Daddy Was A Killer: 94 People Share Horrific Stories Of Family Members Who Were Murderers

Illustration by Daniella Urdinlaiz / lookcatalog

1. My great-grandmother was murdered by her schizophrenic son because he thought she was the Devil.

“My great-grandmother was murdered by her schizophrenic son because he thought she was the Devil.”
—Inskpells

2. He kind of killed a president.

“I’m related to John Wilkes Booth. He kind of killed a president…”
—shutyourface_grandma

3. My great great uncle brutally murdered his entire family on Christmas day.

“My great great uncle brutally murdered his entire family on Christmas day. They wrote a few books about him, one was called ‘White Christmas, Bloody Christmas.’”
—yaboythelaw

4. A great aunt of some sort dropped a boiling pot of water on her infant baby.

“A great aunt of some sort dropped a boiling pot of water on her infant baby. It died.”
—Russel_Jimmies95

5. She thought she was a swan and wanted to return her to the river.

“There’s a story that gets told every Christmas about my great-great aunt Rebecca, who escaped an institution and accidentally drowned her child. She thought she was a swan and wanted to return her to the river.”
—AmaranthaWilde

6. He dragged them from his truck for four hours.

“A cousin of mine found out a guy in town had been sleeping with his wife. So he knocked then both out, tied them to the back of his truck with chains. Waited for them to wake up and then drug them up and down a couple gravel and asphalt roads are varying fast and slow speeds until all their clothes and most of their skin had come off and they were both dead. Police said he had them back there dragging them for about 4 hours.”
—MyNameBlake

7. He was a child that killed other children.

“One of my grandmother’s cousins on my mom’s side was a child killer. And I mean he was a child that killed other children. He was about 6-7 for his first victim which was a little boy that died from a mysterious gun accident. For his second victim he was about 10, and it was a little girl. He tied her to a tree and set her on fire. I feel like there was a third victim but I can’t quite remember for sure. Anyway, a few years later (he was 13 I believe) he was walking home after dark and he was hit by a car and died.”
—wanna_talk_to_samson

8. My cousin and his friends beat a guy to death outside a bar in Oregon City.

“My cousin and his friends beat a guy to death outside a bar in Oregon City…they had gotten into some argument before getting thrown out of the bar. They waited for the guy to leave and beat him to death.”
—Producer_Ted

9. He killed her by KICKING HER FACE IN—because she couldn’t keep the baby from crying.

“My grandmother’s Aunt Frida’s face was stomped in by her abusive husband—he killed her by KICKING HER FACE IN—because she couldn’t keep the baby from crying. They had four kids under four at the time, all of whom were home when it happened.

The relatives got together and decided the best thing for the kids would be to go live with an aunt who wanted kids and, though married to a nice man, didn’t have any yet. Their aunt – Jeanie White – and her husband raised them as their own, alongside the children they later had.

My grandmother and the other older cousins – the ones old enough to remember Aunt Frida – were sat down and told that they weren’t to talk about her ever again, or tell the younger children about her. And, because my family is good at keeping secrets, they didn’t.

Eventually their father got out of jail and went to get his kids. They were in their late teens, and he just showed up mildly intoxicated and demanded they leave with him. Aunt Jean lied and told him he had the wrong Jeanie White, pointed out that her kids didn’t match the profile of the family he was looking for, given there were seven of them and too many girls and not enough boys, claimed them all as her own, and sent him away. Since the kids hadn’t heard even a whisper of a rumor that their parents weren’t their parents, they thought he was just some insane stranger, thought nothing else of it. He later killed himself.

Since three of the four children were dead before one of my cousins doing genealogical research uncovered the truth, only one of the four ever found out, and even then, it was like 70 years later.

My family is disturbingly good at keeping secrets.”
—NotAnotherWhatever

10. Grandpa killed a gay man and only had to spend a day in jail.

“Grandpa killed a gay man and only had to spend a day in jail.”
—tworkout

11. He raped and poisoned his first wife and had her hung at the local church.

“Great x10 grandfather was a Scottish noble, raped and poisoned his first wife and had her hung at the local church. Fun guy, really.”
—MrLangbyMippets

12. My great-uncle forgot to take his meds one day and literally axe-murdered his wife and disabled daughter.

“My great-uncle forgot to take his meds one day and literally axe-murdered his wife and disabled daughter.”
—Solongstarbird

13. My uncle murdered his wife while his kids watched.

“My uncle murdered his wife while his kids watched.”
—Thismightbelove

14. He killed a man by biting his throat and subsequently ripping it out.

“My grandpa’s brother would frequently tell stories about his time in WW2 and how he killed a man by biting his throat and subsequently ripping it out. Fun guy, great at parties.”
—candymountainman

15. He walked into a gay bar and opened fire.

“My grandfather’s brother is currently serving four life sentences for walking into a gay bar and opening fire, killing one and injuring six.”
—turkey_nutz

16. She killed and scalped 10 Native Americans.

“One of my American ancestors is Hannah Duston. She was captured by Native Americans and killed 10 of them (4 adults, 6 children) to escape with the help of some other captives. She then went back and scalped them as proof of what happened and to get the bounty. Here is part of the Wikipedia description:

‘During the 19th century, she was referred to as “a folk hero” and the “mother of the American tradition of scalp hunting”. Some scholars assert Duston’s story only became legend in the 19th century because the United States used her story to defend its violence against Native Americans as innocent, defensive, and virtuous.’

