Lawson family murders
| Lawson family murders | |
|---|---|
Lawson family portrait. Left to right: (Top) Arthur (19), Marie (17), Charles (43), Fannie (37) holding baby Mary Lou; (Bottom) James (4), Maybell (7), Raymond (2), Carrie (12). Only Arthur survived. | |
| Location | Germanton, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Date | December 25, 1929 |
Attack type | uxoricide |
| Deaths | 8 (including the perpetrator) |
| Perpetrator | Charles Davis Lawson |
On December 25, 1929, sharecropper Charles Davis "Charlie" Lawson murdered his wife and six of his seven children in Germanton, North Carolina, United States.
The familicide has been subject to much speculation due to the unconfirmed motive, with the most commonly reported theory alleging an attempted cover-up of incestual abuse. The site of the Lawson family murders also became a popular dark tourism site, also inspiring several songs and stories.