London 1943-1952
John Christie suffered from sexual repression, and committed rapes and murders to vent his frustrations. His case became notorious, not just because of the murders, but because of the execution of innocent man Timothy Evans. Like many serial killers, he had a very troubled childhood, being convicted of many petty crimes.
THE BACKGROUND
John Christie rented the ground floor flat at 10 Rillington Place in London. In 1949 Timothy Evans and his family moved into the flat above Christie’s. In November the same year, Evans went to the police and said he had found his wife dead at the flat (he said he had put the body of his wife down a drain).
The police went to the flat and found Beryl Evans’ body, as well as the body of her baby daughter Geraldine. Evans was arrested for murder, but he said Christie had committed the murders. At the trial, Christie was the main witness for the prosecution, and Evans was found guilty, being hung on March 9, 1950.
Then in 1952, Christie left Rillington Place suddenly, leaving behind a terrible smell in the kitchen. The next tenant found a papered-over door, broke through a door panel and saw the legs of a woman. He called the police, who found remains of several women. Christie was arrested on March 31, 1953, and confessed to a series of murders.
THE VICTIMS
Ruth Fuerst 1943
Christie killed Austrian woman Ruth Fuerst, by strangling her with a rope while they were having sex (Christie’s wife was out of the flat).
Christie put the body and her clothes under the floorboards. The next afternoon, when his wife was out, Christie moved the body and buried her in a hole dug in the garden.
Muriel Eady 1944
Offering Eady treatment for catarrh through inhalations, Christie fed Eady gas from the cooker, making her unconscious. He then strangled her with a stocking and buried her in the garden that night.
Beryl Evans and baby Geraldine Evans 30 November 1949
Christie admitted that he strangled Beryl, although he never admitted to killing the baby.
Ethel Christie, his wife 14th December, 1952
Christie said his wife woke him up during the night, choking. Christie said he couldn’t bear to see his wife suffer, and said he couldn’t stop her choking, he strangled her with a stocking. (He also claimed she had taken an overdose of sleeping pills). Christie buried his wife under the floorboards.
Rita Nelson 2nd January 1953
Christie said Nelson offered to have sex with him in his flat, and then threatened to accuse him of molesting her if he didn’t. He said that once in the kitchen, she demanded money again, and tried to hit him with a cooking pan. So he strangled her with a rope.
He then went to bed, slept the full night, shaved and dressed the next day, before putting the body in an unused alcove.
Kathleen Maloney 12 January 1953
Christie said he had met Maloney and another girl in a café, and after he said he would soon be moving out of the flat, she came to see it. Again, Christie claimed the woman started a fight, and he had killed her after defending himself.
He put Maloney’s body in the same alcove as Nelson.
Hectorina MacLennon 6 March 1953
Christie’s last victim, Christie claimed that in a struggle, her clothes had become caught around her neck and strangled her. He put he body into the alcove, then papered over the door, and soon after he left the flat for the last time.
THE TRIAL
When the new tenants moved into 10 Rillington Place, and found the alcove, the police immediately concluded Christie was the murderer, and he was arrested soon afterwards.
At the trial, Reginald Christie tried to plead not guilty by reasons of insanity, but this plea was rejected by the jury. They found Christie guilty and sane, and was hung at Pentonville prison on July 15th 1953.
The authorities did not want to admit that they had made a mistake trying and then executing Timothy Evans, but after a long press and public campaign, in 1966, Evans was posthumously pardoned.