When it comes to true crime stories, urban environments often serve as a hotbed for vicious murders and nefarious deeds. Presented here are ten examples of urban true crime stories, ranging from mob violence to serial killers to meticulously planned robberies. This article does feature mentions of graphic violence, drug use, and sexual assault, so reader discretion is advised.
10. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre
When it comes to true crime stories, one can never forget the world of the mob and underground crime. This is most relevant to our first story, that of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre which occurred in Chicago on February 14, 1929. This story focuses on two gangs, each led by Bugs Moran and Al Capone respectively, both big players in Chicago’s mob scene. The two gangs were in a constant state of contention until things finally boiled over that faithful Valentine’s Day morning.
That morning, seven members of Bugs Moran’s North Side Gang were seized by men posing as police officers, lined up executioner’s style against a garage wall, and horrifically gunned down! Despite never being officially linked to the crime, all signs pointed to the massacre being the brainchild of Capone. Given the brutal and violent nature of the incident, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre proved to be a major turning point in the public’s perception of organized crime.
Despite the widespread notoriety of the crime and subsequent investigations, no one was ever convicted of the massacre. This was most likely due to a lack of witnesses who were willing to step forward, compounded by the likely influence of mob intimidation methods.
9. The Great Train Robbery
Although the idea might seem quite old-fashioned now, train robberies were and still are a rather common crime in many countries. If you are looking for a major example of this rather theatrical crime, one needn’t look any further than the Great Train Robbery of 1963. On August 8, Bruce Reynolds and his team of 15 robbers halted the Royal Mail train in transit from Glasgow to London. After disabling the train’s signals, as well as overpowering its crew, Reynolds and the other robbers made off with around £2.6 million (or $3.3 million).
It wasn’t long before this cinematic-level crime was all over the front page news, capturing people’s attention due to the scale and meticulous nature of the robbery. Not only was there the aforementioned signal jamming but the gang had also used insider information to map out the precise layout of the train. Additionally, they were also well aware of the exact amount of cash that was going to be transported that day onboard the train well in advance.
However, while these wannabee-Robin Hoods may have planned the robbery out to the last detail, the same can’t be said for their habits afterward. Due to many gang members’ excessive spending habits, as well as a concurrent police investigation, the crew was eventually brought to justice.
8. The Zodiac Killer
In the annals of serial killer history, there are few names as mystifying and bone-chilling as the Zodiac Killer. Beginning in the late 60s, the Zodiac Killer began a string of five murders in the San Francisco Bay Area between December 1968 and October 1969. Additionally, on July 31, 1969, he sent three letters to three Californian news outlets: The Vallejo Times Herald, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the San Francisco Examiner.
These letters were not only where he dubbed himself as the Zodiac Killer but where his other trademark, his cryptic letters and cryptograms, were established. In these crazed letters, Zodiac would tease and taunt law enforcement, all while claiming his victims would be his slaves for the afterlife. Despite only taking credit for a total of five murders, all within the state, Zodiac found himself linked to several other cold cases as well.
In the years since his crimes and cryptic messages, Zodiac has never been caught, despite several suspects having been looked at in the years since. After all the books, podcasts, and critically acclaimed movies dedicated to him, the sinister legacy of the Zodiac Killer still looms over the Gold Coast.
7. The Boston Strangler
In one of the most gruesome crimes to ever hit the city of Boston, 13 women were assaulted and strangled in their apartments between June 1962 and January 1964. The twist perpetrator was initially dubbed the Mad Strangler of Boston, the Phantom Strangler, and the Phantom Fiend. This moniker stemmed largely from the Strangler’s M.O. which consisted of making his way inside his female victim’s homes with seemingly minimal effort. His other trademark was the brutal and horrifically efficient method he opted to kill his victims with, that being the use of their clothes as his instruments of murder.
Despite the widespread panic and a sizable manhunt effort, a culprit was never found, that is until late 1946 and the emergence of Albert DeSalvo. After assaulting a young woman in her own home, DeSalvo was identified by the victim with his photo later being published in the newspaper. Following the publication of his image, DeSalvo was identified by several past Boston Strangler victims, confident that he had been their assailant. Following his arrest, DeSalvo confessed to being the Boston Strangler, though some still maintain that he only did so under coercion or to attain notoriety.
6. The Cocaine Cowboys
Miami, Florida in the late ’70s and early ’80s was marked by a manic and violent chapter due to a massive influx of cocaine from Colombia. This is where the Cocaine Cowboys, a group of drug smugglers and traffickers, came into existence. Their smuggling efforts were nothing short of bold, frequently moving staggeringly colossal quantities of cocaine over the border with great frequency. This resulted in many of the Cowboys being able to afford the most lavish lifestyles one could have at the time, complete with fast cars, big yachts, and all-night parties.
Many might be familiar with the Cowboys via the eponymous Netflix docuseries focusing on two key figures in the drug trade, Sal Magluta and Willie Falcon, AKA Los Muchachos. When all was said and done, both men were accused of smuggling at least 75-plus tons of cocaine into the United States, resulting in over $2 billion in profits. These two men were just the tip of the iceberg regarding the amount of people profiting off these highly illegal activities. However, the party couldn’t last forever, as eventually, law enforcement efforts caught up to the Cowboys, resulting in several high-profile arrests and prosecutions.
