The body of slain government census taker William “Sparky” Sparkman was found in rural eastern Kentucky at 6:30 PM on September 12, 2009. He had been gagged, bound and hanged from a tree with the word “FED” scrawled across his chest in magic marker. It was an extremely graphic, brutal crime which made the national news. How did “Sparky” come to such a violent and tragic ending?
Event horoscope for murder of "Sparky" Sparkman
“Sparky” was presumably in the area on government business: the Midheaven or 10th house ruler Jupiter was on his Ascendant, so he was doing his job. Jupiter exchanges reception with Venus which rules the 8th of other people’s money and investigations. The area of Kentucky where Sparky’s body was found is extremely remote, desolate and rural, and is known to serve as fertile ground for methamphetamine labs and pot farming. I believe he was investigating this, or at least, was thought to be doing so when his killers caught up with him. His body was on public display; he was brutally murdered to send a message, as violent drug dealers are known to do.
Who intended to send this message in such a horrific way? Sparky’s ruler Saturn is in the 7th of the attacker; Sparky is on their turf, and trapped between two bodies, the Sun and Mercury. The Sun rules the 7th of the attacker and is very bad news; it is rapidly approaching combustion with Saturn and will totally destroy Saturn’s life force, which is exactly what the person did. Saturn is in exact opposition to Uranus, which exactly describes a sudden, quick and unpredictable catastrophe. The evil axis of Saturn-Uranus is challenged by an opposition from the Moon to Pluto. The Moon, which can rule drugs, is in the recreational fifth, opposing a malevolent Pluto; the drugs were important enough to warrant violence and death. The event horoscope was as graphic in its description as the crime.
Who is shown by Mercury, which retrogrades from the 8th house cusp of death and traps Sparky between itself and the malevolent Sun? Mercury rules the fourth of farmers and landowners and also the fifth of recreation, drugs, which the land was being cultivated to grow. In traveling through the area Sparky was discovered by the people or farmers who had a vested interest in running this illegal business, and wanted no part of government agencies making inquiries.
Mercury has a curious relationship with Saturn as so did Sparky and one of his murderers. They exchange reception by exaltation. This can indicate that one overestimated the intentions of the other: Sparky, a census taker, was not on a crusade to bust the drug dealers and pot growers, but apparently the farmer/landowner thought he was. An exaltation by reception is not realistic; it is an overestimation, as when two lovers first meet and think they have found the perfect mate. In this case I believe this led to a fatal assumption that Sparky was a government agent and had to be killed to protect the property and its value (Venus in Leo, on 7th cusp, rules 8th of other people’s money and represents another motive for the 7th house attackers). Venus, ruling the eighth house of death, also rules hangings. In either case William Sparkman met a most brutal ending just for trying to do his job on a most unfortunate day.