Bad Luck Stories... An Archive
Of "Hard Luck Stories Of The Month".

Terrorist Attacks Rock Paris: ... November 13, 2015.

Paris, France was rocked by explosions and automatic gunfire in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on the evening of Friday 13th November 2015.

130 people so far are confirmed dead... at least another 368 were injured, up to 100 seriously; 8 attackers were also killed.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks saying they were payback for France's involvement in the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

These attacks on France were the deadliest since World War II.

Soda-Can-Bomb Downed Russian Jetliner. ... October 23, 2015.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for blowing up a Russian Airbus A321 over Egypt's Sinai desert on Saturday October 31st 2015.

All 244 people on board were killed after the jet exploded at 30,000 feet barely 20 minutes after taking off from Egypt's resort town of Sharm el-Sheik. The Russian tourists were returning to St Petersburg.

ISIS claims to have smuggled a Soda-can-bomb onboard the doomed airliner past slack airport security.

Russia's President Putin has angrily warned IS "We will search for them everywhere... where ever they are hiding we will find them."

Mine Dam Disaster in Brazil. ... November 6, 2015.

The wall of a huge mine-tailings dam in Espirato Santo, Brazil has collapsed engulfing a nearby village in a sea of toxic mud.

At least 13 people are confirmed dead but it is certain more bodies will be found eventually as rescuers face the daunting task of poking around in the putrid, toxic sludge; 22 people are still missing.

The toxic waste (high in arsenic and mercury) has worked its way down 400 miles of the Rio Doce river and is now spilling out into the Atlantic ocean. The spill is Brazil's worst ever environmental disaster.

The mine's owner deny reports of an earlier report warning of design flaws in the dam system. The compensation and clean up bill is expected to reach well over USD$5 billion.

Waitress Shot Dead by Smoker: ... November 26, 2015.

A 52 year-old waitress, the mother of two, has been shot dead after a dispute with a customer over his smoking in a non-smoking restaurant.

The incident occurred in the "Waffle House" Biloxi, Mississippi around 1am. A heated argument ensued after he was asked to extinguish his cigarette. The angry patron, a former fireman, then walked out to his car and returned with a handgun.

Indonesian Fires "Crime Against Humanity": ... October 26, 2015.

NASA warns this year's Indonesian forest fires are the worst on recored, and have catapulted Indonesia to world's worst global warming and pollution offender.

The fires have been an annual event since the 1980s since Indonesia provides incentives for forest land to be cleared and replanted with lucrative palm oil. The "Godzilla" El Nino weather event forming this year has exacerbated the problem.

The people of neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore have been severely affected and angrily call the ecological disaster a "crime against humanity". Up to 10 people have died from haze-related illnesses already and over 500,000 cases of acute respiratory tract infections reported.

Billions of dollars have been lost in the region due to tourist cancellations, a health catastrophe and business closures.

44 Die in Fiery Bus Crash. ... October 23, 2015.

At least 44 people have died in a fiery crash east of Bordeaux, France.

Most of the dead were elderly pensioners on a day trip through the Gironde wine region. The bus collided head-on with an articulated lorry loaded with lumber. The lorry's driver along with his 3 year-old son were both killed. It appears the lorry was on the wrong side of the road.

Locals say the narrow road is a notorious blackspot for accidents.

Girls 2 & 5 Raped in India. ... October 17, 2015.

A 2 year-old toddler and a 5 year-old girl have been brutally gang-raped on the same day in separate attacks in New Delhi, India.

Women's rights activists warn of an "epidemic" of sexual violence in the country. These attacks come just 8 days after a 4 year-old was allegedly raped and slashed with a blade before being left-for-dead along a railroad track in the capital. All three were severely traumatised and suffered horrific internal injuries.

Delhi's Chief Minister said "Delhi police have completely failed to provide safety". India recorded 36,735 rape cases in 2014.

