John Reginald Halliday Christie is a well-known criminal and serial killer. He has murdered at least eight people, in the 1940s and 1950s, including his wife. In March 1953, he was executed by hanging.
Christie’s killings were depicted in the 1971 film 10 Rillington Place, starring Richard Attenborough.
Howard Brenton‘s play Christie in Love premiered in September, which also chronicled John’s life. It has been recreated countless times since then.
John Christie: Quick Facts
| Full Name | John Reginald Halliday Christie |
| NickName | John Christie |
| Date of Birth | April 8, 1899 |
| Birth Place | Northworam, West Riding, Yorkshire, England |
| Age | Died at 54 |
| Sun Sign | Aries |
| Father’s Name | Ernest John Christie |
| Mother’s Name | Under review |
| Siblings | Seven |
| Height | Under review |
| Weight | Under review |
| Nationality | British |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Ethnicity | Under review |
| Body Measurements | Under review |
| Eye Color | Under review |
| Hair Color | Under review |
| Shoe Size | Under review |
| Education | High school graduate |
| Body Type | Under review |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Net Worth | $1.5 million |
| Social Media Presence | None |
Table of Contents
John Christie Bio | Education And Early Life
John Christie, a British serial murderer, was born on April 8, 1899, in Northworam, West Riding, Yorkshire, England. Ernest John Christie, his father, was a carpet designer. He was the sixth kid in the family of seven. But details about his mother and siblings are under-wrapped.
He had a strained relationship with his father, an uncommunicative man who showed little-to-no emotion to his children and punished them for minor mistakes. In addition, he was also bullied by his mother and elder sisters.
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Christie received a scholarship to Halifax Secondary School when he was 11 years old. And he was a member of the local Boy Scout brigade and sang in the church choir. Christie also attended Northowram’s Boothtown Council School. In 1913, he graduated from high school, dropped education, and began working as an assistant projectionist.
Soon after, his family abandoned him as he was found stealing from his father’s carpet factory.
Christie enrolled in the British Army in September 1916, during the First World War, and was called upon to join the 52nd Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment as an infantryman. Christie was attached to the Duke of Wellington’s Unit as a signalman in April 1918, when the regiment was sent to France.
He was injured in a mustard gas assault the following June and spent a month in a military hospital in Calais. Christie stated that the incident left him unable to speak loudly for the rest of his life. Later in age, he said that the attack left him blind and dumb for three and a half years.
Age And Body Measurements| How Old Is John Christie?
John Christie died on July 15, 1953, at the age of 54. And when it comes to his physical stature, not much information has been revealed as of now.
Murders
Christie murdered his victims during a ten-year period, from 1943 to 1953. He strangled them after rendering them unconscious with home gas, and also others raped while they were unconscious.
Early Murders
- His first victim was Ruth Fuerst, a 21-year-old Austrian who supplemented her money by occasionally working as a prostitute.
- Christie said she encountered Fuerst while escorting customers at a snack shop in Ladbroke Grove.
- As per his statement, while his wife was visiting relatives, he invited Fuerst to his residence to engage in intercourse. Christie then strangled her on his bed with a length of rope on the spur of the moment.
- He hid Fuerst’s body underneath the floorboards of his living room at first, then buried it in the back yard the next evening.
- While working as a clerk at an Acton radio manufacturing, he met his second victim, Muriel Amelia Eady.
- In 1944, he called Eady back to his flat, promising a secret combination that would treat her bronchitis.
- Eady was to inhale the mixture through a tube installed in the top of a jar. The concoction was, in reality, Friar’s Balsam, which Christie employed to mask the odor of household gas.
- As Eady continued to breathe, it quickly knocked her unconscious.
- Christie sexually abused and strangled her before burying her near Fuerst.
Murder of Beryl Evans
- In 1948, Timothy Evans and his wife Beryl moved into the top-floor flat at Rillington Place, where John used to reside as well. The couple also had a newborn child, Geraldine.
- Timothy Evans reported his wife’s death to authorities in late 1949.
- A police search of 10 Rillington Place yielded no results, but a further search yielded the bodies of Beryl, Geraldine, and a 16-week male fetus. Beryl’s corpse had been covered twice, first in a blanket, then in a table cloth.
- The post-mortem examination found that both mother and daughter had been strangled and that Beryl had been physically abused prior to her death, as evidenced by face bruises.
- Evans first claimed that Christie murdered his wife after a botched abortion procedure, but police interrogation resulted in a confession by Evans.
