Halloween may seem like a fun holiday with a mix of candy and horror decorations. However, for some people, Halloween will be more than just a carefree festival. Here are five horrible murders that marred the day with real bloodshed.

Candy Man

Eight-year-old Deer Park, Texas resident Timothy O'Bryan was elated when his father allowed him to have one candy before bedtime after Trick-or-Treating on Halloween in 1974. Two hours after having a "Pixy Stix", the child was dead.

It was later discovered that the candy had been tainted with cyanide by the child's father, Ronald O'Bryan, who wanted to claim a hefty life insurance. According to Vice, the man who was dubbed "Candy Man" was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Last murder by the Toolbox Killers

Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris, also known as the "Toolbox Killers", were arrested for the murder of five women in 1979. Their murder spree began in June but their last murder was that of 16-year-old Shirley Ledford on Halloween. The duo offered her a ride while she was hitchhiking back from a party in Los Angeles.

They raped the teen and tortured her with the contents of an average toolbox. The gruesome killers recorded all their murders on audiotapes and photographs.

Police were able to catch the two men after Norris bragged of the murders to a friend who reported them. Both the killers passed away of natural causes in prison, Mercury News reported.

The Murdered Nun

Sister Tadea Benz' body was found on Halloween,1981 inside a convent in Texas. She was sexually assaulted, strangled and stabbed to death, post-mortem reports revealed. The horrible murder was discovered by other nuns after they found a window broken.

Police eventually arrested local man Johnny Frank Garrett. He was sentenced to death after being convicted for the murder. He was executed in 1992 by lethal injection. His last words, according to All That is Interesting, were: "I'd like to thank my family for loving me and taking care of me. The rest of the world can kiss my a**."

Family slaughter

16-year-old Devon Griffin escaped being murdered with the rest of his family as he was away from his home in 2010. The teen came back after sleeping out the previous night to find his home in Michigan oddly silent. He discovered his step-father, William Liske, dead. The police discovered Devon's mother and brother had been killed as well.

The killer was discovered to be Devon's step-brother, William "BJ" Liske. He was arrested and sentenced to life in prison without parole. While serving his sentence, he was found dead from a self-inflicted wound in his prison cell, the Port Clinton News Herald reported.

Unsolved murder predicted by a serial killer

David Berkowitz, also known as Son of Sam, reportedly predicted the murder that took place on Halloween, 1981. Photographer Ronald Sisman and Smith College student Elizabeth Platzman were the victims of the crime. The couple were found dead in their home in Manhattan. They were brutally beaten before being shot. Even though their home was ransacked, nothing was reported missing. Their murder remains unsolved.

Halloween 2020
Horrible homicides have taken place on Halloween. Photo: AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY