The Backroom

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After a small miscommunication, Randy Weaver missed his court date for guns charges. The ATF and FBI were undercover in northwestern Idaho, cracking down on anti-government militias, when Weaver sold a sawed off shotgun to an undercover agent. 18 months after his original court date, US Marshalls began surveillance on the Weaver home. On August 21, 1992, agents began to close in when all hell broke loose. Agents shot and killed the Weaver family dog and the Weaver's son, Sammy. It is disputed as to what actually happened on the trail outside the cabin but at the end of the day, two people and a dog were dead. During the 11 day stand off, Weaver's wife Vicki was shot in the head by a sniper. Weaver's world was coming to an end. Weaver finally surrendered and was put on trial. Randy Weaver was sentenced to 18 months in prison and had to pay a $4,000 fine. The question has always been who was in the wrong? It is believed the the government was the reason for the stand off and killings of Weaver's son and wife. In the years following the incident, Weaver and his surviving children became born again christians and forgave the FBI and ATF for what had happened. Randy Weaver passed away on May 11, 2022 at the age of 74.

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By the mid 1970s, "The Troubles" in Ireland was at it's bloodiest point. The people of Ireland and Northern Ireland could not see eye to eye, some even taking a more violent approach. In the early morning hours of July 31, 1975, the Miami Showband was on their way back to Dublin after a show in Northern Ireland. The band's minibus was stopped at a checkpoint by a group of soldiers. Many of the soldiers seem to be members of the British Army, so the band was relaxed. The members were forced to get out and face a field with their hands on their heads. Two soldiers began looking through the car, eventually placing a time bomb under the driver's seat. Due to poor handling and soldering, the bomb went off prematurely, killing both men. All hell broke loose and the soldiers began firing at the band. Of the five members, three were executed and one was severely injured. In total, five people were killed. The checkpoint was found to be fake and the soldiers were members of the Northern Ireland paramilitary group, UVF. Their goal was to send the band to the next town and detonate the bomb at a police station and claim the band was part of the IRA. Only three members were tried and convicted. They were sentenced to life imprisonment but were all released in 1998. Although names have been tossed around, seven of the ten UVF soldiers involved have been identified. 

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On July 17, 1988, Frank Goodish, known as Brusier Brody to many, was stabbed by fellow wrestler Jose Gonzalez in a locker room shower at a show in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Brody lay bleeding on the shower floor for a whole thirty minutes before paramedics arrived. Wrestler Tony Atlas had to help carry Brody to the ambulance because Brody, who stood at 6 feet 8 inches and weighed 300 pounds, was too big for paramedics to lift alone. Bruiser Brody died a few hours later from his injuries. He was 42. The reason as to why Gonzalez killed Brody is still unknown. The three main theories are: 1) There was an argument over money, 2) There was an argument over a match finish and 3) There was a decade long grudge Gonzalez held over Brody. Either way, the locker room was full of people when Gonzalez asked to speak to Brody privately in the showers, yet none of them saw anything. Jose Gonzalez was tried and acquitted of murder in 1989. He continued to wrestle until 2014. The only one who was willing to testify was Tony Atlas. He was in contact with authorities in Puerto Rico and was told a subpoena would be sent to him by mail. The subpoena, dated January 3rd, wasn't sent until January 13th. The letter wasn't received by Atlas until January 24th, a whole day after the trial had started and a verdict was reached. Atlas believes that the fix was in. 

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On November 10, 1985, a hunter stumbled upon a 55 gallon barrel that contained the skeletal remains of a woman and a young girl. The remains were buried in the town cemetery. Their tombstone read "Here lies the mortal remains known only to God of a woman aged 23-33 and a girl child aged 8-10. Their slain bodies were found on November 10th, 1985, in Bear Brook State Park. May their souls find peace in God’s loving care". The small community of Allenstown, New Hampshire would never be the same. 15 years later, in May 2000, a second barrel was found with the skeletal remains of two young girls. Local police determined the victims in both barrels were killed by the same person(s). In 2014, three of the remains were linked together by DNA. In 2019, the identities of the three were released: Marlyse Elizabeth Honeychurch (24), Marie Elizabeth Vaughn (7), and Sarah Lynn McWaters (11 months). Honeychurch was the mother of Marie and Sarah. The suspect remained unknown for a long time until 2017, when it was determined that Terry Peder Rasmussen was the suspect. Rasmussen died in prison while serving a life sentence in 2010. 

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On September 7, 1996, Tupac was shot four times by an unknown shooter in a white Cadillac on East Flamingo Road in Las Vegas, Nevada. After leaving a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand, Tupac and his Death Row entourage brawled with Southside Crips member Orlando Anderson. The Death Row entourage attended a party at Club 662 later that night. The shooting occurred 15 minutes after leaving the club at a red light. A four door white Cadillac pulled up to the drivers side. The backseat passenger side window went down and shot rang out. Tupac was hit four times and his driver and friend, Suge Knight, was grazed. Tupac was rushed to the hospital, were he died six days later. He was 25 years old. The investigation was hard since no witnesses wanted to tell police what had happened. Over the years, many names have been brought up and many theories have been explored as to who really killed Tupac. The case remains cold to this day. Despite many allegations, after the brawl in the MGM Grand lobby, Orlando Anderson was seen with three others getting out of a white Cadillac at Club 662 before the shooting. It's most likely that Anderson is the one responsible. Anderson was killed two years after Tupac in a gang shooting. 