Super.”
—ElissaKay86

17. He hit her 17 times in the head with the blunt side of a claw hammer.

“My grandfather murdered my grandma when I was three years old, I’m 21 now. I have no recollection of my grandma or grandpa at all. He hit her 17 times in the head with the blunt side of a claw hammer. He was sentenced to six years inside due to psychosis. Developed cancer in prison and died of cancer when he got out. Can provide sources and links for those more interested.”
—connors53

18. My grandpa killed two black guys in the streets of Chicago for what I believe was no reason.

“My grandpa back in the 40s killed two black guys in the streets of Chicago for what I believe was no reason then fled to Sweden and met my grandma. was the nicest grandpa ever when I was little but he shot himself when I was about 5 or 6 and I had no idea why until later in life.”
—OGpoobandit

19. He personally went after each man, killed them, and as a trophy, chopped off one of their ears and hanged it on a necklace.

“Don’t know if this counts, but I have somewhat loose family ties to a guy called Januário Garcia Leal, aka ‘Seven Ears.’

He was a Brazilian farmer in the 1700s, and one day his brother was brutally murdered by being strung up on a tree and having all of his skin slowly removed. Colonial justice didn’t help him, leaving the 7 perpetrators free to go, so Januário personally went after each man, killed them, and as a trophy, chopped off one of their ears and hanged it on a necklace.

I know it sounds like a B-movie, but it’s real, and I’m glad I have about 10% of a lineage with that man.”
—stickel03

20. He’s been known to wipe out entire villages, killing all peasants in the area.

“This guy is my grandma’s maternal uncle. Under his military campaign to suppress Taiping Rebellion, roughly 20 to 30 million Chinese died, mostly civilian. He’s been known to wipe out entire villages, killing all peasants in the area. He killed more Chinese people than the Japanese military total against China during World War 2.

However, under Chairman Mao’s Cultural Revolution, about 30 million Chinese died also. Both Zeng GuoFan and Chairman Mao are celebrated Chinese heroes.”
—robybeck

21. My mom killed her abusive husband by pushing him down the stairs while he was in a drunken stupor.

“Around 22 years ago, right before I was born my great grandma told my mom that she had killed her abusive husband (my dad’s maternal grandfather) by pushing him down the stairs while he was in a drunken stupor…she then called the cops who had already had run-ins with my great grandfather & were aware of the domestic violence in the household, so they reported that my great grandfather had fallen down the stairs accidentally & by his own fault.
My dad had absolutely no idea about this until my mom told him and still had a difficult time processing it. I guess I think this story is both disturbing but also super badass.”
—whatcanisay33

22. He walked up behind his wife who was hanging drapes and shot her in the back of the head.

“So I apparently had an uncle who found out he had cancer, before treatment was common, so he walked up behind his wife who was hanging drapes and shot her in the back of the head and then killed himself.”
—Playmakermike

23. My mom’s great aunt murdered her son by putting rat poison in a cherry Icee.

“My mom’s great aunt murdered her son by putting rat poison in a cherry Icee. The messed-up thing is that she went to prison, but for the attempted murder of her other son. Apparently, the cops forgot to read her Miranda rights and wasn’t charged with murder. She then attempted to kill her other son and got caught. They had to pump his stomach; he barely survived.

A couple years ago, the surviving son committed suicide and when they told her all she said was, ‘Well I’ll be damned.’

She was seriously crazy and because of her we never let mom get us Icees. You know, just in case.”
—MrGoodread

24. My 13th great uncle beheaded 2 of his wives.

“My 13th great uncle beheaded 2 of his wives.”
—Colieoh

25. He watched them all drown trying to get back to shore.

“My great uncle put his three sons on a pond boat, pushed them out into the farm pond and watched them all drown trying to get back to shore. He says it was an accident but we all know he did it on purpose.”
—TheEthalea

26. Great grandpa got insanely jealous and shot them both.

“My great grandpa on my mother’s side was a raging alcoholic. While drunk one day, he caught my great grandma cutting their neighbor’s hair. He got insanely jealous and shot them both and himself leaving all 12 of their children without parents.”
—vbnmjkhf

