Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Further details may exist on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
“ In the end, when it was say two or three bodies under the floorboards, they began to accumulate. But come the summer it got hot and I knew it would be a smell problem. …And I thought “what would cause the smell more than the hot?” And I came to the conclusion it was the innards, the soft parts of the body, the organs and stuff like that. So on the weekend I would sort of pull up the floorboards — and I found it totally unpleasant — I’d get blinding drunk so I could face it, and start dissection on the kitchen floor. I got sick outside in the garden. „
Biography[]
Early life[]
Dennis Andrew Nilsen was born on November 23, 1945, in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Raised in a strict and religious household, Nilsen's early life was marked by a troubled relationship with his father. After leaving school, he enlisted in the army and later worked as a police officer.
Criminal Beginnings[]
Nilsen's criminal activities began in the late 1970s when he committed a series of gruesome murders in London. His victims were primarily young men whom he met in bars or on the streets. Nilsen would lure them to his home, where he would strangle or drown them. His modus operandi also involved performing disturbing acts on the bodies.
Muswell Hill Murders[]
Between 1978 and 1983, Nilsen carried out a series of murders at his residence in Muswell Hill, London. The exact number of victims is disputed, with estimates ranging from 12 to 15. Nilsen's crimes went undetected for years as he disposed of the victims' remains by dismembering the bodies and flushing body parts down the toilet or burning them in his backyard.
Arrest and Trial[]
Nilsen's crimes were discovered in 1983 when a plumber found human remains blocking the drains. Upon investigation, the police traced the grisly findings to Nilsen's residence. He was arrested and confessed to the murders, providing chilling details of his actions. In 1983, Nilsen went on trial for six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Conviction and Imprisonment[]
Dennis Nilsen was convicted on all charges and sentenced to life in prison. He was incarcerated at HMP Full Sutton, where he spent the remainder of his life. Nilsen's lack of remorse and the gruesome nature of his crimes contributed to the severity of his sentence.
Later Years and Death[]
In prison, Nilsen became known for his detailed and candid discussions about his crimes. He granted interviews and wrote extensively about his motivations and the events leading up to the murders. Dennis Nilsen died in prison on May 12, 2018, at the age of 72.
Legacy[]
Dennis Nilsen's case remains one of the most notorious in British criminal history. His heinous acts and the nature of his confessions have fascinated criminal psychologists, leading to extensive studies of his psyche.
Victims[]
Confirmed victims[]
Name | Age | Date of Death | Cause of Death |
---|---|---|---|
Stephen Dean Holmes | 14 | December 30, 1978 | Strangulation |
Kenneth Ockenden | 23 | December 3, 1979 | Strangulation |
Martyn Duffey | 16 | May 17, 1980 | Strangulation |
William Sutherland | 26 | c. August 20, 1980 | Strangulation |
Unidentified[note 2] | 27-30 | September, 1980 | |
Unidentified | 20-30 | October, 1980 | |
Unidentified | 20s | November, 1980 | Strangulation |
Unidentified[note 3] | 25-30 | November–December, 1980 | |
Unidentified | ~18 | c. January 4, 1981 | |
Unidentified | Early 20s | February, 1981 | Strangulation |
Unidentified[note 4] | ~20 | April, 1981 | |
Malcolm Barlow | 23 | September 18, 1981 | |
John Howlett[note 5] | 23 | March, 1982 | Drowning |
Graham Allen[note 6] | 27 | September, 1982 | |
Stephen Sinclair | 20 | January 26, 1983 | Strangulation |
Survivors[]
Name | Age | Date of Attack | |
---|---|---|---|
Andrew Ho | August 1979 | ||
Douglas Stewart | August, 1980 | ||
Paul Nobbs | November 1981 | ||
Carl David[7] Stotter | 21 | May 1982 | |
Martyn[8] |
Timeline[]
Bibliography[]
Literature[]
- Masters, Brian (1985). Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen,. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-812-83104-7
- Coffey, Russell (2013). Dennis Nilsen: Conversations with Britain's Most Evil Serial Killer, John Blake. ISBN 978-1-782-19459-0
- Nilsen, Dennis (2021). History of a Drowning Boy: The Autobiography, RedDoor Press. ISBN 978-1913062538
Articles[]
- "Dennis Nilsen". Biography (April 2, 2014).
Documentaries[]
Television[]
- Viewpoint '93 – Murder In Mind (1993) on IMDb
- Born to Kill?: Dennis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer (2011) on IMDb
- Britain's Most Evil Killers: Dennis Nilsen (April 2017) on IMDb
- Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes (2021) on IMDb, a 2021 documentary released by Netflix featuring first-person interviews, archival footage, newly shot reenactments and original photography related to the case.[9]
YouTube Documentaries[]
- Caught By Flushing Body Parts Down The Toilet (World’s Most Evil Killers), Real Crime on YouTube
- Muswell Hill Murderer, Real Crime on YouTube
- Confessions of a Serial Killer (S1E04), Beyond Crime on YouTube
Podcasts[]
- The Muswell Hill Murderer - Part 1. Case 144. Casefile True Crime Podcast (2020).
- The Muswell Hill Murderer - Part 2. Case 144. Casefile True Crime Podcast (2020).
- The Muswell Hill Murderer - Part 3. Case 144. Casefile True Crime Podcast (2020).
- Dennis Nilsen - Part 1. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
- Dennis Nilsen - Part 2. Serial Killers with Greg Polcyn & Vanessa Richardson.
In popular culture[]
Film/TV adaptations[]
- Cold Light of Day (1989) on IMDb
- Tony (2009) on IMDb
- Des (2020) on IMDb (trailer on YouTube)
Related Articles[]
See also[]
- Jeffrey Dahmer, often considered Nilsen's American counterpart.
Links[]
- Dennis Nilsen at Wikipedia
- Dennis Nilsen on IMDb
Notes[]
- ↑ A WW2 soldier who adopted the surname "Nilsen" on escaping from German-occupied Norway.[1]
- ↑ Nilsen later claimed to have fabricated this victim.[2]
- ↑ Nilsen later claimed to have fabricated this victim.[3]
- ↑ Nilsen later claimed to have fabricated this victim.[4]
- ↑ Howlett was known to Nilsen as "John the Guardsman".[5]
- ↑ His body was identified from dental records and healed fractures to his jawbone.[6]
References[]
- ↑ Nilsen, Dennis (2021). History of a Drowning Boy: The Autobiography, p. 1 RedDoor Press. ISBN 978-1913062538
- ↑ Coffey 2013, p. 209
- ↑ Coffey 2013, pp. 209–210
- ↑ Coffey 2013, p. 210
- ↑ Masters, Brian (1985). Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen, p. 126 New York City: Random House. ISBN 978-0-812-83104-7
- ↑ Coffey 2013, p. 232
- ↑ Victim of Serial Killer Outraged!. Psychowatcher (September 26, 2011).
- ↑ Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes
- ↑ Trailer. Netflix Youtube.
Cited works[]
- Coffey, Russell (2013). Dennis Nilsen: Conversations with Britain's Most Evil Serial Killer,. New York: John Blake. ISBN 978-1-782-19459-0