The Lawson Family’s Mysterious December Murder Tragedy – Charlie Lawson

December 25, 1929, in Germanton, North Carolina. The Lawson family, seemingly picture-perfect in their new clothes, posed for a family portrait. Charlie Lawson, the father and husband, had even managed to scrape together enough money during the Great Depression to buy everyone new outfits. But beneath the surface of this idyllic scene lurked a darkness no one could have anticipated.

Charlie Lawson’s roots trace back to Lawsonville, a community ten miles from Danburyan, where his parents, Augustus and Nancy, lived. Born and raised there, he later married Fannie Manring in 1911. By 1914, they had 3 children, including William who was born that year. then in 1918, inspired by the relocation of his younger brothers, Marion and Elijah, to Germanton, Charlie followed along with his family. Despite facing the loss of  William  to an illness in 1920, the Lawsons persevered, working as sharecroppers.  Their hard work paid off, and by 1927, they achieved the dream of owning their own farm on Brook Cove Road.

Arthur, 16, Marie, 17, Charles, 43, Fannie, 37, she’s holding Mary Lou, Carrie, 12, Raymond, 2, Maybell, 7, James, 4.

On December 25, 1929, Charlie Lawson took his family to buy new clothes and take a family portrait. Charlie’s wife was surprised by this turn of events as they weren’t even close to being wealthy, but she decided to go along with it. In all actuality, the entire family was excited. New clothes AND a family picture?!

Little did they know that the new clothes would serve as burial outfits. The tragedy unfolded when Charlie initiated the family’s slaughter, starting with daughters Carrie and Maybell, who were heading to their uncle and aunt’s house. Positioned by the tobacco barn, Charlie shot them with a shotgun and made sure they were dead by bludgeoning them and placing their lifeless bodies in the barn.

The Lawson Family Barn where Charlie Lawson waited for his two daughters, 12-year-old Carrie and 7-year-old Maybell

Returning to the house, he proceeded to shoot Fannie on the porch. Marie’s scream echoed from inside, while the two younger boys, James and Raymond, tried to hide.

Charlie shot Marie and then found and shot the two boys. Lastly, he ended the life of the baby, Mary Lou, believed to have been bludgeoned to death.

After the gruesome murders, he walked into the nearby woods and, hours later, took his own life.

The Lawson Family House where the murders took place

Inside the Lawson Family House – the crime scene on December 25, 1929

The sole survivor was his eldest son, 16-year-old Arthur, who had been sent on an errand just before the tragic sequence unfolded. No one knows why.

The bodies of the family members were discovered with their arms crossed and rocks under their heads.

The gunshot signaling Charlie Lawson’s suicide resonated among the gathered crowd on the property, where a police officer found Charlie lifeless, surrounded by letters to his parents. Footprints encircling a tree suggested he had paced around it before taking his own life.

The Lawson Family Funeral

Join my LaM Facebook Fan Group 

Visit our shop

And an easy and free way to help me out is by simply sharing this blog post.

All Love and No Murder Yall

true crime, gabby petito, brain laundrie, love and murder, love and murder heartbreak to homicide, current news, true crime blog