November 23, 1945 - Dennis Nilsen
Nilsen operated for five years before his arrest came not through detective work but through a plumber's discovery of human remains blocking a drain — a detail that encapsulates how thoroughly his crimes went undetected. His victims were largely young, transient men whose disappearances drew little immediate attention, a vulnerability he appears to have understood and exploited. The ritualistic behavior that followed each killing, documented in unusual detail through his own later writings and interviews, has made him a significant subject in criminological study of organized offenders.
From Wikipedia
Dennis Andrew Nilsen (23 November 1945 – 12 May 2018) was a Scottish serial killer and necrophile who murdered at least twelve young men and boys between 1978 and 1983. Convicted at the Old Bailey of six counts of murder and two of attempted murder, Nilsen was sentenced to life imprisonment on 4 November 1983, with a recommendation that he serve a minimum of 25 years; this recommendation was later changed to a whole life tariff in December 1994. In his later years, Nilsen was imprisoned at HM Prison Full Sutton in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
All of Nilsen's murders were committed at the two North London addresses where he lived between 1978 and 1983. His victims were lured to these addresses through deception and killed by strangulation, sometimes accompanied by drowning. Following each murder, Nilsen performed a ritual in which he bathed and dressed the victim's body, which he retained for extended periods, before dissecting and disposing of the remains by burning them in a bonfire or flushing them down a toilet.
Nilsen became known as the Muswell Hill Murderer, as he committed his later murders in the Muswell Hill district of North London. He died at York Hospital on 12 May 2018 of a pulmonary embolism and a retroperitoneal haemorrhage, which occurred following surgery to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Further reading
- Killing For Company
The definitive, award-winning account of the Dennis Nilsen case, the basis for the ITV drama 'Des,' offering a groundbreaking study of one of Britain's most prolific killers.
View on Amazon → - The Dennis Nilsen Tapes
The exclusive behind-the-scenes story of the only TV interview ever recorded and broadcast with a serial killer in a British jail, conducted with Dennis Nilsen himself.
View on Amazon → - Dennis Nilsen - Conversations with Britain's Most Evil Serial Killer, subject of the hit ITV drama 'Des'
An in-depth examination of Dennis Nilsen's crimes and the chilling, contradictory way he spoke about the young men he murdered, drawing on extensive research into the case.
View on Amazon →
As an Amazon Associate, Evil Birthdays earns from qualifying purchases.
- Last updated on .