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The 9 Most Heinous Crimes of the 1980s

Historical crimes broken down by decade: 1980–1989

Still Penguins Seldom Waddle
12 min readJul 11, 2023
Photo created by author

The 80s. A lot went down.

The 1980s were not only when the number of serial killers peaked, but the public’s obsession with true crime heightened. Needless to say, they were never bored during this decade.

Not only are these some of the most horrible crimes that occurred during that 10-year span, but a few of them were committed by names still commonly known today.

Here are nine crimes that left a grisly legacy.

Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771

Still known as the second-worst mass murder in Californian history, this Pacific Southwest flight crashed near Cayucos, California, on December 7, 1987.

As USAir was taking over Pacific Southwest Airlines, employee David Burke was terminated after stealing $69 and was suspected of other petty crimes. After meeting with his supervisor and begging for his job back, he was denied.

So, he decided to do what any normal, rational person would do. He planned a mass murder/suicide. *Extreme sarcasm*

Burke purchased a ticket for PSA Flight 1771, from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Burke’s supervisor was on the same flight, as he…

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Still Penguins Seldom Waddle
Still Penguins Seldom Waddle

Written by Still Penguins Seldom Waddle

Working mom who uses her curiosity to fuel the curiosities of others ~ Writes mostly history and true crime

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