Russian Subs Threat to Under-Sea Data Cables: ... October 26, 2015.

Serious concerns have been raised because Russian submarines and spy ships have been aggressively operating near vital global undersea cables which carry almost all the world's Internet communications and financial data.

The fear is that these cables might be cut or attacked in war time or hacked for information. Pentagon officials are concerned the Russians are trying to locate the position of these major undersea cables and are looking for vulnerable, strategically important points open to attack, and hard to find and repair.

Any disruption to these cables would cause massive financial chaos and cripple military operations around the globe.

Tourists Accidentally Killed by Egyptian Forces: ... September 14, 2015.

Egyptian security forces have accidentally killed 12 people and wounded another 10 after they attacked a tourist convoy in the Black Desert in Egypt's western Al-Wahat region.

The victims included 2 Mexicans confirmed dead, 6 Mexicans wounded and 6 unaccounted for, as well as Egyptian tour guides. The 4-vehicle convoy was blasted by an aerial bombardment from an airplane and helicopters as well as automatic gunfire.

Authorities claim the area is "off limits to foreign tourists" due to Islamic State terrorist activities (a Croatian man was recently beheaded in the area). Tour organiser's deny this claim but say they had been forced to take a short cut because one of the tourists was a diabetic in desperate need to eat.

4th Blogger Hacked to Death in Bangladesh. ... August 7, 2015.

Well known Bangladeshi secular blogger Niloy Chakrabarti was hacked to death by a gang armed with machetes and cleavers in his apartment. His earlier pleas for police protection (after receiving death threats) had been ignored.

He is the 4th blogger to be murdered in the past 6 months for expressing views on social media critical of extremist Muslim ideologies.

The victim used a pen name but was still tracked down by an organisation claiming to be a branch of al-Qaida. Sources say radical Islamists may have a "hit list" with up to 84 blogger's name's on it.

Good Samaritans Killed by Stranded Driver. ... July 31, 2015.

An "illegal" 18-year-old Hispanic man has been charged over the roadside shooting deaths of a Montana couple and the attempted murder of their daughter. The incident took place outside the small country town of Pryor on the Crow American Indian Reservation.

47 year-old Tana Shane first spotted the accused, Jesus Deniz, stopped by the side of the road. When told he was "out of gas" she went for help.

She returned accompanied with her 51 year-old husband (Jason) and 24 year-old daughter Jorah. The accused then pulled out a .22 caliber rifle and demanded money.

Upon being told that the family had just returned from a religious revival and only had small change he ordered them out of the car, killed the parents and wounded their daughter as she ran away.

Over 1,000 Die at Hajj in Mecca: ... September 24, 2015.

An unofficial Saudi Arabian medical source puts the death toll from the crush at the tent city of Mina (near the holy city of Mecca ) at almost 1,200. Hundreds more were injured.

Some 2 million Muslims gather each year at this time for the annual Hajj... a journey to Muhammad's birthplace that all healthy followers must make at least once in their lifetime.

This tragedy follows a crane collapse 2 weeks earlier at the Grand Mosque which killed 107 and injured 238.

Previous incidents have occurred in 1990 (when 1,426 perished in an overcrowded pedestrian tunnel) and 2006 (346 died). After the latter a British company installed a computerised crowd control system in some areas, but not where Wednesday's deaths took place.

Europe's Refugee "State of Emergency": ... August 20, 2015.

Europe is being inundated by hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war zones in Africa and the Middle East as well as many economic refugees seeking a better life.

Germany, the main destination for many, fears up to 800,000 migrants will flood in this year alone. Fearful and angry locals are beginning to show their resentment by burning down refugee shelters and staging anti-migrant extremist rallies.

Worse still, scenes of angry African migrants rampaging through streets in Southern Italy causing destruction and mayhem shows an approaching "State of Emergency" that the EU is now facing.