27. Dad killed three random kids.

“My biological father murdered three random kids because he figured it would be better to go to prison for that than on a sexual assault charge.”
—Coffeeedog

28. Grandpa and his buddies killed the town rapist.

“My great-great-grandfather lived in a town in Mexico. There was this guy breaking into homes and raping the women when he heard their husbands would be away for the night. Grandfather and his buddies staked out a house and killed the town rapist.”
—Imjustboard

29. He threw the first stone in a public stoning that resulted in their deaths.

“The first person in my family to immigrate to America was granted an insane amount of land in order to help settle and lead a town in Virginia. 31 years later he testified against his 2 eldest sons for skipping church 3 Sundays straight. They were fined 100 acres of tobacco each. Two weeks later he threw the first stone in a public stoning that resulted in their deaths. They had been convicted of Devil Worship after skipping church 5 Sundays in a row. He was then forced to resign from all public offices he held. The following Sunday while everyone was in church, he and his only remaining son burned down every building in the town except for the church. They skipped town and set fire to every tobacco field that had been forfeited on their way to Texas. They changed the spelling of our last name when they settled in Texas. The only reason we know this happened is because census records show both of them mysteriously appearing in a town in Texas with an almost identical name. They simply changed the spelling to the phonetic version of spelling it. Didn’t bother lying about their ages or where they came from at all. The surviving son had only 1 child that survived birth. That son became a bank robber in his late 60’s so that he could pay for his children to go to law school. Somehow our family is known for famous lawyers and not the first 3 generations of criminals in America.”
—lostredempti0n

30. Great grandfather was an ‘angel of death.’

“Great grandfather served as a sort of ‘angel of death’ in WWII. He was an airborne medic and always told tales of putting injured soldiers out of their misery if they were in too bad of shape by overdosing them on morphine. Think that fucked him up pretty bad.”
—Dalek1234

31. She strangled her twin babies when they were a few days old.

“My mum’s distant cousin strangled her twin babies when they were a few days old. They already had one set of twins and one more child so two more were just too expensive. She buried them in their garden, but it was too shallow so local dogs dug them up, ate and played with remains. The worst thing is; all locals knew about that, but no police or CPS were involved because it was common to get rid of unwanted children in that way 30 years ago…yes, it was big crime, and still is. But this happened in very, very rural area where people were mostly uneducated and did things in old-fashioned, primitive way.”
—Lumi4

32. I’m a direct descendant of the McCoy clan.

“Direct descendent of the McCoy’s from the Hatfield and McCoy feud.”
—never_stirred

33. I’m the descendent of a rather well known bodysnatcher-turned-serial-killer.

“I’m the descendent of a rather well known bodysnatcher-turned-serial-killer, who lived in Edinburgh in 1828. Films have been made and everything.”
—Danger_Possum

34. Grandpappy straight up murdered a Swedish jackass and then turned around and married his widow.

“My grandfather was a badass. He was part of a resistance movement in Denmark during WWII. We never knew most of the details, but based on hints and rumors, we’re pretty sure he was tasked with taking out a few collaborators.

But that’s not the disturbing part. He and my grandmother dated when they were very young, but broke it off when she moved to Sweden. A couple of years later she moved back to Copenhagen with an abusive, alcoholic Swedish husband in tow. While she was away, my grandfather joined the Danish Royal Guard. According to my grandmother, shortly after my grandfather and some of his Royal Guard colleagues were introduced to her Swedish husband, the Swedish husband was found dead in an alley under mysterious circumstances. She’ll say no more about it, and never spoke a word about it when my grandfather was present.

Long story short, we’re all pretty sure grandpappy straight up murdered that Swedish jackass and then turned around and married his widow.”
—stravadarius

35. I’m related to the woman who killed the signer Selena.

“My mom and my uncles are cousins of Yolanda Saldivar, the woman who murdered Mexican singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez. It’s something we talk about every so often but never want to bring up.”
—MangoSalsa90

36. Grampa killed a Vietnamese girl for holding a Coke can.

“Well. My Grampa did 40 total months in country during the Vietnam Conflict. He had two daughters so he didn’t feel comfortable opening up to them. He never opened up to his wife or therapist. He just didn’t feel like anyone would understand. Then I joined the Army and he decided I was the one he would talk to. He told me a lot of stories but I remember one in particular.

He said they were on a 3 week patrol up on the border of Cambodia near the 17th parallel. Before heading out he had talked to a platoon that had run a similar route to them. They were warned that the local VC liked to send kids out with gifts for the GIs and would hide a grenade in a Coke can to get a few of them. So my Grampa is out there they stop to check their map and some local children come out. Then he sees a little girl with a coke can. He yells at her to stop. His squad yells at her to stop. They’re all pointing their weapons at her and telling her to stop. Grampa fires a burst at the ground in front of her to get her to stop but she keeps coming. So he decides it’s time and dumps the mag. It turned out to be an actual Coke can.

