Category: Killer Profiles

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #6 Myra Hindley

24/7/2017

Photo of Myra Hindley & ian Brady (licence-free courtesy of Flickr)

Following previous profiles of infamous murderers and serial killer, such as Dennis Nilsen, John Wayne Gacy, Dr Harold Shipman and Ian Brady, this week's case is Brady's girlfriend and partner-in-crime during the Moor's Murders - Myra Hindley. As before, the intention of these profiles is not to rake over the same old gory details, but by asking a series of set questions about each serial killer or murderer, the aim is to try to understand who they were as a person and why they did what they did, without absolving them of their heinous crimes.

Profile #6 - Myra Hindley: Dubbed the "Moors Murderers", Hindley & Brady murdered five young children and teens, who were raped, tortured and buried in shallow graves on Saddleworth Moor in an attempt to pull-off the "perfect murder". Hindley was labelled by the press as "the most evil woman in Britain" and by their trial judge as "two sadistic killers of the utmost depravity". As with my profile on Ian Brady, I've focused on facts, rather than myths or misinformation as perpetuated by the tabloid press or people who claim to have known them.

PERSONAL DETAILS

Birth Name: Myra Hindley (no middle names)
Date of Birth: 23rd July 1942
Place of Birth: Crumpsall, Manchester
Weight: 8 stone (dropped below 7 stone on hunger-strike)
Height: 5 foot 5 inches (1.65m)
Hair Colour: Brown (naturally), she changed this to a pink rinse in her late teens, and later dyed it peroxide blonde, but also wore a black wig as part of her disguise when picking up her child victims, or during sex games with her partner Ian Brady
Eye Colour: Blue
Nickname: At school, “Square Arse” owing to her 42 inch hips. Brady’s nickname for Hindley was “Kiddo” owing to his fascination for 1950's American films and just as Hindley would refer to Brady as “Neddie” (after Ned Seagoon from the BBC Radio series The Goon Show), Brady often called her “Minnie” after Minnie Bannister from the same series.
Star Sign: Leo
Disabilities: None known
Health Issues: None known
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual and later homosexual; Hindley lost her virginity to Brady aged 19 on 1st January 1962 (having promised herself she’d remain a virgin until marriage). Although she was only sexually active with Brady (and Edward Evans at Brady's request), there no homosexuality prior to her incarceration, with the notable exception of Hindley’s account of the sexual assault of Pauline Reade which both Hindley & Brady took part in (again, she claims, at his request), but whilst serving at Holloway Prison, Hindley met prison warder Patricia Cairns and began a three-year lesbian relationship.
Personality: Toughened-up by her abusive alcoholic father, Bob Hindley taught his daughter how to fight. Aged 8 years old, when Hindley’s cheeks were scratched by a local boy, Bob insisted "Go and punch him because if you don't I'll leather you!", Hindley did as she was told, knocked the boy down with a series of punches and finally but briefly achieved her father’s approval, which she craved. Hindley was regarded as a “tomboy” by her school-friends as well as “tough” and “lacking in compassion” for anyone who got hurt. Later, during her incarceration in Holloway Prison, Governor Dorothy Wing regarded Hindley as “a very disciplined, very controlled person anxious never to transgress prison rules”.

FAMILY HISTORY

Parents: Nellie and Bob Hindley.
Siblings: One younger sister, Maureen.
Sibling Order: Oldest of two (by four years). Living in poverty, Hindley was forced to share their only bedroom with her parents, but when Hindley’s younger sister Maureen was born, Hindley was sent to live with her grandmother.
Traumatic Event as a Child: In June 1957, aged 15, Hindley decided not to go swimming with her 13 year old friend Michael Higgins in a disused reservoir, where – although he was a good swimmer – he drowned. Hindley was deeply traumatised by the incident and blamed herself. Upon the viewing of the body (a Catholic tradition), Michael’s mother handed Myra the rosary beads he was holding.
Divorced or Deceased Parent or Sibling: None, prior to the murders. That said, Bob Hindley (Myra’s abusive father) suffered a stroke in his mid-forties, was confined to a wheelchair, and seizing the opportunity Hindley would abuse her disabled father, getting back at him for all the years of beatings which both she and her mother had suffered at his hands.
Head injury or Accident as Child: None known, but Hindley was routinely beaten by her alcoholic father so frequent head injuries (which weren’t recorded by a local GP or hospital) is entirely possible.
Bed-Wetter (as child): Unknown.
Fire-Starter (as child): None.
Animal Abuser (as child): None. Far from it. Hindley was absolutely besotted with her pets, especially “Puppet” her the tan-and-white collie. After her arrest and the discovery of photographs of Hindley & “Puppet” in the same location on Saddleworth Moor, Police wondered whether these photos were a macabre memorial on top of the shallow grave of 12 year old victim John Kilbride. In order to date the photos, they needed to determine the age of “Puppet”, so put him under anaesthetic to x-ray his teeth. “Puppet” supposedly died during the procedure and Hindley was inconsolable, later stating “I feel as though my heart's been torn to pieces. I don't think anything could hurt me more than this has”.
Perversions: Hindley admits to being sexually inexperienced prior to her deflowering by Ian Brady, and following this Hindley engaged (or was forced) into a series of sexual activities at Brady’s request; heterosexual sex, oral sex, anal sex, threesomes (with Edward Evans), use of hard-core pornography, sadomasochism (a series of private photos show Hindley with whip marks on her buttocks) and insertion (Brady would get Hindley to stick a candle up his anus).
Pets: During her years with Ian Brady, Hindley had two dogs; “Lassie” a ginger/brown collie, who gave birth to a litter of six, once of which Hindley kept, a tan and white collie called “Puppet”.
Abandoned / Fostered: No, but when Hindley was five years old, her younger sister Maureen was born and – stuck in a tiny house with just one bedroom, that Myra shared with her parents – she was sent to live with her grandmother at Bannock Street. Although this gave Hundley respite from her abusive alcoholic father, it caused a division between Hindley and her family as she felt she’d been abandoned in place of her younger sister.
Marital Status: Single. Although Hindley was briefly engaged to Ronnie Sinclair in 1958 for six months, and later she’d dreamed that she and Brady would marry, Ian Brady was marriage as pointless.
Partners: After her engagement to Ronnie Sinclair on her 17th birthday (which lasted just six months) and hr relationship with Ian Brady, Hindley was incarcerated at Holloway Prison (a women’s prison) so her access to men was strictly limited. Although there’s very little evidence of lesbianism (except the abduction and sexual assault by Hindley & Brady of Pauline Reade, which – may – have been to appease Brady’s sexual appetite) prior to Hindley’s incarceration at Holloway Prison, she engaged in passionate homosexual relationships with Nina Wilde (a Dutch criminologist who she met in Durham Prison) and later prison warder Patricia Cairns which lasted for three years. Brady & Hindley corresponded by letter until 1971, when she ended their relationship
Children: None.

WORK

Jobs: Three jobs; a junior clerk at Lawrence Scott Electrometers in Gorton, then as a junior clerk at Bratby and Hinchliffe (also an engineering firm in Gorton) but was dismissed for absenteeism and finally in January 1961, she joined Millwards as a typist, where she met Ian Brady.
Training: Trained in shorthand typing.
Military Service: Not applicable.
IQ / Education: She attended Peacock Street Primary School (the same school as her first victim – Pauline Read), and having failed her 11-plus, was sent to Ryder Brown Secondary Modern. Although, in 1989, Hindley graduated from the Open University with a degree in Humanities, which she studied for whilst serving at HMP Holloway.

SOCIAL

Favourite Food: Very little is known about Hindley’s favourite foods prior to meeting Brady, but her mother always insisted that she had a side portion of chips with every meal as Hindley was a notoriously picky eater (perhaps brought on by being bullied over her wide-hips, with kids giving her the nickname “Square Arse”). Having met Brady, her tastes copied his and they’d often dine on French or Chinese food. During her incarceration at Holloway Prison, Hindley paid (in cigarettes) a Jamaican prisoner to cook her a traditional West Indian meal once a week.
Favourite Music: Again, very little is known about Myra’s musical tastes prior to Brady, but soon found a shared love of Wagner (Hitler’s favourite), as well as a series of popular songs which Hindley & Brady used as a secret reference to their victims, such as; “Girl Don’t Come” by Sandie Shaw, “It’s All Over Now” by Joan Baez, “Legion’s Last Patrol” by Ken Thorne, “24 From Tulsa” by Gene Pitney and “It’s Over” by Roy Orbison
Favourite Film: Supposedly it was West Side Story, which she saw with Brady, as well as biblical epic The King of Kings and a dramatization of the Nazi war-crimes trials Judgement at Nuremberg.
Favourite Book: As a child, Hindley loved anything by Beatrix Potter and Enid Blyton, but her tastes changed to In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, as well as other books favoured by Brady such as Hitler’s Mein Kampf, Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime & Punishment and Meyer Levin's ‘Compulsion’.
Favourite Drink: White German wine (Hock) when with Brady, rum & coke when not.
Smoker: Yes. She even had a vending machine at home.
Hobbies: As a teen, Hindley briefly trained in Judo.
Religion: Raised as a Catholic in a semi-religious family (Bob was Catholic, Nellie was agnostic), Hindley was baptised as a Catholic on 16th August 1942 and regularly attended Holy Communion. Although with Brady, Hindley renounced her Catholicism, he later claimed to have become a reformed Catholic (in Holloway Prison, when parole was mooted).
Drugs/Alcohol Abuse: No history of drug-usage, even in prison
Political Leanings: Like Brady, although Hindley absorbed a lot of right-wing propaganda, she claimed to be left-wing.

MURDER CAREER

Reason for Murder: Hindley has never given expressed the reasons why she assisted Brady in the murders, but it is believed that having grown-up in a physically abusive household under the fear of her violent alcoholic father (Bob), she always sought his approval but rarely got it (except the day he ordered her to beat up a bully who had scratched her cheeks). In Brady, she found a new father-figure for whom she’d change everything about herself – her hair, clothes, tastes, beliefs and morals – to seek the approval of Ian Brady, even so far as to commit “the perfect murder”
Method of Killing: Although it is uncertain whether Hindley participated in all of the murders themselves, she certainly acted as a “friendly face” to lure the unsuspecting children into her car/van, with the promise of sweets or money for their help with a simple chore and – following a slight detour to find a missing glove or scarf of “sentimental value” – she used this as a ruse to drive the children to Saddleworth Moor where Brady would be waiting. Brady claimed that Hindley assisted in all aspects of the murders.
Number of Victims: Five; Pauline Reade (16), John Kilbride (12), Keith Bennett (12), Lesley Ann Downie (10) and Edward Evans (17), although Hindley & Brady were only initially charged with the murders of Edward Evans, John Kilbride and Lesley Ann Downey. Read Ian Brady’s biog for full details.
Length of Career: As a murderer, 12th July 1963 to 6th October 1965
Previous Criminal Record: None.
Preferred Victims: Prior to the murders, Hindley & Brady would go “scouting” for victims, either with Hindley driving the van/car and Brady in the back-street, or Brady following on a motorcycle, and when Brady saw a suitable victim, he would either flash his lights or knock. Each victim was chosen according to Brady’s particular persuasion.
Preferred Murder Location: Saddleworth Moor and 16 Wardle Brook Avenue in Hattersley (Hindley & Brady’s flat) where Edward Evans and Lesley Ann Downie were both murdered.
Disposal: All but Edward Evans were buried in a shallow grave on Saddleworth Moor, including Leslie Ann Downie who was murdered at 16 Wardle Brook Avenue, but her body would later be buried.