Hungary's Prime Minister warns... "It is an illusion to think that people from the African crisis areas will keep arriving in Europe only until the crises there are pacified. If we allow it, a modern mass migration could take place of millions, even tens of millions, and even hundreds of millions."

Airshow Jet's Fiery Crash onto Highway. ... August 22, 2015.

A vintage 1955 Royal Air Force Hunter Hawker jet has plummeted onto a busy highway killing at least 11 people and injuring around 15 more.

The jet exploded into a fireball after it rolled over and dived into the ground during an aerial maneuver at Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex, England.

The pilot was one of two experienced pilots who flew the jet; the other was away on vacation.

Massive China Factory Blast. ... August 13, 2015.

A massive blast, equivalent to 21 tonnes of TNT, has obliterated a chemical factory and surrounding areas in Tianjin, China. The city of 15 million people is a major port near Beijing.

At least 150 people were killed and over 500 injured (many seriously), although more bodies are expected to be found among the acres of carnage and devastation.

F1 Champion Gassed & Robbed: ... August 7, 2015.

It is thought 2 daring thieves may have gassed the occupants of a luxury villa on the French Riviera (via an air-conditioning vent) before stealing $500,000 in jewellery and valuables.

Formula One champion driver Jenson Button, his wife, and several guests were robbed while they all lay unconscious. They awoke the next morning to find the mansion ransacked.

Several similar incidents have occurred over recent years in this exclusive playground of the rich and famous.

Lion Kills Tourist Through Car Window: ... June 2, 2015.

A 22 year old American tourist has suffered a gruesome death after a lioness lunged at her through the open window of her car.

Despite numerous signs warning people driving through the Lion Safari Park to "KEEP WINDOWS CLOSED AT ALL TIMES" people are taking risks to get better photos and videos.

This is the third such attack in the park this year. An Australian was horribly mauled here just 4 months ago.

32 Boys Die in African Initiation Rites. ... July 22, 2015.

32 boys have died so far this year in South Africa from botched circumcisions during the annual initiation season.

Almost 200 more are in hospitals suffering from dehydration, infections, genital mutilations, and beatings. These "rites of passage into adulthood" usually take place after bush retreats of 2-4 weeks in tests of physical endurance. A spokesman said "This is one of the important rituals within our society".

A commission last year found over 4,000 boys have died and 500,000 been hospitalized after attending initiation schools from 2008-2013... most died from infections after circumcision.

Wrong Engine Shut Down in Crash. ... July 2, 2015.

Investigations into the crash of a jet in Taiwan in February that killed 43 people (out of 58 passengers and crew) reveal pilot error.

Voice recordings tell us the pilot accidentally shut down the correctly working left engine after the right engine "flamed-out" during takeoff.

The pilot's last words were "Wow... pulled back wrong throttle" before the TransAsia Airways jet plunged into the Keeling River.

Robot Kills VW Auto Worker: ... July 2, 2015.

A contractor has been killed while setting up a robot in a tight corner of a Volkswagen automobile assembly plant near Frankfurt, Germany.

The 22 year old was struck by the robot and crushed against a metal plate. Initial investigations point to human error rather than a malfunction in the robot's software.

Terrorist Massacres 38 in Tunisia: ... June 26, 2015.

A lone gunman has attacked western tourists on a crowded Tunisian beach with hand grenades and a Kalashnikov assault rifle, killing 38 people and wounding 39.

The 23 year-old Tunisian student calmly walked along the beach in a murderous rampage that lasted over half an hour before he was himself killed. Islamic State extremest group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident will likely decimate Tunisia's all important tourist industry coming soon after an earlier terrorist attack (just 3 months ago) on a museum in the capital Tunis which killed 21 tourists.

442 Perish in Yangtze Cruise. ... June 2, 2015.

Only 14 people have survived the capsizing of a cruise ship on China's Yangtze river.

Most of the 431 dead and 11 missing were elderly tourists.

Investigations so far have have found the ship was not overloaded and had appropriate life vests on board. The ship sank quickly within 2 minutes during an extreme weather event being described as a cyclone.

