It’s generally accepted that ghosts, if they exist, were once living human beings. And, unfortunately, humans are capable of committing crimes. So, it’s conceivable that ghosts might also seek to transgress against their former fellow humans. Here are ten crimes allegedly committed by paranormal entities. Are they true ghostly wrongdoers or just regular criminals trying to avoid punishment? You decide.
Ghost Indecent Exposure
Having sex in someone else’s living room would definitely land you a charge for indecent exposure—and possibly breaking and entering! Dianne Carlisle from Euclid, Ohio, claims that two ghosts are having sex in her home, making her and her family unwilling voyeurs. She states that the ghosts are clearly copulating, and she can even see the “lady’s high-heeled shoes!”
Dianne is no stranger to ghostly apparitions. Her deceased sister contacted her by phone, leaving a message that simply said, “I love you,” and she has seen ghosts in mirrors and playing with her daughter, De’Onna. As for the phantom lovemakers, they were even snapped in the act by Carlisle’s four-year-old granddaughter, Kimora, while she was playing with a cell phone. Dianne is as astonished as anyone, saying: “I never seen anything like this…I mean, ghosts still have feelings? (They’re) having sex?” Carlisle says that the ghostly activity has actually increased over time.
Ghost Theft
You wouldn’t expect a former police officer, charged with upholding the law, to be the one committing massive theft, but that’s what Joseph Hughes of Mount Gilead, Ohio, was convicted of back in 2011. But did he do it, or was it the work of something from the other side? Hughes claimed that the stolen goods found stockpiled in his basement (including several air conditioners and a generator) were put there by a ghost.
‘It’s going to sound kind of ridiculous, but we believed that there was some kind of paranormal presence in the basement,’ Hughes said in court. ‘It sounds kind of ridiculous, but there was evidence to support it.’ Though prosecutors were stunned by the creepy defense, they ultimately didn’t buy it, and Hughes was found guilty of 18 of 20 charges.
Ghost Vandalization
Lisa and Phil Rigley of Clifton, Nottingham, were so angry about a series of attacks on their vehicles that they set up home cameras to catch the culprits. But they got more than they bargained for: at about 1:30 a.m. on August 1st, 2012, one of the cameras caught what looked like a child spirit in orb form, glowing white and wearing a hoodie, jumping over the roofs of their cars.
The couple was shocked. Even skeptical Phil admitted: “I am cynical about ghosts because I don’t believe in them, but this footage is strange.” Lisa added that she was “absolutely gobsmacked by this. I’ve got the footage here; it’s the image of a young child about four or five. It’s a ghost, it’s got to be.” Mrs. Rigley was especially convinced it was no ordinary child because their dog always barks if there are people around but did not wake the family that night. The Rigleys ultimately decided not to pursue the ghost for criminal damages after they could find no marks on the cars following the incident.
Ghost Harassment
Harassment of any kind is annoying enough, but to not even be able to see your bullies? One Saudi Arabian family thought that was going too far and actually took it all the way to court when they sued the “genie” irritating their household. The spectral harassment went on for some time, with unruly spirits making life practically intolerable.
Citing everything from threatening voicemails to the theft of their mobile phones, the family had had enough when the ghosts, in classic schoolyard fashion, began throwing stones at the children. The court gamely tried to verify the family’s claim of paranormal pestering “despite the difficulty” of bringing a harassment suit against the undead.
Ghost Disorderly Conduct
A teen nabbed in 2006 for swearing at officers and generally causing uproar had the unique defense that the foul-mouthed voice heard by the cops wasn’t his but that of a disembodied pirate ghost. Thomas McGair, 18, of Glasgow, Scotland, blurted out “It wasn’t me, it was the pirate!” as he was being collared and charged.
Sheriff Rajni Swanney was “intrigued” by the odd story, and McGair’s lawyer, Andrew Kennedy, said in court that his client was “in a state of agitation because he claims he had just seen a ghost.” Though McGair admitted to a breach of the peace, he denied being under the influence of alcohol or drugs and maintains that a ghostly influence was to blame. When last heard from, his sentence had been deferred.
