Sammy White's Brighton Bowl
Encyclopedia
Sammy White's Brighton Bowl, or simply Sammy White's, was a bowling alley in the Brighton
section of Boston, Massachusetts
. It was named after and owned by famed Red Sox
catcher, Sammy White
and featured lanes of both standard Ten-Pin
and Candlepin bowling
, the latter being the more popular style in New England
. The bowling alley is most remembered for an infamous quadruple murder that occurred there in 1980. Sammy White's closed its doors in 1985. A second Sammy White's bowling alley was on the V.F.W. Parkway near the Boston/Dedham line. It closed in the mid-1980s.
Sammy White also owned the Alpine Lanes, a ten-pin establishment, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts
.
determined to be the weapon used to bludgeon the victims. Three died at the scene, and the fourth on the way to the hospital. The robbery and the murders were not discovered until the next morning when an employee came in and discovered the open safe and contacted the police.
After an investigation, police arrested cab driver Bryan A. Dyer of Somerville
. Dyer had worked at Sammy White's in 1973. During the trial, witnesses testified that in the days following the murders Dyer had paid off an overdue car loan as well as prepaid three months rent at the YMCA
where he had been living. Dyer was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for all four murders.
The bowling alley murders brought new attention to the question of Capital Punishment
in Massachusetts
. In 1982, a ballot referendum legalizing the death penalty in Massachusetts passed and was signed into law by the outgoing governor, Edward J. King
. In 1984, the law was struck down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
as unconstitutional.
has stated that the Sammy White's murders were the inspiration for the gruesome campfire story described in the film Cabin Fever.
Sammy White's Brighton Bowl was the taping location for WHDH/WCVB Channel 5's Candlepin Bowling (1958-1985), Winning Pins, and Candlepin Super Bowl television sport shows.
Brighton, Boston, Massachusetts
Brighton is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located in the northwest corner of the city. It is named after the town of Brighton in the English city of Brighton and Hove...
section of Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It was named after and owned by famed Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
catcher, Sammy White
Sammy White (baseball)
Sammy Charles White was a Major League Baseball catcher and right-handed batter who played with the Boston Red Sox , Milwaukee Braves and Philadelphia Phillies .White was born in Wenatchee, Washington...
and featured lanes of both standard Ten-Pin
Ten-pin bowling
Ten-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
and Candlepin bowling
Candlepin bowling
Candlepin bowling is a variation of Bowling that is played primarily in the Canadian Maritime provinces, Ontario, Quebec, and the New England states of Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, where it is more common than ten-pin bowling....
, the latter being the more popular style in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. The bowling alley is most remembered for an infamous quadruple murder that occurred there in 1980. Sammy White's closed its doors in 1985. A second Sammy White's bowling alley was on the V.F.W. Parkway near the Boston/Dedham line. It closed in the mid-1980s.
Sammy White also owned the Alpine Lanes, a ten-pin establishment, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Chelmsford is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 33,802. The Census Bureau's 2008 population estimate for the town was 34,409, ranking it 14th in population among the 54 municipalities in...
.
The murders
On the night of September 22, 1980, during a robbery that resulted in the theft of $4,800, four employees were brutally bludgeoned and shot execution style. Found at the scene was a bloody bowling pinBowling pin
Bowling pins are the target of the bowling ball in various bowling games including tenpins, five-pins, duckpins, and candlepins. In the US, pin specifications for standard tenpins are set by the United States Bowling Congress. Pins are 4.75 inches wide at their widest point and tall...
determined to be the weapon used to bludgeon the victims. Three died at the scene, and the fourth on the way to the hospital. The robbery and the murders were not discovered until the next morning when an employee came in and discovered the open safe and contacted the police.
After an investigation, police arrested cab driver Bryan A. Dyer of Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
. Dyer had worked at Sammy White's in 1973. During the trial, witnesses testified that in the days following the murders Dyer had paid off an overdue car loan as well as prepaid three months rent at the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
where he had been living. Dyer was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for all four murders.
The bowling alley murders brought new attention to the question of Capital Punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. In 1982, a ballot referendum legalizing the death penalty in Massachusetts passed and was signed into law by the outgoing governor, Edward J. King
Edward J. King
Edward Joseph "Ed" King was the 66th Governor of the U.S. state of Massachusetts from 1979 to 1983.Born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and a graduate of Boston College and Bentley College, King played professional football as a guard with the All-America Football Conference Buffalo Bisons from 1948 to...
. In 1984, the law was struck down by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
as unconstitutional.
Popular culture
Filmmaker Eli RothEli Roth
Eli Raphael Roth is an American film director, producer, writer and actor. He is known for his role as Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds for which he won both a SAG Award and a BFCA Critic's Choice Award...
has stated that the Sammy White's murders were the inspiration for the gruesome campfire story described in the film Cabin Fever.
Sammy White's Brighton Bowl was the taping location for WHDH/WCVB Channel 5's Candlepin Bowling (1958-1985), Winning Pins, and Candlepin Super Bowl television sport shows.