5. The Axeman of New Orleans
In the early 1900s, the streets of New Orleans were turned into a nightmare, with Italian immigrants being brutally murdered in their own homes. The Axeman of New Orleans claimed six lives while injuring six others, from May 23, 1918, until October 27, 1919. Based on his rather theatrical moniker, the killer’s weapon of choice was often a straight razor or, more frequently, an axe, the murder instrument he’d become known for. However, in additionally odd detail, the killer would use an axe that was already on the premises of whoever’s home he had broken into.
As previously mentioned, a majority of the Axeman’s victims were Italian immigrants, leading to theories that the crimes were motivated by mafia ties or ethnicity. The strangest wrinkle in the story came when the Axeman sent a handwritten letter to the local newspaper outlining his motives. The Axeman, claiming to be a supernatural being, noted that he’d spare those who played jazz music in their homes on a specific night. Motives from sexual sadism to jazz music appreciation were all proposed at one time or another, all varying in their likelihood. Despite many theories, the Axeman was never caught, leaving his specter to haunt New Orleans to this very day.
4. The Atlanta Child Murders
Any fans of the David Fincher-helmed Netflix series Mindhunter will be immediately familiar with the events of the Atlanta Child Murders. From 1979 to 1981, close to 28 African American children youths ranging from children to adolescents to even young adults were abducted and killed. All of the victims, a majority of them male, were often found to have been dumped in remote areas such as nearby woods or the river.
As the murder continued and bodies kept turning up, Atlanta’s black community began expressing their outrage due to the slow response of local law enforcement. They attributed this slow response, not unreasonably, to racial biases that were present at the time, and sadly still exist today. The dark cloud of these killings loomed over Atlanta until eventually an arrest was made in the form of 23-year-old Wayne Williams. Through forensic evidence, Williams was convicted with two of the older victims with authorities simply opting to attribute the child murders to him as well. Despite his arrest, many people, especially the parents of the victims, weren’t satisfied, still maintaining there was more to the murders. Whether or not Williams was the sole perpetrator of the Atlanta Child Murders or if the case had multiple culprits is still debated even in the modern day.
3. Ariel Castro kidnappings
In May 2013, the neighbors of Ariel Castro were alerted by the screams of 26-year-old Amanda Berry, who’d been imprisoned in his house since 2003. Following her escape, it was revealed that Berry was one of three kidnapping victims, the two others being Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus.
All three girls had been subject to sexual and physical violence at the hands of Castro, with Knight having gone through five separate miscarriages. Additionally, all three girls were barely fed, only receiving a meal a day, and were only allowed to bathe twice a week if they were lucky. Berry ended up giving birth to Castro’s child in 2006 with the delivery being done in a small inflatable swimming pool.
Eventually, Castro got a bit careless and forgot to lock a large inside door that usually prevented the girls’ sounds from reaching the streets. This is what allowed Berry to flag down some neighbors who were able to help her escape, finally ending the trio’s decade-long nightmare. Following their rescue, all three girls were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital to begin their long recovery process. Castro was subsequently arrested and given a life sentence, something he’d escape by hanging himself a month into his sentence.
2. The Night Stalker
Richard Ramirez, AKA The Night Stalker, was a serial killer who terrorized the streets of California in the mid-1980s. He earned his sinister moniker from the nature of his crimes, breaking into the homes of his victims often late at night and under the cover of darkness. After breaking in, Ramirez would viciously sexually assault, mutilate, and murder his victims, with only a few surviving to tell the tale.
The most miraculous was Maria Hernandez, who survived a gunshot from Ramirez due to holding her keys in front of her head at the moment of impact. Others were not so lucky and would end up as just another gruesome victim claimed during the Night Stalker’s moonlight activities. During this time, many West Coast residents were gripped in fear, locking their windows and doors at night, lest they be the Night Stalker’s next victim.
Despite his illusive nature, Ramirez was far from a criminal mastermind, as the man was just insanely lucky when it came to his misdeeds. So it shouldn’t be too much of a shock that eventually his luck ran out when a widespread manhunt finally resulted in his capture in 1985. Ramirez ended up spending years on death row before dying of complications from B-cell lymphoma in 2013 before his planned execution.
1. Son of Sam
It was only a matter of time before our urban true crime discussion brought us to the streets of New York City. The city that never sleeps has played host to many a gruesome crime, whether in broad daylight or under rows of flickering street lights.
However, when it comes to noteworthy crimes native to NYC, one needn’t look any further than the summer of 1976 to 1977 and David Berkowitz, better known now as the Son of Sam. From 1976 to 1977, the boroughs of the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn were hit with a string of horrific murders. Using a .44 caliber Bulldog revolver gun, Berkowitz claimed six people’s lives while wounding seven others, sending panic through the streets of New York. Though his choice of victims seemed fairly random, he seemed to frequently target couples parked in cars.
During his crime spree, Berkowitz would taunt the police, as well as the news media, with cryptic notes, wherein he’d dub himself the “Son of Sam.” He even went as far as to claim that he’d been commanded to commit these crimes by a demonic talking dog named Sam, hence the strange moniker. In August 1977, Berkowitz was finally arrested and sentenced to six consecutive life terms in prison, putting an end to the Son of Sam’s reign of terror.