Welcome to part-three of Murder Mile Blog's investigation into the profile of some of the world's most infamous serial killers, previously we've had Dennis Nilsen and John Wayne Gacy Jnr, and now "Doctor Death" himself - Dr Harold Shipman. As before, the purpose of these profiles is not to glorify or demonise their crimes, but to try and understand who these serial killers were as human beings; what were their likes, dislikes, loves and hates, in the hope of understanding why they did what they did. The following is based on a series of set-questions, with the answers taken from reputable sources such as court transcripts, biographies and witness testimony.
Profile #3: Dr Harold Shipman. During his 24 year career as a family doctor in Hyde (Cheshire) and Todmorden (West Yorkshire), Dr Harold Shipman "euthanized" by lethal injection 218 elderly patients (possibly as many as 358+), making him one of the most prolific serial killers in history.
PERSONAL DETAILS
FAMILY HISTORY
WORK
SOCIAL
MURDER CAREER
ARREST/SENTENCE
If you "enjoyed" this blog post try; Odds of a US Presidential Assassination, Killer Couples Part 1 & Part 2, Famous British Serial Killers - Where Are They Now? Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, Killers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals
Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, podcaster, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten quirky & unusual things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.
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Welcome to part-two of my profile of some of the world's most infamous serial killers; last week we focused on Dennis "The Kindly Killer" Nilsen, this week it's the turn of John "The Killer Clown" Wayne Gacy Junior. As before, the idea behind these profiles is not to glorify or demonise these people or to justify their killings, but to try to understand who these people were and what drove a seemingly normal baby/child to become a sadistic killer.
Every profile will consist of the same set of questions, and the answers will be compiled from a series of different sources (biographies, court records and personal testimony, where possible), but where information is not known or information is incorrect, this will be amended over time.
Profile #2: John Wayne Gacy Junior. Between 1972 and 1978, John Wayne Gacy (a self-employed construction worker, charity-fundraiser and children's entertainer; raped, tortured and murdered at least 33 young men and boys, burying their bodies under his home in Chicago.
FAMILY HISTORY:
WORK:
SOCIAL:
MURDER CAREER:
ARREST/SENTENCE:
The next profile will be on: Dr Harold Shipman
If you "enjoyed" this blog post, why not take a peek at my other articles: such as serial killers and their diets, favourite drinks, height, IQ, star signs, lunar cycles, dates of birth, reasons for killing, music, nicknames, last meals and whether they're alive or dead... to name but a few.
Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, podcaster, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten curious, quirky, unusual and different things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.
Profile #1: Dennis Nilsen, the north London serial killer and necrophiliac who between December 1978 and January 1983 lured numerous vulnerable young men to their deaths in his flat, some of whom escaped, many of whom died and others who remain unidentified to this day.
PERSONAL DETAILS
FAMILY HISTORY
OCCUPATION/EDUCATION
SOCIAL LIFE
MURDER CAREER
ARREST/SENTENCE
Next week's profile: John Wayne Gacy - "The Killer Clown"
If you "enjoyed" this blog post, why not take a peek at; Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, Are More Serial KIllers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Birthdays / Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals
Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten quirky & unusual things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.
Where is the most dangerous place to live in Great Britain? Obviously, that's a hard question to answer as it depends what we're basing it on; most murders per capita (#1 being Boston in Lincolnshire), places with the highest burglary rate (#1 is Ilford, East London) or the most crimes in general per square mile (#1 being Oxford Street in London... obviously).
For this blog post I've decided to focus on a little known fact that I've accidentally stumbled across whilst researching the lives of 25 of the UK's most notorious serial killers. And that is the fact that at least 8 of them were either born, raised or committed murders in West Riding (Yorkshire). Although it is a term rarely used, West Riding was a historic council boundary which comprises cities such as Bradford, Leeds, Huddersfield, Halifax, Sheffield and the surrounding villages and districts. It currently has a population of 3.2 million people, a relatively small number compared to London's 8.67 million people, out of the UK's 64.1 million. But this area has a disproportionately high number of the UK's most notorious and infamous serial killers - a place they called home.
Peter William Sutcliffe "The Yorkshire Ripper" was born on the 2nd June 1946 in Bingley (West Riding of Yorkshire), educated locally and worked in a series of menial jobs as a production line worker at Baird Television factory, Britannia Works of Anderton International and upon gaining his HGV licence started driving for T & W H Clark Ltd (all in Bradford). Being a regular user of prostitutes in Leeds and Bradford, over a five year period Sutcliffe murdered 13 women (many of whom were sex-workers), attempted to kill 7 others and was arrested in January 1981. Although he spent 26 years in Broadmoor Psychiatric Prison, Sutcliffe was declared "sane" and was transferred to HMP Frankland (Durham) where he is serving a whole life sentence.
