#double murder

The morning of July 13th, 2019 began as a normal day for the members of the Kind family. Kevin Kind, a 41-year-old resident of Fitzgerald, Georgia went to his job at a local car wash. By 8:30 AM, what was supposed to be a normal work shift quickly turned into a tragic event when Kevin was found shot to death inside the car wash. 

Approximately thirty minutes later, 40-year-old Cedric Kind was also found shot to death inside his Fitzgerald residence. Said residence is located just streets away from the car wash where his brother Kevin had been found shot less than an hour earlier. It was immediately believed that the killings were connected and not just a tragic coincidence. 

Loved ones of the Kind brothers stated they do not know who would want either of them dead. Kevin has been described as a kind man who loved his mother dearly. He worked at Johnson’s Car Wash and was called a “car wash legend” by his boss. Cedric, who was paralyzed from the waist down, has been described as a quiet but loving young man. Friends and family of both men have been left without answers and are still hoping to find justice.

Authorities have revealed very little about the status of the investigation. In 2023, it was reported that investigators believe the killings were gang related. However, no further information about that has been disclosed. No arrests have ever been made in the case.

Teenage sisters Barbara and Patricia Grimes spent an evening together at their local cinema but never returned home.

During the evening of December 28th, 1956, teenage sisters Barbara and Patricia Grimes left their home in Chicago, Illinois, and headed to Brighton Theatre to see Elvis Presley’s new movie, Love Me Tender. Both girls were huge fans of Elvis and they had already seen the movie multiple times, so they had travelled this same route together on numerous occasions. However, this would be the last time they were seen alive.

Barbara (15) and Patricia (13) were due to return home by midnight, but when they failed to show up their mother began to worry. After three late-night buses went by and the two girls were nowhere to be seen, an unsettling concern that they were not coming home began to set in, so at 02:15 in the morning their panicked mother filed a missing persons report with the Chicago Police Department.

During the weeks that followed, thousands of police officers and volunteers searched extensively and Elvis Presley himself made a public plea via radio and television for their safe return. Canals and rivers were dredged, the authorities knocked door-to-door, and over 15,000 flyers were distributed around the local community. However, on 9th January, snow had begun to fall and blanketed the entire area, which significantly impeded search efforts.

The last person on record to see the sisters alive was one of Patricia’s school friends, a young girl named Dorothy, who came forward to state that she was at the same movie screening as the two sisters and was sitting in the row behind them. She claimed the last time she saw them was in a queue for popcorn, and they seemed relaxed and happy.

Sadly, on 22nd January 1957 — almost one entire month after they disappeared — the sisters’ bodies were discovered alongside a secluded road in Willow Springs, which is approximately a 20-minute drive from the theatre they attended.

On 25th of October 1958 a man named Aarre Lampinen had plans to go visit his 74 year old mother Aleksandra and 43 year old sister Eeva in their farm located in Lammi. He decided to call first, but when no one answered, he sensed something was wrong and hurried to the place with his car.

He arrived around 2 pm and noticed Aleksandra laying on the yard. At first he thought she had gotten some sort of a seizure, but very soon her horrible fate became clear to him. From inside the house he found Eeva laying on a puddle of blood. Both of them had been murdered with an edged weapon. Aarre soon called for a doctor and a rural police chief.

When the police arrived they immediately started to investigate. Important thing was to find out what the murder weapon had been. The police heard that from a house nearby an axe had went missing, but it’s not clear if that turned out to be significant. They also tried to figure out the exact time of the murder. On the fateful day, cows had already been milked but autopsy revealed that the victims hadn't yet eaten breakfast. Couple containers of milk were cooling in a bucket near the well. 

(People investigating the well in hopes of finding the murder weapon.)

The police interrogated over 1 000 people, made some arrests and even one local farmer became a suspect. Later he was declared innocent. The investigation didn't really go anywhere and time passed. The family of Aleksandra and Eeva promised 150 000 Finnish marks to the one who would give the hint that would solve the case. It made many people contact the police but nothing important was revealed. Even some clairvoyants offered their help.

Revelation

In Spring 1961 a police was called to a house near Aleksandra’s farm to calm down an argument between a married couple. When the police asked what was the argument about, the woman, named Annikki told that it was about a bottle of liquor. Her husband however told that it was because he knew too much about the murder in Aleksandra’s farm. Later, Annikki tried to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. When she was hurried to the hospital, people were able to pick up some interesting things from her disorderly speech. These things led to the arrest of her 22 year old sister, Irma Vuorinen. She was interrogated for the first time on 25th of April 1961 in Rovaniemi, later also in Tampere.

