A Century of Murder, Mayhem, and Fraud in Jacksonville

[thelakelander]

Do you really know your next door neighbor? Over the last century, Jacksonville has been the home of several interesting characters and residents who operated on the other side of the law. With Halloween right around the corner, here are a few from the city's notorious past.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/a-century-of-murder-mayhem-and-fraud-in-jacksonville/

[Steve]

Besides the truly criminal ones, the Dodge story where he builds his building right against the Heard National Bank building is one for the ages. This is like the "Larry David Spite Store" lol.

What on Earth did Heard do to Dodge? That's just mean extortion.

[jaxlongtimer]

I recall a few other Jax connections to crime...

Most notorious, Ted Bundy once passed through Jacksonville...

On February 8, Bundy drove 150 miles (240 km) east to Jacksonville in a stolen FSU van. In a parking lot he approached 14-year-old Leslie Parmenter, the daughter of the Jacksonville Police Department's Chief of Detectives, identifying himself as "Richard Burton, Fire Department", but retreated when Parmenter's older brother arrived and confronted him.[229] That afternoon, he backtracked 60 miles (97 km) westward to Lake City. At Lake City Junior High School the following morning, 12-year-old Kimberly Dianne Leach was summoned to her homeroom by a teacher to retrieve a forgotten purse; she never returned to class. Seven weeks later, after an intensive search, her partially mummified remains were found in a pig farrowing shed near Suwannee River State Park, 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Lake City.[230][231]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy

Bonnie and Clyde spent some time here, in Ortega, as legend has it.  Below is a photo of Bonnie in Jax in 1931: 



And, with Clyde in the same year:

[BridgeTroll]

Looking like Bonnie spent too much time in the local BBQs... 

[fsu813]

Love the Ponzi hx. Who hasn't heard of a Ponzi Scheme?

Plaque at 3rd & Main? Hmmm....