RONALD CLARK O'BRYAN

'Ronald Clark O'Bryan' (originally nicknamed 'The Pixy Stix Killer' then later known as 'The Candyman') (October 19, 1944 – March 31, 1984) was a murderer from Pasadena, Texas who killed his son Timothy on Halloween, 1974 with cyanide-laced candy, ("Giant-sized" Pixy Stix), in order to claim $20,000 in life insurance. He had also distributed poisoned candy to other children (none of whom ate it) in an attempt to cover up his crime. O'Bryan had recently taken out a $40,000 life insurance policy on his children, Timothy and Elizabeth. Elizabeth did not eat any of the tainted candy.
He was executed on March 31, 1984, by lethal injection.
His last statement was:
After O'Bryan's crimes became public, Halloween safety programs were implemented in Pasadena, teaching parents methods for evaluating the safety of door-to-door treats by visual inspection.
The musical group Siouxsie & the Banshees recorded a song about O'Bryan: "Candyman," the first track on their album ''Tinderbox''.

Contents

See also

References

See also

★ Capital punishment in the United States

★ List of individuals executed in Texas

★ Poisoned candy scare

References

★ Offender information from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

★ Last statement from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice

★ Last meals from The Memory Hole

★ Kuffner, Charles. "The Candy Man", 30 years later" in ''Off the Kuff'', October 29, 2004.

★ Babineck, Mark. "O'Bryan's Deed Haunts Halloween ", Associated Press, October 31, 1994.