That’s not the most disturbing thing I’ve heard out of him, but it’s the darkest story I want to share. I was writing a lot of it down at first but then I decided that those memories need to leave the world with him.”
—bigalsplaypen

37. Grandpa once killed an entire German farming family and lived in their house for a little while.

“My mom’s dad was a spy in WW2. He killed lots of people and lived off his lies. He once killed an entire German farming family and lived in their house for a little while till he could contact his people again. When the war ended. He faked his death to my great grandma and started a family in France and just abandoned them to come back to America to work for the precursor for the CIA.”
—Paratrooper_19D

38. My mom’s second cousin was a famous serial killer.

“My mom’s second cousin was a famous serial killer. There was a book written about him in the mid 80s. Along with a movie. My mom’s great aunt, the one who raised the serial killer, was apparently batshit crazy and scared the crap out of my mom. The book goes into detail explaining the fucked-up things she did, but apparently she wouldn’t let them put her character in the movie.

Look up A Death in California. I’ve never seen the movie, so I don’t know exactly what’s in it. However, just hearing from my family how fucking crazy my great (great?) aunt Irene was is horrifying. One scary ass woman whose son turns out to be a sociopath. He’s in and out of prison, kills a bunch of people, cons a bunch more. The book is about when he cons this woman in Cali, kills her boyfriend/fiancé, kidnaps her, and she ends up with Stockholm syndrome. I have the book around her somewhere.”
—t47reck

39. A great-something grandfather helped plan and was in the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

“I have a great-something grandfather who helped plan and was in the Mountain Meadows Massacre on my mom’s side. But that’s not the most disturbing thing in my family. That’s just one that is unsettling/disturbing part of my families fucked up past….Dad’s side are a bunch killers/sadist. My aunts got help and are pretty normal mentally stable people, except for my crazy bird lady aunt. I turned out pretty normal and okay. Some consider me weird because I like pugs but that’s about it.”
—SnortingPugGirl

40. My great grandfather’s brother was a Klansman who got away with murder.

“My great grandfather’s brother was a Klan member pretty high up to and killed a few people but got away with it because the police chief was his best friend.”
—Evaneon-001

41. Somewhere up in my family tree, most of a household killed each other with axes.

“Somewhere up in my family tree, most of a household killed each other with axes. We have some records about and how they were all very ‘distracted,’ distracted at the time meaning out of their minds or something. I believe the mother killed a daughter, the son killed the mother, and everyone but the son killed by the father or something. So yeah, I’m descended from axe murderers.”
—ResetBayDoors

42. I have a cousin who murdered a child.

“I have a cousin who murdered a child. He is much older than I am. He was my Mother’s nephew. My father just didn’t want him around the house when we were little. I asked him recently why and he said he didn’t know the guy just seemed off.

What disturbs me more is that there is suspicion around one if his sisters. My mother told me before she died that she thought his sister must have known. She was very much family oriented and just one day a year later took off after the girl was killed and no one knew where she went. He wasn’t caught for 10 years. So the fact that she did that made my mother question just how much she knew.

By the time he gets out of prison, it will probably be just us cousins and his siblings and no one is looking forward to it. If he thinks we’ve been planning a family reunion, he is sorely mistaken.”
—Wackydetective

43. Everyone in my family low-key knows my grandfather killed his wife.

“Everyone in my family low-key knows my grandfather killed his wife. He was 10 years into an affair with a woman, and only 2 people in my family knew about her. One day my grandfather went fishing with my grandmother, went downstairs on the boat to go to the bathroom, and when he came back up my grandmother had “fallen” into the water and he was unable to rescue her because he didn’t know how to swim, despite being a naval commodore. Not 2 weeks after his wife’s funeral did he take a ‘much needed break’ to Egypt where he pretended to meet the woman who he was having an affair with. They got married, denied it, and to this day maintain they’re not married and met for the first time in Egypt. My family know these details because said mistress confided in my mother and grandmother (other side of family) and told them everything that had happened in fear that my grandfather would do something to her.”
—cejm

44. We cut birthday cake with a knife used to kill two people in ww2.

“We have a long 15-inch-ish dagger that we keep at my grandmothers. She has used it as a cake cutting knife at birthdays for as long as I can remember. Apparently she got it from my great great uncle who fought in WW2 and apparently never used it besides cutting a celebratory cake with it himself during the war after a victory. Recently I read through. My great uncle’s diaries and studied the knife. When my grandfather was captured by the Germans, he apparently stole a German knife off of an officer and used it to kill his two captors (with the help of another polish prisoner) and escape. I checked out the knife…. German inscription.

