The Dare Killer, 1933
Oscar Hickey, Hazel Short, Vernon Tucker, and Maxine Scott had all been at a dance, after which they drove home together. This involved a lot of drinking and some gun play in which they were "amusing themselves by playing with a revolver, firing occasional shots as they sped along the concrete slab."
While stopping at a gas station, Tucker and Scott got out to get some cigarettes. There was a gun shot. Tucker and Scott rushed back to the car and found Hickey dead. Hazel Short was still holding the gun with which she had just shot him. Her strange explanation: "He dared me to shoot him, and I did."
Short became known as the "Dare Killer." She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve one to 14 years in prison. She was released on parole after three-and-a-half years. I haven't been able to find any info on what happened to her subsequently.
I guess the lesson of the case is that it's not a good idea to dare someone to shoot you, especially if they've been drinking.
While stopping at a gas station, Tucker and Scott got out to get some cigarettes. There was a gun shot. Tucker and Scott rushed back to the car and found Hickey dead. Hazel Short was still holding the gun with which she had just shot him. Her strange explanation: "He dared me to shoot him, and I did."
Short became known as the "Dare Killer." She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to serve one to 14 years in prison. She was released on parole after three-and-a-half years. I haven't been able to find any info on what happened to her subsequently.
I guess the lesson of the case is that it's not a good idea to dare someone to shoot you, especially if they've been drinking.
Decatur Daily Review - Sep 19, 1933
Decatur Daily Review - Sep 16, 1933
Comments
How could she be guilty of doing what a man told her to do? This happened in '33 when women still knew their place in a relationship.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 08/16/15 at 09:02 AM
You need to edit your text:
'Oscar Hickey, Hazel Short, Vernon Tucker, and Maxine Scott ... Hazel Scott was still holding the gun ... Scott became known as the "Dare Killer." '
'Oscar Hickey, Hazel Short, Vernon Tucker, and Maxine Scott ... Hazel Scott was still holding the gun ... Scott became known as the "Dare Killer." '
Posted by mjbird on 08/16/15 at 11:04 AM
Hazel Short did the shooting Maxine Scott was another member of the group and one of the 2 who fled. The other person that fled was Vernon Tucker. The story is somewhat hard to follow especially since the 2 women's last names were similar. I thought the jail time was very short till I realized that, at 19, Hazel Short was still a minor in 1933. As an aside, it is interesting in a creepy way that a 17 year old girl and a 35 year old man were the ones who took off together.
Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 08/16/15 at 02:09 PM
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Category: 1930s