ARREST/SENTENCE

Detection: On the evening of 6th October 1965, Hindley & Brady picked up Edward Evans from Manchester Central station and returned to 16 Wardle Brook Avenue for wine and group sex (Brady engaging in oral sex with Edward Evans). Upon the arrival of David Smith, Hindley’s 17 year old brother-in-law, who Brady had developed an unusual friendship with, Edward Evans was attacked with an axe/hatchet. With the first hit missing its mark, the back of Evans’ head, Brady then rained down a dozen blows with the hatchet upon Evans, smothered him with a pillow and strangled him with an electrical flex. Unable to carry Evan’s body to the car, Smith & Brady wrapped in a bundle of sheets in their bedroom, with an agreement to dispose of the bundle the next day. Instead, Smith called the police.
Arrested: Early on the 7th October 1965, Superintendent Bob Talbot (Cheshire Police) posed as a baker making a delivery to gain entry to the house, upon which Evans’ body was discovered and Brady was arrested (Hindley was not charged as an accessory until 11th October). Brady claimed it had simply been an argument over some “dodgy books” in a suitcase which had got out of hand. Although David Smith said he had no idea where these “books” might be, that Brady “had a thing about railway stations”. In the left luggage office of Manchester Central Station, police discovered Brady’s suitcase; in it were nine pornographic photos of 10 year old Leslie Ann Downie and a 13 minute audio recording on her final moments, screaming and pleading for her “mummy”. In their house Police also found an exercise book with “John Kilbride” written in it and a large collection of photographs taken on Saddleworth Moor.
Trial: Over 14 days, from 19th April 1966, at Assize Court in Chester Castle, Hindley & Brady were charged with the murders of Edward Evans, Leslie Ann Downie and John Kilbride. They both pleased “not guilty”, but with overwhelming evidence against them including the 13 minute tape recording of the torture of Leslie Ann Downie being played to the court, the jury took just two hours to deliberate and on the 6th May, Hindley & Brady were found guilty. With the death penalty having been abolished just one year earlier, Brady was sentenced to three life sentences and Hindley to two. Mr Justice Atkinson described Brady was "wicked beyond belief" with no reasonable possibility of reform. The case was re-opened in 1985, after Brady confessed to the additional murders of Keith Bennett and Pauline Reade. His confession conveniently coincided with being diagnosed as “criminally insane” and being committed to Ashworth Psychiatric Hospital, which required his removal from solitary confinement and a mainstream prison.
Prison: Hindley was committed to HMP Holloway (north London, one of the few Category A women’s prisons in the UK), where she’d later become the UK's longest serving female prisoner having been incarcerated for 36 years.
Sentence Length: Hindley was sentenced to two life sentences plus seven years (with a life sentence being 25 years before parole is considered under UK law), but this was increased to 30 years by Home Secretary Leon Brittan and later to a “whole life tariff” by Home Secretary David Waddington, meaning Hindley had no chance of parole.
Type of Prisoner: Hindley was regarded as a model prisoner; well behaved, reformed and conscientious - engaging in badminton, tapestry, cookery and pottery as well as taking an Open University degree course in Humanities - to the point where she successfully appealed to have her category A prison status changed to category B, which allowed Governor Dorothy Wing to treat her to walks around Hampstead Heath until a public backlash put an end to this. Hindley attempted one unsuccessful prison-break with the assistance of her lover / prison warder Patricia Cairns and fellow prisoner Maxine Croft (both of whom were jailed for their parts).
Parole: Not applicable. Hindley died on 15th November 2002 of respiratory failure caused by bronchial pneumonia at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, aged 72. 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.

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. Or use the category folders on the right.

No plans this weekend? Why not book onto Murder Mile Walks, a "truly curious thing to do in London", rated FIVE STARS by Time Out Magazine and TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence.

Michael J Buchanan-Dunne is a writer, true-crime 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.

2 Comments

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #5 Ian Brady

3/7/2017

0 Comments

Myra Hindley & Ian Brady (licence-free image courtesy of Flickr)

Profile #4 - Ian Brady: Dubbed 'The Moor's Murderer', Ian Brady with his partner Myra Hindley would kidnap, rape, torture and murder five young children, aged between 10 and 17 years old, some of whom were buried in shallow graves in Saddleworth Moor.

Following on from previous profiles of infamous murderers and serial killers posted here, such as Dennis Nilsen, Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy and Dr Harold Shipman, this week's case is the "Moor's Murderer", Ian Brady. As before, the intention of these profiles is not to rake over the same old gory details (as many blogs do), but by asking a series of standardised questions about each serial killer or murderer, the aim is to try to understand who they were as a person and why they did what they did, without absolving them of their heinous crimes.

For the sake of clarity, I have split the profile of Ian Brady from his partner Myra Hindley (her profile to appear soon) as Hindley's actions and personality were directly influenced by Brady.

PERSONAL DETAILS

Birth Name: Ian Duncan Stewart (later changed to Ian Sloan, then Ian Brady)
Date of Birth: 2nd January 1938
Place of Birth: The Gorbals, Glasgow (Scotland)
Weight: 8 stone (50kg)
Height: 6 foot 0 inches
Hair Colour: Brown (later grey)
Eye Colour: Blue
Nickname: Brady had various nicknames; “Dracula” by neighbours owing to his love of horror movies, “Mack” (short for Mack the Knife) when he ran with a Moss Side gang and “The Understaker” as during his teenage years he’d walk around the Hattersley Estate in a long trench-coat, although most of these nicknames may have been created by those who knew Brady after his arrest, so there is no way to tell otherwise. As fans of The Goon Show, Hindley often referred to Brady as “Neddie”, after Neddie Seagoon.
Star Sign: Capricorn
Disabilities: None known.
Health Issues: Owing to measles when Brady was a toddler, he was prone to light sensitivity and had to wear tinted prescription glasses (which many people mistook for sunglasses).
Sexual Orientation: Supposedly heterosexual, although Brady was a regular at The Rembrandt (formerly the Ogden Arms), one of the oldest gay bars in Manchester which is just off Canal Street, he engaged in oral sex with Edward Evans (as part of a threesome with Myra Hindley), engaged in anal sex with Myra Hindley (often seen as a substitute for gay sex in an era when it was illegal) and who raped and sodomised his young victims (both male and female), and although he identified as heterosexual, that is debatable.
Personality: After his arrest, Brady was transferred to the Personality Disorder Unit at the Lawrence Ward of Ashworth Psychiatric Prison, having been diagnosed on different occasions with either a narcissistic personality disorder or as a paranoid schizophrenic. Often it’s hard to truly establish what Brady’s personality was like as a child, as those who knew him made their feelings known after the murders, but what is known is that he never felt like he belonged (having been abandoned and fostered) and yet he “never forgave himself for how badly he had treated them (The Sloan’s, his foster family)”. That said, Brady was prone to violent outbursts, enjoyed a sexual sadism and had a sense of grandiosity, being desperate to show how clever he was and how he was smarter than anyone else.

FAMILY HISTORY

Parents: Illegitimately born to 28 year old mother was Margaret "Peggy" Stewart and an unknown father who was supposedly a Glasgow journalist who died three months before Brady was born. As a single parent with very little means of support, Margaret was forced to put her infant into foster care, and although they remained in contact, Brady would later live with her (and her partner, an Irish fruit merchant named Patrick Brady) when he was 17, having been placed on probation. Although she was his birth mother, Ian always referred to her as “Peggy”. Note: Brady adopted his step-father’s surname, not out of love or loyalty, but having recently been involved in a spate of burglaries and knife-crimes, Brady felt that a change of name would make it harder for the Police to track him down.
Siblings: None through his birth mother, but he had four siblings through his foster family Mary & John Sloan (who were Robert, Jean, May and – four years after Ian’s arrival - John), all of whom Brady was very fond of.
Sibling Order: Although Brady was an only child, within his foster family he was the second youngest, with John being four years younger than him.
Traumatic Event as a Child: Although Brady was put into foster care at the tender age of six months old, he was too young to remember the incident itself. But growing up in The Sloan’s foster home which Brady openly admits was a kind and loving family, this gave him no reason to become the man he became, and yet he always felt like “a cuckoo in the nest” and stigmatised by society owing to his illegitimacy.
Divorced or Deceased Parent or Sibling: None, as his birth mother “Peggy”, foster parents John & Mary and his foster siblings (Robert, Jean, May and John) all lived up until and beyond the murders and his incarceration. That said, a dark cloud hung over the Sloan family when their dog (a tan and white cocker spaniel called Sheila) died of distemper aged one. Brady often sites this as the moment he became an atheist (having prayed for Sheila not to die and his prayer not being answered).
Head injury or Accident as Child: Aged ten, Brady was playing with a balloon in The Sloan’s kitchen when he slipped on some spilled water (as Mary peeled potatoes) and broke his leg. Although there is no reference to a head injury, his leg healed and wouldn’t cause him any pain/injury, this would be the only time (outside of his incarceration) that he would require hospital treatment.
Bed-Wetter (as child): Unknown.
Fire-Starter (as child): Although it is often cited that Brady had dabbled with fire - when he tied up his friend John Cameron and lit a few pieces of paper upon him – Brady often claims that this was just harmless role-playing amongst the two imaginative yet bored boys and that John Cameron was not injured. Beyond this, there doesn’t seem to be any recorded incident of arson in Brady's childhood.
Animal Abuser (as child): It has often been stated (by lazy biographers) that Brady was an animal abusers, but there’s too much evidence which contradicts this; firstly The Sloan household was always full of pets, all of which Brady loved, cared and wept for when they died. And secondly, in an incident he recounted to DSC Peter Topping of Manchester CID, when as a child growing up in The Gorbals (on the corner of Cumberland Street and Crown Street, Glasgow) he witnessed an injured Clydesdale horse which had slipped on the icy-road, a canvas screen was erected and the horse was despatched with a house-brick. Brady said “it lay there with its massive sides heaving and its breath steaming the frosty air… I can still see the great liquid eyes rolling in terror… They were going to kill the horse. Even I knew it. My chest was bursting and I began to cry”. Even if this story is a fabrication, it seems unlikely (given his history of pets) that he was an animal abuser. Oddly, Brady showed no remorse for his victims, his only real regret (as stated above) was “how badly he had treated them (The Sloan’s, his foster family)” by disappointing them.
Perversions: Brady has numerous sexual proclivities which were often fuelled by alcohol that Hindley submitted to, these include heterosexual sex, oral sex, anal sex, threesomes (with Edward Evans), gay oral sex (with Edward Evans), use of hard-core pornography, torture, paedophilia, sadomasochism (a series of private photos show Hindley with whip marks on her buttocks) and insertion (Brady would get Hindley to stick a candle up his anus). Many of these are from Myra Hindley’s personal testimony, although as her love for Brady waned over the years, its authenticity could be debatable. As for necrophilia, it has never been established whether Brady’s young victims were raped prior or post-mortem, so any suggestion is possible and debatable.
Pets: During his childhood in the house of his foster family The Sloan’s, Brady had a series of pets he loved and cared for. He had three rabbits; a big grey called "Jenny", a big black called "Harry" and a small Dutch called "Smokey", a Cocker Spaniel called "Sheila", a black and silver German Shephard called "Una", as well as Peggy & Pat Brady’s dog called “Bruce”, "Lassie" (Myra’s collie) and "Puppet", who was one of the tan-and-white collie puppies born to Lassie. Brady reportedly asked for the proceeds of his autobiography – Black Light – to be split between four animal charities.
Abandoned / Fostered: Although Brady was fostered, owing to his mother “Peggy” being young, single and broke, he wasn’t abandoned, as (having been adopted by a kind and caring family – The Sloan’s), not only would Brady see his birth mother on a regular basis, but he also went to live with her when he was 17 years old, and adopted his step-father’s surname – Brady, with whom he would also work.
Marital Status: Unmarried, Brady saw marriage as pointless, and didn’t want to go “walking blindly into the death trap of marriage and respectability. I had other things on my mind”.
Partners: Apart from Myra Hindley, very little is known about Brady’s other girlfriends. Although it has been stated that he met his first girlfriend when he was eleven years old and dated Evelyn Grant (who he met at Carnwadric School) but the relationship ended when he threatened her with a flick-knife when she attended a dance with another boy; Brady would later profess that marriage was futile and that loving someone meant being “blind to the unforeseen perils of love turned sour”. Possibly as a result of abandonment issues.
Children: None.

