On this day in conspiracies

During a hunt organized by the Marquis d'Apcher, local farmer Jean Chastel shoots and kills a large animal at the Sogne d'Auvers on the flank of Mont Mouchet. The fatal attacks reportedly cease. A later literary tradition adds the detail of a blessed silver bullet.

After a short deliberation, an inquest jury at Westminster returns a verdict of 'murder by Lord Lucan,' naming him as Sandra Rivett's killer. It is the last time a coroner's jury in England and Wales is permitted to name a culprit; the power is abolished by the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Astronomers Roy Tucker, David Tholen, and Fabrizio Bernardi discover the asteroid, later numbered 99942, at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. Provisionally designated 2004 MN4, it is soon named Apophis after the ancient Egyptian serpent-deity of chaos and darkness, a nickname the doomsday story would later feed on.

After a roughly six-week trial in Brooklyn federal court, a jury finds Raniere guilty on all counts: racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, attempted sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, and wire fraud conspiracy. The racketeering predicate acts include extortion, identity theft, and the production and possession of child pornography.

The UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, publishes a detailed inquiry (annex A/HRC/41/CRP.1) concluding that Khashoggi was the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution for which the State of Saudi Arabia is responsible, and that there is credible evidence warranting further investigation of high-level officials, including the Crown Prince.

OceanGate reports the submersible missing and a large multinational search begins, led by the US and Canadian Coast Guards. Coverage fixes on the vessel's estimated oxygen supply, framing the story as a countdown and fueling worldwide attention.