Generally, people know what to expect from their Thanksgiving celebrations. Good food, a crowded house, and maybe some family drama at the dinner table. What no one expects is for a bomb to go off, but that's exactly what happened on Thanksgiving Day, 1985 in Lake Worth, Texas.
As reported by Deseret News, after eating their turkey the Blount family went out for ice cream. When they returned, they found a briefcase sitting on their front porch. Joe Blount took it inside, where it exploded. Joe, his daughter Angela Jo, and his nephew Michael Columbus were all killed in the blast. His son Robert was badly burned but survived, and his wife Susan was unharmed.
Initially, the crime was a complete mystery. The Blounts didn't seem to have enemies or to be involved in anything sketchy. After a 12-year investigation, police decided it was a mistake: A man named Michael Roy Toney was arrested for the crime. The bomb was intended for someone else involved in Toney's illegal narcotics business.
As reported by Chron.com, Toney was convicted and spent more than a decade on death row — but saw his conviction overturned in 2009. The prosecution was found to have withheld evidence that could have helped Toney's case. Toney didn't get to enjoy his freedom much: He was killed in a car accident a few weeks after getting out of prison.
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