5 Chilling Halloween Crimes That Really Happened

2. Ronald Sisman and Elizabeth Platzman – The Berkowitz Prediction

On Halloween 1981, Ronald Sisman and Elizabeth Platzman were brutally murdered in their Chelsea, Manhattan apartment. The young couple had been ruthlessly beaten before both were shot in the head. The apartment had been ransacked and the police thought that there was a possibility that drug money may have been involved. As murders go, this case didn’t seem particularly unusual, but then things got really strange.

An informant in prison reported that a fellow prisoner had actually predicted the deaths of Sisman and Platzman several weeks before the crime actually took place. The prisoner who made the prediction was Son of Sam Killer David Berkowitz.

There had been many rumors that Berkowitz belonged to a satanic cult. It was even speculated that the cult had helped him to carry out some of the murders that he had committed. The informant stated that Berkowitz had said that his cult would be performing a ritual murder on Halloween in Greenwich Village. Chelsea is located just north of Greenwich Village.

When he was later questioned, Berkowitz claimed that Sisman had footage of a Son of Sam killing. He stated that it had been Sisman’s intention to turn the footage over to the police as a bargaining tool to have some drug charges dropped. No evidence was ever found to support Berkowitz’s claim, however, he was able to give a detailed and accurate description of the Chelsea apartment where Sisman and Platzman were murdered.

It’s never been proven whether the murders of Platzman and Sisman had anything at all to do with the Son of Sam killings, or even if Berkowitz is actually involved with a satanic cult. The Sisman and Platzman Halloween murders are still unsolved.

1. The Candy Man

Children trust in their parents to look out for them. They expect their parents to keep them safe from all of the dangers of a harsh world, but for Timothy O’Bryan, danger resided in his home in the guise of a loving father. The death of Timothy O’Bryan was one of the most shocking Halloween murders in history, sparking fear in the hearts of parents everywhere.

On Halloween night 1974, Timothy went trick-or-treating with his friends in Deer Park, Texas. His father, Ronald Clark O’Bryan accompanied the children to make sure they were safe while out in the neighborhood. The children approached a house, but when they knocked, there was no answer. Soon the kids scampered off to the next home, but Ronald stayed behind. Just moments later, he caught up with the group, clutching a handful of Pixy Stix, stating that he had received them from the previous house. He handed the candy out to his two children as well as some of the other kids in the group.

Ronald and his kids soon headed home, and once there, Timothy asked if he could have some of the candy form his treat bag. Ronald told his son that he could have the Pixy Stix. The child ate the candy and then died later that night. It was determined that the candy powder had been laced with cyanide. Fortunately, none of the other children had eaten the poisoned candy.

During the investigation, Ronald told the police that he had been given the candy by a man at the house where the children had received no answer when they knocked. When investigators questioned the man who resided at the house in question, he had a solid alibi about his whereabouts that evening. He wasn’t even at home. This information caused the police to decide to take a closer look at Ronald.

It was soon discovered that Ronald had taken out life insurance policies on his two children. He was in a considerable amount of debt, and had given not only his two children the poisoned candy, but had given it to two other children in the neighborhood as well in order to make it look like the random act of a sick stranger. He was convicted of murder and eventually executed for killing his son.

The case of the poisoned Pixy Stix caused many parents to keep their children home on Halloween, fearing that they would receive candy tainted with poison. Much of the hype surrounding poisoned Halloween candy has been nothing more than rumor. Heart attacks, infections, and other illnesses have all been blamed on tainted Halloween candy, but a more mundane explanation always comes to light.

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So there’s our look at 5 true Halloween crimes. What are your plans for this Halloween? Whatever they are make sure your safe. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or on any of our socials.