Fifty years ago, Halloween night in Houston turned into a nightmare. An 8-year-old boy named Timothy was poisoned by someone he trusted the most—his own father.
On October 31, 1974, Ronald Clark O’Bryan took his two kids, Timothy and his sister, along with a few of their friends, trick-or-treating in Pasadena, Texas. They knocked on doors, collecting candy like so many kids do. But later that night, Timothy tragically lost his life.
His dad, O’Bryan, claimed the boy had eaten a giant Pixie Stix given out at one of the houses they visited. Timothy started convulsing and passed away shortly after. It was later revealed that the Pixie Stix had been poisoned with cyanide. Thankfully, none of the other kids ate theirs.
At first, O’Bryan blamed a neighbor. But when police investigated, things didn’t add up. The neighbor wasn’t even home that night and had a solid alibi. That’s when detectives uncovered something chilling—O’Bryan was drowning in debt and had recently taken out life insurance policies on his kids. It became clear that he had planned this terrible act to collect the money.
O’Bryan was arrested, convicted of his own son’s murder, and sentenced to death. He was nicknamed the “Candy Man,” a name that still sends shivers down the spines of parents everywhere.
The house where O’Bryan claimed the poisoned candy came from still stands today. A family lives there now, and although they weren’t aware of its dark past at first, they know the story well.
“I always check my kids’ candy,” says Charles Lee, who now lives in that house with his wife and children. “You just have to. It’s what every parent does now.”
O’Bryan was executed in 1984, but his crime left a lasting impact. Parents everywhere became extra cautious, and Halloween has never quite felt the same.
Even now, the thought of someone harming kids on what should be a fun night feels unimaginable. For dads like Charles, Halloween is still about joy and candy—but also about keeping a close eye on what ends up in those trick-or-treat bags.
Outside the prison where O’Bryan was executed, people chanted “trick-or-treat,” marking the end of a man whose actions cast a shadow over Halloween forever.
While O’Bryan maintained his innocence to the very end, the memory of his actions serves as a reminder to stay vigilant. It’s a chilling story, but one that reminds us of the importance of protecting the little ones we hold dear.