Ian Brady & Myra Hindley "The Moors Murderers" - Born in Crumpsall on 23rd July 1942 and raised in Gorton (both in West Riding), Myra Hindley would later meet her soul-mate Ian Brady and between July 1963 and October 1965, they lured, sexually assaulted and murdered five young children on Saddleworth Moor (also in West Riding); aged between 10 and 17, they were Pauline Reade, John Kilbride, Keith Bennett, Lesley Ann Downey and Edward Evans. Although the body of Keith Bennett has never been found.
Myra Hindley died on 15th November 2002 aged 60 of bronchial pneumonia. So vehement was the anger at Hindley that even 35 years after the murders, twenty undertakers refused to handle her corpse for cremation. In February 2003, Patricia Cairns – Hindley’s ex-partner – scattered her ashes in Stalybridge County Park, less than ten miles from Saddleworth Moor.
Gordon Frederick Cummins "The Black Out Ripper" - Although very little is known about the background of The Blackout Ripper - with much of his history either unknown or a complete lie crafted by himself to disguise his murderous actions - we do know that he was born in 1914, in York (West Riding). By 1942, he was in training as a leading aircraftman in the RAF, stationed in Regent's Park, when during his the darkness of London's blitz he went on a six-day killing spree, in Soho, murdering four women and attempting to kill two others. So graphic and horrifying were the details, that the British Press kept the story under wraps for fear of unsettling an already terrified London public. Want to know more? Book onto Murder Mile Walks.
Donald Neilson "The Black Panther" - Born on 1st August 1936 in Bradford, Donald Neilson (who changed his name from Donald Nappey, for which he was bullied and some believe drove him to kill) served in the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and as a jobbing builder in Bradford, before turning to a life of crime, during which time he burgled over 400 houses, making him so notorious he was dubbed The Black Panther, The Phantom and even Handy Andy. In 1974, theft turned to murder when he shot and battered to death three sub-postmasters. In 1976, Neilson was sentenced to a whole life tariff, totalling five life sentences with an extra 61 years for kidnapping and blackmail.
Stephen Shaun Griffiths - "The Crossbow Cannibal" - Born on 24th December 1969 in Dewsbury (West Riding), Stephen Griffiths dubbed “The Crossbow Cannibal” by himself, as when asked by the judge at his own trial for his name, this was what he gave (although there’s no evidence he ever ate any parts of his victims or owned a crossbow). Between June 2009 and April 2010, Stephen Griffiths murdered three local prostitutes – Susan Rushworth, Shelley Armitage and Suzanne Blamires - in Bradford, with the body parts of the final two victims found floating in the River Aire. No remains of Susan Rushworth have been found.
Harold Shipman "Dr Death" - Although born in Nottingham, Harold Shipman studied medicine at Leeds School of Medicine, began his medical career in Pontefract general Infirmary, became a local GP in the Abraham Ormerod Medical Centre in Todmorden as well as the Donneybrook Medical Centre in Hyde (all of which are in West Riding). His twenty-five year career as a family doctor ended on 31st January 2000 when Dr Shipman was convicted of the murders of 15 pensioners (mostly elderly female patients who he “euthanized”), although a later inquiry concluded he killed at least 215, possibly as many as 457, making him one of the most prolific serial killers in history.
And of course there is also Trevor Hardy, dubbed "The Beast of Manchester".
Of course, I'm only working from a small list of Britain's most notorious serial killers, I haven't even begun to include regular murderers, but )as big names go) that's a pretty impressive list.
If you "enjoyed" this blog post, why not take a peek at; Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, Are More Serial KIllers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Birthdays / Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals
Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten quirky & unusual things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.
If you love true-crime podcasts, subscribe to the Murder Mile true-crime podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud, Podbean, Pocketcast, Stitcher, Acast, Tune-In, Otto Radio or Libsyn
Following on from my blog - Executed & Convicted Murderers Who Were Innocent (UK) - which looked into the most high-profile miscarriages of justice in the UK which helped change the British legal system for good - here's the US version. Obviously many of us know about the Steve Avery case as documented in the series Making of a Murderer, where he was wrongfully tried for murder (twice)... but he wasn't the first, and he won't be the last. Unfortunately, so vast and corrupt is the US legal system that it's almost impossible to list everyone who has been wrongfully convicted - and even executed - for murder in the USA, so what follows is a list of some of the more infamous ones... broken down into a two-parter.
