Unsolved Murder of Donald Keyes

On March 8, 1955, 24-year-old Donald Keyes was working the night shift at the Checker Oil Station in Columbus, Ohio. It was believed that between 1:30 a.m. and 1:40 a.m. was when the robbery and murder occurred. He was forced to lie on the floor in the storage room with his head on a pillow and the murderer shot him in the side of the face.

Donald was going to college at the time and was studying to become a teacher. He left behind two young children and his wife.

SOURCES:
Dispatch
Ohio Attorney General

INFANTICIDE: The Durbin Baby Murder

Emily Dunn and Charles Durbin lived in Vandalia, Illinois. The two were not married and the couple would mess around and this resulted in Emily getting pregnant. Charles would then send Emily away to Decatur, Illinois to have the baby. He would tell her that she would have to get rid of it once it was born. He would only marry her if the baby was gone.

Emily would stay in Decatur and give birth to a chubby red-headed baby girl in August of 1884. While in Decatur and after the birth of her daughter Emily was living with Mr. and Mrs. Shiveley. Emily loved her child and it was noticeable to people around her, but Charles wanted the baby gone. So wanting to be with the man she loved she tried several times to give her child away. 

By March 7, 1885, 27-year-old Charles was done with 21-year-old Emily still having the baby. In news reports, it seems he called the baby it. He was mad that the baby was still there. He told Emily "I'll be damned if I don't find a place for it." her before leaving The Shiveley's home. He would return after nightfall and state he found a home. The three would leave the home together.

They would walk to the railroad tracks and would get closer to an area without visible homes. From what Emily stated was that Charles and she walked to a point and he took the baby with him. He stated that the family lived not much further and he'd take her there. Emily was unwilling, but let him take her daughter. He was gone for 20 minutes before returning.

She was crying by the time he came back. He told her crying wouldn't help anything and they wouldn't be bothered again. What they didn't know is a man named Boyd Shannon saw them from a distance, but he thought that the couple was another neighbor. 

In the time he was gone he threw his baby girl into the river and let her drown. It's unknown if Emily knew that Charles threw their daughter into the water or if she was an unwilling party to the murder. It's believed that he did this on his own. 

The two would go to the Humpty Dumpy Theater and then to the Shiveley home stating that Charles gave the baby to a man with the last name Smith. That their daughter was going home with him to California. They handed the baby over at the train depot. Now that their daughter was gone on March 16th the two then got married.

The body of the 7-month-old would soon be found. 

Emily wouldn't be prosecuted for the murder as she believed that he was giving their daughter away and not murdering her. It would be said that Emily would regret giving the prosecution her letters and for her testimony against Charles. She was still devoted to him and loved him though he killed their child. 

At the trial, they claimed that the baby had to of died after the 7th due to decomposition. They also claimed everything was circumstantial and he could have given the baby away and the "Smith" man murdered the child. He was found guilty at trial and was sentenced 21 years in the penitentiary. Many thought that for the crime he would have hung and was surprised with his sentencing. 

SOURCES:

Decatur Daily Republican March 28, 1885

Herald and Review April 8, 1885 

The Herald-Dispatch June 20, 1885
St. Louis Glove-Democrat October 28, 1885

St. Louis Globe November 4, 1885

St. Louis Dispatch November 5, 1885

Chicago Tribune November 5, 1885

St. Louis Globe-Democrat November 5, 1885 

The Pantagraph November 6, 1885
The Herald-Dispatch November 7, 1885

MISSING: Mary Lazzara

Sometime in 1939 Mary Lazzara who was around 24-years-old at the time was last seen heading to work in Gary, Indiana. She was never heard from or seen again. Mary is a white female and was around 24-years-old at the time. She has black hair and brown eyes. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:
Doe Network

Murder of George Franklin

On March 5, 1878, 19-year-old John Parker went fishing. He decided to go to Mr. M.A. Conant's shop in Somerset, Kentucky. He would return home and then come back to town with a bucket. When John went into C.A. Zachary's drugstore local barber George Franklin came out of a back room.

John tipped his hat as a greeting. This angered George Franklin as it was rude at the time to tip your hat at another male. This is along the lines of what was said.

John: "Good evening, Mr. Franklin." He tips his hat at him.

George: "You are a fool. Don't you know it is not polite for a man to tip his hat to another? Ain't you never been anywhere? I have been all over the United States."

John: "I know what is polite and what isn't."

George: "You are a damn liar if you say that is polite."

John: "Have you got to learn me what to say."

George: "Say me across the head. You are nothing: I can whip you if you are 10 pounds in my weight."

John: "I am." This was when John exited the store and waited for George on the sidewalk. It took a couple of minutes before George joined him.

The next thing people knew was that George had been stabbed by John. Witnesses said that when George reached the sidewalk John thrust the knife into his chest hitting his heart in the lower part. George stated, "John I believe you have cut me." George walked into the drug store and grabbed a poker and threw it at John before collapsing and dying.

But John stated that he nor George was actually angry at each other. The two were friends and he even blackened a pair of shoes for George that day. He said he was sharpening a pencil by the time that George came out and George smacked John. He stated that to block another hit from him he instinctively threw his hand in front of him to block the blow, and that was when George fell into the knife.

John was found guilty at trial and was set to hang. He was hoping that the governor would pardon him for the murder. He was not pardoned and hanged on June 12, 1878.

SOURCES:
The Cincinnati Enquirer April 13, 1878
Interior Journal April 5, 1878
Kentucky Explorer
Shaking Paper