WORK

Jobs: After leaving school aged 15 with no qualifications, Brady’s first job was as a tea-boy at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Govan (Glasgow), then as a delivery-boy for a local butcher’s (a job he’d claim helped him case homes which were ripe for burglary), a fruit porter at Smithfield Market in Manchester (courtesy of his stepfather Patrick), and following his stint at Strangeways Prison, Latchmere House and Hatfield borstal, Brady drifted between various jobs as a labourer, in a brewery at Boddington’s and finally in January 1959, Brady successfully applied for clerical job at Millwards, a wholesale chemical distribution company in Gorton, where he would meet Myra Hindley.
Training: Brady didn’t receive any formal training or apprenticeships.
Military Service: Expected to undertake two-years of National Service, Brady travelled to Sheffield to take a medical examination and passed the medical – A1 – but stated in his interview that after two years in borstal, if he was subjected to a further two years in the Army, he’d walk out. After a psychological evaluation, Brady was not deemed suitable.
IQ / Education: Although Brady left school with no qualifications, he was deemed to be of higher than normal intellect and was later transferred to Hatfield Borstal for boys of “above average intelligence”, although his exact IQ has never been stated. Educated at Househillwood School primary school, later Carnwadric School and finally at Shawlands Academy, a school for above-average pupils, Brady struggled to fit in having resented the formal structure of school and found new levels of excitement by hanging out with gangs and committing petty crimes. That said, when he was sentenced to two years in Hatfield Borstal, he discovered a latent passion for reading and left “a changed man”. And having acquired two volumes on book-keeping from the local library, he taught himself accountancy, which led to him getting a clerical job at Millwards.

SOCIAL

Favourite Food: In his earlier years, he had simple tastes; fish & chips in a trucker’s café, black pudding & chips after a few drinks, with steak being a specific treat, but as his reading habits evolved so did his desire to be seen as more cultured, so he’d often eat French, German or Oriental cuisine. After his arrest, his diet was strictly limited according to what Ashworth Psychiatric Hospital would provide, but whilst on self-imposed hunger-strike, Brady would sneakily eat toast with butter and packet soup made with boiling water.
Favourite Music: Although very cultured, loving a wide variety of classical composers like Wagner (as it was Hitler’s favourite) and many mainstream hits, many of these songs would forever be sullied as Hindley & Brady used a specific series of songs which referenced each child they had murdered. These songs include; “Girl Don’t Come” by Sandie Shaw, “It’s All Over Now” by Joan Baez, “Legion’s Last Patrol” by Ken Thorne, “24 Hours From Tulsa” by Gene Pitney and “It’s Over” by Roy Orbison.
Favourite Film: Predictably Brady would often claim that Bonnie & Clyde was a particular favourite, but in actuality he was an avid fan of Orson Welles, especially The Third Man.
Favourite Book: During his two-year stint in borstal, Brady became a voracious reader who loved the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (especially ‘Thus Spake Zarathustra’), Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime & Punishment, Adolf Hitler’s own diary Mein Kampf, the works of William Blake, John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and often quoted Alfred Tennyson. A favourite book Hindley & Brady shared was Meyer Levin's ‘Compulsion’, a fictionalised version of the Leopold & Lobe case; two well-to-do young boys who planned to the perfect murder by killing their 12 year old friend… and getting away with it.
Favourite Drink: During his youth, Brady was a beer-drinker (or whatever he could steal), but as his cultural influences changed so did his tastes, preferring German wines (Hock) and drinking Drambuie whiskey.
Smoker: Yes, in his youth he preferred Camel’s (American) cigarettes, but – again, as his tastes changed – his cigarette of choice was Gauloises (untipped, strong French) cigarettes.
Hobbies: None known, except reading. As a child Brady loved football but he lost his interest in playing it and as a spectator after he broke his leg during his childhood. Brady had a fascination with audio-recording and photography, including developing prints in his own darkroom, but this was more as a necessity for recording his murders, the contents of which he kept in a suitcase at the left-luggage office at Manchester Central Station.
Religion: Atheist, Brady saw religion as pointless.
Drugs/Alcohol Abuse: Although Brady used to drink sometimes to excess (he was once arrested for being drunk & disorderly), Brady had no interest in recreational drugs.
Political Leanings: Although he admired Hitler, Brady claimed his interest in the Third Reich was purely aesthetic, not political, that he admired Hitler’s boldness, courage and will, as opposed to his political beliefs. Brady claimed he was left-wing (Socialist).

MURDER CAREER

Reason for Murder: This is impossible to determine as in 1985 Brady was declared criminally insane, “a psychopath”; so either the killings were a side-effect caused by his mental illness, or they were part of an “existential crisis”, as Brady would claim at his 2013 mental health tribunal and in a 2005 letter, as "merely an existential exercise of just over a year, which was concluded in December 1964", having avidly read the works of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Or maybe both? Either way, Brady has never expressed any remorse for any of the killings.
Method of Killing: With Hindley posing as a lone female, she would lure local children into a rented van with the promise of sweets or money for their help with a simple chore and – following a slight detour to find a missing glove or scarf of “sentimental value” – Hindley used this as a ruse to drive the children to Saddleworth Moor where Brady would be waiting. As Hindley & Brady were the only two witnesses of each murder, their accounts differ; Hindley claims Brady committed the murders alone; sexually assaulting the terrified child, strangling them a piece of string/shoelace or slitting their throats with a short sharp knife, and burying them in a shallow grave. Brady claims that Hindley assisted in all aspects.
Number of Victims: Five children and teenagers; Pauline Reade (16) who disappeared on 12th July 1963 on her way to a local disco wearing a pretty pink and gold party dress. She wouldn’t be found until 1985, when Hindley & Brady directed Police to her shallow grave. John Kilbride (12) on the 23rd November 1963 (the same day that John F Kennedy was assassinated). Police were only alerted to the location of John Kilbride’s corpse, as Brady had taken a (now infamous) photo of Hindley and her dog Puppet on the very site of his shallow grave. Keith Bennett (12) vanished on 16th June 1964 whilst walking to his grandmother’s house, and although Hindley & Brady both claim he was buried on Saddleworth Moor, his body has never been found. Lesley Ann Downie (10) was murdered on Boxing Day in 1964, having been lured away from a fairground back to Hindley & Brady’s flat, where she was raped, tortured and murdered, all of which was recorded on audio tape and played back at the trial. But Brady was initially only arrested for the murder of Edward Evans (17) on the 6th October 1965, an apprentice engineer who Brady met in a gay bar, accompanied back to Brady’s flay in Hyde, attacked with an axe and strangled with an electrical flex. At their trial, Hindley & Brady were only ever charged with the murders of Edward Evans, John Kilbride and Lesley Ann Downey, the others would be uncovered as Hindley & Brady's relationship deteriorated.
Length of Career: As a murderer, 12th July 1963 to 6th October 1965
Previous Criminal Record: In 1951, aged 13, Brady was charged with house-breaking. In 1953, aged 15, Brady was charged with nine counts of burglary. And in 1954, he was charged with nine counts of burglary and one of threatening his girlfriend – Evelyn Grant – with a flick knife, but instead of a custodial sentence he was moved to Manchester to live with his mother. After their arrest, Hindley & Brady claimed they had vandalised the homes of known local child abusers, but there is no record to back-up this story.
Preferred Victims: Although Hindley & Brady didn’t have a particular physical preference; all of their victims were of various ages between 10 and 17, all were white, three were male and two were female, but all needed to be young, familiar and easily manipulated, as Hindley needed to lure them off the street and into the rented van (or later her Ford Anglia) without anyone noticing.
Preferred Murder Location: Saddleworth Moor and 16 Wardle Brook Avenue in Hattersley (Hindley & Brady’s flat) where Edward Evans and Lesley Ann Downie were both murdered.
Disposal: All but Edward Evans were buried in a shallow grave on Saddleworth Moor, including Leslie Ann Downie who was murdered at 16 Wardle Brook Avenue, but her body would later be buried on the moors.

