Green Bay Murder & Mayhem

by Timothy Freiss

Known for friendly people, traditional family values, and the Packers, Green Bay is a big city with a small-town feel. But resting beneath its welcoming demeanor is an underbelly of wickedness that has been there from its very formation. The city's downtown district rests atop one of Wisconsin's oldest burial sites, and the west side was the location for the state's second recorded hanging, which was at the time the punishment for murder. And the city's beloved football team once drafted one of America's worst serial killers. Compiling stories of stolen skulls, underground gangs, and crimes so horrendous and shocking they made national news, Timothy Freiss reveals a side of Green Bay few have seen.

96 pages, Paperback

Published September 18, 2023

Reviews

[Rex]

This is a short book with several short chapters chronicling various crimes that occurred in and around Green Bay, Wisconsin over the past 100 years or so. Unfortunately many of them were never solved, so there are quite a few that really don't have an ending. I wanted more of the interesting ones, and will admit some of them just weren't all that engaging.

I don't know if there is much in this book a Green Bay native would find intriguing enough to want to read it. It was a gift and I think maybe the giver assumed a connection to the Green Bay Packers, of which there is none. I kept it on my nightstand and read two or three chapters a night before bed.

So if you have any connection to Green Bay, you might like this. Otherwise, I'm sure there are similar books about just about any community or city in the country.

[Dustin Lynch]

Interesting to find out more of the history of some of the things that have happened in Green Bay.

[Kristin]

Interesting little book full of brief stories of crimes in Green Bay and the surrounding area. I liked the inclusion of the more infamous (Monfils) but also stories I had never heard of, like the Southside Bank robbery and the extortion scheme where some cops messed up and starting shooting at each other!

However, this book was in dire need of an editor and some fact-checking. Baird Place is on East Mason, not West; the final crime in the book occurred in Rockland, not Rockdale. (Also, no fault to the author, but the Binz brothers were very recently exonerated of their crime.) There was also no real organization to the book. I thought at first the chapters would be chronological but it was very haphazard.

Overall, an interesting quick read that proves that Green Bay is definitely not just some sleepy town that only comes alive eight Sundays every fall for football!

[Rachel Martin]

Interesting history! The numerous typos in the book were a bit surprising. Mostly names of cities like Waupun, but somewhat understandable, as Wisconsin has some of the most hardest to pronounce (and spell) names!

[Karen Forbes]

Interesting history of mysteries and crimes in Green Bay WI
Great read if you’ve ever been to Green Bay

[Linda Anderson]

Very informative and extremely interesting. This book is very well written and the historic details are incredible. Would definitely recommend to anyone interested in crime and/or Green Bay history.

[Sarah Stone]

Love this book. It is a very simple read but great stories about local crime and history.

[Brenda Stellbrink]

It was an enjoyable read.