Killers_ The Most Barbaric Murderers of Our Time - Cawthorne, Nigel [72]
Under a drawer in the bathroom, the police found Sinclair’s pelvis and legs. In a tea chest in Nilsen’s bedroom, there was another torso, a skull and more bones.
The police also examined the gardens at 195 Melrose Avenue. They found human ash and enough fragments of bone to determine that at least eight people, probably more, had been cremated there.
Nilsen was eventually charged with six counts of murder and two of attempted murder. His solicitor had one simple question for Nilsen: ‘Why?’
‘I’m hoping you will tell me that,’ Nilsen said.
Nilsen intended to plead guilty, sparing the jury and the victims’ families the details of the horrendous crimes. Instead, his solicitor persuaded him to claim ‘diminished responsibility’.
One of the most extraordinary witnesses at the trial was Carl Stottor. Nilsen had tried to strangle him three times, but somehow his frail body had clung to life. Nilsen had then dragged him to the bath and held him under water. Stottor had found the strength to push himself up three times and beg for mercy. But Nilsen pushed him down again. Thinking he was dead, Nilsen took Stottor’s body back into the bedroom and smoked a cigarette. Then Bleep, Nilsen’s dog, began to lick Stottor’s face and the young man began to revive. Nilsen could easily have snuffed out his life then and there. Instead, he rubbed Stottor’s legs to stimulate his circulation. He wrapped him with blankets and nursed him back to life. When he was well again, Nilsen walked him to the tube station and wished him luck.
Nilsen had left another survivor to testify against him. Paul Nobbs had slept at Cranley Gardens one night and woke at 2 a.m., with a splitting headache. When he woke again in the morning, he found red marks around his neck. Nilsen advised him to see a doctor. At the hospital, Nobbs was told that he had been half strangled. He assumed that his attacker had been Nilsen, but did not report the assault to the police, assuming they would dismiss the attack as a homosexual squabble.
In November 1983, Nilsen was convicted of the attempted murder of Stottor and Nobbs, plus the actual murder of six others. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with the recommendation that he serve at least 25 years.
He says he does not lose sleep over what he has done, or have nightmares about it. Nor does he have any tears for his victims or their relatives.
Chapter 12
The Dingo Case
Name: Lindy Chamberlain, Michael Chamberlain
Nationality: Australian
Number of victims: 1
Final note: both Lindy and Michael claimed that they were innocent and that a dingo took their baby daughter
Seventh Day Adventism is an apocalyptic religion. It was founded in the nineteenth century by former US Army officer William Miller. From his studies of the book of Daniel and the Book of Revelations, he worked out that Christ would make his Second Coming between 21 March 1843 and 21 March 1844. When Christ did not turn up between the appointed dates, Miller came up with a second date of 22 October 1844. His 100,000 followers, many of whom had sold up all their worldly goods, waited all night but Christ and his fiery conflagration did not turn up then either. This is known among Adventists as the ‘Great Disappointment’. Miller himself was so disappointed he died four years later.
In 1845, the Adventists got together to figure out what to do next. The Mutual Conference of Adventists decided that Miller had indeed got the date right, but that his interpretation was off. In fact, God started ‘cleansing the heavenly sanctuary’ on that date – in other words, he was spring-cleaning heaven ready for the righteous to turn up. After that he would have to go through all the names in the Book of Life and investigate all the sins listed. Only after that would he make his judgement and send Christ back to Earth to separate the righteous from the wicked. So he could be some time yet. Meanwhile those Adventists