The Murder of Aimee Cannon

Aimee Jane Cannon was a 26-year-old Scottish woman who worked at a tanning and beauty salon, she was described as the life and soul of any party, Aimee’s friends described her as having a heart of gold and an infectious laugh, she was a mother to two children and enjoyed burlesque dancing.

On the evening of Saturday 7th May, Aimee’s dad found her body at the family home, the police were called and a murder investigation began- it was clear Aimee had suffered a brutal and sustained attack in which she had been repeatedly stabbed and struck over the head.

Michael Porchetta, 25, was arrested and charged with Aimee’s murder, he has made no plea in relation to the charge.

The Murder of Leah Croucer

Leah Croucher was a 19-year-old British woman living with her parents in Milton Keynes, UK. Leah worked at a direct debit collection agency, she was described as shy, witty and funny, she loved music, reading fantasy books and watching movies. Leah had also competed internationally in taekwondo.

On 15th February 2019 at 8am, Leah left her home to walk her regular route to work, she did not arrive for her 9am shift and when she also failed to return home that night her parents reported her missing. CCTV had captured Leah walking in the direction of her work at 8.16am, and a witness saw someone matching her description nearby at 8.20am, at 8.34am Leah’s phone was turned off.

On 12th October 2022, police found Leah’s rucksack and personal possessions at a property less than 2km away from her home, it was a place Leah would have walked past on her route to work. It was later announced that human remains had also been found at the same property, these were later confirmed through dental records to be Leah however due to decomposition of the body a cause of death could not be established.

Police named convicted sex offender, Neil Maxwell, as their prime suspect, he was the only person who had access to the property Leah’s remains were found at. Maxwell had hanged himself in April 2019, two months after Leah’s disappearance. At the time of Leah’s disappearance, Maxwell had been on the run for police in connection to a sexual assault and had previous convictions for rape and child sex offences.

Man Sentenced for Nikki Allan Murder

Seven-year-old Nikki Allan was murdered in October 1992 after being lured to a derelict building, full link to post on Nikki’s murder here

30 years later, David Boyd has been found guilty of the crime. Boyd, who was 25-years-old at the time of Nikki’s death, was the partner of a woman who babysat Nikki, he also lived in the same block of flats as Nikki’s grandparents. Just before her death a witness described Nikki skipping alongside a man, now known to be Boyd, which led police to believe Nikki must have known her killer due to how comfortable she had seemed to be with him.

Boyd had previously admitted to having sexual fantasies of young girls and had convictions for the indecent assault of a 9-year-old and for asking a minor to kiss him. Boyd has now been sentenced to life in prison for Nikki’s murder.

The Murder of Lily Sullivan

Lily Sullivan was an 18-year-old college student living in Pembroke, Wales, she was learning to drive and was described as forgiving, kind and loving. She was a talented artist who loved music and spending time with her friends.

Lily went on a night out with friends on 16th December 2021. She met Lewis Haines, 31, in a nightclub and the two kissed. Friends of Haines reminded him that he had a girlfriend and cautioned him that Lily was ‘far too young.’ At some point, Lily and Haines left the club together. They were walking through an alleyway towards Mill Pond when at 2.47am, Lily phoned her mother and said 'I’ll be there now mam. I’m on my way. I’m a couple of minutes away. I’m nearly there,’ before the call was cut short. Her mother tried calling her back 30 times, CCTV shows Lily’s abandoned phone lighting up. At around 3am a local resident heard a woman scream.

Lily was found face down in Mill Pond reservoir, her top had been forcibly removed and she had been strangled.

After murdering Lily, CCTV chillingly captured Haines walking past Lily’s mother who was waiting at a nearby garage to pick her up. Lily’s mother noticed Haines acting strangely and followed him until he disappeared into nearby woods. Haines then went home to his girlfriend and said 'I’ve strangled somebody.’

It is thought that Lily had rejected Haines’ sexual advances and wanted to go home with her mother which angered him and led to him attacking her. Haines claims Lily threatened to report him for trying to rape her when she found out he had a girlfriend. The judge ruled, 'His intention was to silence her. He didn’t want anyone to know what had happened in the lane.’ Haines was sentenced to serve at least 23 years and 4 months in prison.

Leading up to Lily’s death she had shared a number of posts about misogyny, sexual violence and femicide to her social media. One post showed floral tributes left for murder victim Sarah Everard with a sign saying, 'She was just walking home.’

