From fatal duels and personal vendettas to orchestrated violence and political assassinations, these elected officials shocked the world with their brutal actions. Join us as we explore some of the most violent politicians who weren't dictators, but left a trail of bloodshed in their wake.
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00:00The desire to seek justice and have somebody accountable for this, but I did not kill Mr.
00:06German. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the politicians who weren't dictators
00:11but had a history of terrible violence. We'll be looking at cases that include personal altercations
00:17and duels to state-sponsored violence and systemic political repression. He was sentenced in 2009 to
00:2425 years in jail for ordering the operation of a death squad. William Byron.
00:30With the hereditary title, Byron became the fifth baron in his family in 1736. In 1743,
00:37he joined England's House of Lords. However, in 1765, his life was thrown into disarray when Byron
00:44clashed with his cousin and neighbor, William Shaworth. While drinking at a tavern, the duo
00:49argued about who had more game on their estates. Then, Byron either challenged Shaworth to a duel,
00:56or straight-up attacked him with a sword, leading to his cousin's death. Nicknamed the Devil Byron and
01:02the Wicked Lord, he was tried for murder. However, he was only ever declared guilty of manslaughter,
01:08resulting in a small fine. The Byron Baron title was later returned to its former glory when famous
01:14poet George took on the mantle. Tony Lacombe. The far-right political group the British National
01:20Party has often been criticized for its bigoted policies, which the group has attempted to downplay.
01:25However, the party did itself no favors with certain higher-up political figures like Lacombe
01:30being in its ranks. In 1986, he was convicted for possession of numerous explosives, one of which
01:37he was carrying to the office of the Workers' Revolutionary Party. He was sentenced to three years
01:42in prison. In 1991, as the BNP's propaganda director, he got another three-year sentence for attacking a
01:49Jewish teacher. In 2006, while working as the BNP's group development officer, Lacombe reportedly spoke
02:02to an extremist about assassinating enemies of the party. Surprisingly, he didn't go back to jail,
02:08but he was fired. Thomas Lay. In 1925, having spent several years working in politics, Lay was
02:21elected to Australia's House of Representatives. However, his win was overshadowed after he
02:26allegedly attempted to bribe opponent Frederick MacDonald. It wasn't helped when MacDonald
02:31mysteriously vanished in 1926. Two other critics of Lay also died under suspicious circumstances.
02:38This scandal likely contributed to Lay not winning re-election in 1928. So, he returned to the
02:43country of his birth, England. In 1946, he became convinced that his mistress was having an affair
02:49with a man named John Moody. He paid two men to kidnap Moody, and then Lay killed him. After being
02:55sentenced to death, Lay was declared insane and instead received life imprisonment. He was sent to
03:01Broadmoor Hospital and died shortly after. Thomas Francis Marr. Today, Marr is seen as an icon in the
03:07Republic of Ireland for introducing the country's tricolor flag and being a nationalist against
03:12British rule. Yet, even with his important legacy, his life wasn't free of violence.
03:17He wanted to do good for all of the people. In 1848, he was involved in the Young Ireland
03:24Rebellion in Ballengarry, which caused multiple deaths. As a result, Marr was sentenced to death for
03:30sedition. However, public outrage changed the sentence to exile in modern-day Tasmania.
03:35In 1952, Marr escaped and went to the US. When the Civil War broke out, he joined the Union and
03:41rose up the ranks. In 1865, Marr was declared the Territorial Secretary of Montana, and later the
03:48state's acting territorial governor. However, in 1867, he apparently drowned in the Missouri River.
03:54John Wilson. Involved in forming Arkansas' first constitution in 1863, Wilson was a vital cog in
04:02the state's government. So much so that, on top of being in the House of Representatives for Clark
04:07County, he had two terms as the House's Speaker. However, in 1837, he clashed with fellow Representative
04:14Joseph J. Anthony, who, during a policy debate, made a comment that Wilson took offense to. While still
04:20in the House's chamber, Wilson fatally stabbed Anthony. As well as being expelled from the
04:25government, Wilson was sent to trial. He was convicted of excusable homicide, or what we might call
04:31justifiable homicide today, and was released. In 1840, representing Pike County, Wilson was re-elected
04:38to Arkansas' House of Representatives.
04:402. Tuwe Okuso and Leofa Vitale
04:43After Tulelepa Sailali Malilagoe became Samoa's Prime Minister in 1998, Okuso and Vitale
04:50weren't happy. The duo had both held cabinet roles, and had fallen from grace after Vitale
04:56was implicated in a corruption scandal. So, they planned to assassinate Tulelepa and several other
05:01ministers. Vitale's son Alates fatally shot the Minister of Works, Luagaula Levoula Kamu. He was
05:09sentenced to death, but it was soon changed to life imprisonment. In 2000, with Alates testifying
05:15against them, Okuso and Vitale were sentenced to death, which was also commuted to a life sentence.
