John Christie
55-year-old John Christie lived with his wife at 10 Rillington Place in London. At the top floor lived 24-year-old Timothy Evans with his wife and baby daughter.
On 30 November 1949 Evans went to a police station and told them of how he found his wife dead in their home, worried of being accused he hid her body down a drain. The police however discovered Evans wife and baby daughter's strangled bodies in the backyard.
Evans confessed to the murders but later he accused his neighbour, John Christie of the murders. Evans went to trial in 1950 were Christie took the stand as a witness. Christie denied involvement in any murder and was believed. Evans was found guilty of the murder of his daughter and sentenced to death. He was hanged on 9 March 1950.
In March of 1953 a new tenant of 10 Rillington Place discovered the dead bodies of 3 women when opening a sealed papered-over cupboard. The police were notified and conducted a search of the grounds which revealed another 3 bodies - 6 in total.
The former tenant, John Christie, was arrested and confessed to 7 murders, of those victims one was Christie's wife.
Christie's motives were sexual, his modus operandi was to invite the woman victim to his house where he would then get them drunk and rape and strangle them.
Christie also confessed to the murder of Mrs Evans but denied murdering the Evans baby. An official enquiry into the Evans murders concluded that the murder case against Evans was found proven. It seems unlikely that there could be two murderers as neighbours - especially when the Evans were killed by Christie's method of strangulation.
John Christie was tried for the murder of his wife. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was hanged on 15 July 1953. Years later Timothy Evans was granted a posthumus free pardon.