January 21, 1842 - Alferd Packer
His case remains one of the most sensational—and legally tangled—in American frontier history, involving a snowbound winter journey in the Colorado mountains that left five of his companions dead and Packer as the sole survivor. He confessed to cannibalism, yet the full truth of what happened and in what order was never conclusively established, leaving courts to prosecute him on shifting charges across two trials spanning years. The nine years he spent as a fugitive before facing justice only deepened the uncertainty surrounding his account.
From Wikipedia
Alfred Griner Packer (January 21, 1842 – April 23, 1907), also known as the "Colorado Cannibal", was an American prospector and self-proclaimed wilderness guide who confessed to cannibalism during the winter of 1874. Though no clear or definitive evidence has been found to this day, and despite in-depth research about proof of his deeds, he is one of the four persons historically convicted for cannibalism in the United States. After emerging as the sole survivor of a six-man party who had attempted to travel through the San Juan Mountains of the Colorado Territory, he eventually confessed to having lived off the flesh of his companions, giving more than one version of his account as to the circumstances.
After his story was called into question, Packer escaped jail and hid from justice for nine years. He was eventually tried, convicted of premeditated murder, and sentenced to death. Packer won a retrial, and was eventually sentenced to 40 years in prison on five counts of voluntary manslaughter. An almost completely fictitious biopic of his exploits, The Legend of Alfred Packer, was released in 1980. A more comedic and heavily fabricated take on the story, titled Cannibal!
- Last updated on .