This book will explore five gripping tales involving a crime of passion and delve into the depths of raw, human emotion.
Anthony Williams, a seventy-year-old man who strangled his wife to death inside their home in Cwmbran, South Wales on March 28, 2020. Anthony claimed that he was struggling with anxiety and depression due to coronavirus restrictions, and one morning, after a particularly brutal argument, Anthony ended Ruth's life by admitting he, "choked the living daylights out of her." Although he claimed responsibility for the murder, Anthony would plead guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and receive a five-year prison sentence.
William "Bud" Wilson, a young husband and father in Anderson County, South Carolina, brutally murdered his wife, Laura, on May 10, 1892. William had suspected Laura of an adulterous affair and grew extremely jealous of her in the weeks leading up to her murder. Laura had planned to leave William and take the three children, Effie, Minnie and Prue, to her father's house, the Reverend Thomas Garrett. On the morning of their departure, William used a razor to slash Laura's throat, nearly decapitating her, before turning the razor on himself. Unsuccessful in his attempt to commit suicide, William was arrested and hanged on the gallows after a failed insanity defense on October 8, 1892.
Betty Broderick, a divorced, forty-one-year-old woman, broke into her ex-husband's home with a key that had been given to her by the couple's child. At 5:30 AM on November 15, 1989, Betty shot and killed Dan Broderick and his young wife, Linda, as they lay in bed. The case gained widespread media attention due to the dramatic events leading up to the murders including an adulterous affair, a custody battle, and the tale of a scorned woman that had spiraled into a web of jealousy, betrayal, and rage.
Carey Birmingham, a sixty-year-old man in Spring, Texas, discovered that his wife, forty-eight-year-old Patricia, had allegedly had an affair. On December 6, 2021, the couple got into a heated argument in their driveway. Patricia feared for her life after Carey pulled out his shotgun, so she decided to record him. Shockingly, Carey shot Patricia three times on camera after telling her, "Alright, goodbye. You're going to meet Jesus; I hope it was worth it." Ultimately, Carey was sentenced to ten-years in prison after his defense attorney convinced an all-women jury that Carey's crime was driven by his extreme emotional pain after learning of his wife's affair.
Rachel Wade, a nineteen-year-old young woman, discovered that her boyfriend, Joshua Camacho, had started seeing another woman behind her back, eighteen-year-old Sarah Ludermann. On April 14, 2009, Sarah and Joshua had spent the evening at his apartment playing video games and watching movies. When Rachel found out, she was livid and put a steak knife in her purse. The two young women had exchanged threats over social media for a few months and in the early morning hours of April 15th, a fight between the two escalated when Rachel stabbed Sarah in the heart. The case was highly publicized due to the young age of the individuals involved and the backdrop of a teenage love triangle gone wrong.
