A Sniper in the Tower: the Charles Whitman Murders

Access: Use of this item is restricted to the UNT Community
On August 1, 1966, Charles Joseph Whitman ascended the University of Texas Tower and committed what was then the largest simultaneous mass murder in American history. He gunned down forty-five people inside and around the Tower before he was killed by two Austin police officers. During the previous evening he had killed his wife and mother, bringing the total to sixteen people dead and at least thirty-one wounded. The murders spawned debates over issues which still plague America today: domestic violence, child abuse, drug abuse, military indoctrination, the insanity defense, and the delicate balance between civil liberties and public safety. "An outstanding job of chronicling one of the most significant cases in the annals of American crime. . . . Lavergne skillfully researched, documented, and analyzed a case that in many ways defined the concept of ‘mass murder’ . . . will likely become a classic in anyone’s library of true crime editions."--James Alan Fox, Dean of Criminal Justice, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, and an authority on mass murder
Date: March 15, 1997
Creator: Lavergne, Gary M.
Object Type: Book
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Oklahoma Daily (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 82, No. 23, Ed. 1 Monday, September 15, 1997 (open access)

The Oklahoma Daily (Norman, Okla.), Vol. 82, No. 23, Ed. 1 Monday, September 15, 1997

Student newspaper of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma that includes national, local, and campus news along with advertising.
Date: September 15, 1997
Creator: Ratcliffe, Heather
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History
The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 193, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 15, 1997 (open access)

The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 75, No. 193, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 15, 1997

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: June 15, 1997
Creator: Dobbs, Gary
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 15, 1997 (open access)

Hondo Anvil Herald (Hondo, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 20, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 15, 1997

Weekly newspaper from Hondo, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with extensive advertising.
Date: May 15, 1997
Creator: unknown
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 83, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 15, 1997 (open access)

The Gilmer Mirror (Gilmer, Tex.), Vol. 120, No. 83, Ed. 1 Wednesday, October 15, 1997

Semiweekly newspaper from Gilmer, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: October 15, 1997
Creator: Overton, Mac
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Portal to Texas History
Altus Times (Altus, Okla.), Vol. 97, No. 78, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 15, 1997 (open access)

Altus Times (Altus, Okla.), Vol. 97, No. 78, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 15, 1997

Daily newspaper from Altus, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: June 15, 1997
Creator: Cole, Carol
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History
Perry Daily Journal Weekender (Perry, Okla.), Vol. 104, No. 164, Ed. 1 Friday, August 15, 1997 (open access)

Perry Daily Journal Weekender (Perry, Okla.), Vol. 104, No. 164, Ed. 1 Friday, August 15, 1997

Daily newspaper from Perry, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: August 15, 1997
Creator: Brown, Gloria
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History
Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 82, No. 207, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 15, 1997 (open access)

Sapulpa Daily Herald (Sapulpa, Okla.), Vol. 82, No. 207, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 15, 1997

Daily newspaper from Sapulpa, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: May 15, 1997
Creator: Diehl, Don
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History
Chickasha Daily Express (Chickasha, Okla.), Vol. 107, No. 75, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 15, 1997 (open access)

Chickasha Daily Express (Chickasha, Okla.), Vol. 107, No. 75, Ed. 1 Sunday, June 15, 1997

Daily newspaper from Chickasha, Oklahoma that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.
Date: June 15, 1997
Creator: Bush, Kent
Object Type: Newspaper
System: The Gateway to Oklahoma History