THIS DATE: Idaho’s ‘Jack The Ripper’ Hangs; Paperboy Finds Corpse

The anniversary of the execution of a man who became infamous in the Gem State for the grizzly murder of at least one woman is approaching. The perpetrator, who was identified with the help of a paperboy, would later become the final inmate put to death at the state's most macabre prison.

Snowden's mutilation of Dean in late September of 1956 has been discussed in a number of documentaries and podcasts that can easily be found online.

The Old Idaho Penitentiary in Boise housed some ruthless human beings during its century in operation which ended in 1973. I've walked the grounds of the facility and read about some of the disturbed souls who sat in the prison's cells while serving their sentences. There's a noticeable eeriness about the place, and if the walls could speak, I'm not sure I'd want to be present for it.

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Raymond Snowden became known as Idaho's "Jack the Ripper" after he was identified as the murderer of Cora Lucyle (Bundy) Dean. Snowden's mutilation of Dean in late September of 1956 has been discussed in a number of documentaries and podcasts that can easily be found online. The mother of two, and Snowden's final victim, was discovered in her driveway by the neighborhood paperboy, according to newspaper archives and a 2023 feature by Only in Your State.

Snowden was jailed in the Old Idaho Penitentiary until he became the final inmate executed at the facility on October 18, 1957. If you ever get the chance to visit the state's alleged most haunted prison, be sure to walk the grounds of the nearby Bishops' House. It's a wedding and events venue on the property with an amazing history.