The Five Areas That Helped Police Catch Soham Killer

Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were ten-year-old girls murdered in Soham, England. Post on the murders here. Ian Huntley was sentenced to two life sentences for murder and Maxine Carr was found guilty of perverting the course of justice for lying. The five following areas have been highlighted as leading to the arrests:

1. Jessica’s Phone

Like many young girls, Jessica rarely went anywhere without her mobile phone, which her parents had bought her as a safety device. Jessica had phoned her parents shortly before her disappearance to tell them she and Holly were going to buy sweets, the mobile phone was turned off shortly after. The last traceable signal from the phone before it was turned off was traced to Huntley’s home. Jessica’s mother later attempted to phone the mobile and found it to be switched off.

2. Huntley and Carr Speaking to the Press

Huntley was eager to speak to journalists who noticed both his and Carr’s odd behaviour. Huntley appeared emotional, sweaty and erratic, he also initially refused to have his picture taken and was extremely keen to help with the search. Huntley also asked if they had found the girls’ shirts despite, a strange question which showed he was aware the shirts had been removed. Chillingly Carr gave an interview in which she showed journalists a card Holly had handmade her, describing Holly as ‘lovely’ but tellingly using the past tense (’she was just lovely,’ ‘that was the kind of girl she was’). This immediately rang alarm bells as Holly and Jessica were, at the time, thought to still be alive. Huntley also asked odd questions about DNA evidence.

3. The Girls’ T-shirts

The haunting photograph taken of Holly and Jessica the night they disappeared was published on the front page of every newspaper. Their distinctive, red Manchester United T-shirts with David Beckham’s name on the back were immediately recognisable. Footballer Beckham even appealed for the girls’ safe return. A reconstruction of Holly and Jessica’s final known movements also heavily focussed on the recognisable shirts. The first search of Soham failed to find the clothing however a second search of Huntley’s workplace found the cut and charred remains of the two t-shirts. This attempt to hide evidence led officers to believe Holly and Jessica were dead and arrest Huntley and Carr. Fingerprints on the bin liner the shirt were found inside matched Huntley’s, these fingerprints were consistent with someone attempting to push down and hide the bag. Fibres from the shirts were found in Huntley’s home and on his boots.

4. Huntley’s Car

Huntley had completely new tyres put on his car the day after the girls went missing which he had fitted under a false name and registration, the mechanic reported being paid ten pounds to forge the documents. The mechanic also noted the tyres coming off the car were in good condition and did not need changing. Huntley also replaced the boot carpet and was seen by multiple witnesses cleaning the car. Mud and chalk matching samples taken from the ditch where Holly and Jessica’s bodies were found was found on the bottom of Huntley’s car.

5. The False Alibi

Carr initially claimed to have been at home with Huntley at the time of Holly and Jessica’s murders, even specifying what she had cooked for lunch. It was later discovered Carr was in Grimsby, 110 miles away, visiting her mother when the murders took place with phone records showing the pair had spoken on the phone multiple times on the day.

The Columbine Victims: Matthew Kechter

Matthew Joseph Kechter was a 16-year-old sophomore student at Columbine High School. Known for always laughing, Matt was a weight lifter and a high achieving student, he planned to attend the University of Colorado after graduation and was on the school football team. Matt was described as a great role model to his younger brother, Adam.

On 20th April 1999, Matt was studying in the library with Craig Scott, when a teacher ran in and told the students to get under the tables. Matt and Craig were joined under their table by their friend Isaiah Shoels. The gunmen taunted Isaiah with racial slurs before killing him, Klebold then fired at Matt, hitting him in the chest and murdering him.

Matt Kechter was one of the 13 victims murdered during the Columbine High School Massacre, in which shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered 12 students and one teacher before shooting themselves.

Arrest Made in Emilie Meng Murder

Link to post on Emilie’s murder

Police have charged a 32-year-old man with the murder and rape of 17-year-old Emilie Meng, her death happened in 2016. A car owned by the man in the year that Emilie went missing has been seized as part of the investigation and DNA samples have been taken.

The same male has also been charged with the rape of a 13-year-old girl and threats and attempted rape of a 15-year-old girl.

Want to update this? It’s solved :)

Which post are you referring to? I'm happy to update any solved cases

Forensic Odontology

Forensic Odontology is essentially forensic dentistry. It involves the analysis of the teeth such as x-rays. Dental records can be used to confirm the identity of bodies too decomposed to identify by other means, this is becoming less common as modern forensic scientists tend to use DNA.