Computer Glitch Crashes Airbus. ... June 10, 2015.

An Airbus A400M Atlas military transport plane has crashed shortly after take-off killing 4 of the 6 crew onboard... 2 seriously injured survivors were pulled from the wreckage.

The accident occurred as the 4-engine propeller driven plane took off near Seville, Spain where the new aircraft is being manufactured (as a replacement for NATO's aging Hercules fleet).

Faulty software installation has been blamed. Torque calibration parameters for the engines were deleted during the installation which caused 3 engines to malfunction.

Internet security expert Eugene Kaspersky cited this crash in highlighting concerns that in future cyber attackers will target software "not just to steal data... but to kill".

Officer Killed Day Before Maternity Leave: ... May 22, 2015.

A female police officer in Omaha, USA has been shot and killed the day before her maternity leave.

29 year-old Kerrie Orozco was ecstatic that her prematurely born baby daughter (born February) was finally being released from hospital.

Tragically, she was killed in a shootout while serving a warrant on a 26 year-old convicted felon wanted in connection with a previous shooting. The slain officer will be remembered as "an angel" in her community.

South China Sea Trouble Brewing: ... May 13, 2015.

Tension is rising rapidly in the South China Sea in a territorial dispute over the Spratly Islands (hundreds of low islands, sunken reefs and atolls).

The area is strategically vital as much of the world's commercial shipping passes through these sea lanes. China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia all lay claim to the region.

China has recently begun aggressive land reclamation activities to build up and occupy some of these reefs in defiance of its maritime neighbours. The fear is their intention is to militarize the islands and gain a strategic advantage, something the U.S. strongly opposes.

Global Times, a tabloid newspaper run by the Communist Party, said... 'If the United States' bottom line is that China has to halt its activities (dredging up reefs in the Spratly Islands), then war is inevitable in the South China Sea'."

Mexican Drug Shootout Kills 43. ... May 23, 2015.

A bloody 3 hour shoot-out between Mexican police and security forces and members of the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel has left 43 dead (including at least one police officer). Air and ground support was called in during the shoot-out in the western Mexican state of Michoacan.

This comes just several weeks after 16 police officers were killed and 4 wounded when their police convoy was ambushed while travelling along a highway towards the state capital of Guadalajara, and a military helicopter was shot down killing 9 soldiers.

"Wall of Water" Swamps Texas. ... May 25, 2015.

At least 31 people have died and 11 more are missing after torrential rains sent a "tsunami-style" "wall of water" through parts of Oklahoma and Texas.

Records were broken as over 18 inches of rainfall were recorded in May and questions are again being raised as to whether global warming and climate change may be responsible.

A spike in venomous snake bites has also been recorded (over 2 dozen ) as the reptiles seek out dry land.

India Heatwave Kills 2,000: ... May 27, 2015.

Over 2,000 people have died in India as temperatures soar towards 50 degrees Celsius.

A "severe" heatwave over the past 4 weeks has caused water shortages in thousands of Indian villages requiring emergency water-tanker deliveries. It has also caused crop failures, domestic and wildlife animal deaths, and asphalt roads to melt.

Most at risk are construction workers, the elderly, and the homeless. The Indian government is considering $1,500 compensation for some heat related deaths.

Suicidal Pilot Kills 150 in Alps Crash: ... Mar 24, 2015.

All 150 people on board a Germanwings Airbus A320 perished when the jet slammed into the French Alps at 700km/h.

The 27 year-old co-pilot locked the cockpit door after the captain went for a toilet break, then put the jet into a crash dive. He then over-rode the entry-keypad to deny the captain access and suppressed the cockpit's excessive speed alarms.

The captain's shouts can be heard on the voice recorder as he frantically tried to break down the door with a heavy metal object.

