THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: OCTOBER 19, 1982

On this date in 1982, maverick auto executive John Z. DeLorean was arrested at a hotel near the Los Angeles airport. DeLorean was charged in connection with a $24 million cocaine transaction that he took part in to save his failing company. (Rumors that the $24 million in cocaine were needed to generate the 1.21 gigawatts of electricity it takes to travel through time are, to this day, unconfirmed.) DeLorean maintained that he had been entrapped by an informant working for the FBI. The jury agreed, and Delorean was acquitted (even though his defense team had called no witnesses). His business, DeLorean Motors, wasn't so fortunate. The British government, which had partnered with DeLorean in the venture, shut it down in November of 1982.

John DeLorean died of a stroke in 2005 at the age of 80.

Further reading:

Wikipedia - John DeLorean

The Citizen, Auburn, NY (October 20, 1982) - DeLorean faces cocaine charges

BABE OF THE WEEK

This week's babe is model, actress, and former Playboy Mansion denizen Bridget Marquardt.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: OCTOBER 17, 1931

On this date in 1931, Chicago mob boss Al Capone was convicted in federal court on charges of income tax evasion. Judge James H. Wilkerson surprised Capone and his attorneys by passing a sentence of eleven years in prison, about double the usual sentence for similar crimes. In addition, he assessed $150,000 in fines and court costs against Capone. Adding insult to injury, the judge denied Capone's motion to stay out of prison while his appeal was in the works. Capone was on a train to Leavenworth prison a week after his conviction. He would not make parole until late 1939.

Further reading:

Binghamton Press, October 24, 1931 - Al Capone Gets 11 Years, Must Pay $150,000

truTV - Al Capone

Mario Gomes - My Al Capone Museum

FRIDAY MOVIE QUOTE

"In the world of advertising, there's no such thing as a lie. There's only expedient exaggeration."

-Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant), North by Northwest (1959)

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: OCTOBER 14, 1912

On this date in 1912, New York saloon keeper John F. Schrank shot former President Teddy Roosevelt in Milwaukee, WI. Roosevelt, who was running for president on the Bull Moose party ticket, was in Milwaukee to give a speech. Prior to the speech, he had dinner with advisers at the Hotel Gilpatrick. As he left the hotel, supporters waiting outside cheered him. Also waiting for the former president was John Schrank, armed and ready for action. As Roosevelt turned and waved to the crowd before getting into his car, Schrank aimed a pistol at Roosevelt's head. Just before he pulled the trigger, a spectator named Adam Bittner struck Schrank's arm, spoiling his aim. The bullet struck Roosevelt in the chest, hitting a glasses case and a fifty page speech before lodging in the former president's body.

The crowd pounced on Schrank and began pummeling him. The beating continued until Roosevelt stood up and implored the crowd to show mercy to the man. The police arrived and took Schrank into custody. Roosevelt eschewed a trip to the hospital, and vowed to give his speech "if it's the last thing on earth I do." Roosevelt arrived at the Milwaukee Auditorium several minutes later and gave his speech to 10,000 supporters, the bullet still lodged in his chest. Roosevelt eventually lost the election, coming in second to Woodrow Wilson. The incumbent, Republican William Howard Taft, came in third; the only incumbent president ever to do so. The bullet remained lodged in Roosevelt's body for the rest of his life (on the lower left in the x-ray photo above).

John Schrank, who claimed the assassination attempt was done per the instructions of the ghost of President William McKinley, was (unsurprisingly) declared insane. He spent the rest of his life in mental institutions. He died of natural causes in 1943 at the Central State Mental Hospital in Waupun, Wisconsin.


Further reading:

Classic Wisconsin - John Schrank

Wikipedia - John Flammang Schrank

Wikipedia - Theodore Roosevelt

BABE OF THE WEEK

According to my Statcounter, I've been getting a lot of hits from Iran recently. All of them have been here looking for the same thing: pictures of Olga Kurylenko.

So, as a show of solidarity with my fellow babe-aficionados in the Islamic Republic, this week's babe - appearing on Nobody Move! for the fifth time - is Olga Kurylenko.

THIS DAY IN CRIME HISTORY: OCTOBER 12, 1978

On this date in 1978, 20 year old Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of former Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious, was found dead in the bathroom of her room at the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. Spungen had been stabbed in the lower abdomen.  The murder weapon was a knife that belonged to Vicious (real name John Simon Ritchie).

Police arrested Vicious, who gave conflicting accounts of what happened.  Some versions pointed to his innocence, others implicated him in the murder.  There were numerous theories as to who else may have killed Nancy, with most theories involving a drug deal gone bad.

The case never went to trial.  On February 2, 1979, while out on bail, Sid Vicious died of a heroin overdose .  He was 21 years old at the time.

Further reading:

truTV - PUNK-ROCK ROMEO AND JULIET: SID VICIOUS AND NANCY SPUNGEN

Find A Grave - Nancy Spungen

Wikipedia - Nancy Spungen