Vote for the most notorious case
December 24th, 2009, 2:00 am · 34 Comments · posted by Larry Welborn
We started the 50 notorious cases blog on Nov. 2 to mark the 120th birthday of Orange County. The end of the year is a time for taking stock, and we wanted to know how modern day sensibilities would rank these terrible crimes.
The series has received both widespread praise as well as some criticism, including comments that we have been insensitive to survivors.
That was not our intent.
We understand that grief for those left behind remains. But these stories are a part of our history, and our shared community experience.
We finished publishing our list of 52 cases on Wednesday.
Now, it’s your turn.
What is the most notorious case in Orange County history?
ADVERTISEMENT
Reader Comments
Comments are encouraged, but you must follow our User Agreement.- Keep it civil and stay on topic.
- No profanity, vulgarity, racial slurs or personal attacks.
- People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked.
- By posting your comment, you agree to allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to republish your name and comment in additional Register publications without any notification or payment.
34 Comments
-
ADVERTISEMENT
-
Things to do
Top Register sunrise photos of 2010
-
ADVERTISEMENT
Did you really need to know the answer to this poll today? I mean it’s the holidays, couldn’t you have waited until Monday?
Then don’t read it, go read your Ann Landers
I don’t like voting for this kind of thing. It’s just making an already notorious person more noted. If I was forced into making a decision, I would have to vote for Randy Kraft… but then if he gets the most votes, does that make him a winner? I want no part of it.
IN POOR TASTE! WHY GLORIFY OR EVEN BRING DRAW ANY NOTARIETY TWOARD SUCH HANIOUS CRIMES? WHAT ARE YOU ALL ON? IN ADDITION TO BEING AT HAUNAKAH & X-MAS TIME? PLEASE!
Nothing like a good murder on Christmas day.
How about Timothy James Lyons? Not quite a mass murderer but a scammer in the first degree!
Sadly, if you get families together, someone is gonna get hurt. Is the rule. In my family, I always try to get out before gunfire erupts.
Really, I don’t know why anybody bothered to vote. This was the most ill-conceived, poorly timed series ever….and the poll at the end just really topped it off well.
Hey, it’s the holidays, perfect time to celebrate ghoul.
My thoughts exactly Bryan.
I went with John Samuel Ghobrial, but only becaue I was involved in that case on the periphery. I had a couple of nightmares from that one.
You forgot the murder of Patrick Miller in the 80′s, by two idiots that had just met him in a bar.
I’m so happy to see so many people expressing disgust on this topic. Is there really a need to do a poll on the most horrific examples of human nature? What’s wrong with the OC Register? What’s wrong with Larry Wellborn? I bet this is exactly what Larry Wellbon thought he’d be at this point in his life when he graduated from journalism school.
This statement is downright comical….
“We started the 50 notorious cases blog on Nov. 2 to mark the 120th birthday of Orange County. The end of the year is a time for taking stock, and we wanted to know how modern day sensibilities would rank these terrible crimes.”
Yes… Happy Birthday OC! Let’s take stock and look at the worst things that have happened to you in your life. Yes, this is what everyone should do on their birthday!
NO, I will not VOTE and I will NOT decide.
This was a terrible idea from the start. I hope you will not repeat this gruesome “HORROR” series next year.
I have not read the articles…just left my note of disgust on each comment section.
Seriously people, this is not ‘fascinating” it’s gross.
Who cares!!!!! It’s just too bad some of these degenerates are still breathing on Death Row! Death sentences need to be carried out within five years, if you have to fast-track their appeals, so be it. It’s a shame most of these killers out live so many of the victims relatives.
Hey Larry…………It looks like the whole Sheriff”s Department is voting for Kraft…….
How about Richard Ramirez aka:Night Stalker in 1985?
I think its funny that people complain about this series. If you don’t like it don’t read it… Its that simple!
I bet Lori secretly likes this series.
Cyndia28 and syscom3…
I did not read the series, I was sucked in by the gruesome headline the OCR kept posting for each heinous crime…and that alone sickened me.
I posted my comments in protest of this kind of “Enquirer” journalism and nothing more.
Sounds like you are both projecting your own embarrassment over eagerly reading this trash…good luck.
I am not at all embarrassed to read and comment on these stories. Its history and I find it fascinating.
I think when anybody is murdered its notorious,when life is snuffed away by the hands of another(except in self defense) is pathetic!especially when a child is involved!
My definition of what constitutes historical information is a bit different than yours “syscom3.
I equate a “historical” death as, Lincoln Assassinated…Kennedy Assassinated…you know HISTORICAL references to murders or killing.
