Criminals Trivia

1. Who was known as "Bloody Mary"?

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Mary I Queen of England

Mary I of England, was the only child of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, who was Catholic. Mary was crowned queen after the death of her half brother Edward VI, taking the throne from Lady Jane Grey, and having her beheaded. She felt threatened by many people due to her religious beliefs as a Catholic and as a result had 280 people burned at the stake during her five year reign, which is why she became known as "Bloody Mary".

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Ken Eto

Ken Eto was known as 'Tokyo Joe'. He was a Japanese-American who, with his family, was interred during WWII. Ken was born in 1919, and moved to Chicago after the war. He was involved with illegal gambling and joined up with the Outfit crime syndicate. By 1983 the Feds had caught up with him. A hit was put out on Ken after his capture by the Feds, and he narrowly escaped when two hit men shot him in the head; the three bullets meant to kill him only grazed his skull. The failed attempt was made an example as the two men were later found strangled to death in the trunk of a car. Realizing that the mob would never stop gunning for him, Ken ratted them out for some privileges: Witness Protection and a new life. It is estimated that at least 15 convictions were obtained from his information. He died in 2004 in Georgia.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Mary Mallon

As an asymptomatic carrier, she was the first person in the U.S. known to carry but not show symptoms of typhoid. She was a cook in New York where within two weeks of employment people began to show symptoms of typhoid; and as she moved from job to job, the people would also develop typhoid. It was discovered that she was the connection. She was put into isolation twice but never showed the signs herself. An autopsy was performed after her death, due to complications following a stroke and it was revealed she had live typhoid bacteria in her gallbladder. A total of 51 people contracted typhoid due to direct or indirect contact with her, three of whom died.

From Quiz Murder Trials of the Century

Answer: O.J. Simpson

The murder of OJ's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Goldman was an attention-grabber from the very beginning. To begin with, a grisly murder in a "safe" well-to-do neighborhood always draws interest. The Brentwood neighborhood was near Los Angles and home to hundreds of "entertainment reporters" who search out anything of interest in the lives of celebrities, having a sports star such as O. J. Simpson as the suspect was an opportunity too good to pass up. When Simpson failed to turn himself in to police as arranged by his lawyer, the police went looking for him. As a passenger in a white Ford Bronco, over a dozen police cars gave a lengthy slow-speed pursuit as news helicopters broadcast the incident live to viewers around the country. Six months after the murder, in January 1995, O.J. Simpson went on trial for the two murders. A flamboyant legal defense team added to the spectacle. Every minute of the 133-day trial was broadcast by TV cameras in the courtroom. At 10 am on October 3, O.J. Simpson was found Not Guilty as 91% of the television viewing public watched. Simpson has remained in the court spotlight through a civil trial related Ron Goldman's death as well as other financial proceedings including bankruptcy. In 2008, thirteen years after being acquitted of murder, Simpson was convicted of armed robbery in Las Vegas for attempting to recover what he claims are his sports memorabilia. John Madden, a football player and announcer, Tony Hawk the skater, and Tiger Woods the golfer have never been suspects in a murder trial.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Joseph Massino

To avoid the death penalty, this Joe was the first official Mafia boss to co-operate with federal authorities. He wore a wire during conversations with one of his minions and implicated many former associates. He also revealed the location of an infamous graveyard used by the mob. In 2005 he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Witchcraft

1692, Salem Witch Trials. Mary Eastey was a well respected member of the community when several young women accused her of witchcraft. She of course denied the charges but several more came forward and said they had seen her in the company of the devil. As in the case of many others accused, her denials fell on deaf ears. She was sentenced to hang.

From Quiz Murder Trials of the Century

Answer: Bernard Goetz

At 1:00 in the afternoon, four 18-19 year-old men were riding the subway carrying screwdrivers with which to break into vending machines. They asked Goetz for some money in a way that made him feel threatened. Goetz produced a handgun and shot all four men. After lengthy pre-trial proceedings including two grand juries and numerous pre-trial motions resulting in dismissal of several charges and subsequent reinstatement by the Appeals Court, Goetz's trial began on December 12, 1986. Jury selection was exhaustive and opening statements weren't made until the following April 27. In June, the jury found Goetz guilty on the charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. The jury found him not guilty on all charges of attempted murder and assault. George Zimmerman is the Florida "vigilante" who killed Trayvon Martin. David Berkowitz was the Son of Sam serial killer. Mark David Chapman killed John Lennon.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: The Valachi Papers