ARREST/SENTENCE

Detection: On the evening of 6th October 1965, Hindley & Brady picked up Edward Evans from Manchester Central station and returned to 16 Wardle Brook Avenue for wine and group sex (Brady engaging in oral sex with Edward Evans). Upon the arrival of David Smith, Hindley’s 17 year old brother-in-law, who Brady had developed an unusual friendship with, Edward Evans was attacked with an axe/hatchet. With the first hit missing its mark, the back of Evans’ head, Brady then rained down a dozen blows with the hatchet upon Evans, smothered him with a pillow and strangled him with an electrical flex. Unable to carry Evan’s body to the car, Smith & Brady wrapped the corpse in a bundle of sheets in their bedroom, with an agreement to dispose of the bundle the next day. Instead, Smith called the police.
Arrested: Early on the 7th October 1965, Superintendent Bob Talbot (Cheshire Police) posed as a baker making a delivery to gain entry to the house, upon which Evans’ body was discovered and Brady was arrested (Hindley was not charged as an accessory until 11th October). Brady claimed the incident had simply been an argument over some “dodgy books” in a suitcase which had got out of hand. Although David Smith said he had no idea where these “books” might be, he informed the Police that Brady “had a thing about railway stations”. In the left luggage office of Manchester Central Station, police discovered Brady’s suitcase; in it were nine pornographic photos of 10 year old Leslie Ann Downie and a 13 minute audio recording on her final moments alive, screaming and pleading for her “mummy”. In their house Police also found an exercise book with “John Kilbride” written in it and a large collection of photographs taken on Saddleworth Moor.
Trial: Over 14 days, from 19th April 1966, at Assize Court in Chester Castle, Hindley & Brady were charged with the murders of Edward Evans, Leslie Ann Downie and John Kilbride. They both pleased “not guilty”, but with overwhelming evidence against them including the 13 minute tape recording of the torture of Leslie Ann Downie being played to the court, the jury took just two hours to deliberate and on the 6th May, Hindley & Brady were found guilty. With the death penalty having been abolished just one year earlier, Brady was sentenced to three life sentences and Hindley to two. Mr Justice Atkinson described Brady as "wicked beyond belief" with no reasonable possibility of reform. The case was re-opened in 1985, after Brady confessed to the additional murders of Keith Bennett and Pauline Reade. His confession conveniently coincided with being diagnosed as “criminally insane” and being committed to Ashworth Psychiatric Hospital, which required his removal from solitary confinement in a mainstream prison.
Prison: Brady was initially transferred to Durham Prison, and spent 19 years in various prisons (including Gartree Prison in Leicestershire) in solitary confinement for his own safety. In November 1985, Brady was diagnosed as a “psychopath” at the high-security Park Lane Hospital, now renamed Ashworth Psychiatric Hospital in Sefton, stating he “never wanted to be released”. During his sentence, he wrote his autobiography ‘The Gates of Janus’, corresponded with Lord Longford and spent his time translating classical texts into Braille. But never once did he ever express any remorse for his victims.
Sentence Length: Initially three life sentences, but when he was declared “criminally insane” this sentence was converted to being “at her Majesty’s pleasure”, which meant he could be held for an indeterminate period of time.
Type of Prisoner: Over the course of his incarceration at Ashworth, Brady went on (supposed) hunger-strike in 1999 and 2012 (albeit eating soup and toast, complaning about the conditions at Ashworth. His mood dyring this time was typified in this quote “Myra gets the potentially fatal brain condition, whilst I have to fight simply to die. I have had enough. I want nothing, my objective is to die and release myself from this once and for all. So you see my death strike is rational and pragmatic. I'm only sorry I didn't do it decades ago, and I'm eager to leave this cesspit in a coffin”.
Parole: None. Brady died of restrictive pulmonary disease in Ashworth Hospital on 15th May 2017 (aged 79). It is uncertain where or when Ian Brady was cremated as many undertakers in Manchester and Glasgow refused to take him.

No plans this weekend? Why not book onto Murder Mile Walks, a "truly quirky, curious and unusual thing to do in London this weekend", rated FIVE STARS by Time Out Magazine

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.

0 Comments

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #4 Ed Gein

5/6/2017

5 Comments

Following on from previous profiles of infamous murderers and serial killers posted here, such as Dennis Nilsen, John Wayne Gacy and Dr Harold Shipman, this week's case is the "Butcher of Plainfield", Ed Gein. As before, the intention of these profiles is not to rake over the same old gory details (as many blogs do), but by asking a series of standardised questions about each serial killer or murderer, the aim is to try to understand who they were as a person and why they did what they did, without absolving them of their heinous crimes.

Profile #4 - Ed Gein: Dubbed the "Butcher of Plainfield" (Wisconsin), Ed Gein was grave-robber, murderer, necrophile and (possible) serial killer, who exhumed the corpses of freshly deceased women to fashion himself a "woman suit" and re-animate his beloved dead mother.

PERSONAL DETAILS

Birth Name: Edward Theodore Gein
Date of Birth: 27th August 1906
Place of Birth: La Crosse County, Wisconsin (USA)
Weight: 9 stone 8lbs (60kgs) * estimate based on height & frame
Height: 5 foot 7 inches (1.7 m)
Hair Colour: Brown
Eye Colour: Blue
Nickname: Dubbed by the press as “The Butcher of Plainfield” and “The Ghoul of Plainfield”, he was known simply as “Ed” or “Eddie” by his few friends and family. Growing up in a troubled and isolated 155-acre farm in middle of rural Plainfield, Ed doesn’t appear to have been blessed with an affectionate nicknames.
Star Sign: Virgo
Disabilities: Although not a disability, Ed Gein had a non-malignant fleshy growth on the corner of his left eyelid which caused this eye to droop, and for which young Ed Gein would be bullied and ridiculed by the kids at school. And although not pronounced, Ed has a lesion on his tongue which caused him to have a mild speech defect as well as a slight stammer.
Health Issues: None known, although there is no record of Ed Gein visiting a hospital for his own medical needs before his committal to the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in 1957.
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual, although as a child Ed would often imagine what it would be like to be a woman, to have female genital parts, a fascination which would continue into his adulthood. Aged 12, Ed’s mother caught him masturbating in the bath, to punish him she grabbed his genitals, squeezed them and called them “the curse of a man”.
Personality: Shy, quiet and socially awkward, Ed was punished whenever he tried to make friends (as his mother was desperate to protect her boys from outsiders who she saw as sinful). Being just 5 foot 7 inches tall and of a slight build, Ed had effeminate mannerisms for which he was mocked, and was a consummate daydreamer who would laugh at his own thoughts. That said, as a handyman and babysitter, he was regarded by the townsfolk as honest and reliable.

FAMILY HISTORY

Parents: George Philip Gein (1873–1940) and Augusta Wilhelmine (née Lehrke) Gein of German heritage were married on 7th July 1900 and remained unhappily wed for forty years, living in remote isolation. George was a violent alcoholic who struggled to hold down a job, whether as tanner, carpenter, insurance salesman or even his own grocery store and was seen as useless by his domineering wife Augusta. She was a strict Lutheran who abhorred drink, sexual deviance such as masturbation, believed that all women – excluding herself – were whores sent by the Devil to tempt men, and she didn’t believe in divorce.
Siblings: One older brother, Henry G Gein.
Sibling Order: Second of two boys, youngest.
Traumatic Event as a Child: Two events preceded the death of Ed’s beloved mother; Ed’s violent father died of heart failure caused by alcoholism on 1st April 1940 (aged 66) and on 16 May 1944 his older brother Henry died of asphyxiation whilst stemming a crop-fire at their farmstead, this left Ed alone in the house with just his mother. By this point, Augusta had suffered two strokes, was physically disabled and required daily support from Ed to achieve even the simplest tasks, and although Ed cared for her deeply, she never showed any affection for him, which he craved so deeply. Unfortunately, on 29th December 1945, Ed’s entire world collapsed when his beloved mother died aged 67, leaving him alone and grief-stricken over the loss of “his friend, and one true love”.
Divorced or Deceased Parent or Sibling: Ed was unemotional at the death of his father and brother, and although the death of Henry G Gein, Ed’s older brother was deemed “accidental asphyxiation” caused by smoke inhalation, it was later reported that Henry had bruises about the head suggested that Ed had battered him to death, before leaving him to be consumed by the fire.
Head injury or Accident as Child: Yes, Ed claimed that his alcoholic violent father would repeatedly beat him about the head “so hard my ears would ring”.
Bed-Wetter (as child): Unknown
Fire-Starter (as child): None, but making a fire was part of rural farm-life, as used for cooking, heating and clearing scrubland, so it seems unlikely that Ed would find pleasure from an every day task
Animal Abuser (as child): Again, unlike many serial killers, there is no (known) history of animal cruelty by Ed Gein, as it believed that shooting, skinning and butchering animals was a way of life for him. Although, he would often watch his father “gut a hog or deer”, stripping its skin, filleting its muscles and gutting its innards, Ed would later claim that he’d never butchered any large animals as “the sight of blood made me queasy”. It is worth noting though that Ed claims to have experienced an ejaculation watching a hog being slaughtered.
Pets: Unknown, although living on a farm it would be more than likely that The Gein Family had a dog, not as a pet, but as a rat-catcher.
Abandoned / Fostered: No, but Ed was raised in an uncaring and abusive family, all of whom were dead by the time he reached 40 years old.
Marital Status: Single/virgin, there are no records of Ed being in a relationship, but given that his deeply Lutheran mother had ensured her sons were not exposed to “the evil of women”, and that Ed saw his mother as his “one true love”, it’s unlikely that he dated, or engaged in consensual sex.
Partners: None.
Children: None.

WORK

Jobs: His working life started in childhood as a farmhand on his parent’s farm, a role which he and his brother would entirely look after as his father’s drinking increased. Although Ed never had a career, his hand-to-mouth existence was part-funded by a federal farm subsidy and Ed also earned money working as a handyman, as part of the road building crew, crop-threshing for local farmers and even as a babysitter for the local children. There is no evidence of Ed abusing these children, in fact they were happy to see him and he enjoyed their company, finding them easier to relate to than men and women of his own age.
Training: Whilst working on his parent’s farmstead, Ed had experience of shooting, skinning, hide tanning and butchering, which would come in useful during his murderous spree.
Military Service: In 1942, aged 36, with Ed still just-about eligible for the conscription draft, he travelled to Milwaukee for his physical exam but was rejected by the Army owing to the growth above his eye which (they said) impaired his vision.
IQ / Education: IQ – 106, Ed was assessed following his arrest to determine if he was mentally capable. Went to Roche-a-Cri grade school, he was an average student, but an excellent reader, though he would often be bullied owing to his speech impediment.

SOCIAL

Favourite Food: Ed wasn’t much of a cook; his farmstead had no electricity or running eater, and his cupboards contained little more than the basics of canned goods, oatmeal and bread, with his main source of nutrition being potatoes and the rabbits he hunted. Ed did enjoy a meal at Irene & Lester Hill’s home (the local store owners) of pork chops, boiled potatoes, Macaroni Cheese, coffee and cookies.
Favourite Music: Unknown.
Favourite Film: Unknown. There is no record of Ed going to a cinema, and as his farmstead didn’t have electricity, he didn’t have a television or a radio.
Favourite Book: Just prior to the death of his mother, Ed became interested in reading lurid crime stories and adventure magazines he’d get from the general store, many of which were seedy tales about cannibals, murderers, death-cults and Nazi atrocities, with reference to grave-robbing, shrunken heads and death masks.
Favourite Drink: Ed didn’t drink alcohol, owing to his mother’s strict moralistic code.
Smoker: Likewise, Ed didn’t smoke.
Hobbies: When he wasn’t reading lurid crime magazines, Ed entertained himself by playing the accordion and the flute. He was also a taxidermist.
Religion: Lutheran
Drugs/Alcohol Abuse: None.
Political Leanings: Unknown.