Irma was from Lammi as well, but she had moved to Sodankylä, Lapland because she met her partner (from what I’ve understood they weren’t married) who apparently was from there. She had three children at the time of her arrest (two of them with her partner). On 24th of October 1958 she had came to Lammi to visit her family. At first she denied murdering Aleksandra and Eeva, but very soon she confessed. 

First she explained that she had went to purchase eggs from Aleksandra and Eeva. She told she had taken this little axe with her because she wanted to cut some spruce branches, so they could later be put on a porch steps (if it’s icy outside they prevent people from slipping).  Aleksandra didn’t sell her the eggs because Irma only had 260 Finnish marks and the eggs cost 300 Finnish marks. Irma tried to buy the eggs into debt, but Aleksandra denied this as well because Irma already owed her 3 000 Finnish marks. She also added that Irma was “tainted” because she had illegitimate children. According to Irma the speech had hurt her very much and she had gotten furious. Then she had fetched the axe from outside and hit Alexandra on the head with it. She murdered Eeva as well when she had told that she would tell everything to Aarre. 

During the interrogation in Tampere, Irma changed her story. Now she told that she had went to borrow 10 000 Finnish marks from Aleksandra. When she had left around 10 am, she had took her father’s axe with her so that she could take the money any means necessary. She told she left the axe outside when she entered the house. After a while Eeva went outside and this is when Irma asked Aleksandra if she would loan the money. Aleksandra said she doesn’t have that much money. Irma went outside and fetched the axe. Aleksandra denied loaning the money to Irma multiple times, and then Irma decided to use the axe and hit Aleksandra with it. When Eeva had said the thing that she would tell Aarre, had Irma also hit her with the axe. After murdering them she rummaged through their cabinets looking for the money, but had to leave empty handed.

Irma left the house cutting through a forest. In the forest there was a small pond in which Irma washed her bloody hands. She also threw the axe in to the pond. Annikki told the police that Irma had been away all morning and when she came back she didn’t tell where she had been. She had the branches with her and she put them on the steps as she had planned. Annikki and their mother had also noticed some red stains on Irma’s dress. "Berry juice", was Irma’s response. 

On the next day, the murders had already been discovered. According to Annikki, Irma had only laughed a bit when hearing about them. During that day, the police arrived to their house to interrogate them. Irma had been washing her clothes and told that she didn’t know anything about the murders. However, Annikki and their mother had already started to suspect Irma indeed had something do to with the murders. However they weren’t sure about it, which is why they didn’t say anything to the police. Irma then spent another week in Lammi and then left home to Sodankylä.

Everyone in Lammi and Sodankylä were shocked to hear who the murderer was. Irma had been living a completely normal life and hadn't told anyone about the case. Though, according to her partner from time to time she had seemed to be a little restless and had stayed up late just aimlessly walking around the house. Irma’s family was also very shocked. According to Annikki’s husband, Irma had always been cheerful and brisk, but when she got mad she got furious. "What could be the purpose for all of this?", cried Irma’s mother when the press interviewed her.

Trial

In June 1961 district court of Hollola sentenced Irma to penitentiary for life for two murders. She was also sentenced to lose her civic confidence forever. The court didn't believe Irma’s explanation that she had murdered the two women just on a whim. The court saw that she had went to the house with an axe to indeed borrow money, and she was determined to get the money, no matter what. Irma was also sentenced for attempt of robbery. The district court denied Irma’s plea to be mentally evaluated.

The sentencing was rare in Finland, as so was the murder itself. Irma became the fourth female inmate who was serving a life sentence. This sentencing however didn’t acquire legal standing and the case went to be handled in court of appeals. Now the mental evaluation was also conducted in Lapinlahti hospital. The shortened version goes as follows: “Irma is normal build, prone to lying and she doesn’t have emotional durability. She doesn’t use alcohol, but she is eager to get married. She is very particular of her appearance, but self-conscious and untrustworthy character. She is moody and she has strong affects. Her intellect is basic average level, IQ 90. Her understanding of reality breaks off easily. While committing the deed she wasn’t criminally responsible, nor was she mentally ill.”

In May 1962 the court of appeals of Turku sentenced her again. Irma couldn't be held criminally responsible. She was sentenced to 15 years in penitentiary and she lost her civic confidence for 15 years.

Kim Edwards and Lucas Markham are considered to be Britain’s youngest double murderers, being only 14 years old whenever they murdered Edwards’ mother and younger sister. The pair stabbed their victims to death while they slept, Edwards’ sister was only 13 years old when she was killed.

The pair were described as ‘besotted’ by news agencies, they had previously ran away from home together and spent 6 days sleeping rough before being returned to their families. Edwards’ was allegedly also jealous of the close relationship that her mother had with her younger sister. Edwards’ and Markham planned the murders together, and once they were finished they spent the next 36 hours together in the house, they had sex, shared a bath, and watched the Twilight movies.