This Day in History: 15 July 2020
15 July 1953
67 years ago, today, John Christie, one of England's most notorious killers, was executed. Four months earlier, in March, the police and a tenant in West London, at 10 Rillington Place, made an unfathomable discovery. They found the bodies of four women in an empty apartment, three in a hidden cupboard and one more that was beneath the floorboards. Christie had used to live in the house, and was apprehended a week later, subsequently confessing to the murders of the women. One of the women found dead had been identified as Christie's wife, Ethel, so police immediately knew where to begin their search for the killer. The two had been married for four years, but Christie visited prostitutes during their time together.
The other three victims were young women, who had all been sexually assaulted before their deaths. Detectives then soon found additional bodies buried in the garden behind the house. Two of the women had actually not been murdered by Christie but had died from illegal abortions that were conducted by another man. Throughout his life, Christie had suffered with impotence, causing his rage that led to his murder spree. The gory discoveries at Christie's old house filled the London headlines and tabloids for weeks, fuelling the call for Christie's execution that occurred at Pentonville Prison.
Want to find out more about the life and execution of John Christie? Click here for more information, or watch the 2016 BBC crime drama 'Rillington Place', starring Jodie Comer and Tim Roth.
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