Investigator's found the co-pilot had a troubled history of mental illness and depression, and an eyesight problem that he had largely kept hidden from his current employer. His home computer revealed details of how to lock the captain from the cockpit.

900 Boat People Drown At Sea. ... April 19, 2015.

Over 900 migrants have drowned in one of the world's worst people-smuggling disasters when an overcrowded fishing vessel capsized.

People-smugglers had locked many of the dead below deck after the vessel left Libya for the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Malta's Prime Minister called upon the EU to address the chaos and lawlessness in Libya..."We have what is fast becoming a failed state on our doorsteps and criminal gangs are enjoying a hey day". Others are calling for some kind of co-ordinated military and naval effort to deal with the growing problem.

Last year more than 220,000 asylum seekers used this corridor into Europe. Current Italian government projections are warning this could rise to more than 500,000 this year.

Many are from countries under attack from Islamic terrorist groups and the fear has been raised that jihadists may be intermingling with refugees and slipping into Europe. People-smugglers charge from $1,000 to well over $25,000 and can make a $1 million from every boatload.

Gas Utility Fined $2bn over Blast. ... April 11, 2015.

Californian utility PG&E has been fined more than $2 billion over a huge gas pipeline blast in 2010 that killed 8 people and destroyed or damaged 160 homes.

San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane said "This explosion was a preventable disaster".

California's Public Utilities Commission found PG&E had neglected to maintain its vast network of pipelines for decades and that the pipeline explosion was caused by faulty welding work dating back to the 1950s.

The company would also be forced to return $635 million collected from customers for line improvements that were never carried out or mismanaged.

Bad GPS May Have Caused Fiery Death: ... Mar 30, 2015.

A car has plunged 40 feet off a partially demolished bridge and exploded into a fiery inferno in Chicago, USA.

The 51 year-old female passenger was burned alive while her 64 year-old husband managed to escape.

The driver, who was unfamiliar with the area, blamed faulty GPS directions for the accident. The Cline Ave bridge has been closed since 2009.

Stranded Motorist Dies from Snake-bite: ... Mar 15, 2015.

The body of a 27 year-old man, missing in the scorching desert of the South Australian Outback for the past 3 months, has been found.

A police search team discovered his vehicle bogged on a sandy desert track 95km south of Coober Pedy. His body was located 340 meters from the pick-up truck.

A note was found near the vehicle that read "I've been bitten by a snake". Police believe the deceased had been gathering sticks in the brush (to put under his bogged wheels for traction) when he was bitten.

Bus Plunge in Brazil Kills 54. ... Mar 15, 2015.

A bus carrying evangelical Christians from Santa Catarina to Parana has crashed off a winding road and plunged 400 meters down a mountain-side killing 54 occupants.

The tragedy occurred shortly before nightfall in good weather conditions. It is suspected that the brakes on the bus failed.

A report by the Inter-American Development Bank blames Brazil's high number of "18 highway deaths per 100,000 people" on inadequate infrastructure.

Over 23 Slaughtered in Tunisian Museum. ... Mar 18, 2015.

Unsuspecting tourists were sent fleeing in all directions when up to 5 heavily armed gunmen stormed the Bardo Museum (a 15th century palace) around noon.

Four security guards and at least 17 tourists were killed, and 42 wounded in a hail of bullets. Among the victims were holiday makers from Germany, Spain, Poland, Australia, France, Britain, Colombia and a large contingent of Italians from a Costa cruise ship. Two attackers were also killed.

The attack is thought to be in retaliation for the recent death of Tunisian ISIS leader fighting in nearby Libya.

Black Hawk Chopper Down - 11 Die. ... Mar 11, 2015.

All 11 service personnel aboard an Army Black Hawk helicopter have perished after it disappeared during night maneuvers off the Florida Panhandle.

The deceased included 7 marines and 4 National Guard crew (who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan). A second Black Hawk involved in the exercise returned back to base when the severe weather conditions and fog reduced visibility to zero.

