Halloween is one of the best times of the year. It's filled with costumes, candy, and scary movies. Going to haunted houses and being scared are all part of the holiday fun. Halloween is all about scary things, and there are real-life scary events that have happened on that holiday. Here is a list of scary events that actually occurred during this spooky time of year:
1. B.J. Liske
In the early morning of Halloween in the year 2010, 16-year old Devon Griffin went to morning church services, then came home to play video games. After a while, he noticed that no one in his family was awake yet, which was odd. He went to his mom and stepdad's, William E. "Bill" Liske's room and saw they were still in bed with the covers over their heads. He tried to wake them up and got no response. He continued nudging his mother until he finally pulled down the covers, which revealed his worst nightmare. There was blood all over the pillow and all over his mother. He first thought it was a Halloween prank, but unfortunately, it was cold-blooded murder. William E. "Bill" Liske's son, B.J, was the culprit. He was a 24-year old man with violent and moody behavior. B.J. was arrested countless times as a teenager for harming his parents and for robbery. He Eventually was moved to a mental health institution. At 18, he was diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder and Bipolar Disorder. According to coroner reports, William Liske was shot five times in the head, and Susan was shot three times. B.J. Liske has been charged in the Ottawa County Common Pleas Court with two counts of aggravated murder and could face the death penalty if found guilty. The event was a horrible nightmare of a tragedy that just happened to fall on the scariest night of the year.
2. It Was Not A Decoration
This horrific event happened just last year in 2015. Rebecca Cade, a 31-year old woman from Ohio, was discovered hanging from a chain linked fence and unfortunately, people thought it was a decoration. This woman was found severely beaten and tried to hop the fence to escape the situation, but unfortunately, she got stuck. Several people noticed the body, but just assumed it was a Halloween decoration. The body was not discovered until a construction worker tried to move the body out of the way, which he also thought was a decoration. The suspect was 27-year old Donnie Cochenour Jr., a mentally unstable young man who was charged for her murder. The police claim to have sufficient evidence against him, but they have not released it. This tragedy was horrific and makes you rethink every Halloween prop you see in neighborhoods.
3. A Halloween Party Mystery
A 21-year-old South Korean woman, Hyun Jong “Cindy” Song, was a student at Pennsylvania State University in 2001. On Halloween of that year, she dressed up in a bunny costume and went to a Halloween party at a nightclub near the college. She hung out with her friends all night, and eventually was dropped off at her apartment at 4 AM. This was the last time she was seen. A missing person's case was opened, and they searched her entire apartment. Nothing was misplaced or taken, and her fake eyelashes from her bunny costume plus other belongings from that night were found in the apartment, which means she most likely went inside that night. So, what happened to Cindy? A few witnesses claimed to see Cindy and another young man in a car crying for help in Philadelphia near Chinatown. There were a few suspects, but no leads or Cindy's remains have been found. It is still a mystery to this day of what happened to her that Halloween night.
4. Trick-or-Treat
On Halloween of 1982, Marvin Brandland, 69, and his wife, Ethel, were handing out candy to trick-or-treaters in their Iowa home. As they were hanging out, they heard a knock on the door. When Marvin answered, it was a man in a mask. The man said, "Trick or treat, give me your money, or I'll shoot." At first, the older couple thought it was a Halloween prank, but it unfortunately was not. Marvin tried to remove the mask, but could not. The masked man then entered the house and demanded all the money they had in their safe. Marvin was shocked because not many people knew of his safe, so he continued to think it had to be a joke orchestrated by a family member. As Marvin led the man to the basement, he tried to take the gun off of him, and was sadly shot in the throat. The shooter ran, leaving only his mask behind. Ethel was so distraught by the death of her husband that she ended up dying a few months later. Years later, a family aquaintence claimed he committed the murders and was bragging about it, but the police did not have enough evidence to do anything about it. It was another terrifying mystery that went unsolved.
Halloween is a terrifying time of year in a fun way. Unfortunately, real horrors tend to happen, which only makes this eerie holiday even creepier. Have a Happy Halloween, but most importantly, stay safe!