MURDER CAREER

Reason for Murder: Fixated on his childhood fantasy of what it would be like to be a woman, Ed fashioned himself a “woman suit” – a full-body onesie, from head-to-toe, sewn from the tanned skin of various recently deceased corpses he had dug-up and dissected from the local cemetery. Ed claims to have made 40 nocturnal visits to Plainfield Cemetery, stealing from nine graves, as well as murdering two women - hardware store owner Bernice Worden and tavern owner Mary Hogan (who resembled his mother). It’s worth noting that Ed Gein isn’t a serial killer so much as he is a murderer and body-snatcher, but his profile is often used to explain a serial killer’s mind-set and is the inspiration for Norman Bates in Psycho and Jamie Gum in Silence of the Lambs. That said, numerous girls and women disappeared during Ed’s crimes, so whether there were other victims, that can’t be discounted.
Method of Killing: Although Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan were shot with a .22 calibre rifle, it’s what Ed did with their corpses (and those he dug-up) which is more intriguing. He skinned his victims, turning their body parts not only into a “woman suit” - complete with mask, corset and leggings - but also fashioned their flesh as wastebaskets and chair seats, skulls as bedposts and serving bowls, with nine vulvae kept in a shoe-box, a belt of human nipples, a pot of noses, a pair of lips as a drawstring and a lampshade made from the skin of a victim’s face.
Number of Victims: Gein confessed to killing two women – tavern owner Mary Hogan on 8th December 1954, and a Plainfield hardware store owner, Bernice Worden, on 16th November 1957, but his other victims (although already dead) include the nine women whose corpses he dug-up and dissected, including his own mother. Ed is also believed to be responsible for five murders and disappearances in Plainfield, although there could be more. None of Ed’s victims can be DNA tested, as their remains were destroyed shortly after the crime-scene photos were taken.
Length of Career: This is almost impossible to determine, as Ed’s career as a murderer or grave-robber either started on 16th May 1944 (when it is believed but never proved that he killed his brother), June 1947 (when Ed dug-up his mother’s corpse), or 8th December 1954 (when he murdered Mary Hogan), right up to the death of Bernice Worden on 16th November 1957.
Previous Criminal Record: None that he was charged with, although excluding the death of his brother, Ed was a suspect in the disappearance of 8 year old Georgia Weckler and 15 year old Evelyn Hartley.
Preferred Victims: The majority were female, white and middle-aged, many of whom physically resembled his mother, as his plan was to create a “woman suit”, as if he was bringing his dead mother (his “beloved”) back to life.
Preferred Murder Location: Although Bernice was murdered in her own store and it is unknown where Ed murdered Mary Hogan, the bulk of his victims were dug-up from the Plainfield Cemetery shortly after they were buried, to ensure that their corpses were fresh and pliable to fashion into a “woman suit”, but also so the recently filled-in hole of disturbed earth wouldn’t be noticeable.
Perversions: Although a frequent masturbator as a child, Ed later progressed to grave-robbing, skinning his victims, wearing their skin and necrophilia (sleeping in the same bed as his mother's corpse), not the act of having sex with the corpses, Ed later stated “they smelled too bad”, but that his actions with the corpses were sexual in nature.
Disposal: Although Ed utilised much of his victim’s flesh for homewares, there is no evidence that Ed ate any of his victims.

ARREST/SENTENCE

Detection: On 18th November 1957, Deputy Sheriff Frank Worden entered the West Plainfield grocery store, ran by his mother Bernice Worden and found blood-stains. The cash register was empty, a .22 rifle was missing and the last sales slip Bernice filled out was for a gallon of antifreeze for Ed Gein. As (possibly) the last person who saw her alive, Ed was arrested and the Waushara County Sheriff's Department searched the Gein farmstead, where they found Bernice’s decapitated corpse strung-up upside-down in the shed, her limbs tied and splayed wide and her torso cut open, her innards removed, she’d been “dressed out like a deer”.
Arrested: On the evening of 18th November 1957 Ed was arrested at home and – although the local police had found Mary and Bernice’s bodies as well as nine other corpses in various states is dissections and rigour-mortis, Ed didn’t confess to the two murders until the next day.
Trial: Although Ed’s trial for first degree murder began on 21st November 1957, just three days after his arrest, he pleaded “not guilty” on the grounds of insanity, he was clinically diagnosed as a schizophrenic and declared mentally unfit to stand trial. Therefore it wasn’t until 7th November 1968, that Ed Gein (after spending ten years in a mental institution) that he was deemed mentally competent to stand trial, the trial lasted one week, and Ed was found “guilty, by reason of insanity” of the murder of Bernice Worden but “due to the prohibitive costs of the trial” Ed was never tried for the murder of Mary Hogan.
Prison: Ed spent 10 years before his trial at the Central State Hospital for the Criminally Insane (now known as the Dodge Correctional Institution), then a maximum-security facility in Waupun during his trial and later the Mendota State Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin to serve the rest of his sentence.
Sentence Length: Deemed “mentally incapable”, Ed was spared the death penalty and was sentenced to “life in prison” at Mendota State Hospital, where he died on the 26th July 1984, suffering from respiratory failure exacerbated by stage-three lung cancer at 77 years old.
Type of Prisoner: Ed was described in hospital as a “perfectly amiable and docile patient” who rarely required tranquilisers to keep his mood under control.
Parole: No applicable.

No plans this weekend? Why not book onto Murder Mile Walks, a "truly curious thing to do in London", rated FIVE STARS by Time Out Magazine

5 Comments

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #3 Dr Harold Shipman

29/5/2017

2 Comments

Market Street in Hyde, location of Dr Harold "Fred" Shipman's surgery

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

Birth Name: Dr Harold Frederick Shipman
Date of Birth: 14th January 1946
Place of Birth: Bestwood council estate, Nottingham (England)
Weight: 15 stone (95 kilos)
Height: 5 foot 9 inches (1.75m)
Hair Colour: Originally dark brown, but later grey/white
Eye Colour: Blue/Green
Nickname: Dubbed by the media as “The Angel of Death” (the same nickname as Beverly Allitt) and “Dr Death”, but was affectionately known by his beloved mother Vera as either “Fred” or “Freddy”, Frederick being his middle name.
Star Sign: Capricorn
Disabilities: None.
Health Issues: During his medical training, Shipman became addicted to Pethidine (a synthetic pain relieving opioid, also known as Demerol), even though he didn’t have any pain issues, the euphoria was his way of coping with the death of his mother. Regrettably this often caused unexpected blackouts and heart palpitations. Shipman illegally prescribed the Pethidine to his patients but took it himself. In 1975, Shipman was sent to The Retreat (a drug rehab centre in York) for his addiction, but the treatment was not a success.
Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual.
Personality: At school, Shipman was frequently bullied for being a “loner”, anti-social, aloof, unemotional and a “control freak”. Raised by his doting mother, Shipman believed that he was superior to others and that he could do no wrong (all of which was instilled in him by his mother). Although Shipman raised funds in the community for his doctor’s surgery, Shipman rarely went out, and spent most of his time at home, which was always messy and dirty. That said, many of his loyal patients refused to believe that “Doctor Fred” was a murderer at all, as he was “such a lovely man”.

FAMILY HISTORY

Parents: Harold Frederick Shipman, hence why Shipman was known as “Freddy” (12th May 1914 – 5th January 1985) and Vera Brittan (23rd December 1919 – 21st June 1963).
Siblings: Three; 1st Pauline, 2nd Harold and 3rd Clive
Sibling Order: Second of three children
Traumatic Event as a Child: On 24th June 1963, when Shipman was 17 years old, his beloved mother Vera died of lung cancer, having been diagnosed just 18 months earlier. Shipman became her carer and oversaw daily needs, but during the latter stages of the disease, a local GP administered morphine (a strong painkiller) and Shipman witnessed her insufferable pain subside. This need to “alleviate the pain” and “put elderly women out of their misery” would mirror the way that Shipman killed.
Divorced or Deceased Parent: As above, following the death of his beloved mother Vera, Shipman spiralled out of control and became addicted to Pethidine. That said, when his father Harold died in January 1985, Shipman was unaffected by his death, and didn’t take any timer off work to attend the funeral.
Head Injury or Accident as Child: None known.
Bed-Wetter (as child): Not beyond the usual stage of childhood bedwetting
Fire-Starter (as child): No
Animal Abuser (as child): No
Pets: None as children. When Shipman was married to Primrose and had kids, they had a black poodle and a few rabbits. Unlike many serial killers, Shipman was not an animal abuser or torturer, in fact when he was a medical student at Leeds School of Medicine, he resented that on the roof of the facility were the caged dogs who were used for vivisection.
Abandoned / Fostered: No.
Marital Status: Married once to Primrose May Oxtoby on 5th November 1966, she was 17 years old and already 5 months pregnant with their first-born, Sarah. They remained married until Harold Shipman’s death on 14th January 2004, one day before his 57th birthday.
Children: Four children; Sam, David, Sarah and Christopher.

WORK

Jobs: Following his graduation from Leeds School of Medicine, over the course of his 24 years as a doctor, Shipman undertook the following roles; Junior Doctor at Pontefract General Hospital (Yorkshire), General Practitioner at Todmorden Group Practice, Clinical Medical Officer in South West Durham, General Practitioner at Donneybrook House Group Practice in Hyde (Cheshire), and finally owing his own practice as a GP at The Surgery in Hyde (Cheshire). His medical career took a hiatus of 1 year and 264 days after he was fined for counterfeiting prescriptions to feed his drug-habit and undertake rehabilitation.
Training: As a GP, Harold Shipman had regular access to Pethidine, Morphine and other painkillers; he was a trusted family GP for two tight-knit communities, kept the computerised records of his patients (which he would falsify to cover his crimes) and he was regularly required to sign the death certificates for recently deceased patients, many of which he’d attribute the cause of death as simply “old age”, rather than an overdose of morphine, which would have required an autopsy.
Military Service: None.
IQ / Education: IQ - supposedly 140, but I am unable to find evidence for this. Although his A-level grades weren’t exception (he received a B in Physics, C in Biology and a D in Chemistry) they were of a high enough standard for Shipman to be accepted into Leeds School of Medicine where he graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Medicine degree (MBchB) and later a diploma in Child Health in 1972.

SOCIAL

Favourite Food: Although not a particularly fussy eater, Shipman ate a very normal diet consisting of Weetabix for breakfast, sandwiches and fruit for lunch, and with his evening meal, he often had four slices of brown bread (as he strongly believed that “food should be very carbohydrate oriented”) and as Primrose was a good cook, he enjoyed her Beef Wellington and was a fan of curries, all of which would be consumed with the vegetables he grew in his backgarden.
Favourite Music: Even from an early age, Shipman had no interest in music.
Favourite Film: Again, from an early age, Shipman had no interest in movies.
Favourite Book: Unknown, but upon Shipman’s death an inventory was taken of his cell, and on his bedside table was a half-read copy of Henry IV by William Shakespeare, the story of a scheming king who was riddled with guilt having killed his cousin.
Favourite Drink: Shipman considered himself a wine connoisseur, his favourite being a Saumur, a sparkling white wine from the Loire Valley in the South of France.
Smoker: Non-smoker
Hobbies: As a youth, he was an accomplished rugby and cricket player and was vice-captain of the athletics team at college, but in later life as much as he’d try out new hobbies he’d rarely kept them, so his main source of relaxation was gardening, especially growing vegetables in his back garden.
Religion: Methodist (both Harold and Primrose were Methodists)
Drugs/Alcohol Abuse: Although never confirmed, it is believed that Shipman became addicted to Pethidine in 1974 at the Abraham Ormerod Medical Centre in Todmorden (West Yorkshire). Having already risked the lives of two patients who he’d experimented with doses of Pethidine on, he started using himself as a “guinea-pig”. At the height of his addiction, Dr Harold Shipman was injecting himself with 600-700mg of Pethidine a day (which is roughly 14 injections of 50mg every day). Withdrawal symptoms of Pethidine are similar to most opiates such as heroine and are difficult to kick.
Political Leanings: Shipman was heavily involved in local politics; he was a member of the Family Practitioner Committee and secretary of the Local Medical Committee.

