10 Real-Life Murder Mysteries That Are Sure To Awaken The Sherlock In You

Deep within the dark crevices of the twisted mentality of certain humans (if that’s what they are called), live the devils. The devils who like to kill. Some let their monstrous side take over their human side in order to feel avenged while some others do the gruesome act for the mere sake of indulging in what they call ‘enjoyment.’ But sadly enough, most of them walk out gaining fame as mysterious killers with mysterious murder stories.

Following is a list of many murder mysteries, both from within and outside of India, that still hold enough strength to leave the masses in a state of shock. While some of them saw justice being served after years of being obscured in clouds of confusions, some others still remain bloodied question marks on the faces of investigation agencies.

1. Nepalese Royal Massacre – They say that Prince Dipendra carried out the killings but was he the only culprit?

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He killed 9 members of his royal family, including himself. He died whilst in a coma after 3 days of being crowned as the new king. But, there was also a parallel story that did rounds in addition to the madness that Prince Dipendra carried out on June 1, 2001. It is said that the murdered king’s brother, Gyanendra, who was appointed the king after the entire family went down, had a hand in the massacre. It is also believed that since he and his family did not have a very good public image, and because he could not get the throne unless the other popular ones in the royal family were eliminated, he planned the killing.

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2. The Black Dahlia murder case – About 50 self-confessions, yet not a single clear sign of the actual murderer

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Elizabeth Short’s body was found mutilated, drained of blood and sliced at waist, in Leimert Park, Los Angeles on January 15, 1947. This is one of the most gripping and old murder mysteries from Los Angeles for reasons more than one. There have been many suspects, but none convicted. Such is the infamy of this case that so far, as many as 50 men and women have confessed to the killing of Elizabeth! And every single time newspapers dig out a new story on this extremely old and gory mystery, or each time a movie or a book comes out, the police gets to work with the hope of finally being able to crack the mystery.

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3. Aarushi-Hemraj murder case – A case of twisted fates or facts?

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Whatever conspired on the fateful night of 15–16 May 2008 left every Indian family consumed by a plethora of dilemmas on what to believe and what not to!

Aarushi’s parents are convicted of murder and are currently serving life imprisonment, but still it remains one of the most publicized, controversial and gory murder mysteries to have ever happened in India.

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4. Zodiac Killer- The murders he did, the letters he wrote- All a big fat mystery

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He claimed to have taken 37 lives, but only 7 of them have been confirmed by the investigators. Two of his victims are even known to have survived his attacks. However, what generates more curiosity here is not the series of murders that he claimed to have carried out, but the series of letters that he used to send out, these letters had cryptogram designs mysteriously jumbled up in the words. Out of the four cryptograms that he made public, only one has been decoded so far. In one of his mysteriously coded letter, which by the way, is yet to be solved, he revealed that he would not give out his name because that will increase his chances of getting caught, which ultimately would mean that he would not be able to increase his collection of slaves (dead bodies) for his after-life.

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5. Michael Jackson- Was it about the money?

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Official records state that he overdosed himself on an anesthetic that was prescribed to him by his cardiologist. But that is not it. There are many theories surrounding the death of the King of Pop. And one of the most publicized ones is that AEG and Sony Entertainment had their hand in the murder. There have been allegations that it was a monstrous road taken by the said companies in order to make quick millions.

So was it the music companies that Michael Jackson was in association with, who wanted him dead? What is the whole meaning behind him dying approximately 18 days before the start of ‘This is it’, his comeback tour, which had already garnered enough public attention? Was he administered the fatal dosage deliberately? And the questions remain unanswered…

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6. Jessica Lal- First there was a murder of a gorgeous woman, and then there were murderers of an important case

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A beautiful model wrapped around the apron for a night to serve those demanding some alcohol to let their senses go loose for a while. A couple of them though, under the influence of alcohol, completely misunderstood ‘loosening up senses for a bit’ with ‘losing senses totally,’ and one of them took a shot at the pretty bartender. That someone who lost his senses completely and shot the lady dead was Manu Sharma, son of an affluent Member of Parliament.

This case remained in the limelight for many years and why? Simply because the case remained a puzzle, with plenty of stories and facts thrown in from every relevant corner. With mishandling of the evidence and witnesses changing their stories at crucial moments, this controversial case did not see a clear day until 20th December of 2006 when the prime accused was granted life imprisonment.

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7. The Boy in the box- Yes, it is just as the phrase says!

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Naked and battered dead body of an unknown boy (approximately 4 to 6 years of age) was found in a cardboard box in a neighbourhood of Philadelphia on February 25, 1957. His sure shot identity still remains a mystery, so much so that his headstone is marked with the phrase “America’s Unknown Child.”

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8. Divya Bharti- Did she really fall to her death?

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This beautiful diva was a sensation in Bollywood and just when she was climbing the success ladder with a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut in her pocket and all the accolades, her life took a tragic turn. The quote “nothing gold can stay” of Robert Frost perfectly justifies the life story of Divya Bharti. This gorgeous talent left the Bollywood gaping in shock with her sudden demise resulting from a fall from a high story apartment building in Versova, Mumbai. But was it just an accidental death? The credibility of this revelation is still debated.

Accidental death? Suicide? Conspiracy? Murder? Murdered by her own husband, and the famous producer Sajid Nadiadwala? The country will never know.

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9. Jack The Ripper- Who enjoyed ripping bodies apart! And was he ever pinned down? NO.

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There is nothing like a cruel murder or a simple murder. Every murder is a horrifying crime. But the standard techniques that Jack the Ripper used to murder his victims will introduce you to a whole new level of gruesomeness. His targets were mainly female sex workers who worked in the slums of London, and his trademark style included slitting throats, voraciously mutilating the bodies, and often extracting out the organs. He was given this bizarre name after a letter came up from someone claiming to be the murderer, the letter was signed as Jack the Ripper, and hence the name stayed.

Police received hundreds of letters while the murders were still ongoing, and some of them are even claimed to have been written by Ripper himself. The famous ones being the “Dear Boss” letter, the “Saucy Jacky” postcard, and the “From Hell” letter. The murderer with a celebrity status was never caught and he also disappeared mysteriously.

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10. Jiah Khan- This one seems like a new case that is going to remain unsolved for a long time

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Her death took the entire Bollywood, and the nation at large, by sheer shock. And, when the cause of her death was revealed to be suicide, the shock crept in deeper. It came out in open that she killed herself after having a fall out with her boyfriend, Suraj Pancholi, son of the infamous Bollywood actor Aditya Pancholi. But the entire thing turned into a mysterious murder tale following Jiah’s mother revelation that there are good chances her daughter’s death might have been a murder committed by Suraj Pancholi.

And these, are just a few of many!

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