December and the Christmas season are typically filled with cheer, celebration and joy - but for one unsuspecting family in Arkansas, USA, it became their most horrifying time.
Labelled as one of the most shocking killing sprees in United States history, a former military serviceman, who dedicated over 20 years to the US Navy and Air Force, brutally murdered 16 people, including 14 members of his own family.
The chilling massacre unfolded over a week in December 1987, its haunting reverberations still echoing through the decades.
Ronald Gene Simmons Sr. is infamous for perpetrating the deadliest familicide in US history, systematically slaughtering his wife, children, and grandchildren in a calculated killing spree.
As if this wasn't horrific enough, Ronald also murdered some of his co-workers and random bystanders, reports the Mirror.
Beginning his lethal rampage on December 22, Ronald's murders occurred in three phases. He first shot his wife Becky (who reportedly intended to divorce him) and their eldest son, Gene, with a .22-caliber pistol before bludgeoning them to death, followed by strangling his three-year-old granddaughter.
Their bodies were then discarded in a pit that the ex-serviceman had forced his children to excavate two months prior, under the pretence of building a new outhouse on his property.
The ruthless murderer then patiently awaited the return of four more of his children from school for the Christmas holidays - believed to be Loretta, 17, Eddy, 14, Marianne, 11, and Becky, eight - each of whom he individually killed by reportedly submerging their heads in a rubbish barrel until they stopped breathing. Their lifeless bodies were subsequently discarded in the pit alongside the others.
Once he had brutally eliminated his immediate family residing at the Arkansas home, Ronald continued his killing spree four days later on December 26, targeting additional family members who had returned home for the festive season.
He first gunned down his son, Billy, and daughter-in-law, Renata, before proceeding to strangle and drown their 20-month-old son, Trae. Next on Ronald's relentless list was his daughter Sheila, who he is alleged to have sexually abused and fathered a child with, Sylvia Gail, seven, along with Sheila's husband Dennis McNulty and their 21-month-old grandson Michael.
While Sheila and Dennis met their end through gunfire, the grandchildren were strangled and drowned.
Following the horrific acts, Ronald reportedly drove to a Sears store in Russellville to collect pre-ordered Christmas presents for his slain family, after which he headed out for a drink at a private club.
The murderer then proceeded with his horrific killing spree, heading to Russellville on December 28. His first victim there was Kathy Cribbins Kendrick, a former co-worker at Woodline Motor Freight Company, whom Ronald had been infatuated with and who had allegedly rebuffed him in the past.
He continued his rampage, claiming more lives at an oil company, a convenience store, and his previous place of employment, Woodline Motor Freight.
Upon the arrival of the police, Ronald reportedly surrendered without resistance, handing over his .22-calibre revolver.
These chilling murders during the festive season led to Ronald Gene Simmons Sr. becoming the first individual in Arkansas to be executed by lethal injection on June 25, 1990, at the age of 49. The killer waived all appeals and was found guilty of the gruesome murders in two separate trials in 1988 and 1989.
