Carlotta Cook was murdered on May 11, 1885. That day, she was being watched by her stepfather Achilles Onofri, who was often violent and cruel towards Carlotta and her siblings. Onofri was a circus performer and gave Carlotta daily lessons in tightrope walking. The lessons were grueling, and Carlotta was frequently punished when she failed to perform to his expectations. That day, he believed she wasn't walking the tightrope quickly enough, so he whipped her with a leather strap. When she still