Timothy O’Bryan, The Trick-Or-Treater Killed By Poisoned Candy From His Father
TwitterTimothy O’Bryan was just eight years old when he was murdered on Halloween night in 1974.
On Halloween night in 1974, eight-year-old Timothy O’Bryan went trick-or-treating with his father, sister, and some family friends in Deer Park, Texas. But by the end of the night, O’Bryan would be dead — killed by cyanide stuffed into a Pixy Stix.
The most shocking thing about this Halloween murder, however, was not how Timothy died but rather who had killed him. As investigators looked into his death, they found that he’d been murdered by his father, Ronald O’Bryan.
As VICE explains, Ronald had accompanied the children and another family while they went trick-or-treating. At one point, the children approached a darkened house, but they gave up and walked away when nobody answered the door. However, Ronald stayed behind. He later caught up to the group holding 21-inch Pixy Stix tubes, claiming that the home’s owner had emerged to give him the candy. It was a lie.
Texas Department of Criminal JusticeRonald O’Bryan refused to confess, but investigators found convincing evidence.
That night, Timothy decided to eat some of his Halloween candy before bed. According to the Statesman, he picked the Pixy Stix, which he complained tasted bitter. Then, after his father gave him Kool-Aid to wash it down, the eight-year-old started vomiting and convulsing before he died.
Timothy’s Halloween murder initially seemed like a fairly simple case. After ensuring that none of the other children had consumed any of the candy — which investigators found was packed with cyanide — police asked Ronald to lead them to the home where he’d gotten the candy.
Ronald did, but there was just one problem: The homeowner had an ironclad alibi. And as investigators continued to look into Timothy’s death, they unearthed some disturbing details about his father.
According to VICE, Ronald was deep in debt, and he had recently taken out hefty life insurance policies on both of his children. What’s more, he’d reportedly asked his community college professor about cyanide. And a chemical company worker claimed that a man matching Ronald’s description had asked about buying the poison but left when he learned he had to purchase a minimum of five pounds.
The next year, Ronald O’Bryan was found guilty of murder and attempted murder and sentenced to death.
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