15. OJ Simpson
Sometimes it was the fame, and sometimes it was the stress of becoming a broke celebrity of the past. Sometimes these stars got too caught up in a role they would play on screen and let that lifestyle roll over into their real lives.
These celebrities were not murdered by strangers but by their loved ones, their better halves, or rather their worse halves. These are 15 celebrities who murdered their partners, and some who got murdered themselves and left behind a legacy of pain, betrayal, and tragedy.
The OJ Simpson case was arguably the most televised and opinionated criminal case of the last century. He was accused of stabbing his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman to death, just outside her home. They were known to have an aggressive and abusive relationship.
14. Oscar Pistorius
For unknown reasons, OJ was acquitted of the murders but later found liable in the wrongful death of Goldman, and of battery against Nicole. There just must not have been enough evidence against OJ in the original trial. He was later arrested for robbery and now remains in prison.
Oscar Pistorius, a heroic athlete as a double-amputee who competed in and won the non-disabled sprinter category in the World Championships in athletics. He also became the first double amputee to participate in the Olympics, period. Oscar was in a loving relationship with model Reeva Steenkamp until Valentines Day, 2013.
13. Sid Vicious
He claimed that he didn't know who entered the room, and thinking it was an intruder, shot his girlfriend four times. Oscar was first found not guilty and sentenced to a reduced five-year sentence of culpable homicide, however in 2016, the sentence was appealed by the prosecution and he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to six years imprisonment.
Sid Vicious was the bassist of the punk rock group Sex Pistols. Nancy Spungen entered into a relationship with Sid after remaining a long time groupie. She used to be a stripper and prostitute before that. Given their surroundings and natural short fuse, the press found them both nauseating and not before long, their relationship would turn deadly.
12. Chris Benoit
Sid woke up after a drug stupor to find Nancy dead under the bathroom sink. He was arrested and made bail, but then would go on to overdose on heroin at his celebration party. His band mates speculated that it was likely a drug dealer of theirs that stabbed her while he was unconscious and stole money in the process.
Chris Benoit was one of the most well-respected wrestlers in the WWE and all-throughout the industry. He was a locker room leader and one of the most experienced wrestlers of his day. Some speculate that he had a long relationship with steroids and eventually lost his head.
11. Brynn Hartman
Everyone who worked with him knew him to be a loving husband and father, which is why it came as a major shock when it was revealed that he murdered his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in his Atlanta home in the summer of 2006. Despite his actions, those who worked with him still have the highest respect for Benoit, acknowledging that his final act wasn't one that aligned with his character. It was believed that his brain was that of an elderly man based on the amount of damage done to his brain at an early age from many in-ring beatings.
Phil Hartman was an Emmy Award-winning actor and screenwriter and an all-around funny guy from Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons. In 1987, their marriage would worsen despite having kids together. They would fight about her lack of success in the industry, alcohol, narcotics, you name it.
10. Paul Snider
Phil had been supportive but her multiple stints in rehab and relapses had forced him to give her an ultimatum – one more slip up and it was all over. In 1988, the fights got to be too much for Brynn, who shot Phil in his sleep. She would then flea the scene, go to a friend's house to confess, return to the scene, and then kill herself in her bedroom with a handgun.
Paul Snider was hardly a gentleman. He was known for being a sleazy type of guy, making it hard to believe he got Dorothy Stratten to fall in love with him. He actually was so gross that he took nude pictures of her and sent them to Playboy, unintentionally making her Playmate of the Month. Surprisingly, they later got married.
9. Earl Hayes
They could've had quite the messed-up storybook tale, but then she had an affair with director Peter Bogdanovich. She didn't feel anything for Paul anymore and filed for divorce, something Paul wouldn't be able to get past. Paul armed himself with a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun, raped her, killed her, and then sexually abused her corpse. He then turned the shotgun on himself.
Earl Hayes was a rapper, just breaking into the industry and beginning to make a name for himself. He was married to dancer, Stephanie Moseley, since 2008. They had an on again, off again type of relationship, which was hard for Hayes to deal with when Stephanie had relations with Trey Songz a few years ago.
