Syn Writes

The Crimes of Aum Shinrikyō

Asahara Shōkō, born Matsumoto Chizuo, founded Aum Shinrikyō in February of 1984. The group was originally called Aum Shinsen no Kai, but changed to Aum Shinrikyō in June of 1987. It began as a yoga and meditation studio, but would eventually become one of Japan’s most notorious terrorist organization (Aum Shinrikyo: The Japanese cult behind the Tokyo sarin attack)(Aum Shinrikyō: A timeline)(Aum…

Joshua Cooke: The Matrix Murder

When Tiffany Cooke called home on February 17, 2003, she had no idea what she was going to overhear. As she spoke with her father, Paul Cooke, 51, she heard her mother speaking to her brother on the other end. Her mother, Margaret Ruffin Cooke, 56, said, “Josh, you wouldn’t,” before Tiffany heard what she described as popping sounds. Moments later, her brother came on the line and when asked…

Mary Bell: Killer at 11

In 1968, an 11-year old girl named Mary Bell made news after killing two young boys in her hometown, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Four-year old Martin Brown was found in an abandoned house on St. Margaret’s Road, on May 25, 1968. Investigators initially believed he had accidently swallowed some pills due to a bottle found near him. Eerily, after his death Bell went to his home asking to see him,…

Just this month, the cold cases of the I-65 Killer finally came to a close. Using genetic genealogy, investigators were able to connect the cases to Harry Edward Greenwell, who died of cancer at 68 in 2013. The news came as a shock to Greenwell’s wife, Julie Jenkins, now 73, when it broke. Jenkins spoke of meeting Greenwell after living through an abusive relationship, and that while he had a…

The Murder of Rita Curran

Rita Curran, 24, returned home on July 19, 1971, around 10 PM after practice with her barbershop quartet. Curran was notably shy and quiet, the quartet had been a chance for her to open herself up. Approximately an hour after her return to the ground-level  apartment on Brooks Avenue, Burlington, VT, her roommates, Beverly Lamphere,24, and Kerry Duame 19, left to meet up with their friend, Paul…

The Isles of Shoals Murders

The Hontvets moved to the United States in 1866, originally settling in Boston, Massachusetts before moving further north to the Isles of Shoals off Maine. There, they began a fishing company that would become fairly successful (“The Smuttynose Murders”). On Smuttynose Island, where they had settled, they met their neighbor Louis Wagner, who was apparently struggling to live on the small island.…

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre

On the cold, dreary morning of February 14, 1929, while people across Chicago were preparing to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, seven men were waiting in a garage on 2122 North Clark Street. All seven were dressed in suits and ties, too nicely dressed to just be hanging out in the garage. As the men were supposedly waiting for an unknown other or others to arrive, a black Cadillac was seen driving…

The Murder of the Magees

When Holly Senykoff went to drop her children, 8 and 4, off at her parents house for the day so that she could go Christmas shopping, she never expected that she would find her parents shot to death in their million dollar home. Unfortunately, on December 14, 2011, at approximately 9:19 AM, Senykoff came upon her mother and father in their home and called emergency services. According to the…

The Murder of the DeFeo Family

At 6:30 AM on November 13, 1974, Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr, 23, was found sleeping in his 1970 Blue Buick Electra 225 Sedan at the dealership he worked at, Brigante-Karl Buick in Brooklyn, New York. The dealership was owned by his grandfather, Michael Brigante, and he and his father, Ronald “Big Ronnie” DeFeo Sr, were both employed there. His father had not arrived for work, but this had been…

The Disappearance of Cynthia Anderson

Cynthia “Cindy” Anderson, born February 4, 1961, was 20-years old when she seemingly disappeared on August 4, 1981. In the weeks leading up to her disappearance, she had been experiencing some strange, and unsettling, occurrences. Nightmares plagued her, of a man attacking her, and a message written on the wall across from her office window seemingly written to her. The message, reading “I LOVE…

The Murders of Herb Baumeister

His downfall began with a phone call to retired officer and private investigator Vergil Vandagriff. The caller, referred to as Tony, was a friend of a missing person Vandagriff was looking for. Robert Goodlet, 32, had been reported missing by his mother when he hadn’t returned home after a night out at a downtown gay bar. Tony had seen a man apparently obsessively admiring the missing person…

Hi everyone! Due to finals this week, I will be postponing the article until next weekend.

The Vanishing of Dorothy Arnold

Dorothy Harriett Camille Arnold was born to Francis Rose and Mary Parks Arnold on July 1, 1885. Francis Arnold was a graduate of Harvard and a senior partner at FR Arnold and Co, perfume and cologne imports, the family considered members of the high society of New York and listed in the New York Social Register (Monroe). Dorothy was one of four children and dreamed of becoming a writer.…

The Murders on LaSalle Street

When Robert Hinson, 30, and Robert Gierse, 34, hadn’t shown up to work on December 1, 1971, it wasn’t initially concerning (Penner, and Knapp). According to Louise Cole, a secretary at their business B&B Microfilm Services, both men had been at work later the night before. According to her, the two men were still hard at work when she left at 5:15 PM that night. Eventually, their absence became…

Arne Johnson: Demonic Possession or Murderer?

In 1980, 11-year old David Glatzel underwent multiple exorcisms (Margaritoff) to exorcise what was claimed to be 42 demons possessing him (“Demon Murder | Dengrove”). Just a month before the alleged possession began, Arne Johnson moved into the home (“Demon Murder | Dengrove”). During one such exorcism in October 1980, Johnson, 19 and engaged to David’s sister, Debbie,, begged the alleged demon…