Tldr: We cut birthday cake with a knife used to kill two people in ww2.”
—CometFuzzbutt

45. My dad’s uncle killed his wife, children, goldfish, and dog.

“My dad’s uncle killed his wife, children, goldfish, and dog because he thought black people were going to take over and enslave white people.”
—yum_paste

46. My 3rd cousin killed his wife and kids.

“Just recently I learned my 3rd cousin killed his wife and kids.”
—classythirst101

47. He didn’t get caught until he accidentally strangled one of them to death.

“My great uncle was a serial rapist in the 1950s and 60s. And didn’t get caught until he accidentally strangled one of them to death. By that time, he had already raped over 20 women.”
—DCSOBC

48. One day he snapped and went on a killing spree.

“My second cousin had depression and schizophrenia. One day he snapped and went on a killing spree, killing his mother and his two sisters before killing himself.”
—ma5m

49. They burned the manor down with the neighbors still inside.

“I found out that my semi distant ancestors once tricked their neighbors into going to a fancy party then locked the doors and burned the manor down with the neighbors still inside.

Apparently both my ancestors and the people they toasted had both lots of money and lots of opinions over who owned some particular piece of land and this was how it was settled.

I don’t know what became of those responsible for the incident. My family certainly doesn’t have any wealth or manors now…”
—Zooophagous

50. One of my great great grandmothers was a full black widow.

“One of my great great grandmothers was a full black widow. Like 7-8 marriages, most ending in mysterious deadly circumstances. I could get my mum to write a little blurb if anyone is interested.”
—ex-justice-boner

51. He tied his girlfriend up in the kitchen, then slit her throat.

“Generations of pedophilia and incest. and a crack head cousin that went on a 3-day crack binge with his girlfriend tied up in the kitchen then slit her throat.”
—ability2cmonsters

52. My great great grandfather murdered his wife, then moved the kids across the country and changed their names.

“My great great grandfather murdered his wife, then moved the kids across the country and changed their names. It’s the reason we can’t trace our ancestry back past him. He took his original identity to the grave with him. I just imagine being my great grandma as a little kid waking up and going, ‘Where’s mom?’

‘Don’t worry about it. Pack your things.’”
—vault_dweller1031

53. My grandfather murdered both of his wives.

“My grandfather murdered both of his wives (my grandmothers). My father’s birth mother and then his step mother. His alibi for the first murder (which was probably a hit job) was that he was in Hawaii with his mistress. My father is confident that the mistress was the second wife.”
—waldomayweather

54. My grandfather killed his second wife and then himself.

“My grandfather killed his second wife and then himself.”
—Stinkeye63

55. My great grandfather was an axe-murdering WW1 veteran.

“My great grandfather was an axe-murdering WW1 veteran.”
—Krossceeper1

56. Great grandma killed 3 of my would-be grandmas.

“Great grandma killed 3 of my would-be grandmas. Context Chinese female infanticide.”
—Burningmeatstick

57. I have a second cousin in prison for murdering a woman with a kitchen knife and burning her trailer to the ground.

“I have a second cousin in prison for murdering a woman with a kitchen knife and burning her trailer to the ground to try to hide it. Notice unknown. My spouse’s great grandfather was a very jealous man. When he suspected his wife was cheating on him, he killed her and then himself. With a shotgun. And my parents are step brother/sister. Not incest. Just weird. Last…all of my siblings and both parents are felons. I am a law enforcement officer. Weird ass family.”
—Tinyfiveoh

58. My great grandfather killed five people for the purpose of wiping out that family’s bloodline.

“My great grandfather killed five people for the purpose of wiping out that family’s bloodline.”
—Fox_m

59. In a fit of rage he murdered the soldiers and beheaded them.

“When I was 10 I was messing around in my grandparents’ basement and found a picture of a man in uniform holding up several heads by their hair. Turns out the pictures was of my great grandfather in WW2 and the heads belonged to SS soldiers who he was told murdered a group of children so in a fit of rage he murdered the soldiers and beheaded them. My mother burned the photos after I had recurring nightmares about him trying to behead me. Also have an uncle who got court-martialed after he skull-fucked a Viet Cong.

So yeah my family was/is fucked up I have more like this My aunt shot a guy in the dick after he tried to assault her.”
—Thegreatherakles

60. He found his wife sleeping with his neighbor, so he got his shotgun and killed both of them.

“My great great grandfather on my mother’s side found his wife sleeping with his neighbor, so he got his shotgun and killed both of them. My grandfather still has that shotgun; I remember finding it when I was a kid.”
—Kalvin_S_1989

61. Apparently we have a rather famous Native American hunter/killer from Georgia in our family.

“Apparently we have a rather famous Native American hunter/killer from Georgia in our family. When I asked how could we have a substantial amount of Cherokee blood in our family if the guy was killing them all?

