People do crazy stuff when they’re in love. They Facebook stalk to the point of finding prom photos, they pull a Lloyd Dobler and blast music from boom boxes outside of windows, they even get really regrettable tattoos of names and faces and singlehandedly keep laser removal in business. But every now and then someone takes the cake and does the craziest thing of all in the name of love: they kill.
Kind of makes you feel okay for being single and watching Magic Mike alone, huh?
beetlejuice
Eric McLean
YouTube
YouTube
In March of 2007 Eric McLean shot and killed 18-year-old Scott Powell who was waiting in his car outside of McLean’s house. The high school student had been having an affair was McLean’s wife, Erin, who was his English TA. Eric had suspected that his wife had been up to something as she was constantly talking about one of her students (Scott Powell) in an almost obsessive manner, and the couple’s two young sons told their father about outings with their mom and her “friend.” Erin didn’t do much to hide the affair from her husband who, when asked why he didn’t simply leave his cheating wife said, “Because I love her.”
Eric McLean was convicted of reckless homicide in 2008, and served no jail time. He later won a custody battle for his songs against his ex-wife who had ANOTHER affair with a student in 2009.
beetlejuice
Els Clottemans
YouTube
YouTube
If you’ve always been afraid to go skydiving read about Els Clottemans at your own risk.
Dubbed “The Parachute Murder” by the Belgian Media, Els Clottemans was convicted of the first degree murder of fellow skydiver Els Van Doren in 2006. Both women were romantically linked to Marcel Somers, and although Clottemans went on record saying she didn’t mind being his “number two” a jury felt a little differently. Police first suspected Clottemans after she attempted suicide, presumably out of guilt, after speaking to them. She then continually tried to contact both Somers and Van Doren’s family, and investigators came to the conclusion that she wanted Somers all to herself. After reviewing both the tape that had been on Van Doren’s helmet during her 2 mile plummet (yeah, it was recorded) and the evidence showing that the lines of her parachutes had been cut, Clottemans was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Her first appeal was denied.
beetlejuice
Rachel Wade
Wikimedia
Wikimedia
I knew teenaged girls had a tendency to get crazy over boys, but the fight between Rachel Wade and Sarah Luddeman over Joshua Camacho was above and beyond crazy.
After Rachel and Joshua had broken up, he started dating Sarah Luddeman. Rachel and Sarah had a heated rivalry over this boy. Police had spoken to Sarah roughly once a month in the six months she’d been dating Joshua about harassment from Rachel. The girls would show up to each other’s work to taunt the other, Rachel would leave volatile voicemails and Facebook posts threatening Sarah, and eventually one night April things came to a grisly boiling point.
Sarah went to confront Rachel on the night of April 14th after hearing Rachel scream, “I’m going to stab you and your Mexican boyfriend,” at her as she drove by. Both girls allegedly lunged at each other but Rachel pulled out a steak knife and repeatedly stabbed Sarah, eventually hitting her heart. When the fight was over Rachel threw the murder weapon into the neighbors yard and calmly said, “I’m done.” She is currently serving 27 years in a prison in Florida.
beetlejuice
Leslie Hylton
YouTube
YouTube
In the 1940s Leslie Hylton, a test cricket player from Jamaica, fell for Lurline Rose the daughter of the Police Inspector. Their relationship had caused controversy because of the difference in class between the two, but despite her disapproving parents and the family’s efforts to squash the relationship, love won out and the two were married in 1942.
Fast forward to 1954 and the love that triumphed over all had taken a disastrous turn.
Leslie had begun receiving anonymous letters stating that his wife was cheating on him while she was away in New York City attending to her dressmaking business. Despite Lurline’s insistence that Roy Francis (the alleged other man ) was merely an acquaintance, eventually she gave in and confessed that she had been cheating on her husband and that it was because he was such a lower class and that “the sight of him made her sick.”
Leslie then grabbed a shotgun off the wall and shot Lurline. He claimed he had been trying to commit suicide and missed, but the seven bullets recovered from Lurline’s body proved otherwise. He was convicted of murder and hanged for his crime in 1955.