A crime of passion is technically defined as a “violent crime, especially murder, in which the perpetrator commits the act against someone because of sudden strong impulse such as sudden rage rather than as a premeditated crime.” But lately we’ve been toying with the idea of throwing out the term “crime of passion” altogether and just saying that someone went full O.J. The strangest thing about most of the crimes of passion on this list is how relatable some of the perpetrators are. How many times have you wanted to freak out on an ex after they left you for your skydiving instructor? Maybe that’s a bad example. Most of the criminals on this list got caught up in the moment and acted irrationally, some of them were mentally unstable, and others were just plain crazy bones.
The crimes of passion of this list are not only strange, but they’re tragic losses of life that could have prevented if everyone had taken a minute to cool out. Admittedly, some of the heinous murders collected here were committed by total monsters who seemed like they were looking for a reason to poison their entire town or have a little too much fun with a ball-peen hammer. But a lot of the folks on this list just got caught up in their emotions and handled the situation…let’s say, not well. Read up on these tragic crimes of passion and try to learn something, specifically how not to act when things don’t go your way.
Leave a comment and let us know which crime of passion struck you as the most all out crazy.
28 Tragic and Bizarre Crimes of Passion,
Amy Fisher
The "Long Island Lolita," Amy Fisher was only 16 years old when she met Joey Buttafuoco - a goon who worked at a local body shop. They entered into an illicit relationship (she was a minor and he was married), and when she gave Joey an ultimatum to choose her or his wife, she was shocked when he chose his wife. So shocked, in fact, that she drove to the Buttafuoco house and shot his wife in the head. Oddly enough, his wife divorced him, thought it took them 10 years to finalize the proceedings.
Lisa Nowak
In 2007, astronaut Lisa Nowak lost her grasp on reality when she tried to kidnap Colleen Shipman, an engineer who was involved with her boyfriend, William Oefelein. On February 4, Nowak donned a diaper and drove from Houston, TX, to Orlando, FL, where she accosted Shipman in the parking lot of the airport and pepper sprayed her, trying to get her into the car. Shipman managed to alert a security guard and Nowak was subdued without causing any further harm.
Marvin Gaye
Not all crimes of passion stem from a lovers' quarrel. In 1984, Marvin Gaye was suffering from a drug induced paranoia and became embroiled in a heated argument with his father over a misplaced insurance policy document. His father shot him in the heart with a .38 pistol that Gaye had given him as a gift.
Phil Hartman
Hartman was a beloved improv and sketch comedian, who, in 1998, threatened to leave his wife if she didn't stop using drugs. After their argument he went to bed and she did a bump of coke before shooting him while he slept and then shooting herself.
Lorena Bobbitt
Seemingly in the span of a week, Lorena Bobbitt went from being an everyday housewife to a punchline, to a feminist icon. One night, after her husband (John Bobbitt) allegedly raped her, she got a kitchen knife and cut off his penis before throwing it into a field.
Sahel Kazemi
Sahel Kazemi was in the undesireable position of being an ace football player's secret girlfriend when, after being dumped by retired quarterback Steve McNair, she snapped and shot McNair twice in the body and twice in the head before committing suicide.
Yvonne Chevalier
Yvonne and Pierre Chevallier were one of post-World War II France’s shining couples on the political stage, with Pierre elected mayor of Orleans due to his charm and wit. His wife, not so much. After his career took off they began to drift apart, and when a distraught Yvonne threatened to kill herself after discovering her husband’s infidelity, Pierre responded, “Go ahead, just wait until I leave the room.” Yvonne shot him four times in the back.
Clara Harris
Being the wife of a successful orthodontist has its perks, one of them being all the nice cars you get to drive. When Clara discovered that her husband, David, was cheating on her, she drove her Mercedes (with her step-daughter in the passenger seat) to the Nassau Bay Hilton to confront him, but instead ran over him. Three times.
Martha Freeman
After an argument with her husband one night in 2004, Martha went out and partied with three young men, including an undocumented Mexican immigrant named Rafael DeJesus Rocha-Perez. Martha and Perez began an affair that culminated in Freeman having Perez secretly live in her closet (in the house that she still shared with her husband) for over a month. When the husband discovered the cuckold, he was beaten to death by Perez and Freeman.
Leonard Rojas
When Leonard Rojas saw his wife leaving his brother's bedroom one morning in Alvarado TX, he confronted her about the possibly imagined adultery before shooting her at point blank range between the eyes and murdering his brother. He bought a bus ticket for Atlanta before confessing his murder to a security guard.