My Innocence Was Ruined After Learning These Disturbing Truths

Hi, friends! I’m Crystal, and I write the That Got Dark newsletter, BuzzFeed’s weekly roundup of all things creepy, macabre, and horrible AF. And if you like this kind of content, you should subscribe !!!!!

Here’s what the newsletter is covering this week:

Warning: Graphic content ahead, including murder stories.

1. Most of you are probably very familiar with the case of JonBenét Ramsey, but what you may have forgotten (or never know) is that it took place around Christmas, and that she could have been killed on Christmas night, in a house still glowing with lights and wrapped presents.

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On December 26, 1996, 6-year-old JonBenét was found dead in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado. She had suffered a blow to the head and died of strangulation, and a ransom note found inside the house quickly turned suspicion inward.

ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy

Over the years, attention has focused on her parents, her brother, and a possible intruder, while the Ramsey family has endured intense public scrutiny, legal battles, and decades of speculation. Despite multiple investigations and renewed DNA tests, no one was ever charged with her murder.

2. On Christmas Eve 2008, in the middle of the holidays, when houses are full, doors are open, and families gather to celebrate, one of the darkest Christmas crimes in modern US history unfolded in Covina, California.

That night, a man named Bruce Pardo arrived at his former in-laws’ house wearing a Santa Claus suit and opened fire on the people inside, killing nine, including his ex-wife. He also used a homemade flamethrower to set the house on fire, during which his costume caught fire and badly burned him.

Pardo fled the scene and was later found dead at his brother’s home from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators said the attack was linked to a recent divorce and serious financial problems.

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3. The strange and tragic story of the Sodder Children, who disappeared on Christmas Eve.

On December 24, 1945, a fire destroyed the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Of the 10 Sodder children, five emerged… and five disappeared. Authorities said the missing children, who were between the ages of 5 and 14, died in the fire — but no remains were ever found, and the fire was not hot enough to completely incinerate the bodies.

The parents, George and Jennie Sodder, never accepted that explanation and spent decades chasing leads, reporting sightings, and publicly asking for information. Both died without ever learning what happened to their children.

4. Wikipedia’s strange page about a creepy thing called the Yule cat.

In Icelandic folklore, Christmas comes with a threat: If you don’t receive new clothes before the holiday, the Yule Cat will eat you. Known as the Jólakötturinn, this huge supernatural cat is said to roam the countryside at Christmas time, hunting people, especially children, who have not received new clothes as gifts.

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It’s a story rooted in old work traditions, used to rush or scare people into working harder, making it less festive folklore and more a reminder that some holiday traditions were built on fear, punishment, and a very messed-up idea of ​​motivation.

5. Famous Death Anniversary this week: George Michael on December 25, 2016, from heart disease.

The English pop star was 53 years old when he was found dead at his home in Goring-on-Thames, England, on Christmas Day. An inquest later ruled that he died of natural causes, specifically dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis.

The timing of his death had an inevitable irony: for decades, Michael was closely associated with the holiday season because of “Last Christmas”, the iconic Christmas song he recorded with his former group Wham!. His death added a darker note to the song’s legacy and the holiday season.

6. Finally, the story of the murderer Charles Starkweather.

Normally, I highlight the history and last meal of a serial killer, but this week’s entry comes with a technical exception: Starkweather is classified as a spree killer rather than a serial killer. I am including him because his crimes occurred during the holiday season.

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In late 1957 and early 1958, Starkweather — with his teenage girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, by his side — killed 11 people across Nebraska and Wyoming, including Fugate’s family, just days before Christmas.

The spree ended when Starkweather was pulled over by a Wyoming state trooper after a series of sightings; he was arrested without a fight, while Fugate was taken into custody separately. Starkweather was convicted and executed by electric chair in Nebraska in 1959 at the age of 20, while Fugate later served time in prison before being granted parole. The case shocked the country and continued to inspire films such as Badlands (1973).

His last meal: He skipped the traditional steak dinner, and asked for cold cuts instead.

Do you have a weird, creepy or shocking story you want to share? Maybe there’s a weird Wikipedia page you want to talk about? Tell me all about it at thatgotdark@buzzfeed.com, and who knows, maybe it will be featured in a future edition of That Got Dark!

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