MURDER CAREER

Reason for Murder: Shipman never gave a reason for his killings, even to his own wife who pleaded with him to "tell me everything". Some psychiatrists believe that being a doctor gave him a God-complex, that he had an intolerable hatred of the elderly (which seems unlikely), but most believe that he was deeply affected by the painful death of his beloved mother Vera during his teenage years. Was Shipman’s killing spree a mission to save so many elderly ladies from a painful death… even if many of them weren’t even ill? We shall never.
Method of Killing: Convincing his victim that they needed an injection to alleviate their symptoms (whether for headaches, angina, arthritis or heart palpations), Shipman would inject them with a lethal dose of Diamorphine, and as they slowly drifted off into a peaceful death, he would leave the scene (all of his victims were killed in their own homes, except Ivy Lomas who died in Shipman’s own surgery) and he would return later, once informed of the death to sign their death certificate.
Number of Victims: Although on 31st January 2000, Dr Harold Shipman was charged with the murder of fifteen victims, a subsequent investigation led by Dame Janet Smith identified 218 known victims, with possibly as many as 358+ victims, although the true tally will never be known. Across his 23 working years as a GP, Dr Harold Shipman was killing at least one patient every month. An early confirm list of his victims can be seen here.
Length of Career: 23 years and 3 months. His first murder was of 70 year old Eva Lyons on the 17th March 1975 and ended with 81 year old Kathleen Grundy on 24th June 1998.
Criminal Record: In February 1976, Shipman pleaded guilty to eight charges; three for obtaining a controlled drug (Pethidine) by deception, three for the unlawful possession of a controlled drug and two for forging declarations of prescription drugs. He was fined £600 at Halifax Magistrates Court for all eight charges, and stopped practicing for 1 year and 264 days whilst he entered rehabilitation for his drug addiction.
Preferred Victims: Usually elderly patients (75 years old+), mostly white and mostly women, although a handful were in their 50’s with two being aged 43 and 41 years old.
Preferred Murder Location: As a family GP, "Dr Fred" would often make a “home visit” to his patient, given how “kind and thoughtful” he was. His victims were often single or widowers, hence there usually wouldn’t be any witnesses in the building at the time of their death.
Perversions: None, known.
Disposal: Not applicable. As each victim died by “natural causes” or “old age”, and none of them had died in a manner which aroused suspicion to their GP (Dr Harold Shipman), each victim was either buried or cremated according to their wishes. As many were cremated, all of the DNA evidence was destroyed with the victims, hence the true number of patients killed by Shipman will never be known.

ARREST/SENTENCE

Detection: In March 1998, prompted by Deborah Massey of Frank Massey & Son's funeral parlour, Dr Linda Reynolds of the Brooke Surgery (Hyde) flagged up to the South Manchester coroner about the high death-rate amongst Shipman’s patients – it was higher than all five GPs in his surgery combined – but unable to find any evidence against him the charges were dropped, during which time Shipman murdered another three victims. On 24th June 1998, Shipman murdered Kathleen Grundy during a home-visit, even though she wasn’t unwell. After her death, Grundy’s daughter became suspicious when Kathleen’s will was read, leaving her entire estate (£386,000) to Shipman. Unlike many of the other victims who had been cremated, Kathleen Grundy’s body was exhumed, traces of diamorphine was detected and Shipman’s own typewriter was found to have been used for forge the will.
Arrested: Shipman was arrested by Stan Egerton at Ashton-under-Lyne police station on 7th September 1998 at 9:18am, as Shipman arrived at the police station with his solicitor Ann Ball. He was calm, composed and knew what was about to happen.
Trial: On 5th October 1999 at Preston Crown Court, the trial of Dr Harold Shipman began and lasted for almost four months. He was charged with the murders of Marie West, Irene Turner, Lizzie Adams, Jean Lilley, Ivy Lomas, Muriel Grimshaw, Marie Quinn, Kathleen Wagstaff, Bianka Pomfret, Norah Nuttall, Pamela Hillier, Maureen Ward, Winifred Mellor, Joan Melia and Kathleen Grundy, by lethal injections of diamorphine. After six days of deliberation, on 31st January 2000, the jury found Shipman guilty of 15 counts of murder and one count of forgery. Mr Justice Forbes sentenced him to 15 life sentences to be served concurrently with a recommendation that he never be released.
Prison: Shipman served the first three years at HMP Frankland (Durham), but was later transferred to HMP Wakefield, a much tougher prison.
Sentence Length: Of the 15 concurrent life sentences that Shipman was charged with, he only 5 years and 4 months in prison. On the 13th January 2004 at 6:20am, in his cell at Wakefield prison, prisoner CJ8199 Harold Shipman (no longer a doctor as he’d been struck off the medical register on 10th February 2000) hung himself on the eve of his 58th birthday. Wearing just a t-shirt, boxer short and a pair of socks, Shipman made a makeshift ligature using the green & orange curtains, and – because prison cells are specifically designed so there’s nothing high you can hang yourself off – he tied the ligature around his neck/legs and suffocated himself in a kneeling position. The timing of his suicide was deliberate as it guaranteed his wife Primrose a lump-sum of £100,000 and an annual pension of £10,000.
Type of Prisoner: Oddly, even though he was a convicted murder, during his time at HMP Frankland, Shipman dispensed invaluable medical advice to fellow prisoners, but eventually was placed into solitary confinement as a few of the more dangerous lifers were pressuring him to diagnose them with severe ailments so they could get lighter duties. For the bulk of his time, Shipman spent his time using the prison library to watch videos and read books, and enjoyed watching the TV, especially cricket, rugby and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
Parole: Not applicable.

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

If you're looking for a quirky, curious and unusual thing to do in London this weekend? Book onto Murder Mile Walks today.

2 Comments

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #2 John Wayne Gacy

22/5/2017

0 Comments

John Wayne Gacy Jnr with First Lady Rosalynn Carter (licence-free image)

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.

PERSONAL DETAILS:
Birth Name: John Wayne Gacy Jnr
Date of Birth: 17th March 1942 (St Patrick’s Day)
Place of Birth: Edgewater Hospital in Chicago (Illinois)
Weight: 230 lb (104 kg)
Height: 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Hair Colour: Light brown
Eye Colour: Blue
Nickname: Often dubbed by the media as The Killer Clown as Gacy would perform at charity fundraisers and children’s parties as Pogo the Clown. He was also known locally (at his own request) as the Colonel as he’d give away free Kentucky Fried Chicken strips to friends when he managed three KFC franchises in Waterloo (Iowa), but at home, during his turbulent childhood, Gacy was affectionately nicknamed “Johnny” by his mother and sisters.
Star Sign: Pisces
Disabilities: None.
Health Issues: Numerous. Aged 17, Gacy was diagnosed with a “heart arrhythmia” (an irregular heartbeat that caused fainting spells) and was believed to have been brought on by anxiety, although this diagnosis was never medically confirmed and his father often accused him of “faking it”. Because of this ailment, Gacy avoided sports hence he was overweight and was ineligible for military service, which his WW1 veteran father saw as another failing of his unmanly son in a family of three children (two daughters and one son). Throughout his childhood and teens, Gacy was also hospitalised on many occasions with seizures, caused by blunt force trauma to his head, caused by his abusive father and a childhood accident.
Sexual Orientation: Gacy's homosexual feelings stirred in his teenage years, but he was unable to "come out" openly as he knew his violent father would disapprove, so he hid his true feelings until his thirties. Aged six, when Gacy’s mother tried to protect him from his father’s beatings, Gacy Snr ridiculed his son for being a “sissy” and a “momma’s boy” who would “probably grow up queer”. Gacy always sought his father’s approval but was regarded by him as “dumb, stupid and never good enough”. Although homosexual, John Wayne Gacy Jnr was married twice with two children (Michael & Christine and two step children to his second wife). It’s worth noting that although John Gacy Snr never sexually abused his son, Gacy first sexual experience was when he was molested by a male family friend aged 7, which he never told his father about for fear of being beaten. It wasn’t until 1975 that Gacy admitted to his second wife that he was a bisexual, although it is often debated whether Gacy was actually a homosexual masquerading as a heterosexual.
Personality: John Wayne Gacy Jnr was seen as diligent, hard-working and contentious by those he sought the approval of - Junior Chamber, Democrat Party and Loyal Order of the Mooses fraternity, of which he was a member of all three – he even met with President Carter’s wife owing to his charity work. But after years of abuse by his father, Gacy was unemotional, uncaring and apathetic for other people’s feelings and needs.

FAMILY HISTORY:

Parents: John Stanley Gacy (1900–1969), an auto repair machinist and his wife Marion Elaine Robinson (1908–1989), a housewife. The family were of Polish / Danish ancestry, hence the family name was previously spelled Gatza and Gaca.
Siblings: Karen (youngest sister) and Joanne (older sister)
Sibling Order: Gacy was the second of three children, and the only son
Injury/Traumatic Event as a Child: John Gacy Snr was a violent alcoholic who regularly beat and abused his wife and children, often using a leather strap, a belt, a razor strop (which is a tough leather strap used for sharpening shaving blades) and - aged just four years old - Gacy was beaten across the head with a broomstick so hard that he was rendered unconscious. These beatings became so frequent, that Gacy became apathetic and emotionally hardened to both the beatings and other people.
Deceased Parent: Just before his death of cirrhosis of the liver on Christmas Day 1965, John Wayne Gacy visited his father. Now aged 23 years old, Gacy was married to Marlynn, had two children and was running three successful KFC franchises – a period of his life which he described as “perfect”. John Stanley Gacy Sr apologized to Gacy for the physical and mental abuse he had inflicted upon his son before proudly stating "Son, I was wrong about you”. Unfortunately, when Gacy Snr died, his son was already in prison for a sexual offence against a teenager. When Gacy heard that his abusive father had died, he collapsed and sobbed uncontrollably, and when he requested supervised compassionate leave from prison to attend his father's funeral, his request was denied.
Head Injury or Accident as Child: As above, aged six, John Wayne Gacy Jnr was rendered unconscious by being beaten about the head by his father with a broomstick. Also, aged 11 years old, Gacy was accidentally struck on the forehead by a swing and caused a blood clot on the brain (but this wasn’t diagnosed until he was 16) and resulted in him blacking-out on numerous occasions, possibly exacerbated by his congenital heart arrhythmia.
Bed-Wetter (as child): Yes, until late childhood, for which he was punished
Fire-Starter (as child): No, although in later life he used red-hot fire-pokers for torture
Animal Abuser (as child): No, Gacy owned and loved two pet dogs
Pets: Unlike many serial killers, Gacy was not known to abuse animals. In his pre-teen years he had two dogs, the second of these was a Spaniel called Prince.
Abandoned / Fostered: No.
Marital Status: Married and divorced twice; first to Marlynn Myers in 1964 and divorced in 1969, and Carole Hoff in 1972 and divorced in 1976. Marlynn petitioned for divorce on the same day that Gacy was sentenced to 10 years for the “oral sodomy” of a 15 year old boy.
Children: Michael & Christine (born to Marlynn).

WORK:

Jobs: Aged 18 years old, Gacy ran away from home, drove to Las Vegas (Nevada) and became a mortuary attendant. Here he slept in a fold-out bed behind the embalming room, and on one evening he climbed into the coffin of a deceased teenage male, embracing and caressing the corpse. In 1963, Gacy was a trainee manager at Nunn-Bush Shoe Company, in 1964 he managed three Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in Waterloo (Iowa) owned by his father-in-law; in 1970, having been released from prison, Gacy got a job as a short-order cook in Waterloo, and finally in 1972, Gacy set up his own construction company - PDM Contractors (which stands for “Painting, Decorating and Maintenance”).
Training: As a mortician’s assistant, Gacy learned about embalming, dissection and the liquefaction of bodies. All skills whihc would come in handy later in life.
Military Service: None. Ineligible owing to heart arrhythmia and blackouts.
IQ / Education – IQ of 118. Although a high-school drop-out, owing to repeated hospitalisation for seizures and heart arrhythmia between the ages of 14 to 18, Gacy applied and graduated from Northwestern Business College in 1963, and during his first incarceration at Anamose State Penitentiary, Gacy completed 16 high school courses and obtained a diploma in November 1969.