Anthony Charles Graves – INNOCENT & CONVICTED - In 1992, Anthony Charles was charged with the murder of Bobbie Davis and five members of his family in Somerville (Texas), even though there was no physical evidence that he was at the crime-scene, he had no motive to kill, no history of violence, three independent witnesses had placed him somewhere entirely different at the time of the murder and the only testimony which implicated him in the crimes was by Robert Earl Carter, the murderer himself. Carter was executed in 2000.
Graves was twice scheduled to die by lethal injection, but his case was overturned when Carter’s lawyer - District Attorney Charles Sebesta – finally decided to share a key piece of evidence; Carter’s confession that he had acted alone. Found entirely innocent, the charges were dropped against Graves, and after 18 years on Death Row he was released and awarded $1.4 million in compensation. District Attorney Charles Sebesta was found guilty of concealing evidence and false testimony… and was disbarred.
Cameron Todd Willingham – INNOCENT & EXECUTED - On 23rd December 1991, the Willingham family home was destroyed by fire, although Cameron Willingham managed to escape with minor burns, his three daughters - Amber Louise Kuykendall (aged 2) and twins Karmon Diane Willingham & Kameron Marie Willingham (aged 1) – all died, whilst their mother was out shopping for Christmas presents. Investigators concluded that the fire had been started deliberately to cover-up any evidence of child abuse or to dispose of his unwanted children. Although his wife Stacey protested that "our kids were spoiled rotten", he was not an abusive man and had not motive to kill their kids, Willingham was convicted of murder and executed.
So flimsy was the evidence that the prosecutor brought in a psychologist - James Grigson – to interpret Willingham’s mental state based on his tattoo (a skull & serpent) and the Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin posters in his room. After his death, the Texas Forensic Science Commission concluded that evidence against him was badly misinterpreted, that no combustible material was used to start the fire, and that the fire itself… was an accident.
Carlos DeLuna – INNOCENT & EXECUTED – On the 4th February 1983, 24 year old gas-station attendant Wanda Lopez was stabbed to death as the store was robbed by a “Hispanic” assailant in Corpus Christi (Texas). Identified at the scene by two eye-witnesses - Kevan Baker and George Aguirre – who at the same time was seen jogging a block away by John & Julie Arsuaga, Police put out an alert for her killer and arrested Carlos DeLuna who “fitted the description”.
Although he protested his innocence, DeLuna was found guilty and sentenced to death. In May 2012, an investigation by the Columbia Human Rights Law Review concluded that there were too many discrepancies in the evidence; what the “killer” and the “jogger” (DeLuna) were wearing, that the killer had a beard and De Luna didn’t, that the crime-scene was bloody even though no blood was found on DeLuna’s clothes at all, and – worse still – a local man had confessed to the crime many times; his name was Carlos Hernandez, and he looked just like DeLuna.
Darryl Hunt - INNOCENT & CONVICTED - In 1984, 19 year old Darryl Hunt was convicted of the rape and murder of local copy-editor Deborah Sykes in Winston-Salem (North Carolina). Although there was no physical evidence that that linked Hunt to the crime, the scene or the victim, Hunt (an African-American) was found guilty by an all-white jury and sentenced to life in prison, based almost entirely on the witness testimony of a hotel employee who “swore under oath” that he had seen Hunt enter a bathroom and leave behind some bloody hand-towels.
In 1994, thanks to advances in DNA testing, Hunt was found not guilty, but it wasn’t until 2003 (19 ½ years into his sentence) that he was exonerated and freed when DNA found the true culprit, Willard E. Brown who confessed to killing Sykes. Darryl Hunt went on to become a champion and advocate for the Innocence Project – which assists those who have been wrongly incarcerated – but died on 13th March 2016 of a self-inflicted gunshot, after a long battle with stage 5 cancer.
David McCallum & Willie Stuckey – INNOCENT & CONVICTED - In 1985, 20 year old Nathan Blenner from Queens (New York) was kidnapped during a botched car-jacking outside of his home by two black youths, one of whom shot Blenner in the head, killing him instantly. Although just 16 years old at the time, David McCallum & Willie Stuckley were arrested, confessed to the crimes (statements they would later retract and claim they’d been coerced into making by the Police) and were sentenced to 25 years to life imprisonment. In 2014, following advances in DNA testing and fingerprint analysis which proved they were innocent, McCallum & Stuckey were exonerated. Sadly Stuckley died of a heart-attack in prison in 2001. McCallum was released having served 29 years in prison.
