It’s been 50 years since one of the most infamous Halloween crime cases in American history took place; It struck fear in a Texas neighborhood and has haunted trick-or-treaters ever since.

It included a poisonous group, Pixy Stix.

Ronald Clark O’Bryan, a church pastor who lived with his family in the Houston suburb of Deer Park, Texas, was convicted of lacing a tube of granulated sugar with potassium cyanide to kill his two young children (his 8-year-old son, Timothy). and daughter Elizabeth, 5.

Timothy was the only child to eat the candy and died as a result.

O’Bryan, referred to in the media as “Candy Man”, came close to killing his daughter and three other children after poisoning multiple tubes of candy.

O’Bryan was ultimately executed 10 years later. But the harrowing story of the Candyman’s crimes continues to send shivers down people’s spines throughout the Halloween season.

Death of Timothy O’Bryan

On Halloween night in 1974, O’Bryan cut up five 21-inch tubes of Pixy Stix and replaced the top few inches with cyanide, then gave the candy to her two children and three friends with whom they were trick-or-treating. family’s neighborhood, Associated Press reported In that case.

O’Bryan helped his son Timothy open the tube of candy, and the young boy complained that the candy tasted bitter. Deputy. Deacon poured his son a glass of Kool-Aid to soothe the bitter taste in his mouth, then reportedly put his son to bed. Austin-American Statesman reported He said Timothy began vomiting “almost immediately” and then began convulsing. Less than an hour later Timothy was dead.

Four other children, including O’Bryan’s daughter Elizabeth, did not eat the candy and survived the possible poisoning attempt.

Why Did Ronald Clark O’Bryan Do This?

United Press International (UPI) during his trial reported Prosecutors said O’Bryan was motivated by a $31,000 life insurance policy he took out on his children.

Vic Driscoll, one of the Harris County district attorneys who prosecuted O’Bryan, told the jury that the deacon “had a poor reputation for integrity and honesty,” according to UPI reporting at the time. “His whole life was a lie,” Driscoll said. “He used his church. He used his friends. He used his community and family. And worst of all, he used his son – not like Abraham did – he sacrificed his son on the altar of greed.

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The jury deliberated for less than an hour before finding O’Bryan guilty in 1975, according to UPI. He was later sentenced to death.

Execution of the Candy Man

O’Bryan maintained his innocence throughout his trial and for the rest of his life, initially claiming to police that he had bought the poisoned candy from a man on his children’s trick-or-treating route. Statesman.

Just before his execution in March 1984, O’Bryan appeared calm and said in his final speech that it would be wrong to carry out the murder, AP reported.

A crowd of about 300 people gathered in front of the building where O’Bryan was executed. Supporters of O’Bryan’s execution chanted “Trick or Treat!” They chanted slogans. He threw candy at people demonstrating against the death penalty, according to the AP.

“It was surprising how well the case was publicized,” said Mike Hinton, another district attorney who helped prosecute O’Bryan. Statesman decades later. “There’s still talk about it today. … I think it changed Halloween.”