SOCIAL:

Favourite Food: Although never stated, John Wayne Gacy’s final meal on Death Row consisted of “a dozen deep-fried shrimp, a family bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, French fries, a pound of fresh strawberries and a large Diet Coke”.
Favourite Music: He was a big fan of REO Speedwagon.
Favourite Film: Unknown.
Favourite Book: Unspecified, but he claimed to enjoy reading the work of William S. Burroughs whose books include Naked Lunch, Junkie and Queer.
Favourite Drink: J&B (Justerini & Brooks) Scotch Whiskey, which he would often drink in his favourite drinking establishment The Good Luck Lounge, located at 4403 N. Elston Avenue, Mayfair, Chicago.
Smoker: Non-smoker, although he would partake socially of cannabis.
Hobbies: Gacy loved painting portraits of himself as Pogo the Clown. Once incarcerated, Gacy displayed his work at exhibitions and others were sold at auctions, with prices ranging between $200 and $20,000 each. Gacy benefited from these sales up until 1985, when the law changed. In the months following Gacy's execution, some of these painting were destroyed on a bonfire held in Naperville, attended by 300 people, including the family members of nine of Gacy's victims.
Religion: Irish Catholic / Roman Catholic
Drugs/Alcohol Abuse: Gacy smoked cannabis, often to lure his young victims in with the promise of drugs, drink and excitement. Although his father was a violent alcoholic, this didn’t stop Gacy from turning to alcohol himself and plying his young victims with alcohol.
Political Leanings: Staunchly a Democrat; aged 18 years old he was assistant precinct captain for a Democratic Party candidate in his hometown in Chicago.

MURDER CAREER:

Reason for Murder: Unknown; although it is obvious that John Wayne Gacy Jnr was physically and mentally abused by his father and sexually abused by a family friend during his childhood, John Wayne Gacy lead two separate lives; one as a respectable business man, husband and heterosexual family man, who worked tirelessly as a children’s entertainer (for the United States Junior Chamber aka the Jaycees) and as a political supporter and campaign fundraiser for the Democrat Party, and yet was also a rapist, child abuser and closet homosexual who took by force... and in secret.
Method of Killing: All but one of his victims was asphyxiated or strangled using a makeshift tourniquet. He often lured his young victims with the promise of a lift, alcohol or paid work; plied them with alcohol, pinned them to the ground, sometimes cuffing hands behind their backs or sitting on their chests and strangling them with a tourniquet (once he stabbed his victim with a kitchen knife). Later, Gacy progressed to torturing his victims and using them as “sex slaves”, during which they were raped, whipped and burned with candles.
Number of Victims: 33 known victims; 25 were conclusively identified by DNA and dental records, 7 remain unidentified and 1 victim’s identity remains disputed (as of May 2017).
Length of Career: 3rd January 1972 to 11th December 1978, from first to last known murder.
Criminal Record: In March 1968, Gacy forced 15 year old Donald Voorhees to perform oral sex on him. On 3rd December 1968, Gacy was sentenced to 10 years in Anamose State Penitentiary for “oral sodomy”, the attempted assault on 16 year old Edward Lynch and – in relation to the Voorhees case – intimidating a witness, when he paid 18 year old Russell Schroeder to beat-up and spray Voorhees in the face with Mace. Gacy served just 18 months of his 10 year sentence. A few months after his release whilst on supervised parole, Gacy was charged with sexually assaulting a teenager on 12th February 1971, but this charge was dismissed when the victim failed to turn up to the court case. On 22nd June 1972, one week before his wedding to Carole Hoff, Gacy was arrested with aggravated battery when he impersonated a policeman in order to lure a youth named Jackie Dee to his car and force him to perform oral sex. Again, the charges were dropped. Interesting fact: In 1975, having been appointed the director of Chicago's annual Polish Constitution Day Parade, Gacy met First Lady Rosalynn Carter (wife of the US President). Although, a convicted sex offender and child rapist, the United States Secret Service vetted and approved John Wayne Gacy to talk to and be photographed with Lady Carter. If you look at the photo, you will see he is wearing an "S" pin, which indicated a person who has been given special clearance by the Secret Service
Preferred Victims: All victims were teenage boys or young men, aged between 14 and 21 years old and all were white. Some he picked-up at bus stations, on streets, at bars and some of his victims were even employees at his business – PDM Contractors.
Preferred Murder Location: At Gacy’s own home at 8213 West Summerdale Ave, Chicago. Although the building has been demolished, a family home still resides at that location.
Perversions: Although, whilst he was working as a mortician’s assistant, Gacy fondled the corpse of a teenage boy, it was never proven that he engaged in any form of necrophilia (sex with a dead body) with any of his victims, or that he cannibalised or ate any body parts. Once his victims were dead, they were buried and forgotten about.
Disposal: Early in his murderous career, Gacy noticed that when he stored a corpse in a closet, that fluid would often leak out of his victim’s mouth or other orifices, and although he would stuff the corpse’s cavities with their own underwear to prevent “leakage” (a skill he learned as a mortician's assistant), the majority of the corpses were buried under the crawl space of his home. This is also the reason why – when he started to run out of space – he initially considered storing the bodies in his attic, but was worried about “excessive leaking”. The last five of Gacy’s victims were thrown off the I-55 bridge into the Des Plaines River, one of which landed on a passing barge boat. Only four of these corpses were ever found.

ARREST/SENTENCE:

Detection: On 11th December 1978, Gacy visited a Des Plaines pharmacy and offered 15 year old employee Robert Jerome Piest a job at $5 per hour. When Piest failed to return, Gacy’s house was searched and a two-man surveillance team were assigned to follow Gacy. Feeling cocky, on 19th December 1978, Gacy invited the detectives inside his house and one of them noticed a smell of rotting corpses emanating from a heating duct.
Arrested: On the 22nd December 1978, Gacy admitted he had "been the judge, jury and executioner of many, many people". He confessed to 25 to 30 murders, all of whom he falsely claimed were of teenage runaways or male prostitutes.
Trial: The trial began on 8th February 1980, where Gacy was charged with 33 counts of murders before Judge Louis Garippo. Although the case was heard in Cook County, the jury composed of residents of Rockford because of the saturation of local press coverage. The trial lasted five weeks, but the jury only needed to deliberate for less than two hours and on the 13th March 1980, John Wayne Gacy was found guilty of twelve counts of murder which warranted a death sentence.
Prison: John Wayne Gacy Jnr spent 14 years on Death Row at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois.
Type of Prisoner: Although Gacy never showed any remorse for his victims, he occupied his time in prison by painting self-portraits. Throughout his incarceration, Gacy maintained his innocence and even claimed that some of his victims were murdered by his employees, who had keys and access to his home/business whilst he was away. Gacy was attacked twice during his incarceration on Death Row by fellow inmates; first by Henry Brisbon (the I-57 killer) who stabbed him in the upper arm with a sharpened wire, and second by William Jones who stabbed him in the head. Both injuries were superficial.
Parole: having been sentenced to death, Gacy was not eligible for parole. Therefore on the 9th May 1994, Gacy was transferred to Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill for execution; he had a picnic with his family and that evening was executed by lethal injection. The procedure took 18 minutes. His final words were simply "Kiss my ass. Gacy's death was confirmed at 12:58am on 10th May 1994. At his post-mortum, his brain was removed and is now held in trust by Dr Helen Morrison in an attempt to isolate common personality traits of violent sociopaths. The brain of John Wayne Gacy showed no signs of abnormality.

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.

No plans this weekend? Why not book yourself into Murder Mile Walks, hailed as one of the best "curious, quirky and unusual things to do in London". Click BOOK NOW for tickets.

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.

0 Comments

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #1 Dennis Nilsen

15/5/2017

2 Comments

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.

Outside of 1-3 Denmark Street where Dennis Nilsen worked

As part of a weekly series, Murder Mile blog will be investigating the profiles of some of the world's most infamous serial killers and murderers, by unearthing some interesting facts and titbits about their lives, loves, likes and dislikes, where they worked, where they lived and who they dated or married, all of which I hope will will give you more of an insight into them as a person, and even leading to an understanding of why they did what they did, instead of lazily defining this person by the horrific nature of their crimes and (more often than not) their kill-count.

PERSONAL DETAILS

Birth Name: Dennis Andrew Nilsen
Date of Birth: 23rd November 1945
Place of Birth: Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire (a coastal town in north-east Scotland)
Places Lived: Fraserburgh (1945-55), Strichen (1955-61), Aldershot (1961), Onsabruck (West Germany, 1964-67), Aden (South Yemen, 1967-68), Plymouth (1969-69), Cyrus (1969-70), Berlin (1970), Inverness (1971), Shetland Island (1971-72) and Wilsden and Muswell Hill in North London (1972-83). Currently HMP Full Sutton in Yorkshire.
Weight: 210lbs (15 stone)
Height: 6 foot 1 inches (1.85 metres)
Hair Colour: Dark brown
Eye Colour: Dark brown
Star Sign: Sagittarius
Nicknames: Known as “Den” by his friends, but was later dubbed by the British tabloid press as "The Muswell Hill Killer" and "The Kindly Killer" as with many of his victims being homeless young men, Nilsen would lure them in with a warm homecooked meal, alcoholic drinks, companionship and a place to sleep... before murdering them
Disabilities: Slightly myopic, wore glasses to see and read
Health Issues: None
Sexual Orientation: Homosexual since his early teenage years, he later had sex with a prostitute whilst serving in Berlin, and stated that having sex with a female was "over-rated" and "depressing". Nilsen had a lust for young, slim, passive and vulnerable young men.
Personality: As a child he was described as shy, quiet and unadventurous; later as a diligent, intelligent and conscientious worker (who as a union rep’ vehemently stood up for his colleagues rights), but was prone to anger and violent outbursts when confronted

