An unjust conviction
While investigating a murder case, it is crucial to find sufficient evidence against the perpetrator. After all, we want to prevent the wrong person from being convicted of the crime, as happened with Timothy Evans from Notting Hill, London.
In January 1950, Timothy Evans from Notting Hill, London, was accused of strangling his wife Beryl and his daughter Geraldine. Evans maintained his innocence during the trial, repeatedly accusing his neighbor John Christie of the murders. Christie, who had a criminal record for assaulting a woman with a cricket bat, testified against Evans, providing detailed accounts of arguments he had heard between Evans and his wife. After a three-day trial and a 40-minute jury deliberation, Evans was found guilty and sentenced to death. He was hanged on March 9, 1950.
Three years later, when Christie moved, the bodies of six women were discovered in his apartment and on the property, including Christie's wife. John Christie was arrested in March 1953 and admitted to murdering all six found women, as well as Beryl and Geraldine Evans. He was sentenced to death and executed on July 15, 1953, by the same executioner who had hanged Timothy Evans three years earlier.
Listening recommendation: True Crime Podcast: Case 139: Beryl & Geraldine Evans.