8. Robert Blake
He then went on to facetime with boxer Floyd Mayweather, where he told him how much he wanted to kill his wife. Reportedly Floyd begged him not to do anything violent but in a fit of rage, Earl went and shot his wife who was in the bathtub at the time. He would later turn the gun on himself after telling Floyd what he just did to his wife.
Robert Blake had been an actor since he was a child. Unfortunately, the fame came with hardship every step of the way. All his life, Blake was plagued with one challenge after the next, sending him on a violent binge and into depression. After divorcing his first wife, Robert entered into a relationship with Bonnie Lee Bakely who he never fully trusted, given her reputation for jumping into relationships with older men.
7. Michael Jace
She would then become pregnant with his child, making matters worse. In 2001, Blake took Bonnie out for a dinner and when she was sitting in the car, waiting for him, she was shot in the head. He was found not guilty of her murder but later sued by her three children from previous marriages, a lawsuit worth $30 Million leading to his bankruptcy.
Michael Jace is an American actor with a long list of films and shows he's worked on, including playing the role of Michael Jordan. He and his wife April Jace had been married for almost 11 years and had two young sons together when one fateful day, May 19, 2014, Michael shot and killed his wife. He immediately called the police and confessed what he had done.
6. Russell Neal
She was found with multiple gunshot wounds when the police arrived. He believed that she was having an affair and even taunted her before the murder by saying, “You like to run so much. Why don’t you run to heaven?”
Russell Neal was once part of the up and coming R&B group Hi-Five in the 90's. He was known to have quite a way with the ladies. Eventually, he thought a little too much of himself, so he left the group and joined the ranks of has-beens. He and 24-year-old Catherine Martinez who was a fitness trainer and aspiring model had two sons together. Russell was flat broke and not as popular as he would like to believe so Catherine became the breadwinner for the family.
5. Claudine Longet
There's plenty of stress that comes with being the primary earner in a family, but on top of that, he abused her often. She planned on leaving him but then suddenly, she disappears. Just a few days later, Russell waltzes into the police station to seek medical help for his wife who he'd beaten. Although he claimed insanity, he hasn't been put on trial yet for brutally beating his wife to death to the point where she was unrecognizable.
18-year-old Claudine Longet wanted to be famous ever so bad. Andy Williams probably saw him as her ticket to fame, while Andy fell in love with this 18-year-old beauty. And so came marriage, money, and three kids with a marginally successful career as well.
4. Rae Carruth
In the 1970s, the marriage between Claudine and Andy started to head downhill as Andy started seeing a champion skier on the side. Her and Sabich found a new love that ended in tragedy when she called the police over to the house, explaining that he was teaching her how to fire a gun when it went off – killing him. Sabich was shot in the back and the investigators clealy never did enough of their job as she was let go without even a slap on the wrist.
Rae used to be a very popular football star until he became yet another in the list of has-beens when a knee injury changed his future indefinitely. He would spend most of his time sleeping around with many women, not attaching himself to any in particular. He would often joke about abortions and that he'd kill the women who didn't agree to abort when he got them pregnant. As if it were too hard to wrap it up?
3. Gig Young
Cherica Adams wouldn’t abort it and didn’t find his “killing” joke funny so Rae proved himself right. He hired a hitman to shoot her, but she lived past that just long enough to provide a witness statement and give birth to a brain-damaged child due to lack of oxygen. Rae went on the run but was eventually tracked down, hiding in his car.
Gig Young was an actor known for his good looks and roles and even won an Academy Award in 1969-70. He was adored by fans in Hollywood. But the 1970s were tough on him with his alcoholic lifestyle that he kept rather well hidden.
2. Sahel Kazemi
Roles started to dwindle for him and his lack of work started to tear away at his marriage to actress Kim Schmidt. In 1978, he shot his wife of barely three weeks in the head and then put the gun in his own mouth before pulling the trigger.
Steve McNair, the NFL Quarterback known for being a nice guy, soon found out how terribly affairs could come back to haunt those who partake. He was married to his wife Mechelle and had two sons with her. He had also fathered two other children with two other women and finally ending up having an affair with 20-year-old Sahel “Jenny” Kazemi.
One night after putting their child to bed, Sahel waited for him to fall asleep when she would then shoot him three times. She then laid down and shot herself, orphaning his four children in the blink of an eye.