FAMILY HISTORY

Parents: Elizabeth Duthie Whyte (a native of Fraserburgh) and Olav Magnus Moksheim (a soldier of the Norwegian Free Army, who served in Scotland during World War Two from 1940, when he married Elizabeth and adopted the surname Nilsen to blend in.
Siblings: Three to Elizabeth & Olav - Olav Junior, Dennis and Sylvia - and four half-siblings
Sibling Order: Second of three children (middle child)
Traumatic Event: On 31st October 1951, Nilsen experienced the death of his beloved grandfather (a fisherman who would often be at sea for weeks-on-end and who Nilsen regarded as "great hero" and stated "life would be empty until he returned"). Unfortunately his mother didn't prepare her five year old son for this great shock, instead she informed him that his grandfather was "home" and that Dennis should "come in and see him". As the young Nilsen excitedly entered the bedroom, he saw that his grandfather - the only person he "ever truly loved" - was dead. Nilsen often states that this was the most traumatic moment of his life and that - at this moment - his idea of love and death fused together.
Divorced/Deceased Parents: Abandoned by his career-focused father and effectively raised by a single-parent (his mother), Nilsen's parents divorced in 1948 when he was 3 years old, she later remarried a local builder called Andrew Scott who was a strict disciplinarian and Nilsen's mother would go on to have a further four children with Nilsen's step-father, which left no time for Dennis in what was already an un-affectionate family.
Accident as a Child: Aged nine years old, Nilsen almost drowned whilst swimming at the beach in Inverallochy. This is a key moment in his young life as he'd often recall the feeling of drowning, feeling dead, and the joy of being touched by another boy (his rescuer).
Bed-Wetter (as child): Yes, but only briefly as with most children
Fire-Starter (as child): No, Nilsen only made fire later in life for the disposal of bodies.
Animal Abuser (as child): No, Nilsen was very fond of animals. Once he found an injured sparrow on the street and - having grown up in a coastal town and having a real affinity for wildlife - Nilsen constructed a makeshift nest in his office drawer and over the next few days, proceeded to feed the bird using Fish Fingers which he'd masticated in his mouth first, before feeding it to the bird, like he was it's own mother.
Pets: In 1978, when Nilsen and "Twinkle" lived together, the adopted a stray tabby cat called Dee-Dee as well as a mongrel Collie cross called "Bleep" which he purchased as a puppy from a local pet-shop. They named the dog "Bleep" as - being a timid little dog - she couldn't bark, instead she made high-pitched squeaks. Along with his grandfather, Nilsen adored "Bleep" and often stated he was terrified of being arrested for fear of what would happen to his dog. Unfortunately his instincts proved correct, as when Nilsen was arrested, "Bleep" was put to sleep, as the Police didn't believe anyone would want a serial killer's dog.
Marital Status: Unmarried (as matrimony was illegal for homosexuals in the 1970/80's), but during his killing spree, Nilsen didn't have a boyfriend for longer than a few months
Partners: David “Twinkle” Gallichan (1977-78) who he met at The Champion in Bayswater (West London) when Nilsen witnessed Gallichan being accosted by two men, Nilsen intervened and the two of them bonded over a few drinks. Being homeless, Nilsen invited Gallichan to move in with him, but where-as Nilsen was a homebody who wanted to stay home, Gallichan was young and promiscuous, so when he left Nilsen owing to Nilsen's angry and possessive manner, this abandonment caused Dennis Nilsen to slide into drinking binge and killing spree which left 15 young men dead. Gallichan is seen here in this video.
Children: None

OCCUPATION/EDUCATION

IQ: Unknown, his IQ was never tested
Education: Left school aged 16, was an above average student but not exemplary
Jobs: First job after school was in a canning factory (1961), he then signed up for 9 years as an Army chef (rank: private), he was trained at St Omer Barracks in Aldershot, and then served as a cook in the 1st Battalion the Royal Fusiliers in Osnabrück (West Germany), Al Mansoura prison (Aden, South Yemen), Seaton Barracks (Plymouth), Cyprus, Inverness and the Shetland Islands (all for the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders). In December 1972 he joined the London Metropolitan Police and - having passed his exams - was posted to Wilsden Green Police Station until December 1973 when he resigned, having felt the Police Force lacked the camaraderie he found in the Army. After this he was a security guard (December 1973 to April 1974), he worked in Angie's Cafe (Covent Garden) and finally he successfully applied for a job as Acting Executive Officer at the employment office on Denmark Street, Soho (May 1974 to March 1983).
Training: Trained chef; skilled with knives and meat, trainee Police Officer and a union representative for the civil service.

SOCIAL LIFE

Favourite Food: Unspecified, but Nilsen trained as an Army chef who served in South yemen so (according to colleagues at the Job Centre) he could make a “mean curry”
Favourite Music: Tommy by The Who, Fanfare For The Common Man by Dvorak, Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Rick Wakeman, Royal Philharmonic’s Hooked on Classics and – his personal favourite - Frankenstein by The Edgar Winter Group
Favourite Film: Tommy (The Rock Opera) by The Who
Favourite Book: Unknown (currently researching)
Favourite Drink: Dark rum with Coca Cola, occasionally he would drink beer with whiskey chasers, and was known to make mulled wine at Christmas for work colleagues
Smoker: Yes, brand unknown
Hobbies: Nilsen was not into sports, he liked poetry (both reading and writing, a hobby he continues to this day, although he's not allowed to publish any), music (he still plays the keyboard) and amateur film-making (examples if which are seen here). Nilsen has also written his two-volume autobiography - The History of a Drowning Boy - which the European Court of Human Rights has banned the publication of).
Religion: Raised as strict catholic, but he is currently agnostic
Drugs/Alcohol: Nilsen disliked hard drugs, as even with his drug of choice being whiskey and rum, he was prone to blackouts through alcoholic binges, hence why he is unable to remember many of the names/details of his victims. But during his prison life, Nilsen has boasted that he enjoys illegally smugged in cannabis.
Political Leanings: Left-wing, a staunch Labour supporter and union representative

MURDER CAREER

Reason for Murder: Nilsen never intended to kill any of his victims. Dubbed "The Kindly Killer", Nilsen would meet a young, slim and (often) homeless male and invite him back to his flat for food, drink, sex and companionship, but cursed with a violent temper and an innate fear of being abandoned, once they were asleep, he would be overcome with the feeling that his "lover" would leave him, and so he'd murder them so they'd "stay forever"
Method of Murder: Strangulation using a ligature usually whilst his victim was asleep or heavily intoxicated on alcohol or heroin, he would then drown his victim in the bath, bucket or the kitchen sink. One victim - Carl Stotter - was strangled and drowned by Nilsen, but as "Bleep" (Nilsen's dog) started licking Stotter's face, it became clear that Stotter wasn't dead. Overcome with guilt - having probably sobered up a little - Nilsen spent the next few days helping Stotter to recover, having convinced him that he had become trapped by the cord of his sleeping bag and that Nilsen was trying to save him, not strangle him
Length of Career: 30th December 1978 to 26th January 1983
Number of Victims: This is impossible to determine as Nilsen was usually drunk, destroyed most of their remains (by fire, boiling, flushing or disposal by bin) and Nilsen's memory of the events are sketchy-at-best but there were 8 victims identified - Stephen Holmes, Kenneth Ockenden, Martyn Duffey, William Sutherland, Malcom Barlow, John Howlett, Graham Allen and Stephen Sinclair - 6 or 7 unidentified victims, and numerous "attempted" victims including Carl Stotter, Douglas Stewart and Paul Nobbs. Nilsen later commented that the only reason Paul Nobbs survived is because - with so many dead bodies hidden under his floorboards - Nilsen simply didn't have any space left for Nobb's corpse.
Criminal Record: None, prior to the murders
Preferred Victims: Aged 14-27 years old; young, gay, slim and vulnerable, who saw Nilsen as a father figure and (often) resembled his ex-partner David "Twinkle" Gallachan
Preferred Murder Location: In his own flat; 23D Cranley Gardens (Muswell Hill, London) and 195 Melrose Avenue (Wilsden, London), both locations still exist as family homes
Preferred Pick-Up Locations: Usually he's meet his dates/victims in local pubs, such as The Golden Lion in Soho, The Champion in Bayswater, The Coleherne in Earls Court, The Princess Louise in Holborn, The King William in Hampstead, The Salisbury near Leicester Square, The Black Cap in Camden and The Cricklewood Arms in Cricklewood.
Perversions: Owing to his fear of abandonment, Nilsen - having strangled his "date" - would bathe, shave and dress their corpses, then engage in a full loving relationship with (what he described as) “a new kind of flatmate”, by propping the cadaver on a chair in front of the TV; chatting to them, bathing, kissing, sleeping and even engaging in necrophilia with the corpses whilst watching them "make love" in a mirror (he denied having penetrative sex instead opting for Intercrural sex - non-penetrative sex by thrusting his penis between the corpses thighs). In his teens, Nilsen often wore make-up so he'd look like a corpse, then using a mirror, he would masturbate himself whilst staring at his "dead" reflection.
Disposal: Most of the corpses were stored in cupboards, trunks, under the sink/floorboards so he could "enjoy" the corpse for months on end, but as soon as liquefaction took place (with many of the cadavers becoming riddled with maggots), Nilsen would dismember them; boiling the flesh of their faces in a large cooking pot; skin, intestines and internal organs were flushed down the toilet and larger limbs chopped up and left out for the rubbish. But when Nilsen's landlord decided to renovate 195 Melrose Avenue he asked Nilsen to leave. Nilsen promptly built a large bonfire in the back garden and placed a tyre on top to disguise the smell of burning flesh, hence why many of his victims remain unidentified to this day.

ARREST/SENTENCE

Detection: On the 4th February 1983, Nilsen sent a letter to his estate-agent complaining that his drain was blocked. Four days later Michael Cattran of Dyno-Rod examined the drain and found a "flesh-like substance and many small bones", Nilsen feigned surprise and even suggested it was Kentucky Fried Chicken, but the flesh was examined by a patholigist, proved to be human remains and Nilsen was arrested. Upon entering Nilsen's flat, Detective Inspect Jay was overwhelmed by the smell of rotting flesh, stated "don't mess me around son, where's the rest of this body?", Nilsen pointed towards a cupboard which was full of black sacks full of body parts.
Arrested: On the evening of Wednesday 9th February 1983
Trial: Began on 24th October 1983 at the Old Bailey (London), before Judge Sir David Croom-Johnson and concluded on 4th November 1983, Nilsen was charged with six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, and pleaded "not guilty" to all charges. The jury returned the next day with a majority verdict of "guilty".
Sentence Length: Initially condemned to a "life sentence" - which in the 1980's meant he would serve at least 25 years before parole is considered - in December 1998, the Home Secretary Jack Straw increased Nilsen's term to a "whole life tariff" which means he will never leave prison. He is one of 71 prisoners currently serving a "whole life tariff".
Prison: Nilsen is currently serving his "whole life sentence" at HMP Full Sutton (East Riding of Yorkshire) England, which is a Category A Prison. he previously served at HMP Parkhurst Prison but was moved having been attacked with a razor to the face and chest by fellow prisoner Albert Moffatt, his injuries required 89 stitches.
Type of Prisoner: Difficult. As a former Union Rep', Nilsen often petitions the Home Office with complaints about unfair rules. In October 2001, he filed a law suit when the prison removed a few "unsavoury" images from his hardcore homosexual magazines - Vulcan and Him - and prone to outbursts of anger, he once threw a bucket of faeces and urine at a prison officer, but - more often than not - he keeps to himself and replies to letters.
Parole: Not eligible.

Of course, if you'd like to learn more about serial-killer Dennis Nilsen, BOOK NOW onto Murder Mile Walk, a guided walk of Soho's most notorious murderers.

Next week's profile: John Wayne Gacy - "The Killer Clown"

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.

2 Comments

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #6 Myra Hindley

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #5 Ian Brady

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #4 Ed Gein

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #3 Dr Harold Shipman

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #2 John Wayne Gacy

Infamous Murderer & Serial Killer Profiles - #1 Dennis Nilsen

Author

Archives

Categories

SOCIAL MEDIA

BUSINESS ADDRESS

ABOUT MURDER MILE UK TRUE CRIME