Afternoon of Christmas Day, and all but one of the Lawsons would be dead.
The bodies of each family member were found with rocks beneath their heads and their arms crossed.
To this day the motive and reason behind the murders remains a mystery.
These haunting murder cases will leave you shocked and horrified.
Later, the sound and sight of flames caught the attention of neighbors.
The three victims were found dead inside.
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There was also evidence that the two girls had been brutally raped.
It was concluded that the arson was committed in an attempt to cover up the crime.
Dawn broke on Christmas Eve and word of the gruesome murders spread through town.
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He claimed that they had been discussing the crime for months.
William Neal had supposedly claimed that he was going to have carnal communication with Emma before Christmas day.
Neal followed and I stayed behind on the porch and afterwards I went in.
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Robbie was the first aroused and started to get up when Craft said you had better lie still.
Robbie said, you had better stay away from there, when Craft hit him with the axe.
Emma also started to jump from the bed when Neal choked her and pulled her onto the floor.
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She fought him and I held her while he outraged her.
Craft also had some trouble with Fanny Gibbons and called on me to come and help him.
He then outraged her and killed her.
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We then left the house.
George Ellis was given a life sentence, but was later killed by a lynch mob.
Today, the last and one of the only portraits the Lawson family took remains infamous.
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Back then this wasnt a normal occurrence for someone of his social standing and financial means.
Fast forward to the afternoon of Christmas Day, and all but one of the Lawsons would be dead.
He shot his daughter Marie (17) and then both boys.
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He then bludgeoned his youngest 4-month-old infant baby girl Mary Lou to death.
He then walked into the woods and killed himself.
Had he wanted to spare his life?
We will never know.
The bodies of each family member were found with rocks beneath their heads and their arms crossed.
To this day the motive and reason behind the murders remains a mystery.
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Whether this had something to do with this familial massacre, we will never know.
She died by asphyxiating on her own blood.
Neighbors could hear as she yelled, Dont kill me.
Reportedly they could also hear her father instructing her to lay still and keep quiet.
The two younger siblings, Joel and Debbie, had by now woken up.
By the time emergency responders arrived to the scene he was dead.
The estate was sold at a probate auction to husband and wife, Julian and Emily Enriquez.
Here is where it gets even creepier.
The Enriquez family apparently never moved in.
Rudy died in 2015.
One word: eerie.
There is even cat litter from the long gone familys pet.
Though the origins are unknown, gold ribbon for presents could be found inside the house.
I, myself, have become lost for hours in the vortex that is the death of JonBenet Ramsey.
This one is a world of its own.
On Christmas Eve in 2002, Ernest.
He had been evicted after his wife Jean obtained an order under the Protection From Abuse Act.
He shot his wife Jean and two daughters Victoria and Elizabeth.
He left Victorias infant daughter unharmed.
Days later, Wholaver was arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder.
His brother who aided him, Scott Wholaver acted as a Commonwealth witness aiding the prosecution.
Ernest Wholaver has sat on death row since 2004, while his brother was sentenced to serve 15-25 years.
He then began to shoot senselessly at everyone in attendance, and purposely executing some.
His ex-wifes parents, two brothers and their wives, her sister, and her nephew were killed.
The 8-year-old girl survived with injuries.
After he was done shooting he unwrapped his present and used the flamethrower to set fire to the home.
One of the survivors that managed to escape ran to a neighbors for help.
Another Santa Claus tainted Christmas for another family in 2011 in Texas.
At some point before all the slayings finished taking place, someone had called 911 from inside the apartment.
After spreading bloodshed and committing the murders Yazdanpanah committed suicide.
White had strangled her and beat her to death and hid her body there.
Family members said that White was part of the family and couldnt begin to comprehend what had transpired.
Christmas was her favorite holiday and she put much effort and time in decorating for it.
White was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
After this, Valdez was told he would have to move out if he continued this way.
He also cut off his arms and used his bare hands to pull out his eyes.
He then decapitated him, leaving his head on his aunts pillow as an early Christmas present.
After becoming tired of mutilating the body he called 911 to report a dead body.
Upon arriving, police found him saturated in blood.
He confessed to the murder and said he would have killed his aunt too had she been home.
He was sentenced to 33 years in prison.
The teen swung at her with a baseball bat, striking at her head and her body.
Using a knife, he slashed her throat, then later stabbed her in the eye plunging it in.
The mother was later discovered by a friend in an huge puddle of blood.
The relationship between mother and son had been strained due to divorce between the parents.
The psychiatrist also told the judge that he would be a danger to society if let free.
Aydelott was ordered to be involuntarily committed at a state mental hospital.
His case is to be reviewed periodically.
