Murder by dynamite

1975: John Wesley Reese wanted to kill his ex-wife and her new partner, so he put a stick of dynamite beneath their bed and blew it up while they were in it. She died, but her partner survived because her body shielded him from the blast.

The fact that he survived, shielded by her body, somehow makes the case even more gruesome, because it's hard to imagine the psychological effect an experience like that would have.

Berkshire Eagle - Aug 25, 1975

     Posted By: Alex - Tue May 02, 2023
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Comments
That one is just beyond words...
Posted by KDP on 05/02/23 at 03:25 PM
He bought 14 sticks of dynamite but used only one? I wonder who else he planned to blow up.
Posted by ges on 05/02/23 at 10:11 PM
"Just the one stick of dynamite, sir? That won't be enough to blow one mole, let along the mole infestation you told me about. For a yard of one mile per two, you need at least twelve sticks. Let me throw in two more, just in case."
Posted by Yudith on 05/04/23 at 07:09 AM
By the 1970s, hardware stores (at least in my area) were more careful about who they sold it to. It's just possible to blow a small stump with only one stick, but it's a lot more work prepping it than using three or four. Asking for one stick would raise a red flag. Asking for a dozen and mentioning three trees you just took down was normal business.

I'm not surprised the guy survived. One stick, unconfined, isn't nearly as powerful as most people imagine. What I saw (limestone quarry) was drilling a hole only slightly larger around and stuffing in four to six sticks. Single sticks were only used to 'loosen up' a pile of rubble to make it easier for the front end loader to bite into it.
Posted by Phideaux on 05/04/23 at 11:27 AM
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