17 of Hollywood's Most Horrifying Murders

After divorcing in 1992, O.J. and Nicole Simpson attempted to reconcile, but after years of abuse allegations and alleged affairs, they couldn't make things work. So when Nicole and her friend, Ron Goldman, were found brutally stabbed to death outside her LA apartment on the morning of June 13, 1994, suspicions quickly turned to her estranged husband. Nicole had been stabbed numerous times in her head and neck and had defensive wounds on her hands, while Ron suffered multiple stab wounds to his chest, abdomen, and left thigh.

In what would go on to be one of the most notorious and controversial murder trials in history, O.J. was found not guilty for the deaths of both Nicole and Ron. However, shortly following his acquittal, he was found liable for the deaths in a civil suit led by Ron's family, and was ordered to pay them over $33 million in damages. O.J. is currently in prison on charges from an unrelated armed robbery at a Las Vegas hotel in 2007. Nicole and Ron's murder cases are considered closed, although nobody has been officially charged.

Yolanda Saldívar was a trusted person within Selena's inner circle, having worked her way up from just a fan to president of her fan club. She also became Selena's very close friend and manager of her boutiques. But her relationship with Selena bordered on obsession, and when money went missing from the singer's businesses and fans became upset over not having received anything after joining the fan club, the Quintanilla's became suspicious of her intentions. They approached Yolanda with their evidence in a meeting in March 1995, and Selena's father banned Yolanda from contacting his daughter again. Selena, however, didn't want to end their friendship and agreed to meet Yolanda to go over some of the missing paperwork. On the morning of March 31, 1995, Yolanda shot Selena in the back of her right shoulder after they had an argument in Yolanda's motel room. Selena was able to flee to the motel lobby, where she identified Yolanda as her killer before she lost consciousness.

After Selena was rushed to the hospital where she later died, Yolanda locked herself in her car in the motel parking lot, where she had a stand-off with police while pointing the gun at her head and threatening to commit suicide. She eventually surrendered after more than nine hours and was arrested for Selena's murder. After pleading not guilty (she insists the shooting was accidental), Yolanda was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 30 years. Since she was convicted in 1995, she will be eligible for parole on March 30, 2025.

Sharon Tate was a successful Hollywood actress in the 1960s with roles in movies like The Fearless Vampire Killers and Valley of the Dolls. In addition to her thriving career, she was also married to film director Roman Polanski. But despite having her whole life ahead of her, Sharon was the victim of one of the most brutal murders in history. On August 8, 1969, Sharon, who was nine months pregnant with her first child with Roman, had a few friends over to her home before they went to dinner (Roman was away in London). Later that night, Sharon, along with Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, and Abigail Folger were murdered by members of the Manson family. Another victim, Steven Parent, was found shot dead in his car in the driveway. Sharon had been stabbed 16 times, one of her breasts had been cut off, an "X" had been cut onto her stomach, and the word "PIG" had been written on a door in her blood. There was also a rope tied around Sharon and Jay's necks that connected their bodies on the floor. She was later buried with her unborn son in her arms.

Charles Manson, a cult leader who had dedicated followers that thought of themselves as his "family," was later found to be the mastermind behind the murders. Although he wasn't physically present during the killings, he sent four of his followers, Linda Kasabian, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, and Patricia "Katie" Krenwinkel to carry out the act. Charles is currently serving a life sentence for the murders. Linda, who allegedly never entered the house during the murders, served as the key eyewitness for the prosecution and was never charged. Tex and Patricia are also serving life sentences in prison, while Susan died in prison in 2009.

Tupac Shakur was one of the biggest names in rap in the 1990s with hits like "Dear Mama" and "California Love." But on Sept. 7, 1996, the music stopped. After leaving Mike Tyson's boxing match at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Tupac accompanied Suge Knight, co-founder of West Coast's Death Row Records, to a nightclub. However, while stopped at a red light on their way there, a Cadillac pulled up next to them. The unknown number of occupants of the car rolled down a window and opened fire on Tupac. He was hit four times — twice in the chest, once in the arm, and once in the thigh. After being rushed to the hospital, Tupac was was put in a medically-induced coma after he repeatedly tried to get out of bed. Six days after the shooting, he died from internal bleeding. He was 25 years old.