05:21While Okuso died in 2009, Vitale was controversially pardoned in 2012. Alates was released in 2010,
05:29but returned to prison in 2019 after breaking parole.
05:323. Kwonduk Bishambayev Rising rapidly through the government of Kazakhstan,
05:37Bishambayev was declared the country's Minister of National Economy in 2016. However, less than 8
05:42months later, he was dismissed as an investigation into corruption got underway. In 2018, Bishambayev was
05:49sentenced to 10 years, but was released in 2020. However, in 2023, he sent shockwaves through Kazakhstan
05:55when he was accused of murdering his wife, Sultanat Nukanova. She was found unconscious,
06:00and had died from brain trauma, according to a coroner's report.
06:04In 2024, hundreds of thousands of people tuned in to watch the trial on YouTube. CCTV footage
06:11and videos on Bishambayev's phone showed him attacking Nukanova for hours and questioning her
06:17about another man. 44-year-old Bishambayev was found guilty following a seven-week trial,
06:22which included key CCTV video evidence. Bishambayev was found guilty and sentenced to 24 years,
06:28while his brother, Bakshan Baisanov, got four years for his failure to intervene.
06:33In 24 years, he will be 68. It's basically a life sentence.
06:38Alberto Fujimori. In 1990, Fujimori made history by becoming Peru's first president of Japanese descent.
06:46He immediately had a job on his hands. He was the most polarizing leader in Peru's modern history.
06:52The military had planned a coup against former President Alan Garcia, and the country was
06:57suffering from economic issues. Yet, Fujimori soon took dark measures to establish control.
07:03As well as commissioning the anti-communist death squad Grupo Kalina, Fujimori enacted forced
07:09sterilization of indigenous people. His presidency seemed to be headed toward a dictatorship when
07:14Fujimori left the country in 2000 following allegations of corruption.
07:18Totalmente. Soy el docente.
07:22Interpol then issued an arrest warrant for him for crimes against humanity.
07:26Fujimori fled to Japan before being detained in Chile five years later.
07:30After being extradited in 2007, Fujimori was sentenced for several crimes,
07:36earning him 44 and a half years in jail.
07:38This eight-year jail sentence won't make any difference to the 25-year jail term. Fujimori
07:44is already serving for corruption.
07:46However, he was pardoned in 2023, before dying in 2024.
07:51Alfred Moore Waddell.
07:53Having been a part of the Confederacy during the Civil War, Waddell was elected to the
07:57US House of Representatives for North Carolina from 1871 to 1879. However, he's best known for
08:04being a white supremacist who led the only successful coup in the country to date. In 1898, Waddell brought
08:112,000 heavily armed white men to Wilmington, North Carolina. The group ransacked black neighborhoods,
08:17taking the lives of up to 300 people and displacing thousands as they destroyed property. With the
08:22threat of a firearm, Waddell forced Wilmington's elected mayor, Silas Wright, to resign alongside other
08:29officials. At City Hall, the mayor and board of aldermen were forced out. Waddell then installed himself as
08:35mayor so he could instate racist policies. Waddell, who once threatened to fill the Cape Fear River with
08:41black bodies, was the new mayor of Wilmington. With no criminal consequences, he held the position until
08:481906 and died in 1912. Black political representation in the state was over. It would be 90 years until
08:58North Carolina elected its next black congress member. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe
09:04to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be
09:09notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into settings
09:14and switch on your notifications. Ershad Shikdar. Rising from poverty to riches and a high position
09:22of power, Shikdar's life seemed like an inspiration, but in reality, he was a monster. He rose up the
09:28ranks of local government in the late 80s, earning millions, resulting in him being elected commissioner
09:33in the Bangladesh city of Kulna. However, in 1999, his reputation came crashing down when he was arrested
09:41for the murder of his political rival and Awami League colleague Khalid Hossein. Shikdar's former
09:47bodyguard testified that Shikdar had ordered over 59 murders and did 24 himself, taking out any threat
09:55to his power. During the trial, Shikdar was convicted of seven murders, earning him the death penalty.
10:01In 2004, after his appeal was rejected, the sentence was carried out.
10:07Which of these infamous politicians' stories shocked you? Let us know below.
10:11The names of the perpetrators are on Wilmington's school buildings and city parks.