Hackers Steal Up To $1Billion: ... Feb 15, 2015.

Russian speaking gangs of computer criminals have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars, and possibly up to $1 billion from banks around the globe. Some of the servers and web domains used by the hackers were also apparently based in China (but might also have been faked by the hackers).

Russian computer-security firm Kaspersky Lab has found over 100 banks in Russia, Japan, the U.S. and Europe were hacked during the past year.

Brazil Water Crisis Wreaks Havoc. ... Feb 18, 2015.

The residents of Sao Paulo, Brazil, are facing severe water restrictions and power interruptions.

As Brazil experiences the worst drought on record environmentalists blame massive deforestation in the Amazon. It is estimated an area the size of 2 Germany's has been cleared. It is suggested this has permanently interrupted the usual currents from the Atlantic that funnelled moisture through the rain forest.

As the 22 million residents of Sao Paulo city face only having water 2 days a week and rolling blackouts, Brazil's fertile southeast coffee-growing region is also hard hit. It is estimated it will take 4 years for water storage areas to fill up again (from their current 4% full) if normal rains return.

However, the World Wildlife Fund warns that halting deforestation now is no longer enough. The damage can only be repaired by replanting and will take decades to reverse.

Putin Critic Assassinated Near Kremlin. ... Feb 28, 2015.

55 year-old Boris Nemtsov has been gunned-down while walking across a bridge near the Kremlin in Moscow. He was shot at least 4 times by a gunman in a car that drove up alongside him.

Nemtsov was the opposition leader and was due to head a mass rally the next day to protest against wide spread corruption and the Ukraine conflict.

Italian Cop Drugged & Raped Tourists. ... Feb 7, 2015.

An Italian policeman in Padua has been charged with drugging and raping a 16 year-old Australian tourist.

The 35 year-old cop lured women to his house via Couchsurfing.com by offering accommodation and to act as their tour guide.

Initially 16 women from various countries came forward with the same story but investigators believe up to 100 women and girls may have been involved. The crooked cop used his role as a police officer to intimidate and threaten his victims afterwards, and was also involved in child pornography.

Islamists Massacre 12 at Paris Magazine: ... Jan 7, 2015.

Two heavily armed terrorists have stormed their way into the headquarters of France's weekly satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo killing 10 staff and 2 policemen, and wounding 11 others (5 critically). The policemen were on duty following previous death threats and a fire-bomb attack in 2011 also attributed to Islamic extremists.

The killers (brothers and French born citizens of Algerian descent) escaped but were later killed in a fierce shoot-out.

The terrorists shouted "Allah Akbar... God is greatest" during the attack which was seen as revenge for the magazine's satirical depiction of Muhammad. France (population 63 million) has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe (6 million), most of whom have integrated into French society.

Runaway Garbage Truck Kills 6. ... Dec 22, 2014.

An out-of-control garbage truck has ploughed into Christmas shoppers in Glasgow, Scotland killing 6 shoppers and injuring 10 more.

An eyewitness said pedestrians were bowled over "like pinballs" as the truck careered onto the pavement leaving a 300-yard-long trail of destruction before slamming into a wall.

Police are investigating whether the truck's driver may have suffered a heart attack as he was seen slumped over the wheel.

A Mother's "Unspeakable Crime". ... Dec 20, 2014.

In the Australian Prime Minister's own words... "This is an unspeakable crime". A 34-year-old woman in Cairns, Australia has been charged with stabbing to death 7 of her children and a visiting niece (all aged 18 months to 15 years).

The children's 20 year-old brother discovered the horrific scene. The mother, who also had wounds to her stomach and neck, was taken away by ambulance and later charged by police with the murders.

The indigenous Torres Strait islander was mother to 9 children altogether and had been dubbed a "super mum" after delivering her 8th child in the back of an ambulance.

Neighbours said they heard a woman's voice screaming "**** the welfare people. Don't let them take them away from us. God bless us. Forgive me for what I'll do." The suburb is dominated by public housing with family violence and abuse issues.