Besides identification forensic odontology is sometimes used to identify bite marks, although the reliability has been questioned. A famous case of bite marks being used in court was when notorious serial killer Ted Bundy bit his victim, Lisa Levy, a mold of Bundy's teeth was matched with the bite mark left on Lisa's body.

The Murder of Hollie Gazzard

Hollie Gazzard was a 20-year-old hairdresser from Gloucester, UK. Hollie, who had previously worked on a cruise ship, was passionate about hair and fashion, and her father described her as enthusiastic, funny and bright. She had a pet dog who she enjoyed taking for walks.

In February 2014, Hollie was at work finishing her final haircut of the day when her ex boyfriend, Asher Maslin, walked into the salon and stabbed her 14 times with a 12-inch kitchen knife he had purchased that day. The frenzied attack lasted only 2 minutes and Hollie died at the scene. 4 days previously, Hollie had ended her relationship with Maslin who she had met a year earlier, he had been furious, sending Hollie and her family abusive and threatening texts and refusing to accept the relationship was over. Hollie had reported Maslin’s behaviour to the police and minutes before her murder, Hollie’s sister had recieved a text from Maslin which read ‘I warned you all.’

In July 2014, Asher Maslin was found guilty of murder and sentenced to a 24 years in prison. He showed no remorse for his crime.

The Murder of Katie Rackliff

Katie Rackliff was an 18-year-old apprentice hairdresser living in Camberley, Surrey. She was described as trusting and a happy girl.

On 7th June 1992, Katie was walking home from a nightclub when she was attacked and stabbed 32 times with a 6.5 inch knife. Injuries were found to her breasts, ribs, heart, vagina and anus and her clothes had been pulled up. Some knife wounds went straight through the body and the victim’s breasts and genitals had been mutilated. The body had then been dragged along a road and dumped by a cemetery wall.  Due to the severity of the attack and the apparent sexual motivation, police believed the killer to be an adult male, the real killer remained unidentified and the case went unsolved for years.

Sharon Louise Carr was a 12-year-old schoolgirl at the time of Katie’s murder and was not even considered as relevant to the case until years later when she confessed. Carr had a long history of cruelty to animals, she had also been excluded from school multiple times for being violent. Two years after Katie’s murder, Carr attacked a fellow pupil with a knife. She was quickly arrested and sent to a medical centre where she tried to strangle two members of staff and was charged with two counts of actual bodily harm in addition to her charges against the girl she had attacked in school. Carr was transferred to Bullwood Hall young offenders’ institution where it was thought her violent and sexualised behaviour could be better managed.

While incarcerated at Bullwood Hall, Carr began talking about Katie’s murder and her diaries contained descriptions of the sexual excitement she had felt at hearing her victim screaming and a drawing of the knife that had been used. When questioned, Carr admitted the killing and graphically described the injuries and a bracelet Katie has been wearing at the time of her death, as these details had not been released to the public they were considered to be things only the killer would have known. Carr helped police film a reconstruction of the murder and repeatedly laughed when asked about the details.

Carr was charged and convicted of murder making her Britain’s youngest ever female convicted murderer. Carr was seen smiling as she left the dock after conviction. While in prison Carr continued to assault staff and other residents, threatening to slit another inmate’s throat.

Carr’s case is particularly unusual not only due to her young age at the time of the crime; female murderers themselves are unusual but those who kill strangers even more so. A 12-year-old girl killing an adult woman who she had never met before has been described as unique.

Sol Pais

Sol Pais was an 18-year-old student from Miami, Florida. Described as a quiet and smart girl who kept herself to herself, Pais was allegedly obsessed with the Columbine High School Massacre and ran an online blog in which she posted increasingly extreme images of guns, drawings of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, and wrote about loneliness and misery, in one entry she described herself as ‘on the verge of boiling over.’ Pais is also thought to have asked advice on message boards about how she could travel from Florida to Colorado and buy a gun.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the massacre, Pais travelled to Littleton, Colorado, the place where the massacre had taken place. She then legally purchased a shotgun and ammunition. Pais made undisclosed but ‘credible’ threats to schools in the area leading to at least 140 Denver-area schools cancelling classes. Pais could not be located by police and was described as ‘armed and dangerous’ and ‘wanted in connection with school threats.’

After a two day manhunt, Pais was found dead from a self inflicted gunshot having committed suicide at the base of a mountain.

Founded in 1993, The Chijon Family had a deep-seeded hatred of the rich - so much so that they slaughtered and cannibalised them. Consisting of eight people, including a young woman, the gang targeted people who appeared to be wealthy. Whether they were wearing expensive clothes or driving fancy cars, they became fair game to the Chijon Family, who called Seoul, Korea, their haunt. 

