'Mysterious case' of father killing son with Halloween candy

O'Bryan is believed to have poisoned his son on Halloween night in order to collect insurance money, as he was deeply in debt.

Ronald Clark O'Bryan (right) and his son Timothy. Photo: Oddee

Ronald Clark O'Bryan, born in 1944, was an ophthalmologist who lived with his wife Daynene in Deer Park, Texas, and their two children, Timothy and Elizabeth. On October 31, 1974, O'Bryan and a neighbor took their four children trick-or-treating in their neighborhood in Pasadena, Texas.

After arriving at one house and not being answered by the homeowner, the children lost patience and ran to the next house while O'Bryan lagged behind. He later caught up with the group, carrying five tubes of powdered candy called Pixy Stix. Later that evening, O'Bryan gave two tubes to two neighbor children and two to his own children. The fifth tube was given to a boy he knew from church, according to the Herald-Journal.

Before going to bed, 8-year-old Timothy asked for Pixy Stix. After eating, Timothy complained that the candy tasted bitter, so O'Bryan gave him soda. Timothy immediately suffered from stomach pain, vomiting, and convulsions. He died on the way to the hospital, less than an hour after eating the candy.

Timothy's death shocked the community, with many parents in Deer Park and surrounding areas bringing candy their children had collected on Halloween to the police, fearing it had been poisoned. Police initially did not suspect O'Bryan until an autopsy revealed that the Pixy Stix he had eaten had been laced with a fatal dose of potassium cyanide. Police also recovered the tubes of Pixy Stix that O'Bryan had distributed to other children (none of whom had eaten the candy besides Timothy) and discovered they had all been laced with poison.

O'Bryan initially told police he couldn't remember which house had given out Pixy Stix. Police became suspicious because O'Bryan and his neighbors had only taken their children to a few houses on two streets because of the rain. Their suspicions grew when they discovered that none of the houses had given out Pixy Stix.

O'Bryan later claimed that when he fell behind, the homeowner, who initially did not respond, opened the door and gave him five Pixy Stix, however, O'Bryan's account was proven false as the homeowner, Courtney Melvin, had a clear alibi. Melvin was an air traffic controller at the airport and did not return home until 11 p.m., with nearly 200 people confirming he was at work.

As the investigation continued, police discovered that O'Bryan was $100,000 in debt and had been suspected of theft. O'Bryan had also purchased life insurance on his two children just months before Timothy's death.

Police also discovered that O'Bryan had gone to a Houston chemical store to buy cyanide just before Halloween. They believe O'Bryan poisoned his own children to get insurance money. They believe he also gave poisoned candy to other children to cover up the crime.

O'Bryan was arrested on November 5, 1974. Although numerous witnesses testified that O'Bryan had shown signs of suspicion and had a keen interest in cyanide before Timothy's death, he maintained his innocence. On June 3, 1975, O'Bryan was sentenced to death for murder and conspiracy to commit murder. His wife divorced O'Bryan after his conviction.

O'Bryan's case attracted national attention. The media dubbed him the "trick-or-treater" or the "Halloween killer."

On March 31, 1984, O'Bryan was executed by lethal injection. In his final words, O'Bryan maintained his innocence.

At the time of the execution, a crowd of about 300 people gathered outside the prison cheering in response, some shouting: "Trick or treat!" (a Halloween saying).

O'Bryan's ex-wife, Daynene, did not forgive him. Before O'Bryan's execution, she said: "He dug his own grave and now he has to lie in it. I have no pity for him."

According to VNE