Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I can remember how excited I got as a kid every October. I often received a bag of candy from school from my teacher and classmates. And then once my brothers and I got home, we couldn’t wait to get into our Halloween costumes and visit our neighbors for candy.
Ask your average child about his or her favorite holiday and they will probably say it’s either Christmas or Halloween. Even as an adult, I still enjoy Halloween. I especially enjoy watching my grandson get excited about dressing up and getting candy. Although I consider Halloween a fun holiday, there is still danger involved. For instance, I can remember my parents checking my candy to make sure there wasn’t any poison or anything dangerous inside my candy.
Unfortunately, on October 31, 1974, an eight-year-old boy named Timothy O’Bryan died after eating a Pixy Stix that contained cyanide. And the monster who killed him wasn’t a ghoul, an alien, or even a vampire. It would be his own father.
In 1974, Ronald O’Bryan lived in Deer Park with his wife and two children. Timothy and his five-year-old sister Elizabeth both loved Halloween. Ronald, his two children, and a neighbor and his two children went out trick-or-treating on October 31, 1974. Ronald agreed to walk the children to the front doors of their neighbors. Unknown to anyone other than him, it was part of his evil plan to murder his son.
After returning home, Timothy and Elizabeth put their candy away and prepared for bed. Timothy wanted a piece of candy before going to sleep. Ronald gave Timothy a Pixie stick. Timothy opened the straw and swallowed the sugary substance. He told his dad it tasted strange. He then went to the bathroom and vomited. Unfortunately, Timothy died on his way to the hospital.
After an autopsy, the coroner determined that Timothy had died from cyanide poisoning. The police asked O’Bryan to identify the resident who passed out the poisoned candy. He blamed a neighbor who worked that night. After the police confirmed the neighbor’s work alibi, they arrested and charged Ronald O’Bryan with killing his son. The neighbors were shocked. Ronald appeared to be a kind man who attended church and sang in the choir. The police arrested him on November 5, 1974.
On June 3, 1975, a jury convicted O’Bryan in under an hour. He received a death sentence. It came out in court that Ronald was in excessive debt and faced foreclosure. He came up with a plan to take out insurance policies on both of his children and then take advantage of Halloween to kill them.
Texas executed O’Bryan on March 31, 1984. People stood outside the prison and chanted “Trick-or-Treat.” Although O’Bryan never admitted to killing his son, Texas authorities have always believed they executed the right man for Timothy O’Bryan’s homicide.
I can remember this story coming up every Halloween. I considered it an urban legend. My young mind couldn’t believe a father would murder his own son with poisoned candy. My parents always carefully checked our candy for hazardous items. Timothy O’Bryan died nearly 50 years ago. He loved and trusted his dad. Unfortunately, he did not understand that the man who raised him would one day kill him. If nothing else, we have learned that not all monsters have fangs, fur or enormous claws. Unfortunately, they often come in the form of a friend or a loving parent.
Marc is a longtime resident of Clermont County and an avid reader. Contact him through his website at www.themarcabe.com or through Facebook: www.Facebook.com/themarcabe or his Twitter account @themarcabe. Marc also has a podcast called Catch my Killer where he interviews family members seeking justice for their murdered loved ones. You can listen at www.catchmykiller.com.