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mass murder of flight 629

Further reading for John Gilbert Graham/Son of Sam

Mass Murder in the Sky: The Bombing of Flight 629 (Historical True Crime Short)

Son of Sam: Based on the Authorized Transcription of the Tapes, Official Documents, and Diaries of David Berkowitz

Longmont Colo. Nov, 1955. The Hopp family had just sat down for a meal when there was an explosion out in the farm field that shook the windows of the house, they looked outside and all they could hear was the roar of engines and in the sky they saw a ball of fire dropping.

That ball of fire was the explosion of United Air Lines Flight 629, the deadliest act of mass murder in Colorado history, 44 people on board died (including a 13 month old boy). The aircraft had taken off from the Denver airport at 6:52 pm on Nov 1 bound for Portland Oregon when eleven minutes later the control tower reported seeing a bright flash of white light and a flare in the sky.

John Gilbert Graham, would be come to known as the man who murdered these people by planting a bomb in a suitcase, and not just anyone suitcase, his own mothers. Graham was, at the time a 23 year old husband and father of two who worked at his mothers drive-in-restaurant. His mother was also known to own the home his family lived in.

A little background on Graham, is parents separated when he was just 18 mos old and at 3 his biological father died. His mother remarried a very distinguished and well known rancher while he John was left to be raised by his grandmother, until she too passed when he was nine. At which point he was sent to an orphanage, leading so severe mommy issues. His mother would allow him to go to his stepfathers ranch for holidays, but then made him leave to go back the orphanage after the celebrations were over.

Graham’s life became one short lived job after another, until finally his mother took control and gave him his job and house but also had complete control over him. It was when he was dropping her off for her flight to visit her daughter in Alaska that John bought a $37,500 life insurance policy on his mother (they were available right there at the airport) and he had planted a bomb in her suitcase.

Graham was charged with and convicted of murder, he was sentenced to death and was executed by the state of Colorado in January 1957.

And then we had one of the heaviest of heavy hitters….The Son Of Sam named thus because he claimed that his neighbors dog was possessed by an ancient demon that commanded him to kill. Which he did in NY between 1966 and 1967.

Episode 87

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