After kidnapping their target, they would demand a ransom in return for their safe return. However, the victims were never released. Once they received the ransom and were bored of torturing their chosen victim, they would then slaughter them. Disturbingly, they often cooked and ate the flesh of their victims, believing that it would give them courage. On one occasion, they managed to extort $100,000 from a terrified family member before dispatching of their loved one. Their preferred stomping ground was an exclusive department store, where they would zone in on the flashiest looking customers. At least until they managed to get their hands on the mailing list for a Hyundai garage. This list contained names of their very best, and very richest, customers - their perfect target.

They were finally apprehended in September of 1994, when a woman they had abducted miraculously managed to escape, but not before experiencing the absolute unimaginable. She had been brutally gang raped before being forced to shoot another abductee in the head. In addition to this traumatic experience, she was then forced to hold the head of her friend as she was suffocated by a gang member with a plastic bag. After showing no remorse other than that they had wished they had killed more, they were charged with five murders. They had burnt the majority of their victims in an incinerator at their cabin.

On 31 October, 1994, the six men associated with the gang were sentenced to death while the young woman received a three year suspended sentence. The death sentence was carried out in November of 1995.

A diagram showing the locations of students and bodies following the Columbine High School Massacre

The Columbine Victims: Corey DePooter

Corey Tyler DePooter was a 17 year old junior student at Columbine High School. He was a dedicated and high achieving student, who enjoyed wrestling, golf and fishing and had recently started a maintenance job at the golf club. Corey had ambitions to join the Marines.

Corey was in the library when the massacre begun, a survivor remembers Corey saying ’Stay tight, the cops will come.’ He later hid under the desk as the shooters came closer to the library. At 11.29am, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered the library and began shooting. Both boys are believed to have fired shots under the table where Corey was hiding, thought it is thought Klebold fired the fatal shot. Corey died from multiple gunshot wounds to his neck, chest and left arm.

Corey DePooter is thought to have been the 13th victim of the Columbine High School Massacre and was the last person the shooters murdered in the library before they committed suicide.

The Murder of Kimberly Leach

Kimberly Diane Leach was a 12-year-old schoolgirl, she was in the seventh grade. Kimberly, Kim to her friends, was described as a shy girl who worked hard at school.

On 8th February 1978, Kimberly was excited as her mother had said that afternoon she would take Kimberly shopping for a dress to wear to the upcoming Valentine’s ball. She arrived at school and ate doughnuts with her friend and went to her homeroom before leaving to go to her first class, PE. While in the homeroom Kimberly forgot her purse so went back to get it, she returned to the homeroom, picked up the purse and left, making her way back across campus- she never made it back to her lesson. Kimberly’s teacher assumed Kimberly had just gone to her second class and gave her books to her friend to put in her locker. Kimberly failed to show up at any of her classes that day, and her teachers grew worried and began searching for her. By 5pm when there was still no sign of Kimberly, the police were called.

Kimberly’s friends knew something was wrong immediately, they described how Kimberly never skipped class and was a shy girl who was unlikely to speak to strangers or go anywhere on her own. A witness had seen a girl walking towards a white van with a man he had assumed was her father, the man had brown hair and was clean-shaven and the girl matched Kimberly’s description down to the number on her sports jersey, the girl had looked unhappy but was not resisting. A schoolchild had also seen a slim man in his mid-thirties with brown hair standing near the school. Over 65 witnesses had seen this man in the vicinity of the school Kimberly attended.

In April 1978, about 2 months after Kimberly had gone missing her body was found in a pig shed wooded area, she had been raped and had lacerations to her neck.

Before Kimberly was found, Ted Bundy, a notorious serial killer and wanted fugitive was found when pulled over for a traffic violation. He had recently escaped from prison and was wanted for a string of recent murders of young women. Officers questioned him about Kimberly’s disappearance which he initially denied despite overwhelming evidence including fibres from the jacket he was wearing when arrested being found on her body.

In 1980, Bundy went on trial for the kidnap and murder of Kimberly Leach. He had previously been convicted for the murders of two sorority girls, Lisa Levy and Margaret Bowman, in the infamous Chi Omega attacks. During the trial for Kimberly’s murder, Bundy acted as his own council and asked Carole Ann Boone to marry him. He was found guilty and Bundy received a third death sentence for the murder of Kimberly Leach. 

On 24th January 1989, Bundy was executed by electric chair at Florida State Prison. It is believed that Kimberly was his last victim.