Today in True Crime History: December 31

Photo by Crina Parasca on Unsplash

1877 — Diamond Bessie, a sex worker, is murdered in the woods outside Jefferson, Texas. Her husband, Abraham Rothschild, was her killer. She became a local legend after this.

1993 — Brandon Teena, a trans man, is sexually assaulted and murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska. His life was the subject of the film Boys Don’t Cry.

2003 — Baby Allison is found in a burn barrel. She is a newborn who had been murdered shortly after birth with the umbilical cord still attached. Her identity remains unknown.

2017 — A shooting occurs in Highland Ranch, Colorado. Five sheriff deputies are shot, and one dies. Two civilians were also shot, and the suspect was later killed in a fight with the SWAT team.