3 ft. This would mean the girl was doubled up or her remains dismembered. The skull seemed to have evidence of an injury with a sharp object like a hatchet. Her remains had been burned and quicklime was poured on the body. It's believed she could be dead for around 10 to 15 years. 

Jane Doe was a teenage girl around 16-year-old. She had chestnut brown hair. a piece of cloth was found with the body and it's thought of being similar to the end of an apron string possibly made out of white muslin.  

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Harrisburg Telegraph Feb 13, 1915

Harrisburg Daily Independent Feb 13, 1915

Murder of Charles Nash

 In 1892 22-year-old Silas Nash was angry with his father 57-year-old Charles Nash. Charles was refusing to subdivide his land like Silas wanted. On December 24, 1892, Silas decided to take his father's life. He would butcher his father with an ax while he lay in his bed.

Silas would be found guilty of the murder and was set to hang. His counsel moved for an appeal, but it was overruled. On February 24, 1893, Silas would hang at the Buckingham Courthouse.

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in Deleware, The District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia pg 91

The Times Jan 12, 1893

Highland Recorder Jan. 20, 1893

Murder of Jim and John Denningfield

 On Sunday, December 18, 1927, The bodies of 55-year-old Jim Dennifield, and his son 9-year-old John were found murdered in their Dacula, Georgia by a neighbor. When they were found the two hounds stayed with John laying with him as if trying to protect him from further harm. 

It's possible that this happened on the Friday night before being found. Jim had quartered and fed his stock. His son was already preparing to go to bed when they were attacked. Jim was known to be distrustful of banks and was likely hiding money in his home. This is possibly why the killers/robbers followed the farmer home and took a cracked door as an opportunity.

Jim would fight the intruders and his son would hide under a lint pile in the adjoining room. The killer would hit Jim with an ax or similar weapon under the chin almost decapitating him and then crushed his head. The killers would drag out the 9-year-old and make him tell them where the money was hidden. He told them that the money was hidden under planks. They left no witnesses after they got the $500 (equivalent to$7,358 today). They killed the boy hacking him with the ax on a cot. 

There were bloody fingerprints found at the scene. There was some on the mantle and on the door. Tracks lead to an abandoned sawmill near the home about 500 yards away. There was evidence of them leaving in a car. 

I could only find the initial articles on this case on December 19th. I couldn't find if this case was solved or not. 

SOURCES:

The Atlanta Constitution December 19, 1927 (Part 1) (Part 2)

The Orlando Sentinel December 19, 1927

The Knoxville Journal December 19, 1927

Johnson City Staff News December 19, 1927

Murder of Benigna Cardoso da Silva

 

On October 15, 1928 Benigna da Silva was born as the youngest of four sibilings to her parents José Cardoso da Silva and Teresa Maria da Silva. Benigna would not get to know them though, her father would die before she was born and her mother died when she was one. Sisters Rosa and Honorina Sisnando would adopt the siblings and raised them as Catholics.  

Growing up in Oiti, Santana do Cariri, Ceará, Brazil Benigna was a regular attendee to Mass and took care of household chores. She enjoyed taking walks and having picnics with her siblings. She was known as someone who was always willing to help

In 1941 while she was 12 a Raimundo "Raul" Alves Riberio, who was around her age, would approach her with sexual advances. She would reject him and even asked her parish priest what to do about it. He told her to resist and reject him. She would listen to the advice and continue to reject Raul. 

On October 24th the now 13-year-old Benigna would go and get water in an isolated area. Raul would know she would go there and hide in the bushes waiting for her. She would arrive and he would jump out and attempt to grab her and attempted to rape her. She would resist and this angered him and he pulled out the machete he carried around with him.

He would strike her four times with the machete. The first strike would remove three fingers on her right hand, the second struck her forehead, the third was her stomach, and the fourth hit her neck, and the last strike killed her. She would die at 4 p.m. and Raul fled. Soon after she died her brother Cirineu went to look for her and found her.

She would be buried the next day. Police would investigate and there were several suspects including her brother Cirineu. Raul would be arrested and convicted of his crime. He would serve time in prison and showed remorse for the murder. He would return to the scene of the crime in 1991 and expressed his regret in killing her. Her body was relocated on May 26, 2012, to the Santana do Cariri parish church.

Benigna is in the process of beatification for defensum castitatis, which means she protected herself as a chaste virgin during an attack. Her beatification was initially scheduled for October 21, 2020, but due to Covid, it has been delayed. 

SOURCES:  

Wikipedia

DBpedia

Catholic Saints

People Pill