Mexican Priest Shot over 43 Missing Students. ... Dec 27, 2014.

A priest kidnapped in Mexico's south-west state of Guerrero has been found shot dead.

Father Lopez was seized by gunmen from the seminary where he taught. He is the 3rd priest killed this year in this area controlled by the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel.

Father Lopez was vocal in his accusations of links between corrupt local politicians, corrupt police, and drug cartels involved in the disappearance of 43 students (protesting against corrupt politicians) in September.

The student deaths provoked outrage resulting in the Mayor of Iguala and his wife being arrested for kidnapping, murder, organized crime and money laundering. Acting on the mayor's orders, corrupt police attacked the students (killing 6 people) then turned the others over to the drug gang who killed and burned the bodies.

2-Year-old Accidentally Shoots His Mother : ... December 30, 2014.

A 29-year-old mother has been accidentally shot and killed by her 2-year-old son in northern Idaho, USA.

The victim was shopping in a Walmart store with her young child sitting in the shopping cart near her purse. The baby somehow found the small calibre handgun inside the purse (the mother had a concealed-weapons permit) which accidentally discharged.

Similar child & gun related tragedies occurred earlier in the year when a 3-year-old accidentally shot himself in the face in Washington, and a 2-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his 11-year-old sister in Philadelphia.

Spate of UK Deaths Russian Mafia Related? ... Dec 10, 2014.

England's TELEGRAPH newspaper asks if there is a link to the recent deaths of 6 UK developers who were all involved in "the murky world of Russian business".

The most recent death is that of Scot Young (worth an estimated £400 million at his peak) who plunged from his London penthouse and was impaled on a wrought-iron fence 5 floors below.

Friends of the deceased "claim he owed millions of pounds to the Russian and Turkish mafias after the failure of a property venture", one of whom said "It was not a suicide". A Moscow radio station also raised the question... "Did he fall or was he thrown?"

Other associates of the deceased who have also experienced "accidents" include... his 55-year-old friend Johnny Elichaoff (who fell to his death from a west London shopping centre one month earlier)... exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky found dead in his home last March... 47-year-old Robert Curtis who fell under a London train in 2102... property entrepreneur Paul Castle who also fell under a train in 2010... and Stephen Curtis who died in a helicopter crash in 2004.

Brazilian Man Killed 41 "For The Fun of It": ... Dec 13, 2014.

A 26-year-old Brazilian man from Rio de Janeiro has confessed to killing at least 41 people over the past 9 years.

Most victims (37) were white women, as well as 3 men and a 2-year-old child. Police Commissioner Medina said "He wanted to kill women... white women, not black... for the fun of it." He killed the baby to stop it crying. Four were "contract killings", one over a debt of only $15.

The murderer planned his crimes meticulously and would observe and study his victims for weeks before killing them, usually by stabbing or strangulation.

Police describe the killer as a psychopath who has shown no remorse, but has said that "Killing calmed me down... When I wasn't killing someone I got uptight... I don't feel remorse... as soon as I get out I'll do the same thing all over again".

The maximum prison sentence for a serial killer under Brazilian law is 30 years.

This follows the arrest in Goiania just 2 months prior of another Brazilian serial killer of over 39 people (a 26-year-old man killed mainly attractive, young, white women by shooting them dead from his motor-bike).

Teenager Convicted of Murdering Soldier & Pregnant Wife. ... Oct 2, 2014.

A Colorado court has found a 19-year-old teenager guilty of murdering a soldier and his pregnant wife in a home burglary gone wrong. The teenager was only 17 when he killed the recently married couple.

37-year-old Staff Sgt. David Dunlap returned to his home mid-morning to investigate a triggered alarm but was shot in the back as he entered. Minutes later his 13 week pregnant wife Whitney also arrived back to investigate but was shot in the head as she leaned over her husband's body.