5 Terrifying Vigilantes That Decided They Were The Law

America loves justice. Core to our national identity is a need to bring wrongdoers to justice, and this psychological unconscious manifests in our comic books, video games, and movies. We love Batman and Superman, two famous superheroes who take things into their own hands when no one else can. 

Vigilantes don't just exist in the movies, though. America's past is rich with stories of ruthless individuals who decided THEY were the law. Unfortunately, the divide between good and evil isn't as clean as the movies; and these individuals have ended up taking up causes that were less than moral.

Check out this list of five vigilantes or vigilante groups who went to extreme lengths to make their point.

SHARE this list on Facebook with your friends. These are all totally real!

1. "Subway Vigilante" Bernhard Goetz (1984).

Bernhard Goetz, a 37-year-old New York City man, claims that he was approached by four black men that tried to mug him. To get back at the four men, Goetz shot at them several times with a revolver. Goetz has been recorded saying, "I was trying to get as many of them as I could." Goetz seriously injured all four men, who were able to avoid death. 

A jury found Goetz not guilty of attempted murder and reckless endangerment. 

The case strongly divided those in NYC who were fed up with increasing violence in the city and those who viewed the attacks as largely racist.

Since the event, Goetz has been arrested for selling marijuana to an undercover cop.

2. Jonathan Idema (2004).

A former U.S. Army reserve 'mercenary,' "Tora Bora Jack" was a flamboyant individual that largely lied about many U.S. government credentials to gain notoriety. He spent three years in an Afghan prison for heading his own secret prison that actively tortured Afghan citizens. 

Idema was set on reaping the bounty money for capturing or killing Al Qaeda leaders. 

He and his colleagues tortured at least eight Afghan civilians as a way to get information to find these leaders. U.S. officials have denied being involved in Idema's private investigations.

His story doesn't end there....

After spending time in prison for these offenses, he died of AIDS in Mexico in 2012.

Rumor has it he went to Mexico to start his own "sex house" after being released from prison.

3. The Bald Knobbers (1883–1889).

Being named after the bald knob summits of the Ozark Mountains, this Missouri-based vigilante group initially formed after the Civil War, when many areas of Missouri were left unstable and lawless. The group, who most typically were against the Confederacy, sought to protect "life and property," and aided local law enforcement. 

Below is a depiction of the group from the 1919 film, The Shepard of the Hills.

Here is the classic bald knobber disguise.

The group eventually grew to include hundreds of members. The Bald Knobbers' violent tactics are well known, as members were known to obey violent orders from superiors. They would commonly flag or brand suspected criminals and were notorious for making those who opposed their group "disappear." Dissenters would often appear beaten to death in local forests.

The group's reign continued for several years after the assassination of their leader Nat Kinney in 1888. 

A group that identified itself as 'anti-bald knobbers' claimed responsibility for the killing.

Sometimes vigilantism rears its head when a court verdict is less than desirable...

4. A lynch mob overruled the law and hung suspected murderer Leo Frank.

In 1913, the body of Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old girl, was found at a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia. The owner of the factory, Leo Frank, was immediately suspected and arrested. Frank had recently laid her off from her job and the public felt strongly that he must have killed her after she refused his sexual advances.

Here is Leo Frank at his trial in 1913.

Frank was ultimately sentenced to hang for his crimes until the Governor of Georgia changed the sentence to life in prison. A vigilante group called "The Knights of Mary Phagan" stormed the Milledgeville State Penitentiary, captured Frank, and hung him from a tree near Mary's family home. 

Frank was pardoned after his death in 1986 when it became clear that another person probably committed the crime. A janitor named Jim Conley was seen the night of the murder carrying Mary Phagan's body to the basement of the factory. Wow, where was that person during his trial?

5. Patrick Drum, killer of sex offenders.

Inspired by a fellow inmate who had done the same (Michael Mullen), Patrick Drum hated child sex offenders enough to hunt them down and kill them on his own.

Drum decided to stalk two sex offenders from his Washington state neighborhood.

Gary Lee Blanton, 28, and Jerry Wayne Ray, 57, were both killed. Blanton was convicted of raping a 17-year-old girl.

Here is Drum's second victim, Jerry Ray.

Jerry Ray had been convicted of raping a four and seven-year-old child. Drum went to the homes of the two men and shot and killed both.

Drum was sentenced to life in prison for the actions. Here is a shot of his arrest.

He insists that he would have killed more if he wasn't apprehended. Many were mad at Drum for his actions given that Blanton had a family and children of his own.

There's just a taste of some of the craziest vigilante actions to ever take place in the United States. 

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