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Martial Arts star Bruce Lee passed away on July 20, 1973 in Hong Kong. He was only 32 years old. The official cause of death was a cerebral edema. Many theorize that Lee's death was too suspicious. Many believed that Taiwanese actress Betty Ting Pei had poisoned Lee with a "painkiller", either because Lee ended their "affair" or she was paid by the Triads to kill him. Another theory is that his business partner, Raymond Chow, poisoned Lee after Chow found out Lee planned to move back to the United States to make more movies. Lee was suspected of having a drug problem which may have contributed to his death. This has since been debunked. 

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On May 22, 2013, Pearl Fernandez called 911 and said that her 8 year old son, Gabriel, was not breathing. Upon arrival, they found Gabriel naked with several injuries. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, where doctors declared him brain dead. He died two days later as a result of blunt force trauma and neglect. His mother Pearl and her boyfriend, Isauro Aguirre were immediate suspects. The real truth is that Fernandez and Aguirre severely beat and tortured Gabriel for the eight months leading up to his death. They forced him to eat cat litter and feces, shot him with BB guns and knocked his teeth out. That was just the tip of the iceberg. Aguirre abused Gabriel just off. the assumption that he was "gay". A finger was never laid on Gabriel's siblings. Pearl abandoned Gabriel just three days after giving birth. Gabriel was raised by his uncle until the age of four, then his grandparents. In 2012, Pearl regained custody. Gabriel would miss days of school and when he did go, he was covered in bruises and welts. He would tell his teacher what his mom would do to him. The teacher did contact social services but nothing was ever done. Pearl Fernandez pleaded guilty for the murder and torture of Gabriel and was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 2018. Aguirre plead not guilty and a trial began. Ultimately, he was found guilty of first degree murder and torture that resulted in death. He was sentenced to death.

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At 2:49 pm on April 15, 2013, a pressure cooker bomb containing ball bearings and nails, exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Boylston Street. 14 seconds later, another bomb exploded 200 yards away. As the crowd began to panic and run, police officers and medical personnel jumped to action. As a result of the bombing, 3 died, including an 8 year old boy, and 264 people were injured. The suspects, later identified three days later, were Tamerlan Tsarnaev (26) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (19). The brothers immigrated from Kyrgyzstan in 2002. Tamerlan was an amateur boxer, while Dzhokhar studied Marine Biology at UMass Dartmouth. The brothers, who were practicing muslims, had a disliking towards the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, more so Tamerlan (who influenced Dzhokhar). Tamerlan wanted revenge for what US forces were doing to the muslim community in both countries. On April 18, after their identities were posted everywhere, they shot and killed an MIT police officer while he was sitting in his cruiser. They then stole an Mercedes SUV and held the driver hostage. While they stopped for gas, the hostage escaped and called 911. After the Mercedes was ID'd, police attempted to stop the car, but a shootout ensued. Tamerlan was accidentally ran over by his brother while Dzhokhar was trying to flee. He died an hour later. The entire city of Boston and its surrounding areas were placed on lockdown as a manhunt began. The next day, Dzhokhar was found hiding in a parked boat in someone's backyard. He was arrested and charged with 30 counts. He was sentenced to death on June 24, 2015. 

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In the early 19th century, Edinburgh was the leading European center for anatomy. Dissections were so popular, that the city began running out of cadavers. By Scottish law, the only bodies that could be used were those who died in jail, suicide victims, and orphans. People began stealing bodies from graves, which wasn't illegal. Anatomists would pay handsomely for bodies. As measures to stop grave robbing heightened, two men took matters into their own hands. William Burke and William Hare began a killing spree in exchange for money from anatomist Robert Knox. In November 1828, both men and their wives were caught after suspicion had arose. Hare was granted immunity as long as he testified against Burke. Hare's wife was also granted the same. Hare admitted to killing sixteen people along with Burke and went into great detail of the methods. Burke was found guilty and sentenced to death. His wife was found no proven, which meant she was guilty but there wasn't enough evidence to convict. Burke was hanged in February 1829. His body was dissected and his skeleton was preserved. To this day, it is on display at the Anatomical Museum of the Edinburgh Medical School. 

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We all know the story that the Titanic stuck an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912. The event killed thousands. But, is the ship that lies at the bottom of the ocean really the Titanic? In 1911, Titanic's sister ship, Olympic, struck a small ship. The incident caused damage to the Olympic that was costly. With White Star Line losing revenue from Olympic being docked, members of the board came up with a plan. The plan... switch the Titanic for the Olympic and sink the ship for insurance compensation. Both ships looks identical inside and out, no one could tell the difference. Several White Star Line owners cancelled their ticket for the Titanic only hours before the ship set sail, a small ship left in a hurry with only blankets and clothes. At the end of the day, many lost their lives regardless of what happened.