Serial killer, Larry Gene Bell, believed he was Jesus Christ, and forced his victims to pen a “Last Will and Testament” before they died. Bell was born on October 30, 1949, in Ralph, Alabama, and had three sisters and one brother. The family frequently moved before Bell arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, to attend Eau…
Dallen Forrest Bounds’ Murderous Crime Spree in Greenville, SC in 1999
Dallen Forrest Bounds was born on August 9, 1971, in Washington State, but later relocated to the Greenville, South Carolina area after a failed marriage ended in Arizona. His crime spree left four people dead between June and December 1999. Sometime in early 1998, Bounds and some friends rented an apartment in Greenville. Over the…
The Folly Beach Serial Killer
Many may not remember the name of Richard Valenti or his crimes, but Valenti is in the same league of killers as the “Gaffney Strangler.” In 1973, Valenti killed 14-year-old Sherr Clark and 13-year-old Alexis Latimer in Folly Beach, South Carolina. Valenti was quoted as saying, “The Lord told him to kill them.” Valenti was…
The Cold Case of Pete Wells
On October 13, 2005, Pete Wells was found deceased after a purchase at Bamboo Garden restaurant on Highway 28 Bypass in Anderson, South Carolina. It appears that the homicide happened during a robbery attempt as he entered his vehicle. An arrest was made in the case in 2010, but the charges against the suspect were…
The Gaffney Strangler Terrorizes Upstate, South Carolina
Lee Roy Martin, also known as the “Gaffney Strangler,” terrorized Gaffney, South Carolina, between 1967 and 1968. However, the killings weren’t Martin’s first brush with the law. The textile mill employee, turned serial killer, would eventually murder four people, two women and two girls, during his reign of terror. Martin was described as a family…
Snapped: Tyler Terry and Adrienne Simpson
Tyler Terry and Adrienne Simpson went on a killing spree in May 2021, which ended with Simpson being arrested on May 17, when the duo fled from law enforcement. Terry, on the other hand, had other plans, as he escaped to a wooded area off Highway 9 in Chester County, between Richburg and Fort Lawn….
The Devil: Susan Smith
On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith reported to law enforcement that she had been the victim of a carjacking by a black man in Union County, South Carolina. Smith was driving a 1990 Mazda Protégé with her two sons, Michael Daniel and Alexander Tyler, strapped in the back seat, at the time of the report….
Patrick Tracy Burris’s Crime Spree in the Summer of 2009
It has been 16 years since Patrick Tracy Burris went on a crime spree in Gaffney, South Carolina. For more than a week in the summer of 2009, serial killer Patrick Tracy Burris terrorized Cherokee County. His crime spree took many back to the late 1960s, when the Gaffney Strangler wreaked havoc on the same…
Is Chester County sitting on the Lost Confederate Gold from the Civil War
In April 1865, the Civil War came to a close for most Americans. The war and its various aspects continue to capture the interest and imagination of many Americans who are fascinated by the battles, leaders, and strategies displayed during that conflict. Mysteries endure, too, including the ultimate disposition of the Confederate Treasury. One of…
The Story of Snap! Crackle! and Pop! Rock Hill, SC
In 1928, Kellogg’s released Rice Krispies on store shelves in America. It was an instant hit with consumers. In 1932, the words Snap! Crackle! Pop! first appeared on a box of the popular cereal. However, it wasn’t until 1933 that the brand introduced its iconic characters, which would forever transform the breakfast game. Artist Vernon…