- The cops may have faked the claimed confession, given the statement looks planned and unnatural.
- Evans was placed on trial for the murder of his daughter on January 11, 1950.
- Soon after, the innocent Timothy was found guilty and was due to be hanged on January 31. However, he was appealed for a chance.
- Evans was executed at HM Prison Pentonville on March 9, 1950, after his appeal on February 20, 1950, was denied.
Murder Of His Wife, Ethel Christie
- Christie murdered Ethel in her bed on December 14, 1952. She hadn’t been seen in public in two days.
- Christie concocted many explanations to explain his wife’s disappearance and to reduce the risk of further investigation.
- To one neighbor, he explained that she was visiting family in Sheffield; and to another, he stated she had gone to Birmingham.
- Christie had also resigned from his job earlier that month and had been out of work since then.
- He sold Ethel’s wedding ring, watch, and furnishings to support himself.
- He also forged his wife’s signature and emptied her bank account.
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Other Murders
- Christie murdered three additional women he invited back to 10 Rillington Place between January 19and March 6, 1953: Kathleen Maloney, Rita Nelson, and Hectorina MacLennan.
- Maloney worked as a prostitute in the Ladbroke Grove neighborhood.
- Nelson was from Belfast and was at Ladbroke Grove to see her sister when she met Christie. The lady was six months pregnant when she was murdered.
- Christie met MacLennan at a café while she was living in London with her boyfriend, Alex Baker.
- After that, the three of them met on numerous occasions, and Christie allowed MacLennan and Baker remain at Rillington Place while they looked for a place to stay.
- Christie visited MacLennan on another time on her alone and encouraged her to return to his flat, where he killed her.
- Later, he persuaded Baker, who had come to Rillington Place in search of MacLennan, that he had not seen her. Christie maintained the ruse for several days.
Later Murders
- Christie adapted the gassing technique he had originally used on Eady for the killings of his final three victims. He used a rubber tube attached to the gas line in the kitchen that he kept locked off with a bulldog clip.
- Surprisingly, he then sat his victims in the kitchen, unclipped the tube, and allowed gas into the room.
- It was determined that all three individuals were exposed to carbon monoxide. Christie then strangled his victims with a length of rope when the gas made them drowsy.
- Christie, like Eady, raped his last three victims repeatedly while they were unconscious and continued to do so until they died.
- Without delay, after strangling each of his final victims with a ligature, Christie slipped a vest or other cloth-like material between their legs. Then he wrapped their semi-naked corpses in blankets and stowed their bodies in a tiny alcove behind the rear kitchen wall. He later wallpapered the entrance to this nook.
Arrest and Conviction
- Christie was arrested, and then soon after, he acknowledged the deaths of the ladies in the alcove and his wife during police interrogation.
- On April 27, 1953, he confessed to the murder of Beryl Evans, for which Timothy Evans had been accused during the police inquiry in 1949.
- John also confessed to the killings of Muriel Eady and Ruth Fuerst on June 5, 1953, which aided the police in identifying their bones.
- Christie was hanged on July 15, 1953, at Pentonville Prison. Albert Pierrepoint, who had previously hung Evans, was his executioner.
Personal Life
Christie married Ethel Simpson on May 10, 1920, at the Halifax Register Office. Albeit, Ethel had a miscarriage early in their marriage. Then after three years of marriage, they got divorced.
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Christie returned to London in 1923 and spent the following decade in and out of prison, while Ethel stayed with family in Halifax, Bradford, and Sheffield.
After he was freed from the prison, the couple reconnected and moved to Rillington Place in January 1934.
Net Worth | How Much Does John Christie Earn?
The net worth or income of John Christie is believed to be around $1.5 million. He has accumulated a large fortune from his primary source of income as a criminal.
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Likewise, with a bad history being on his side, Christie has been silent on his annual income for a very long time. The well-known criminal has been out of the eyes of the media for a long time until his time of death. Henceforth there is no information on his annual income, assets, etc.
Social Media Presence | Is John Christie Active On Social Media?
Sadly, the former murderer is not alive to be on any social media sites.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is John Christie?
John Christie is a famous criminal and serial killer who was active during the 1940s and early 1950s.
- How did John Christie die?
Christie was caught and convicted of several murders, for which he was sentenced to death by hanging.
- Did John Christie kill his wife?
Yes, John Christie killed his wife, Ethel Christie.
