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Air India flight 855 crash lands in ocean
Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes into the ocean near Bombay, killing 213. -
The Vampire of Sacramento is arrested
Richard Chase, "the vampire of sacremento," brutally murdered 6 people on a 30 day killing spree as well as many small animals since childhood. After killing his victims, he would drink their blood and eat their organs.
Upon his arrest he told officials that he had to kill them so he could live. -
Ted Bundy is captured
Ted Bundy was convicted of being a serial killer and a rapist. Being good looking, he attracted mant female victims and gained their trust.
After a decade of denying his charges, Bundy finally confessed to committing 30 murders between 1974 and 1978.
The tru total remains unknown and could be much higher -
David Richard Berkowitz sentenced to 365 years in jail
David Berkowitz also known as the Son of Sam or the .44 calliber killer.
Shootings continued for over a year(1976), killing 6 people and injuring seven. Along with the murders Berkowitz would leave behind notes claiming more deaths.
Upon his arrest in 1977, Berkowitz claimed that he was commanded to kill by a demon posessing his neighbors dog.
In 1978 heamended his claim by saying he was part of a satanic cult and the murders were ritual killings.
He is now serving 6 life sentences. -
Jaws 2
The sequel to the widely known thriller Jaws hits theatres -
Garfield
Garfield, now the most widely syndicated comic strip, begins -
Louise Brown
Louise Brown was the worlds first test tube baby. -
Gary and Thaddeus Lewingdon arrested
Starting on December 10, brothers Thaddeus and Gary committed 10 murders over 1 year.
Gary received 8 life sentences while Thaddeus received 3. -
John Wayne Gacy is arrested
Also known as the Killer Clown, John Gacy was charged with 34 accounts of murder and rape.
He buried 31 young men in his home abnd 3 more elsewhere on his property. All but gis first victim were strangled.
He was finally arrested after over 10 years of killing and sentenced to 14 years on deathrow. Executed by lethal injection in 1994 -
Robert Spangler
Robert Spangler made his first kills December 30.
Luring his wife at the time into the basement with promise of "a surprise" he shot and killed her before going upstairs to do the same to his two teenage children, Susan adn David.
Robert also killed his third wife in 1993 by pushing her off a cliff into a 140 ft drop.
Upon his arrest in 2000, Spangler told the police everything.