Nobody has ever been arrested for Tupac's murder and the case remains open, but theories about who killed him have been flying for years. The rapper was involved in the heated East Coast-West Coast rap label feud in the '90s, and many believe that a member of a rival gang carried out the murder.

As a member of the Beatles, John Lennon was used to the Hollywood spotlight. But on Dec. 8, 1980, the dark side to fame came right to the singer's doorstep. Mark David Chapman, a fan of the Beatles and of John, became angry with the star after becoming a Christian and John had said that his band was "more popular than Jesus." After planning the murder for roughly three months, Mark stalked the Manhattan apartment building where John was living with his wife, Yoko Ono, and their son, Sean. When John and Yoko left, Mark approached the star and got him to sign a copy of his latest album. Mark then waited until the couple returned home later that night and shot John in the back with a revolver. John managed to stagger up to his building's reception area and reportedly said, "I'm shot, I'm shot." Mark calmly sat down and waited for police after a doorman wrestled the gun out of Mark's hand and kicked it across the street. After asking Mark if he realized what he's just done, Mark simply replied, "Yes, I just shot John Lennon."

In 1981, Mark pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to to 20-years-to-life in prison. He has been denied parole nine times but will be eligible again in two years.

In June 2016, 22-year-old Christina Grimmie, an up and coming singer who appeared on season six of The Voice, was shot at her concert in Orlando, FL. While Christina was signing autographs for roughly 120 people, 27-year-old Kevin James Loibl from St. Petersburg, FL, approached the singer and opened fired. Christina's brother, Marcus, quickly tackled the shooter to the ground, but he broke free and shot and killed himself. The star was then rushed to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries. Shortly after her death, stars like Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Selena Gomez spoke out about their heartbreak on social media.

Gianni Versace was a successful Italian fashion designer whose life was horrifically cut short at the age of 50. On July 15, 1997, Gianni was returning to his Miami mansion after taking a morning walk. When he approached his front steps, a man named Andrew Cunanan shot him twice in the head, killing him instantly. Andrew committed suicide eight days later while on a houseboat during a stand-off with police. It was later revealed that Andrew was an active serial killer, having claimed five more victims in the months prior to killing Versace. Because of Andrew's suicide, police have admitted that nobody will probably ever know why he chose to target Gianni.

In October 2016, it was revealed that season three of FX's American Crime Story will focus on Gianni's murder.

Lana Clarkson was an aspiring actress who kept busy with low-key jobs in the 1980s, however, when she approached her 30s, her career hit a wall. Needing to earn income in other ways, she took a job guarding the VIP area at the House of Blues in LA. In the early morning hours of Feb. 3, 2003, Lana met record producer Phil Spector at the club, and he invited her back to his mansion. They left together in his limousin, and after arriving at his house, they went inside while the driver waited outside. Roughly an hour later, the driver heard a gunshot and Phil was seen exiting his house through the back door while holding a gun. He reportedly said, "I think I just shot her." Phil later claimed that Lana's death was an "accidental suicide" after she put the gun in her mouth.

In 2007, Phil was tried for Lana's murder, but a mistrial was declared due to a hung jury. In 2008, he was tried again, found guilty, and sentenced to 19-years-to-life in prison. He will be 88 years old before he's eligible for parole.

Phil Hartman was one of the most beloved actors of his time. With a successful run on Saturday Night Live and hit movies like Houseguest, the actor was seen as a comedic genius. He married former model and aspiring actress Brynn Omdahl in 1987, and the two went on to have two children together, son Sean and daughter Birgen. Bryn reportedly had a hard time dealing with her husband's success since she also wanted a successful career in Hollywood, and she turned to alcohol and drugs as a result. She entered rehab numerous times, but in the early hours of May 28, 1998, things finally reached a breaking point.

After getting into a heated argument with his wife about her drug use, Phil went to bed. Shortly after 3 a.m., Bryn entered their bedroom and shot her husband three times — twice in the head and once in the side — with a handgun. After the murder, Bryn drove to her friend Ron Douglas's house and confessed to the crime. After they drove back to the house and Ron saw Phil's body, he called police. Bryn then locked herself in the bathroom before taking her own life by shooting herself in the mouth.