‘Well, son, he didn’t kill all the Indians…’

‘Well, yeah dad, obviously, but…’

‘He raped some of them.’

‘This is the worst Thanksgiving ever.’

‘Your great great grandmother would probably disagree.’

‘Jesus Christ, dad…’”
—tonycomputerguy

62. My great aunt committed a murder-suicide.

“When my dad was very young, his aunt (my great aunt) committed a murder-suicide. She killed both her children, then herself.”
—Doorbell254

63. She murdered her daughter in her sleep and made an attempt on her son.

“My mother’s sister was an extreme schizophrenic and no one knew until one evening she murdered her daughter in her sleep and made an attempt on her son, leaving him to stumble over to the next house with a knife in his side. It was a pretty big deal here in Iceland at the time, and I’ll never forget my mom trying to explain to my 9-year-old self why my niece was no longer around.”
—Rakshasa96

64. He was sexually abusing her and killed her when he found out she was pregnant with his child.

“The official story is that my great-great-great grandfather’s daughter committed suicide with a shotgun by lying in bed and pulling the trigger with her toe for reasons unknown. The story that my family believes is actually true, based on years of research and interviews with surviving family members who knew him, is that he was sexually abusing her and killed her when he found out she was pregnant with his child. We also don’t believe she was the only person he killed.”
—chayacinth

65. One of my ancestors murdered a bishop.

“One of my ancestors murdered a bishop. Yeah…real world, no shit. Pretty sure the lineage is paying for that one.”
—Coffeecupgripp

66. A great auntie of mine poisoned her family.

“I believe a great auntie of mine poisoned her family, and is considered one of the worst female killers in Australia.”
—Godfreyy

67. He shot his dad while he was lying in bed, then went after his brother.

“In 1993 my cousin murdered his brother and dad…he is extremely intelligent. I mean scary smart…he got up one day and got a glass of milk…said it tasted funny and thought they were trying to poison him. He shot his dad while he was lying in bed, then went after his brother. When the police arrived, he tried to say that this brother tried to kill him, and he took the gun away. But the only place is brother’s prints were on the gun, were on the end of the barrel like he was trying to push it up and away from him… he is now currently serving life w/o parole in prison.”
—JohnDeereWife

68. I’m closely related to one of the most notorious school shooters in USA history.

“I’m closely related to one of the most notorious school shooters in USA history and my sister goes to the college (which is in Texas) that it happened at. Her friends told her she should probably keep it to herself that she’s related to the guy. Also my uncle set himself on fire to kill himself. He didn’t die immediately and lived for over a day after with 3rd degree burns covering 80% of his body. The weird thing is he did it out of nowhere, he had his car packed up with gifts for Christmas at our family’s house right before he did it.”
—jpgtech95

69. My cousin left my great aunt unconscious on the floor of her home. She was 92 or 93 years old.

“My cousin murdered my great aunt (his mom’s sister). This happened like five years ago. He had a pretty serious drug problem for many many years, and he showed up at her house to try to beg/borrow some money from her. She refused, some kind of confrontation ensued, and he assaulted her, left her unconscious on the floor of her home. She was 92 or 93 years old. The police were called, he was arrested, and she was transported to the hospital, where she died about two months later without ever regaining consciousness. Upon her death, his charges were upgraded to second-degree murder, and he was convicted. He’s still in prison. Really horrified all my relatives. She was an elementary school teacher for like forty years before she retired, just an incredibly sweet person. My family has pretty much disowned the cousin, understandably.”
—myflaccidmember

70. My dad was always adamant that his aunt had killed her daughter.

“My dad was always adamant that his aunt had killed her daughter.

His cousin supposedly drowned while riding horses with her mother. They had been crossing a river when the girl fell in and that was the last anyone saw of her, the body was never found.

My dad said that around the time of the accident his aunt’s story changed multiple times, including when her daughter had fallen in, how she had, and even where on the river it occurred. She also acted very strangely in the weeks after, making weird comments along the lines of, ‘she might have died from being hit in the head, this is better’ or things like ‘I would never have hit my daughter’ (for no particular reason) and other just odd comments that didn’t make sense and were very out of place.

She lived on a large ranch in Montana at the time and Dad said that after this occurred there was this one part of the property that she would lose her mind over if anyone went even close to it. She made it off limits to anyone and would kick people off the property if they got too close to it. It wasn’t anything special, just a grove of trees on the edge of the ranch but she was adamant about it being avoided. He said when he was a teenager he wanted to investigate it but his family rarely visited and when they did she would follow the kids around and never let anyone go off by themselves so he never got the chance.

