Murder Maps

Peter Manuel was a Scottish serial killer who killed at least eight people between 19561958 around the Greater Glasgow area He fell under the polices radar several times but each time let go When he was finally tracked down and arrested Manuel sensationally defended himself in court But it would be his mothers testimony that would prove to be crucial to the outcome

Born in 1832 the story of the Black Widow is a classic Victorian tale Mary Ann Cotton traveled around the northeast of England marrying lonely men getting them to take out life insurance and then murdering them Arsenic was her preferred means of killing Once dead she would cash in and move on After her execution it was suspected that she was responsible for the murders of a further 21 people

Dr Ruxton was an Indianborn physician He lived a quiet respectable life in Lancaster but had a violent jealous streak He had accused his wife of infidelity for years but in September 1935 his jealousy got the better of him He beat strangled and stabbed her to death then did the same to the housemaid He dismembered the bodies to remove identification marks and dumped them in Scotland

Three police officers were murdered in Shepherds Bush on Friday August 12th 1966 by Harry Roberts and two others After the killing they went on the run and a manhunt ensued The notion that someone had killed several policemen shocked the public and attracted much press attention As the act of murder happened six months after the death penalty was suspended people called for its return