David Wayne Spence - INNOCENT & EXECUTED - On the 13th July 1982, Jill Montgomery (17); Raylene Rice (17) and Kenneth Franks (18) were found raped, tortured and murdered by Lake Waco, as part of what is believed to be a botched life-insurance scam, when the three Texas teenagers were mistaken for someone else. Believing that known criminal and drug-abuser David Spence had been hired as a hit-man, the prosecution’s circumstantial evidence consisted of mostly of his criminal past, bite marks (which "appeared" to be similar to Spence’s dental records) and accusations from six fellow inmates, two of whom later retracted their statements admitting they’d been bribed with cigarettes, alcohol and conjugal visits in exchange for the accusations.
Ramon Salinas, the investigation’s original homicide detective gave a sworn deposition to the court stating “Nothing from the investigation ever led us to any evidence that he was involved” as well as a former Waco Police lieutenant stating "I do not think David Spence committed this offense". Spence was executed on 3rd April 1997. His final statement was to his (alleged) victim’s parents – “I want you to understand I speak the truth when I say I didn’t kill your kids. Honestly I have not killed anyone. I wish you could get the rage from your hearts and you could see the truth and get rid of the hatred” and lastly to his own children; in which he said “I love you all – (names of children) – Corey, Steve (garbled) – This is very important. I love ya’ll and I miss ya’ll. O.K., now I’m finished”.
Freddie Pitts & Wilbert Lee - INNOCENT & CONVICTED - On 1st August 1963, two black men Freddie Pitts & Wilbert Lee (as above, I am stating their skin-colour solely because it’s pertinent to the case) wanted to use the toilet at a Mo-Jo gas station in Port St Joe (Florida), but as it was for “whites only”, an argument ensued with two white men named Grover Floyd Jr & Jesse Burkett, and Pitts & Lee were arrested. Three days later, those two white gas station attendants were found shot to death. After a violent arrest, threats, beatings and a lengthy interrogation by the Police, Pitts & Lee pleaded guilty to the murder (a confession they’d later recant), and even though Curtis Adams Jnr confessed to the murders (a statement he refused to repeat on the witness stand), the all-white jury found them guilty and they were sentenced to death just three weeks later. Pitts & Lee were imprisoned for 12 years before Reubin Askew (Florida’s Governor) pardoned them on 20th September 1975. Read more.
Gary Gauger - INNOCENT & CONVICTED - On 9th April 1993, Gary Gauger awoke to discover that his parents – Morris & Ruth Gauger – had been murdered at their farm-house in Richmond (Illinois), whilst he was asleep. Police suspected Gary of his parent’s murder, and although there was no evidence to prove this, Police interrogated him for 21 hours during which they lied that "they had found bloody clothes in my bedroom; they found a bloody knife in my pocket", and having shown him horrific photos of his butchered parents, Gary confessed to their murders, believing the Police’s theory that (as he had no memory of the crime) "I must have done it in a blackout".
And even though his weak confession was the only evidence against him, Gary Gauger was found guilty and sentenced to death. After two years and nine months on Death Row, Gary Gauger was found innocent when during Police surveillance a motorcycle gang admitted to the murders, and released in March 1996. Read more.
Part two of Executed & Convicted Murderers Who Were Innocent - USA will be released soon.
If you "enjoyed" this blog post try; Odds of a US Presidential Assassination, Killer Couples Part 1 & Part 2, Famous British Serial Killers - Where Are They Now? Serial Killers & Murderers Who Were Never Caught, London's Deadliest & Often Forgotten Disasters, Killers Born During a Full Moon, Killer's Star Signs, Serial Killers Who Were On TV, Celebrities Who Have Killed, London's Railway of Death, Serial Killers as Kids and the World's Weirdest Death Rituals
Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, crime historian and tour-guide who runs Murder Mile Walks, a guided tour of Soho’s most notorious murder cases, hailed as “one of the top ten quirky & unusual things to do in London” and featuring 12 murderers, including 3 serial killers, across 15 locations, totalling 75 deaths, over just a one mile walk.
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AuthorMichael J Buchanan-Dunne is a crime writer, podcaster of Murder Mile UK True Crime and creator of true-crime TV series. Archives
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