As a soldier for the Lucchese and Genovese families, convicted mobster Joe Valachi broke silence in 1963. He gave detailed information about the organization, structure and customs of the mob. He had committed a murder while in prison, and sought to avoid the death penalty. Joe died in prison in 1971. There was still a $100,000 bounty on his head from the Mafia.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Assassinate President Abraham Lincoln

Mary, her husband and her son were Confederate sympathizers. They would allow meetings to take place in their boarding house where the plans to assassinate Abraham Lincoln were made. Present were: Dr.Samuel Mudd, John Wilkes Booth, George Atzerod, Lewis Powell, John Lloyd, David Herald, and Mary's son and husband. John Wilkes Booth was shot and killed trying to escape after Lincoln's death, while she along with her husband and the others were tried, found guilty and sentenced to death (her husband died after suffering a stroke). Mary was the first woman to be executed by the U.S. Government.

From Quiz Murder Trials of the Century

Answer: Charles Manson

With a criminal history dating back some twenty years to his youth, Charles Manson finished serving a ten-year sentence during which prison psychiatrists identified his "deep-seated personality problems." In the summer of 1968, Manson and followers he called "The Family" moved to a ranch in southern California. The evening of August 8, 1969, Manson prepared four of his followers saying "Now is the time for a little Helter Skelter." After midnight on August 9, his followers entered the mansion of actress Sharon Tate where they stabbed her and three of her guests a total of 102 times. A fourth guest was shot. In the early morning hours of August 10, the Family enters the nearby home of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, stabbing them both to death. The Tate-LaBianca murder trial opened in Los Angeles on July 4, 1970 with Charles Manson and three followers as defendants. All defendants were convicted of first-degree murder on January 25, 1971. The story of Manson and his "Family" has continued in the press as the subject of numerous books, documentaries and dramatic recreations. Jim Jones led his followers called "The People's Temple" from California to Jonestown Guyana where in November 1978, 909 members died in a mass murder-suicide. Marshall Applewhite was the leader of 39-member Heaven's Gate, who in March 1997 all died of suicide in Rancho Santa Fe, California. David Koresh was the leader of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas where 76 members died in a fire following a 51-day standoff with authorities.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Joseph Barboza

Joseph Barboza was not Italian, but was born to Portuguese parents in Massachusetts in 1932. He was allied with the Patriarca family in New England. Joe was credited with seven murders and privately boasted of 29, but they were never proved. He was imprisoned for murder in 1967 and broke the Omerta code by testifying against many former associates. It was learned later that he made up some of the 'facts' he gave, but he was known as a vengeful man. He may have been set up by the mob who did not care for his flamboyant and degrading behavior in public. Joe served time for murder in California and was gunned down in San Francisco in 1976.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Treason

Mary I Stuart, Queen of Scots (reigned as queen regnant of Scotland from 1542 to 1567) was the daughter of James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise. Upon the death of her father she was crowned Queen when she was six days old and was sent to a convent in France. She married the Dauphin of France and was Queen (consort) of France from 1559-1560, when her husband died. She married two more times. In 1567 a rebellion by 26 (mainly Protestant) Scottish nobles deposed her as Queen of Scotland and she was imprisoned in Loch Leven Castle. However, she escaped and fled to England. Her presence in England was an embarrassment and a threat to her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I, as she claimed to be the rightful Queen of England. Worse still, she became the focus of Roman Catholic plots to remove Elizabeth I from the throne. When evidence emerged showing her to be a party to one of these plots, she was tried and put to death in Fotheringhay Castle in 1587.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Reles

Abe was one of the founding fathers of Murder, Inc., and his favorite method of execution was jamming an ice pick through the victim's ear. Abe was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1906 and belonged to the enforcement unit of the National Crime Syndicate. He had a reputation as a brutal antagonist and for holding grudges. In 1940, after his arrest for several murders, Abe broke silence and turned in several accomplices; they were all executed. In 1941, Abe mysteriously 'fell' to his death from a hotel window in Coney Island, NY.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Strangling two boys, aged 4 and 5.

Mary Bell was abused, both physically and mentally, by her mother (a prostitute) and by her mother's clients. She was sexually assaulted as well. Mary and a friend lured two small boys into derelict houses whereupon they killed them. Mary went back later and carved an M in the four year old's stomach and mutilated his genitals. After being caught she confessed but showed no regret or remorse. She was only eleven, but was sent to a psychiatric hospital were she would spend 18 years. She was released in 1980 and had a child of her own and is now reportedly a grandmother.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Frank Lucas

Frank was immensely wealthy and powerful while running drugs in Harlem. When he was convicted in 1975 and sentenced to 70 years, he spilled the beans on his own family members, mob connections and corrupt cops. Frank got a reduced sentence and served only five years; he was later convicted again and served another seven years. On his return to Harlem, he saw the devastation there and made some amends for his contribution to the disorder. The film "American Gangster" has been harshly criticized for being '1% true and 99% Hollywood', making Lucas out to be better than he was, and the authorities worse.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Murder.

She was convicted of murdering her step-son, Charles but it is believed that she also murdered three of her four husbands, and eleven of her own 13 children. It is also believed that not only did she kill her brother and sister-in-law, but may have murdered as many as 21 people. She was sentenced to hang but the execution was botched and she strangled to death because the rope was too short.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Henry Hill

Henry Hill started his life of crime early and was heavily involved with the Lucchesi family in New York. He was instrumental in setting up several robberies, one of which was the 1967 theft of $420,000 in cash from an Air France terminal at JFK airport, and another heftier haul from the Lufthansa terminal in 1978. In 1980, Hill was arrested for drug trafficking, and came clean to the authorities because he was paranoid that there was a hit out on him. His information led to about 50 convictions. He was placed in the Witness Protection Program but was ousted in the 1990s for reverting to his criminal career.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Transporting heroin into Yogjakarta, Indonesia.

A migrant worker from the Philippines, she was arrested when her luggage was searched and officials found 2.6 kilos of heroin. She was also charged with prostitution, and was sentenced to death by firing squad. Her trial made international news. There were 250,000 signatures from 125 other countries protesting the sentence. She spent five years in prison. She received a stay if she would testify regarding the others she was traveling with on the charges of human trafficking,and transporting heroin. She was freed and the ones whom she testified against were executed by firing squad.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Buscetta

When he moved to the U.S., Tommaso was associated with the Gambino family. In 1963 he was arrested for a murder he had committed in Italy and was deported to serve time there. Tommaso made a name for himself when he exposed mob members in the U.S. and Italy as well as corrupt Italian politicians, and was placed in Witness Protection. He died in New York in 2000.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Mary McKnight

Dubbed "Michigan's Strychnine Saint", because strychnine was her method of killing. It is believed that she killed 18 people including several of her own children. She would visit a "sick" friend and slowly feed them strychnine and they would die within hours. She was eventually caught and convicted of murder and sentenced to death but would only confess to three counts.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Max Mermelstein

Max was born in 1942. He was a mechanical engineer and a genius at planning and scheduling. He soon turned to a more profitable life of drug running and by 1985, when he was apprehended, had smuggled about $12.5 billion dollars worth of cocaine into the U.S. He made a deal and sang to the authorities in return for Witness Protection for himself and 16 family members. Max was instrumental in bringing down Pablo Escobar's empire, and was sought by the drug lord until Escobar's death in 1993. Max himself lived until 2008.

From Quiz Scary Marys

Answer: Being a witch

She was tried in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, after some of the people in the village declared her to be a witch. She claimed it was mistaken identity; there were four others named Mary Parker in the surrounding area. They became more convinced when a man named William Baker Jr. said he saw her dancing with the devil. I quote, "she rod upon a pole and was baptized at 5 mile pond". He was also found guilty of witchcraft. Both were hanged. They were just a few of the 185 to be accused of witchcraft; 156 were formally charged of which 47 confessed. There were 19 executed, one by being pressed to death.

From Quiz You Have The Right to Remain

Answer: Salvatore Gravano

Known as "Sammy the Bull", Gravano became an underboss in the 1980s with the sponsorship of John Gotti, kingpin of the Gambino family. Both men were arrested at their regular watering hole, the Ravenite Social Club, in Little Italy, NY. Gravano soon traded information on the 'Teflon Don' for a reduced sentence. He later entered Witness Protection, had plastic surgery and moved to Arizona. In the end he went back to his life of crime and has been serving a 19 year sentence for trafficking in 'ecstasy', using his wife and children as associates.

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