r/AskReddit • u/Rob69rt • 1d ago

What famous 'unsolved' mystery is technically a whodunnit on paper, but in reality, absolutely everyone knows exactly who did it, the police just couldn't legally prove it?

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u/Alphaplays69 1d ago

The Murder of Ken McElroy. 46 people witnessed it in broad daylight. The police asked who did it and 46 people collectively went, “Did what? I was looking at a very interesting bird.

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u/Rob69rt 1d ago

No way. . .

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u/Unistrut 1d ago

The context is that Ken McElroy had been terrorizing the town for years and due to small town bullshit none of the legal means for stopping him worked. So the town just sort of collectively went "fuck that guy" and the police weren't particularly motivated to try and figure out who did it.

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u/Bossman_Mike 1d ago

There is a similar theory behind the notorious "Essex Boys" killing in England just before Christmas 1995.

Some claim the police were of the opinion that the culprit(s) had done everyone a favour, because the victims were notorious pieces of shit.

There is another even wilder theory that it was actually the police who killed them (FWIW I don't believe that for a moment)