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On Halloween night in 1974, eight-year-old Timothy O’Brien came home from trick-or-treating in Deer Park, Texas, excited to sample his candy haul. Among the treats was a Pixy Stix — one that would become infamous in American true crime history. Within hours, Timothy was dead, poisoned by cyanide.
Investigators soon discovered that the killer wasn’t a mysterious stranger slipping poison into Halloween candy. It was someone much closer to home — his own father, Ronald Clark O’Brien. His crime forever changed the way parents across the United States viewed Halloween, giving rise to decades of fear over tampered sweets.
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ResourcesArticlesIn 1974, 'Candyman' turned Halloween truly terrifying in Pasadena, Texas - ABC13 HoustonThe Man Who Killed Halloween - Fort Worth Weekly'Man Who Killed Halloween' still haunts holiday - Houston ChronicleThe Haunting Legacy of Ronald Clark O'Bryan, the Man Who Killed Halloween - A&E True Crime50 years ago, a Houston killer dubbed the 'Candyman' poisoned his son's Halloween candy - KHOULooking into the eyes of evil: The day I covered the execution of Texas' infamous Halloween killer - Breckenridge TexanThe True Story of the Notorious Trick-or-Treat Murderer - ViceHalloween Horrors: The Poisoning of Timothy O'Bryan - CriminalThe ex-wife of Ronald Clark O'Bryan - UPI ArchivesThe neighbor who accompanied condemned killer Ronald Clark O'Bryan - UPI ArchivesWeb ResourcesRonald Clark O'Bryan - WikipediaTimothy Marc O'Bryan - Find a Grave MemorialRonald Clark O'Bryan - MurderpediaRonald Clark O'Bryan - Alchetron1984: Ronald Clark O'Bryan, candyman - Executed TodayCourt DocumentsTHE CASE OF THE HALLOWEEN CANDY KILLER - Harris County District ClerkVideo ArchivesRonald Clark O'Bryan Murder Trial (1975) - KPRC-TV Collection
Created & Produced by Sonya LoweNarrated by Noel VinsonMusic: “Nordic Medieval” by Marcus BresslerBackground track: Doblado Studios: https://www.youtube.com/c/DobladoStudios
This True Crime Podcast was researched using open-source or archival materials.
