Bats in the Belfry Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ronald DeFeo, Jr.

On the night of November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr., shot and killed his mother, father, two brothers, and two sisters while they were asleep in their beds. According to psychiatrists, he had antisocial personality disorder. Unfortunately, they also say that he was completely aware of what he was doing.
Then, in 1975, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the same house. After an extremely bizarre and terrifying 28 days, they and their children vacated the house and left all their belongings. They refused to set foot inside again. Their story is now the famous "Amityville Horror." (1979 & 2005)

Perry Smith and Richard Hickock were the killers of "In Cold Blood", a book released in 1966, which is also based on a true story.

Answer: Charles Manson

Manson planned to kill them all, but was caught before he had the chance. Unfortunately, it was too late for at least eight other adults and one unborn child. Sharon Tate (then-wife to Roman Polanski) was eight months pregnant at the time of her murder. Manson's cult members used extreme overkill with a total of seven gunshot wounds (three victims), 13 blows to the head (one victim), and nearly 200 stab wounds (all eight victims). None of the victims survived.

Manson and three of his cult members were sentenced to death. However, California abolished the death penalty in 1972 and their sentences were amended to concurrent life sentences. Each of them has appealed numerous times and they have all been denied every time.

Answer: Dylan Klebold & Eric Harris

Klebold and Harris were responsible for the Columbine shootings in 1999. They killed 12 students and one teacher before taking their own lives.

For the record, John Dillinger never killed anyone. He was the FBI's most wanted man in 1933 because of all the banks he had robbed and the numerous times he had evaded the authorities. Melvin Purvis was the FBI agent hot on his trail. I recommend seeing "Public Enemies" (2009) with Johnny Depp. It's an excellent film about Dillinger and his antics.

Susan Atkins and Tex Watson were two of the cult members involved in the Charles Manson case.

Bonnie & Clyde were infamous bank robbers.

Answer: Lizzie Borden

Lizzie Borden supposedly killed her father and stepmother when she was in her 30s and still living at home. Most people, then and now, seem to think that she was guilty. However, a jury found her not guilty after her trial in 1892.

Bonnie Parker was a bank robber, along with Clyde Barrow.
Aileen Wuornos was a serial killer in 1989 & 1990.
Mary Bell was a 10-year-old killer in England in 1968.

Answer: Jack the Ripper

To this day, no one is certain who the real Jack the Ripper was. Officially, he was responsible for the gruesome murders of five prostitutes, but some say he may have killed up to 13.

Son of Sam was a serial killer in 1976 & 1977.
The Unabomber wreaked havoc on the United States throughout the '70s, '80s, and '90s. His attacks resulted in three deaths and several more injuries. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Boston Strangler was a serial killer throughout 1962 and 1963. There were 13 victims, all ranging in age from 19 to 85. Albert DeSalvo was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Many still doubt that he was the actual murderer.

Answer: David Berkowitz

David Berkowitz terrorized New York City as the Son of Sam in 1976 and 1977. His victims were all young men and women, the youngest being 16 years old. He always attacked those who were in pairs and only when there was at least one woman present. Ten of his victims were women. Five died, three lived, one was paralyzed, and one went uninjured. Of the four men who were also hit, one died, two lived, and one was blinded.

Gary Leon Ridgway (the Green River Killer) is perhaps one of the most prolific serial killers of all time. He pled guilty to 48 murders and was sentenced with 48 life sentences. He has also confessed to an additional 23 murders, but his overall total is thought to be at least 90.
Ed Gein was only convicted of two murders, but his infamy comes from what police discovered after they searched his home: several skulls, masks made from human skin and furniture covered with human skin. This evidence led to the discovery of Gein's grave-robbing antics.

Answer: John Wayne Gacy

John Wayne Gacy was convicted of 33 murders, all boys and young men between the ages of 14 and 21. He kidnapped, raped, and tortured each of them. After he killed them, he would bury them in the crawlspace of his basement. By the time he was captured in 1978, eight of the bodies discovered were so badly decomposed that their remains were never identified.

Jeffrey Dahmer was convicted of 17 murders and was sentenced to 957 years in prison. He served only two years of that before he was beaten to death by another inmate. Since his death, all of his possessions have been destroyed by the families of his victims.

Answer: Adolf Hitler

An attempt was made on Hitler's life in 1944 by some German soldiers who didn't believe he was doing the right thing. Unfortunately, they failed. All were caught and executed. You can see the entire process in the film "Valkyrie" (2008) with Tom Cruise. In my opinion, it's a very good movie.

Hitler's birthday, April 20, is a date of significance for several other mass murderers, including Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City bombing) and Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold (Columbine shooting).

King Henry VIII was leader of England in the 1500s. He's most known today for the executions of several of his wives, including Anne Boleyn.
Saddam Hussein was leader of Iraq from 1979 until 2003. He was executed by hanging in 2006.
Fidel Castro was leader of Cuba from 1976 until 2008, when he passed the torch to his younger brother, Raul.

Answer: Mary Bell

English-born Mary Bell was convicted of murdering four-year-old Martin Brown and three-year-old Brian Howe in 1968. She was sentenced to 12 years in jail, which she served.

Betty Bell was Mary's mother.
Aileen Wuornos was a serial killer from Florida who murdered seven men in 1989 and 1990. She was executed for these crimes in 2002.
Elizabeth Smart was a teenager who went missing in 2002 and was found, alive, nine months later.

Answer: Elizabeth Short

This is the famous Black Dahlia case. Elizabeth "Betty" Short was tortured and killed in 1928. Her ghost is said to haunt the hotel where she frequented when she was alive. Many guests claim to have seen a woman with a strikingly similar appearance.

Her killer has never been caught and it is the most famous unsolved murder in United States history.

Elizabeth Smart was a teenage girl who went missing in 2002 and was found, alive, several months later.
Marianne Pearl was the wife of executed journalist Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded by insurgents in the Middle East in 2003.
Betsy Bell was a family member involved in the Bell Witch haunting of the 1800s.