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No matter how steely our resolve, there are some graphic depictions of inhumane torture and brutality that are too much for the average human to withstand. Thanks to rampant consumerism, countless Netflix series and limited documentaries have been made about some of the most famous and disturbing true crime cases known to man. It goes without saying that one would rather hear of these grisly crimes from the comfort of one’s own home rather than enduring them first-hand.
But which crimes were committed by the lowest of the low, the deadliest of the deadly? That would be a matter of perspective, but many true crime enthusiasts can unanimously agree that these unspeakable acts of savagery are among the worst ever recorded in the history of humanity.
Warning: The following article contains mentions of sexual assault, murder, cannibalism, and kidnapping.
The Toy-Box Killer’s Torture Room
David Parker Ray, known as the Toy-Box Killer, operated from 1957 to 1999 by actively kidnapping, torturing, and presumably killing several women. Ray had soundproofed his semi-trailer — which he dubbed his “Toy Box” — where he would bring incapacitated women against their wills. While there, Ray would play the hostages an “indicatory tape” that described in great detail how he would sexually assault and physically torment them over a course of two or three months.
During this period, Ray himself would sexually abuse the captives or even involve his girlfriend, friends, and even his dogs. He would then drug them with barbiturates to erase their memories and render them an amnesiac. Ray’s interest in sadomasochism presumably originated from his violent, alcoholic father, who would visit him with pornographic magazines. Although no bodies were found, Ray was also accused by his accomplices of killing several women.
Ray died of a heart attack shortly after receiving a 224-year sentence.
Albert Fish’s Killing Spree
From 1924 to 1932, Albert Fish acquired many nicknames from the media, including the Gray Man, the Werewolf of Wysteria, the Brooklyn Vampire, the Moon Maniac, and The Boogey Man. Although he only confessed to three of them, Fish was convicted of at least 10 murders during the eight years he operated. It was the murder of 10-year-old Grace Budd that saw Fish facing justice for his crimes.
After concocting a lie about attending his niece’s birthday party, Fish managed to convince Grace’s parents to let her accompany him. He subsequently abducted Grace, strangled her, then decapitated and cannibalized her body. In 1934, an anonymous letter was sent to Grace’s mother, Delia Flanagan, detailing how Fish murdered her and ate her remains. “It took me 9 days to eat her entire body,” Fish wrote.
At the age of 65, Fish was convicted of Grace Budd’s murder and died by electric chair.
The Murder of Georgia Williams
One of the lesser-known crimes of the last decade, Georgia Williams was murdered at the hands of Jamie Reynolds, a snuff film-obsessed 23-year-old. Williams was lured to Reynolds’ home under the false pretence of a troublesome photoshoot. Once inside his home, Williams was hanged as Reynolds filmed the whole ordeal. He then proceeded to have sex with her body. Not long after Williams’ body was discovered, it became known that Reynolds was known to police for his stash of snuff films depicting similar murders.
Reynolds asked Williams to stand on a box with a noose around her neck for a supposed ‘photoshoot.’ He then kicked the box away and filmed her taking her final breaths. Later, police searched his home and found a list of 32 names — all women — along with summaries of what Reynolds planned to do to them. Doctors claimed Reynolds to be “a significant risk to others,” but West Mercia failed to initially charge him.
Jamie Reynolds was sentenced to life in prison in May 2013. He is currently serving his sentence in Wakefield’s ‘Monster Mansion’ high-security jail.
Mary Vincent Left To Die
After a brief period of homelessness, Mary Vincent decided to hitchhike to her grandfather’s house following her parent’s messy divorce. In Berkley, California, in 1978, Vincent decided to return home after staying with her grandfather for a while. She stumble upon Lawrence Singleton, of whom she grew increasingly suspicious. Singleton knocked her unconscious with a sledgehammer, then bound her, sexually assaulted her, and severed her forearms with a hatchet.
After the fact, Singleton proceeded to throw her off a cliff into a ditch, leaving her for dead. Miraculously, Vincent survived the fall. She climbed the cliff and dumped her forearms in mud to cauterize the wound. After roaming Interstate 5 for three miles, she was picked up by a couple and brought to a nearby hospital.
Singleton was freed from prison in 1987 and subsequently killed a mother of three. Vincent testified against him at his murder trial, but Singleton died on death row from cancer.
The Concrete-Encased High School Girl Murder Case
Over a period of 40 days, Junko Furuta was abducted, sexually assaulted, tortured, and murdered. Her body was discovered in a concrete drum, hence the nickname of the case. Furuta’s murder has been described as the worst juvenile crime in post-war Japan. Two of the four perpetrators spotted Furuta riding her bike home after work. After the pair kicked Furuta from her bike, a third offered to walk her home. After gaining her trust, he sexually assaulted her in a nearby warehouse.
Furuta’s kidnappers forced her to call her mother to convince her that she had ran away. The four friends brought Furuta to a hotel, where they all sexually assaulted her. She was held captive at the residence of one attacker, Nobuharu Minato, where she was continuously tortured. Due to severe injuries, Furuta was convinced to one room in a state of extreme malnourishment. After one particular attack that lasted several hours, Furuta succumbed to her wounds and died.
All four assailants received prison sentences ranging between five and 20 years.
