Infamous Crimes on Halloween: Death Destruction and Disaster on a Dark Day

Halloween is a United States-inspired tradition when kids dress up, go trick-or-treating with their friends, and get as much candy as possible.

But, over the years, Halloween has slowly morphed into something darker. Not only does crime spike during this holiday, which is held on 31 October each year, including intentional or reckless damage to property, assault offences and even murders.

Let’s look at some of the most horrific crimes committed on a day that is meant to be a bit of spooky fun for the kids, not one on which families are left to mourn unimaginable tragedy.

The Murder of Eden Delir

The murder of Eden Delir shocked New South Wales in 2010, as an innocent boy was found unconscious, beaten, and covered in blood in Bossley Park in Sydney’s west on 30 October 2010. Due to these horrific injuries, he succumbed to his wounds and died in the hospital just six days later.

Eden was at a party at a house on Restwell Road in Bossley Park when the six men arrived in an aggressive and angry manner. Even though they did not interact in any way, and Eden most certainly did not provoke the attack, the six men began taunting, tormenting, and assaulting Eden.

Justice Hall, who was in charge of sentencing the attackers, stated that ‘while the victim was in a wounded and vulnerable position, the group moved in and inflicted a series of attacks’. After multiple blows to the head, punches, and kicks, Eden was able to flee the scene — but was found too late, hiding by the side of the house with fatal injuries.

One of the ‘scariest’ parts of the crime? The offenders were only sentenced to a maximum of 10 years imprisonment, meaning that Edin’s life was taken for a short-term reprimand, allowing these teenagers to be let free in their mid-20s — while Edin and his family will never recover.

The Murder of Lynette Bradbury

Lynette Bradbury, 52, was found dead on 31 October 2011 in Oatlands 25 km west of Sydney’s CBD. Police focused on the husband, Brian, as the main suspect, alleging that he beat his wife to death with a dumbbell to fuel his gambling addiction. They suspect he then staged the home to look like a breaking and entering to conceal the domestic violence dispute that really occurred.

The suspicions include that Lynette probably confronted Brian regarding their finances before the murder, as they had only $12 in their account before she was killed. But, Lynette had just received $50,000 from a family member’s Lotto winnings, perhaps spurring Bryan to kill his wife out of jealousy, addiction, or rage. Brian was eventually charged with her murder nearly two years after his wife’s death in a Parramatta Local Court.

The Murders of Leanne Marie Oliver and Patricia Sophia Leedie

A 10-year-old girl and an 8-year-old girl were both found murdered in 1995 after Paul Stephen Osbourne beat, assaulted, raped, and murdered innocent children. Despite technically being two days before Halloween, the murder on 29 October 1995 rocked the entire state of Queensland for decades to come.

Osbourne ‘bashed’ to death the two schoolgirls on Warana Beach in Queensland after recognising them from a barbecue that he went to the day prior. After swimming with the girls, no doubt trying to trick them into letting their guard down, he then brutally attacked them on the beach. The police were able to tie the crimes back to Osbourne after finding his wallet left on the beach. He was sentenced to two consecutive sentences of life imprisonment plus 46 years without the possibility of parole in February 1997.

The Murder of Martha Moxley

Turning to tragedies from other parts of the world, Martha Moxley was a 15-year-old American from Greenwich, Connecticut, in the Northeastern United States. On 30 October 1975, she left home to participate in ‘mischief night’ with her friends. This night involved harmless pranks and activities such as “TPing” houses, playing ‘ding dong ditch’ with the doorbells, and playing games with her friends.

Moxley was flirting with and kissed Thomas Skakel — who would become the last person to see her alive. Her body was found in her family’s backyard beneath a tree the following morning, with stab wounds and bruises from a beating that appeared to be from a golf club from Skakel’s residence.

One of the most infamous aspects of the case included the defence of Thomas Skakel during the initial investigation. He was the prime suspect, but his father vehemently denied that he had any participation in the crime and even forbade the courts from accessing his son’s mental health records.

Skakel changed his alibi multiple times while giving statements, along with allegedly confessing the crimes to a friend after the fact. Even though he thought he was going to get away with murder due to his family’s prowess in the community, he was eventually found guilty and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison on 7 June 2002.

The Murder of Timothy O’Bryan

Arguably, the most infamous Halloween murder was that involving Ronald O’Bryan, the aptly-named ‘Candy Man’ who killed his own son with a cyanide-laced sweet while trick or treating around the neighbourhood in Houston, Texas, in 1974.

O’Bryan changed how parents view Halloween, as it had been a holiday that allowed families to let their children aimlessly roam the streets and neighbourhoods with their friends to go trick or treating, dress up in costume, and enjoy the evening. However, the naivety was soon washed away after families heard of O’Bryan’s callousness and horrific crime that involved killing his child to secure $200,000 in life insurance.

The Candy Man replaced the powder inside of Giant Pixy Stix with cyanide that was deadly enough to kill a grown man, let alone a tiny child. The perpetrator handed out the Pixy Stix to more children, but his son was the only one who ate the sweet. Sources note that O’Bryan even gave the candy to his daughter, showing just how barbaric and sick his mindset was at the time of the killings.

Ever since O’Bryan murdered his son on Halloween, there have been reports of poisoned candy, drug-laced sweets, and weapons inside of candy that have prompted parents to be extremely vigilant on Halloween night. Despite never admitting his guilt, a Texas court found O’Bryan guilty and he was put to death in 1984.

Crime Spikes on Halloween

It’s not just the time of the year, cooling-off of the weather, or spooky-themed evenings that are eerie during the Halloween season — it is actually a proven fact that there are crime spikes on Halloween that can lead to an increase in danger. Studies have shown that there are 17% more crime-related claims on Halloween due to the ability to partake in property crimes, take advantage of open homes, and the deindividuation that comes with wearing a costume.

Furthermore, there is a 15.8% increase in robbery, a 24.2% increase in assault, an 8.9% increase in battery, and a 30% increase in criminal damage when it comes to the average incidence of crime on Halloween night.

So stay safe on and around Halloween, both this year and in years to come.