Dad’s theory was that she had lost her temper while drinking (she was a pretty severe alcoholic), hurt her daughter, and then made up the drowning story to cover it up. Who knows though?”
—translation_error

71. My dad punched my uncle to death.

“My dad was an alcoholic and addicted to hard drugs. He was on crack when I was born, and wasn’t at the hospital when his son was born because he was drunk. Back in 97 when I was 3 we went to a game ranch in GA the day after my third birthday. Both my dad and my uncle (mom’s only other sibling) got drunk, and my father got physical when my uncle started calling my mom names. He punched him square in the face and my uncle D fell to his knees. The only thing I remember from that night is a paramedic blowing up a glove for me. He was brain dead and they pulled him off life support the next day, two days after my birthday. My dad eventually did time for involuntary manslaughter and came home in May 2002. November 11 that same year, I walked in the living room after getting home from school while my mom put groceries away. She told me that night, I told her daddy was ‘sleeping funny,’ but he wasn’t sleeping. I was sent to a neighbor’s apartment while they tended to my father, and I knew he was gone when I came outside a couple hours later to my mom’s face gleaming in the street light from tears. I went back into the apartment when my mom found a house to help pack, but she never stepped into the apartment again.”
—Blante1213

72. They slit every last one of their throats, even the children.

“Glencoe Massacre—my relatives befriended a clan (McDonald) and ate and slept alongside them for 2 weeks then one night slit every last one of their throats, even the children.”
—Ewanhobbit

73. My great-grandfather went crazy, shot my great-grandmother to death, and then killed himself.

“My great-grandfather went crazy, shot my great-grandmother to death, and then killed himself. Their son (my great-uncle) grew very depressed as a result. He was a dentist, and decided to kill himself by filling a room with knockout gas.

That’s basically all the details I have… my grandma was the only surviving member of that immediate family, and she didn’t exactly want to talk about it much. Ever.”
—daddyslittlescreamer

74. I’m distantly related to the man convicted in the Freedom Summer killing of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi.

“I’m distantly related to Edgar Ray Killen (I think he was my grandfather’s first or second cousin; I can’t remember which, and y’all can figure out just how distant a relative that makes him to me.) the man convicted in the Freedom Summer killing of three civil rights workers in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The ‘official’ family story is that he drove up to the local service station in Union, where my grandfather was working on his truck’s brakes and tried to get him to come with him that day, but my grandfather instead decided to finish fixing his truck. From the other stories I’ve heard of my grandfather, mostly of how he was a mean, alcoholic, most likely bipolar son of a bitch, I seriously doubt that’s what he really chose to do. The link to the Wikipedia article on the killings is below and it’s also featured in the movie ‘Mississippi Burning’.

Also, we own a fair cabin at the Neshoba County Fair that we inherited when another distant relative (don’t even ask how we’re related because I seriously have no clue) found his wife cheating on him with another man. He shot the two of them and then himself. You can still see the bloody hand and foot prints if you pull back the carpet upstairs and there’s still a few blood drops staining the wall. To this day I swear I see his ghost sometimes, eyes filled with rage over her betrayal.

The link about those killings.”
—Tricksteraven

75. My great great granddad killed some slaves.

“My great great granddad killed some slaves, no joke.”
—ilovesleepp

76. My cousin and his girlfriend (or fiancée, I forgot) beat their 4-year-old to death.

“My cousin and his girlfriend (or fiancée, I forgot) beat their 4-year-old to death.”
—fn-dameron

77. My great grandfather shot and killed his wife in front of my grandfather and his two brothers.

“My great grandfather shot and killed his wife in front of my grandfather and his two brothers.”
—McDabbs

78. My great grandfather shot and killed my great grandmother.

“My great grandfather shot and killed my great grandmother and went to prison for it. I just found out about it a year or so ago. I knew my grandmother was raised by her aunt, but had always just assumed that her parents had just died young or something.”
—crotchrocket4

79. My great grandad witnessed his drunk abusive father murder his mother by throwing her down the stairs.

“My great grandad witnessed his drunk abusive father murder his mother by throwing her down the stairs.”
—iwannabesedated69

80. A few years ago, my cousin shot his girlfriend to death in front of her son then killed himself as well.

“A few years ago, my cousin (in his 40s with 2 high school age kids), shot his girlfriend to death in front of her son then killed himself as well. I didn’t know him very well, but seeing our grandma, his dad/my uncle, and his kids at the memorial service was absolutely heartbreaking, and I can’t even imagine what her family was feeling.”
—motheroflulu

81. My great-great-great-grandfather murdered his wife and then killed himself while the kids were at the neighbor’s.

“My great-great-great-grandfather murdered his wife and then killed himself while the kids were at the neighbor’s. Not exactly sure of his motive, but at least he didn’t kill his entire family.”
—universe_throb

