Iowa's Infamous History

 

Iowa has a lot of very rich history, and lot of neat, interesting things within that history to be proud of.  However,  Iowa has also had some incidents throughout its history that were not so pleasant.  Some of the most notorious and sadistic people that have ever walked the face of this earth, have spent time in the state of Iowa.  While Iowa pales in comparison when it comes to such notorious individuals, don't kid yourself for a second.  It has had its fair share.

Gertrude Baniszewski

The incident actually happened in Indiana.  It is one of the most disturbing and horrifying stories that ever happened.  Sylvia Likens and her sister Jenny, were left in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski, a trusted friend,  when their parents, traveling carnival workers took off on the road.   For 3 months, Gertrude tortured Sylvia, doing unspeakable things to her, before finally killing her in October of 1965.   For these heinous acts against Sylvia,  Baniszewski was incarcerated from 1971 through 1985 and upon her release she moved to Laurel, Iowa.    She lived in Laurel (a small community near Marshalltown) until her death in 1990.  

Al Capone

 

 

Say the word, "Mobster", "Gangster" or "Mafia" and the first name that comes up in almost anyone's mind is the notorious Al Capone.  It is a well known, recorded fact that Capone's favorite drink was Templeton Rye, the famous whiskey made in the otherwise insignificant very small community of Templeton.   It has also been said that during periods of time when Capone needed to lay low for a while, that he thoroughly enjoyed the Iowa communities of both Fort Dodge and Ottumwa.  The Historical Museum even has photographs of Capone staying at the Hotel Ottumwa, and enjoying a cocktail while at the bar.   It is said that Capone thought highly of the state of Iowa, and enjoyed his visits there.

 

Jesse James

 Jesse James was known to frequent the Hawkeye State from time to time during his days as a notorious outlaw.   Besides robbing a train in Adair, for $3,000,  there are stories floating around that he kept some stolen cattle up near Eldon and that he had friends he hid out with for a while somewhere near the Creston/Osceola area.  

 

 

John Wayne Gacy

One of the most well known, sadistic and just plain evil serial killers of all time John Wayne Gacy, who murdered at least 33 young boys during his killing spree, lived for a short time in Waterloo, Iowa where he managed at Kentucky Fried Chicken and was president of the local chapter of Jaycees.   It's also noted that his first known crime, an act of sodomy, was committed while in Iowa as well, in which he served time in Anamosa for. 

Victor Feguer

 

 

His murder of Dr. Edward Bartels isn't the most notable thing about Feguer.  The fact that he was the last person to be put to death in the state of Iowa, is.  Feguer was executed on March 15, 1963 and he would be the last person in the United States to be federally executed, until Timothy McVeigh on June 11, 2001.    It's also noted that Iowa Governor Harold Hughes, who worked hard to abolish the death penalty in the state of Iowa, contacted President John F Kennedy in effort to have Feguer's sentence commuted.  Kennedy denied, and Feguer was put to death.   Shortly after however, Hughes was successful in abolishing the death penalty in Iowa.

Robert Hansen

Robert "Butcher Baker" Hansen who raped and murdered 17 women in the state of Alaska between 1971 and 1983, was born and raised in Estherville, Iowa.   He also worked as a drill instructor at a police academy in Pocahontas where in 1960, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison for burning down a school bus barn. 

 

Tommy Carroll

While Tommy Carroll was not originally from Iowa,  nor was their ever an account of him killing anyone,  he was killed himself in Waterloo, Iowa after years of countless crimes including robbery as a member of the famous Dillinger Gang.  Carroll's string of crimes ran throughout the 1920's and 1930's, some taking place throughout Iowa. 

The Fryer Brothers

In the summer of 1973, Allen, David and James Fryer were out fishing and hunting near Rock Rapids, Iowa when they came upon a group of five teenagers, four boys and a girl sitting around a camp fire smoking marijuana.   The brothers carrying shotguns, came up on the scene, pretending to be narcotics agents.   They killed two of the boys immediately and then eventually the other two, before taking the girl hostage, bringing her back to a farmhouse and brutally raping her.   All three brothers are still alive and serving life sentences. 

Dustin Honken

Honken's five murders in 2005, near Mason City, Iowa, aren't what is most notable about him.  What is most notable about him, is the fact that he was the first Iowan since Victor Feuger to be sentenced to death.  While Iowa does not carry out the death penalty, a jury found Honken's murders severe enough to warrant the death penalty.  He was moved to Indiana, where he still awaits his execution today.

 

Gang Lu

In November of 1991, 28 year old graduate student Gang Lu, infuriated that he had not won the prestigious D.C. Spriestersbach Dissertation, opened fired with a .38 caliber pistol, killing 5 individuals in the process and injuring 2 others.   This incident known simply as "The University of Iowa Shooting" left a black eye on the institution that has been repeatedly drugged out from under the rug, any time a similar incident happens at other schools.

Gayno Smith

Gayno Smith murdered 6 people between Martinsburg and Hedrick, Iowa in 1962.    I put him on here for no other reason, other than the home in which some of the murders took place is a house I've driven past literally 1000's of times going from Sigourney to Ottumwa over the last 29 years of my life. 

There are more notoriously infamous individuals that have some connection with the state of Iowa other than those I have mentioned today.   Mr. Fred Gilliland my high school Government, Economics and Psychology teacher told us a story about a guy from Iowa that murdered his family, but upon being arrested was not read his Miranda Rights.  As a result, he was released immediately from prison and never had to pay the price.   I've researched the Hell out of that topic and have not been able to find anything about it.     

I also remember about 15-20 years ago and incident happening where two kids from around Oskaloosa went on a wild rampage of robberies, where they killed a few gas station attendants.  I was unable to find any information about this incident either, but distinctly remember it happening sometime in the late 1990's.

There is also a story that was made into a made for TV incident that I believe either took place in Iowa, or in another state along the border of Iowa.   A group of high school kids, who were ticked off at a bus driver for one reason or another,  pulled over the bus with shot guns and then kept the bus driver and the remaining kids on the bus hostage in a bomb shelter with little food and little water.   One of the high school kids feeling guilt, went to the authorities about what had happened.

 I even know of a murder that took place very near where I grew up back in 1992.  A young man had been dating a girl a few years younger than him.  When the young man went off to college at Indian Hills in Ottumwa, he broke things off with the girl. Infuriated, the girl wanted to get even with him for breaking up with her.  Another young man, from Rose Hill, was infatuated with the girl and she convinced him to kill ex-boyfriend for her.    On his way to Indian Hills,  from what I understand the young man stopped at the Hayesville Junction, seeing the young girl on the side of the road looking as if she had car trouble.   When he got out to help her,  the young man from Rose Hill appeared from where he had been hiding and shot and killed him.    I'm not sure whatever happened to the young man, but the young woman was released from her prison sentence this past year.

Lastly, also in reference to my hometown, Sigourney.  We dealt with the very unfortunate and extremely sad ordeal of losing one of dedicated officers, when he was murdered in April of 2011.  It was the first time in 25 years, that an Iowa officer was shot and killed while on duty.