One Of The Worst True Crime Stories Ever…

Those of you who know me are aware that I’m a true crime buff.  For all of you many (I hope!) new readers – I am a true crime buff!  I like to read about true crime, so I guess you could say that I have a hidden agenda when I ask my brother-in-law (the cop) how his job is going.  A few years ago, there was an incredibly shocking crime in my brother-in-law’s jurisdiction of which he was forced to be a part, and it was terrifying for the entire community.

In July of 2004, Anson Paape decided to have an 18th birthday party for one of his kids’ friends named Michael Murray.  The party was at Paape’s home in what is normally a quiet suburb of Chicago, Illinois.  For some reason, he decided to supply the teenage party-goers with alcohol.  Even worse than that, he decided to round up some of the teenagers and take them down to his basement for a poker game.  The reason I say that the poker game was worse than furnishing the teens with alcohol is because this was a poker game with a deadly twist – Russian Roulette.  Paape distributed bullets to each of the teens, and the person with the winning hand was supposed to load his bullet, put the gun to the head of the player to their right, and pull the trigger.  As if playing this so-called game (and with teenagers!) wasn’t crazy enough, Paape decided to mix it up, and he kept changing the rules.  When Michael Murray won the hand of poker, Anson Paape picked up the weapon, held it to Murray’s forehead and pulled the trigger before Murray could even react enough to push it away.  Michael Murray was killed instantly on his 18th birthday.  The other teenagers fled the house, and tracked down some police officers who were on patrol.  When they arrived at the crime scene, Anson Paape was no where to be found.  He was gone for two days before finally being apprehended, and he was tried, convicted, and will spend probably the rest of his life in prison.

It’s an insane story – it defies all reason.  I can’t imagine what this man was thinking.  And what a tragic outcome.  Not only did a young man lose his life, but Anson Paape’s 5 children are now without a father.  They were also witnesses to the horrifying event, along with other teenagers at the party that night.  It’s just so sad.

The reason I’m writing about this is because I remember when this happened.  My brother-in-law had to work overtime to help man the SWAT trailer they had to set up while Paape was on the lam.  I think everyone in Chicagoland was relieved when they caught him.