Ghost Assault
Sometimes a haunting is merely a pain in the emotional sense, but sometimes it goes a bit further than that. A French family from Mentque-Nortbecourt said that ghosts in their home had escalated to full-blown assault. One household member was injured so badly that he had to be hospitalized after being hit in the face by a flying chair and a soap tray to the back.
A family friend visiting the house also had to seek medical attention after being hit by stones thrown by the petulant spirits. Local officials took the claims seriously enough to remove the family from their home, offering them temporary housing at a nearby campsite. The family says that they are currently working with an exorcist from a local church who has been visiting their house and attempting to cleanse it of the angry spooks.
Ghost Domestic Abuse
When an argument about family finances between Wisconsin man Michael West and his wife got out of control, she called the police and reported that West had beat, punched her in the face, and tried to strangle her. When police arrived at the couple’s home, they noticed that the woman was crying and that there appeared to be blood on the front of her shirt.
When questioned, West initially claimed that his wife sustained injuries by repeatedly falling but later changed his story, claiming that “a ghost did it.” This explanation did not prove to be satisfactory to the arresting officers who charged West with strangulation, battery, and disorderly conduct. After a struggle, West was transported to county lockup, and his wife, one would hope, to therapy.
Ghost Kidnapping
This one is an example of crime happening to a criminal—and perhaps of cosmic karma. A burglar robbing a home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said that he was kidnapped and held against his will with no food or water for four days by a “supernatural figure.”
Police official Abdul Marlik Hakim Johar confirmed that the homeowners arrived back from vacation and found the man, whose name was not released, in their home, dehydrated and exhausted. He claimed that every time he tried to leave, the entity pushed him to the ground. An ambulance had to be called for the would-be pilferer who will surely think twice before attempting another breaking and entering.
Ghost Rape
This is an extremely sad and disturbing story. Apparently, between 2005 and 2009, over one hundred women in the Manitoba Mennonite colony of Bolivia had been reporting waking up to strange genital injuries, headaches, pain, and pieces of rope tangled in their hair. They also found semen stains on their sheets. Sadly, the youngest of these victims was a three-year-old child.
Local townspeople (largely isolated from wider communities and inexperienced with such crimes) first denied the women’s reports, dismissing them as the products of overactive imaginations. But as the problems worsened, they turned to a supernatural explanation, claiming that demons were to blame for the sexual assaults. Even after the arrest of nine men in 2011 convicted of drugging and raping entire households, the community is still traumatized and seeking other answers. Some point to the fact that the violence continues to this day as proof that it is devils from another world, and not men of the community, to blame for these heinous crimes.
Ghost Murders
One can hardly imagine a bigger monster than a mother that kills her own children. Naiyana Patel of East Asheville, North Carolina, was arrested in late August 2011 for the murder of her two sweet and outgoing girls, 8-year-old Jiya and 4-year-old Piya. Worse, the murders were carried out in an extremely gruesome manner—with a hatchet.
Patel’s husband, Lalo, made the grisly discovery when he arrived home to find his wife hitting herself in the head with the hatchet and his children bloodied on the floor. He frantically called 911, but it was too late—Jiya was already dead, and Piya would succumb to her injuries at a nearby hospital. According to investigators, when asked about her motives for this senseless crime, Naiyana would only tell police that “the ghost killed her children.” She further added that she didn’t want to live and refused medical treatment for her self-inflicted injuries. “It’s just a terrible, terrible incident that occurred,” said Lt. Wallace Welch, interim chief of police.
From indecent exposure to murder, the cases where ghosts are blamed for crimes are as varied as they are bizarre. Whether these are genuine cases of paranormal activity or desperate attempts to evade justice, they certainly make for chilling stories.
What do you think? Are ghosts capable of committing crimes? Leave your comment below!
