244: The Halloween Candy Killer, Ronald O'Brien | USA

244: The Halloween Candy Killer, Ronald O'Brien | USA

On Halloween night in 1974, eight-year-old Timothy O’Brien came home from trick-or-treating in Deer Park, Texas, excited to sample his candy haul. Among the treats was a Pixy Stix — one that would become infamous in American true crime history. Within hours, Timothy was dead, poisoned by cyanide.
Investigators soon discovered that the killer wasn’t a mysterious stranger slipping poison into Halloween candy. It was someone much closer to home — his own father, Ronald Clark O’Brien. His crime forever changed the way parents across the United States viewed Halloween, giving rise to decades of fear over tampered sweets.
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Resources
Articles
In 1974, 'Candyman' turned Halloween truly terrifying in Pasadena, Texas - ABC13 Houston
The Man Who Killed Halloween - Fort Worth Weekly
'Man Who Killed Halloween' still haunts holiday - Houston Chronicle
The Haunting Legacy of Ronald Clark O'Bryan, the Man Who Killed Halloween - A&E True Crime
50 years ago, a Houston killer dubbed the 'Candyman' poisoned his son's Halloween candy - KHOU
Looking into the eyes of evil: The day I covered the execution of Texas' infamous Halloween killer - Breckenridge Texan
The True Story of the Notorious Trick-or-Treat Murderer - Vice
Halloween Horrors: The Poisoning of Timothy O'Bryan - Criminal
The ex-wife of Ronald Clark O'Bryan - UPI Archives
The neighbor who accompanied condemned killer Ronald Clark O'Bryan - UPI Archives
Web Resources
Ronald Clark O'Bryan - Wikipedia
Timothy Marc O'Bryan - Find a Grave Memorial
Ronald Clark O'Bryan - Murderpedia
Ronald Clark O'Bryan - Alchetron
1984: Ronald Clark O'Bryan, candyman - Executed Today
Court Documents
THE CASE OF THE HALLOWEEN CANDY KILLER - Harris County District Clerk
Video Archives
Ronald Clark O'Bryan Murder Trial (1975) - KPRC-TV Collection

Created & Produced by Sonya Lowe
Narrated by Noel Vinson
Music: “Nordic Medieval” by Marcus Bressler
Background track: Doblado Studios: https://www.youtube.com/c/DobladoStudios

This True Crime Podcast was researched using open-source or archival materials.

Jaksot(273)

249: The Mysterious Murder of Julia Wallace

249: The Mysterious Murder of Julia Wallace

On a winter evening in 1931, a soft-spoken insurance agent was lured from his Liverpool home by a strange telephone message. The address he searched for didn’t exist. By the time he returned, his wife...

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The North Pole Slaying Plot - Foiled | Alaska (Revisited)

The North Pole Slaying Plot - Foiled | Alaska (Revisited)

Every December, thousands of letters addressed to Santa are sent to North Pole, Alaska. Boxes full of letters are then sent to North Pole Middle School, where they are included in the 6th Grade curric...

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248: The Orderud Murders | Norway

248: The Orderud Murders | Norway

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247: The Vampire of Bucharest | Romania

247: The Vampire of Bucharest | Romania

Between 1970 and 1971, a series of brutal murders terrified the streets of Bucharest. The victims were mostly women — attacked at night, bitten, and mutilated. Their killer became known as The Vampire...

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246: Fugitive Mom, Dorothy Lee Barnett | USA/Australia

246: Fugitive Mom, Dorothy Lee Barnett | USA/Australia

In 1994, a custody dispute in South Carolina ended with a mother vanishing with her infant daughter. Dorothy Lee Barnett, accused of violating a court order, disappeared without a trace — along with 1...

16 Marras 202521min

245: The Butcher of Mons: Belgium’s Unsolved Suitcase Murders | Belgium

245: The Butcher of Mons: Belgium’s Unsolved Suitcase Murders | Belgium

Between 1996 and 1997, the dismembered remains of at least five women were found stuffed in garbage bags and dumped inside suitcases around the Belgian city of Mons. The killer, who came to be known a...

2 Marras 202520min

The Black Magic Murders (Adolfo Constanzo) | Mexico - Revisited

The Black Magic Murders (Adolfo Constanzo) | Mexico - Revisited

In celebration of Halloween, this week’s episode is a re-release of one of our first episodes - still chilling... Adolfo Constanzo, also known as El Padrino (or the Godfather), was the leader of a cul...

29 Loka 202545min

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