In an act of kindness that ended in tragedy, 38-year-old Charlene 'Charlie' Babcock and her 47-year-old husband, Joseph 'Joe' Babcock, were murdered on August 25, 1994. The couple, who lived east of Kingman, Arizona, in Mohave County, had stopped to help two men whose vehicle was stuck in the sand near their home.
The two men were brothers, James and Ronald L. Nicklasson. Instead of accepting the Babcocks' help, they shot and killed the couple and then stole their pickup truck.
This was not the beginning of their violent spree. Prior to murdering the Babcocks, the brothers had already abducted and killed a man in Missouri.
Following the murders of Charlene and Joseph, the Nicklasson brothers continued their crime wave, which extended across multiple states and into Mexico, leaving a trail of four more victims. Their run from the law came to an end with their eventual capture.
The brothers were tried and convicted for their numerous crimes. For the murders of Charlene and Joseph Babcock in Arizona, they both received life sentences. However, their reign of terror ultimately led to them being sentenced to death in Missouri for the murder they committed there. Both James and Ronald Nicklasson were executed for their roles in the multi-state killing spree that tragically cut short the lives of Charlene Babcock and five other innocent people.
