These 7 Evil People In Mississippi Left A Dark Stain On History

Labeled the nation’s first serial killers, Micajah "Big" Harpe and Wiley "Little" Harpe wreaked havoc in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Mississippi in the late 1700s. The murderous outlaws were actually cousins whose criminal careers began with the American Revolution. During the war, the duo sided with the British, but seemed to be more interested in burning farms, raping women, and harassing the American patriots.

After leaving the army in 1781, the Harpe Brothers, along with the two women they kidnapped and called their "wives," headed for Tennessee, leaving a trail of victims in their wake. The foursome stayed in Tennessee for several years, and then began to move around the southern part of the country, with the murderous pair continuing their killing spree. In August of 1799, Big Harpe was shot while trying to be apprehended. While he lay dying from his gunshot wound, he was decapitated. Several years later, Little Harpe met a similar fate when he was hanged and decapitated.

Considered the state’s most notorious serial killer, Glen Rogers’ reign of terror lasted one year, claimed at least five victims, and spanned four states, leading to him being dubbed the "Cross Country Killer." From 1994 to 1995, the serial killer targeted women with red hair. Rogers often met the women over drinks and, before long, would stab them to death, which is exactly what happened to Linda Price. The unsuspecting woman met Rogers at the Mississippi State Fair in October of 1995. Not long after Halloween, a deceased Price was found in her bathtub. Glen Rogers was eventually apprehended and sentenced to death.

Former leader of the KKK’s Mississippi White Knights, Samuel Bowers is responsible for not one but two infamous murders of civil rights activists in Mississippi. The first of the two took place in 1964, when Bowers along with several other KKK members killed Freedom Summer workers Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner, and James Chaney. Two years later, Bowers killed Hattiesburg store owner Vernon Dahmer because he allowed African-Americans to vote in his store. Although it took several years, justice was eventually served when Bowers was sentenced to life in prison.

Born in California in 1920, Beckwith moved to Greenwood, Mississippi at a young age and soon became an active member in the KKK and the segregationist Citizens' Council. In June of 1963, Beckwith took his allegiance to a new level when he shot and killed NAACP field secretary, Medgar Evers. Beckwith went to trial in 1964; however, the jury was unable to reach a verdict. A second trial later that year yielded the same results. Evers’ widow remained persistent that justice be served, and in 1994, she received her wish – Beckwith was sentenced to life in prison.