These scum bags do not deserve any more press, or should I say SENSATIONAL PRESS. These monsters are nothing more than the dregs of society committing heinous acts and then given notoriety by newspapers making money off of someone’s grief.
No, not historical or famous…merely disgusting.
Unfortunately, your definition of historical information is not consistent with the dictionary. These cases all happened in the past, therefore they are part of the history of Orange County. Whether you like it or agree with it, there is a great fascination with crime out there. Whether you like it or not, police, FBI and other criminologists learn from these crimes. You can keep your rose colored glasses on about what is appropriate to be in a newspaper, but let’s face it, newspapers are in the business of printing the news, and that includes murder. How else will the public find out about killers like Richard Ramirez or Randy Kraft if the paper doesn’t talk about it?
42 out of 52 of these cases had to do with hideous crimes such as, mutilation, rape, murder, kidnap.
So tell me what the OCR intended this series to be about? and not one of THOSE killings has any real “historical” meaning to them…they were innocent men, women and children.
History is one thing…revisiting horrible crimes and expounding on them is just sensationalism.
It could be said that the articles are historical because of these perps making their victims history.
As to their being able to garner any noteriety out of these pieces, I doubt it. Many have already died, been executed, or are on death row. I do not think that San Quentin has an OCR delivered each day there, so I do not think they will be able to revel in their past atrocities. The San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News kind of have a lock on the print media up that way, and since the crimes did not take place in their backyards I doubt that the OC criminals will be reading much about themselves.
The problem is in the “voting” I think it is reprehensible to “vote” on who is the worst of the worst.
As for these guys getting newspapers? Don’t kid yourself…prisoners have more “rights” than you think and the damage will be done when others like them get it into their crazy heads to do something just as sickening…disgusting criminals have an agenda all their own…it’s like the nut who goes out on a windy day and lights a match…and then all of sudden there are fires all over.
I don’t know, I still think it’s wrong to glorify or write about these crimes…I guess I’m just not as jaded as I thought.
As far as it being a sociological exercise, I find nothing wrong with the voting. Take a look at the numbers and what does it tell you?
With the exception of Kraft and Bonin, the more recent the crime the more votes it received. That tells me that folks either have short memories, if they did not “experience” the original stories it doesn’t register for them, or they were not willing to delve into the information about the past to really make an informed decision prior to voting (and does that speak to other tyoes of voting, such as politics?).
Another interesting thing I see is the amount of votes that Carona received, yet he was not involved in taking another’s life. What does that say? Is the argument that integrity in elected officials more important than murder?
No, I like this polling. It tells me quite a bit, though I am not happy with the results that I am seeing.
Many have NOT been executed, including the murderer of my husband, Don Burt. In fact, we are awaiting the court date for his appeal. Sick CONTESTS and articles such as these endanger our case and could ultimately mess with the due process system. Think before you write/read, people.
Well although I question the timing of this article,I do have an interest in crime and criminal behavior. The case I found to be most appealing(I even searched the iternet for more info) is the “Honor Roll murder”. That case was just crazy! I mean beating the guy,pouring rubbing alcohol down his throat and then dropping his car off in Compton? And the mastermind was an Ivy league bound,rich kid. Just didn’t make any sense! I mean okay first of all there were way to many people involved,and there’s always going to be someone that starts talking,but the main thing I kept thinking about was how they all just went about their lives as if they hadn’t just killed someone! I just think about what it would be like to wake up everyday in prison when you had so much going for you. But then I can’t feel sorry for him because I then think about Stuart TAy’s last moments,imagine you’ve just been beaten for 20 minutes and because beating you is taking too long you get to have rubbing alcohol poured down your throat and then duct tape on your nose&mouth. I just scares me because everyone kept saying how Robert Chan was the most unassuming,goody two shoes guy, that would never do such a thing.
What? The notorious cases was poorly timed and ruined Christmas?
Orange County, you have no snow. How can you have a good Christmas without snow?
Poorly timed? Christmas? Who said anything like that “Lucifer”?
These “Vote for your favorite heinous crime” articles are “poorly timed” at ANY time.
Making sport and voting on death is truly disgusting…kind of let’s you know where this country is headed.
What about Richard Ramirez – “The Night Stalker”?
Larry,
You have to admit, you don’t have to have someone murdered in order to reach your list. Sex offenders are oftentimes worse because their victims live on with the horrific memories of what they endured.
These two, David Hwang and Sheila Sikat, should definitely make the top ten as they victimized a child under 5, drug, raped and sodomized her and worst of all – she was actually a relative of Sikat. 50 year sentences for the two of them was not sufficient. They should never see the light of (free) day again.