The 1926–27 Tampa Murders: A Tale of Death and Desperation

The Shadow of Murder Descends

From April 1926 to May 1927, the city of Tampa, Florida found itself under the sinister shadow of a series of brutal murders that left the community reeling. Over the course of these 13 months, ten lives were extinguished, leaving a trail of blood and fear in their wake. At the center of this macabre series of events was Benjamin Franklin Levins, a 38-year-old native of Florida, whose name became synonymous with the horror that gripped the city. Convicted and executed for five of these heinous crimes, Levins' involvement in the entire series remains a subject of debate and intrigue.

Emma Hilliard: The First Victim

The grim saga began on April 28, 1926, when police were dispatched to 508 Nebraska Avenue. Reports had flooded into the precinct that a newspaper vendor known as "Blind Charlie" Manuel was violently attacking a woman. Upon arrival, officers discovered the decapitated body of Emma Hilliard, with Manuel, inebriated and wielding a jack knife, nearby. Despite Hilliard's marital status, Manuel claimed she was his girlfriend. Her past was said to be filled with many men, including an ex-husband named Benjamin Levins. Charles Manuel, with little memory of the event due to his intoxication, pled guilty in July, trusting the witnesses who had seen him commit the crime.

Bloodshed in the Rowell Household

Two months later, on June 28, 1926, the Rowell family home at 116 South Nebraska Avenue became the site of another grisly discovery. Caroline Rowell, her son Bee Dee, his daughter Eva, and a tenant named Charles Alexander were found brutally hacked to death with an axe. It was a neighboring housewife who, noticing the unusual silence from the Rowell home, discovered the massacre. Rumors swirled that Bee Rowell had declared Manuel's innocence in Hilliard's death, claiming knowledge of the true killer. Yet despite the investigators' efforts, no charges ensued, and Manuel's conviction for Hilliard's murder was left unchallenged.

The Merrell Family Massacre

As the calendar turned to May 27, 1927, tragedy struck again, this time at the Merrell residence on the corner of 1st Avenue and 31st Street. Five members of the family, including a five-week-old baby, were discovered murdered. Fifteen-year-old Kenneth Merrell returned from an evening out to find his family slain, with his eight-year-old brother Hugh miraculously surviving by hiding under a bed. The peculiar murder weapon, a railroad spike driver, suggested the killer might be someone familiar with the railways. A passing woman had seen a man near the Merrell home, but he was soon identified as an innocent workman.

The investigation took a bizarre turn when two men visited a local fortune teller, Mrs. Lizzell Banta, asking if they might be implicated in the "Merrell mess." Their odd behavior prompted Banta to alert the authorities.

Benjamin Levins: Arrest and Accusation

The day following the Merrell murders, Lieutenant D. Z. Meeks of the Tampa Police made a discovery that would lead to an arrest. In a nearby lumber yard, half a mile from the crime scene, he found a newspaper reporting the murders alongside scraps of bread and cigarette butts, indicating someone had been sleeping there. The officers staked out the location and soon apprehended a man named B. F. Levins.

Levins, a 38-year-old itinerant worker from Bullfrog, a small settlement on the edge of the Everglades, had lived in Tampa for several years. In custody, he broke a matchstick in a precise manner matching those found at the Merrell home. Although he admitted to being at the scene, he claimed that his friend Leonard Thompson was the true murderer.

The Allegations of Leonard Thompson

Leonard Thompson, arrested at his boarding house, corroborated part of Levins' story about their drinking session but denied any involvement in the murders. He insisted he was in bed by 9:30 p.m. and claimed ignorance of the Merrell tragedy until Banta's visit. Investigators unearthed a chilling pattern: the Merrell home had been previously occupied by the Ryles family, who had experienced a similar intrusion. Levins confessed to targeting the wrong family, realizing his grave error only after reading about it in the newspaper.

A City in Turmoil: Public Reaction and a Failed Lynching

News of Levins' confessions sparked outrage across Tampa. A furious mob gathered at the county jail, demanding Levins' blood. Sheriff Hiers, anticipating unrest, called in the 116th Field Artillery of the Florida National Guard to fortify the jail. Despite these precautions, the enraged crowd attempted to storm the building, leading to a violent confrontation where the troops fired into the mob, injuring 12 people. A second assault resulted in four deaths and 33 additional injuries. Twenty men faced charges for inciting the riot, with seven ultimately fined for unlawful assembly.

In the aftermath, Levins was transferred to an Orlando jail, where he confessed to the Rowell murders, citing a dispute with Alexander as his motive.

The Trial and Execution of Benjamin Levins

Levins' trial commenced in Orlando in July 1927. His defense argued that coercion had led to his confessions, with police threatening to return him to Tampa if he didn't comply. Levins contended he had acted in self-defense against Herman Merrell and pinned the family's murders on Thompson. Despite his claims, Levins was convicted and sentenced to death, while Thompson was acquitted in a separate trial.

On November 22, 1927, Benjamin Levins met his fate in the electric chair at the State Prison in Raiford. Despite a last-minute plea for a stay of execution, his request was denied. Witnesses to his execution included religious figures, law enforcement officials, and a Tampa Tribune reporter. Levins, maintaining his innocence to the end, was buried in an unmarked grave on the prison grounds.

Aftermath and Legacy

The release of Charles Manuel in 1930 marked the end of a tumultuous chapter in Tampa's history. Yet, the questions surrounding Levins' guilt lingered, casting a long shadow over the proceedings. The list of the dead, both victims and those lost in the riot, served as a somber reminder of the havoc wrought during those dark days.

Sources

• Wikipedia