On Thanksgiving day around 1980 (within a year), there was a motorist
in Reno Nevada who intentionally killed and injured dozens of
pedestrians on Virginia street in Reno.  At the time is war referred
to as the Thanksgiving Day Massacre.  The local papers and library
seem to has misplaced or erased all history of the incident.  What
were the details, and the outcome?

On Thanksgiving Day (November 27), 1980, a motorist, Priscilla Ford,
did kill and injure dozens of pedestrians, as you correctly remember. 
According to a relatively recent article in the Las Vegas
Review-Journal:

"Ford intentionally drove her Lincoln Continental onto a crowded
sidewalk, killing six immediately. A seventh victim died later.
Twenty-two others were injured.

Ford was convicted in March 1982 of six counts of murder and 23 counts
of attempted murder and was sentenced to death. Appeals and questions
about her mental competency have delayed Ford's execution. She is the
only woman on death row in Nevada.

Immediately after her arrest, Ford referred to herself as Christ and
the people she ran down as beasts and pigs. At her original trial, she
said she was the Holy Spirit and began life as Adam."

"Driver who killed seven in Reno awaits fate on death row" (March 27,
2000)
Las Vegas Review-Journal
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2000/Mar-27-Mon-2000/news/13228386.html

Subsequent attempts to appeal or reduce her sentence have been
unsuccessful.  According to the Death Penalty Information Center, as
of July 1, 2002 she was one of 52 women on death row in the United
States.

"Current Female Death Row Inmates"
Death Penalty Information Center
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/womenstats.html#Current%20Female%20Death%20Row%20Inmates

"Case Summaries for Current Female Death Row Inmates"
Death Penalty Information Center
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/womencases.html

Here's another small source of information on the case:

"Women on Death Row: Nevada"
ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/deathrow/deathrow_women.html#nevada

I'm surprised that the local papers and library wouldn't have this
information.  This must have been the top story back at that time. 
Perhaps you can go back to the local papers for November 28, 1980 and
March 21, 1982, the days after the killings and the conviction; they
might have further information.

- justaskscott-ga


Search strategy -

Searched on Google for:

thanksgiving "virginia st" reno
thanksgiving priscilla ford reno
"priscilla ford" reno

Browsed Death Penalty Information Center.