True Crime Morsels Pt. I

A few brief true crime stories and cases of interest.

Jonathan Walker “Slave Stealer”

Born in 1799 in New England, Jonathan Walker was an abolitionist and sea captain most known for the unusual punishment he received after helping seven slaves escape to freedom.

In 1835, Walker joined fellow abolitionist Benjamin Lunday on an expedition to Mexico to help colonize escaped American slaves. Once he returned, Walker and his family relocated from MA to Pensacola, Florida.

In June 1844, Walker arranged to take seven runaway slaves to the Bahamas. He transported the slaves using a whaleboat constructed himself. Unfortunately, while at sea, Walker became sick and his boat drifted. Several days later, a salvage sloop rescued him, putting him ashore at Key West. Walker was immediately arrested for aiding escaped slaves.

Walker languished in jail for months before he was tried and convicted for stealing slaves on November 14, 1844. The court sentenced Walker to one hour in the public pillory, court costs, a $600 fine, prison time, and the branding of “SS” on his right hand, denoting he was a Slave Stealer.

Walker was released from prison in 1845, his fines and court fee were paid for by abolitionists. He returned to New England where he lectured on slavery, closing his speeches by lifting his right hand to the crowd stating, “the seal, the coat of arms of the United States.”

Walker relocated to Muskegon County, MI, where he lived until his death on August 1, 1878.

Abolitionist and poet John Greenleaf Whittler paid tribute to Walker through a poem titled, “The Branded Hand,” which became synonymous with those advocating for the end of slavery.

Elmer McCurdy

Elmer McCurdy was an American outlaw who died in a police shootout in 1911. Since the family did not claim his body, it was embalmed and put on display at a local funeral home. The funeral home staff charged people to view his corpse.

In addition, McCurdy’s body was used in circus sideshows, propping his body up amidst performances to shock and wow the crowd.

By the mid-1960s, the corpse was long forgotten, now at a Long beach carnival. The owners sold the carnival but didn’t explain the presence of McCurdy's corpse. When new carnival workers found the corpse, they assumed it was a prop.

They picked up McCurdy’s corpse and one of his arms fell off, revealing the skeleton underneath. The carnival staff was horrified to discover that it was a real corpse. The new carnival workers buried McCurdy’s body under a slab of concrete, finally putting an end to its days as a tourist attraction.

The Grim Sleeper

Over a 25-year period, The Grim Sleeper, later identified as Lonnie Franklin, murdered at least 11 women in the Los Angeles area. He was found guilty of 10 murders in 2016.

Franklin was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army in 1975 after he was convicted of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in Germany. The L.A. rapes and murders began in 1983.

Police arrested Franklin after finding more than 160 photographs of women inside his home, mostly taken in his home or car. The women in the photos appeared to be asleep, unconscious, and in some photos, even dead.

Mexico’s JonBenet Ramsey

A disabled 4-year-old girl, Paulette Gebara Farah, disappeared in March 2010. Her parents reported her missing on March 22. They said she was sleeping in her bed when they saw her last. Police came to the home but did not find any signs of a break-in or forced entry.

Police searched for Paulette for nine days until her badly decomposed body was found in her bed, wedged between the bed frame and mattress, covered in blankets. The body was located in the very spot her mom, Lisset, sat while giving interviews.

The area had been thoroughly searched more than one time. The question of how no one smelled a decomposing body also puzzled investigators.

An autopsy ruled she died from asphyxiation that occurred the day before she was reported missing. Authorities ruled the death accidental while many people believe Lisset got away with murder.