82. A relative on my mother’s side was part of the group that killed the founder of the Mormon Church.

“A relative on my mother’s side was part of the group that killed Joseph Smith (founder and prophet of the Church of Latter-day Saints) (Mormons).”
—iTut

83. Paternal grandfather killed his wife with a shotgun, in the front seat of a truck that my dad was sitting i.

“Paternal grandfather killed his wife with a shotgun, in the front seat of a truck that my dad was sitting in. Gramps in jail. Schizophrenic.”
—kirbygay

84. I’m related to Lizzy Borden, who killed her mother and father with an axe.

“After my grandfather got involved with genealogy we found out we were related to Lizzy Borden, who killed her mother and father with an axe.”
—Of-Astora

85. He murdered the family with an axe.

“Before my great, great, great, great, great, grandfather immigrated, he was a butler,

He was a convict sent to Australia,

His crime:

he murdered the family with an axe.”
—Mr_Apple_Juice

86. Ironically enough, his (and now our) original last name means ‘kill’ in our native language.

“My maternal great great grandfather murdered a man so he ran away and changed his last name. Ironically enough, his (and now our) original last name means ‘kill’ in our native language.”
—cookiethief55

87. A great uncle killed 4 people then got caught a year later harassing the family of the last murder.

“A great uncle killed 4 people then got caught a year later harassing the family of the last murder.”
—Xanjis

88. He went out with a 12-gauge sawed off and blew the faces off the father’s and his girlfriend’s face.

“My great grandfather killed 2 people in the 1980’s. His friend’s girlfriend was pregnant, and the girlfriends father beat her, so the baby miscarried. So my grandfather and his friend went out with a 12-gauge sawed off and blew the faces off the father’s and his girlfriend’s face. Still in prison today, and still never met him.”
—Naga22

89. My uncle raped and murdered a woman in her 60s because he wanted her TV.

“My uncle raped and murdered a woman in her 60s because he wanted her TV.”
—Single_Now

90. He had a permit to legally shoot and cull Australian Aboriginals.

“My great great something or rather grandfather on my dad’s side had a permit to legally shoot and cull Australian Aboriginals. We still have the permit somewhere. It’s horrible to think at one time that was actually a thing :/”
—ssfgrgawer

91. He was the last person to ever receive the death penalty at our local jail.

“My dad’s great uncle was found guilty of a murder, and he was the last person to ever receive the death penalty at our local jail.”
—josh0561

92. He wished me happy birthday about a month ago.

“Uncle went to jail for a while on murder charges. Family told me he really did it. He’s not in jail anymore because the country’s laws are a bit in the grey and he has connections. We’re Facebook friends, wished me happy birthday about a month ago.”
—Wiknetti

93. He would travel by train and rob and murder people with an axe.

“I have a great uncle from the 30s who would travel by train and rob and murder people with an axe. He was shot while attacking a woman in 1938, in Tennessee. He had traveled up and down the east coast and while we don’t know how many people he killed he had the personal effects of 3 people from 3 different states when he was shot and killed. The police linked him to a handful of other murders but we will never really know. The woman he was attacking when he was shot survived but was very badly disfigured. My family obviously doesn’t talk about him ever. His body was never even claimed.”
—GunFlask

94. He shot his wife, her dress caught fire so he stomped it out, shot her again, then shot himself.

“Murder. Lots of Murder.

My Great-Great-Grandfather was a strange dude by all accounts. He was also the itchy trigger finger sort. His wife was beautiful and quite fond of men in general. He caught a guy leaving their home one day when he came home from work. So he shot the guy in the head, surprisingly he lived with no serious injury.

Though allegedly there was another guy he caught that wasn’t so fortunate. The thing was it was a small town and our family basically was the law in the area at the time.

Anyway, Great-Great-Grandpa finally had a total mental. He shot his wife, her dress caught fire so he stomped it out, shot her again, then shot himself. My great-grandfather was the one to find them, he was like 5 or so.

My great-grandfather actually ended up working with the man his father shot that survived. Apparently his face was an absolute train wreck. When he started working with the guy he kept eyeing the scars and the guy finally said “You know how I got this way? Your old man shot me”. Must have been a comfortable conversation.

My great-grandfather was hell on wheels as a young man and made regular trips to Mexico and points further south to party. Apparently he quit going after he shot a couple of guys after an argument.

I’ve done lots of genealogy on this side of the family and as far back as I’ve got (late 1600’s) there is constantly guys that were killers.

On my father’s side they were from Kentucky and were into bootlegging. Lots of unpleasantness on that side as well. Our ancestor that first came to my home state did so on the run, he married a girl and shortly after got her twin sister pregnant. Her brothers got angry and planned to kill him, he got word and ambushed them. He didn’t kill them but shot them both several times and left them in bad shape.”
—Arkansan13