The Murders At Rillington Place Quiz

Answer: Ruth Fuerst

Ruth Fuerst was a brown haired, brown eyed, 21 year old woman at the time of her death. Ruth worked at a munitions factory, and lived in a flat a few blocks from 10 Rillington Place. People who knew her claim that she made extra money working as a prostitute. Ruth met John Christie one day, and they went back to his place.

It was there that Christie received a telegram, which stated that his wife would be home soon from visiting her brother. John Christie immediately went about strangling Ruth, and hiding her body under the floorboards of the living room.

By the time his wife came home, everything appeared to be normal. Later that same night, Christie exhumed Ruth from the floorboards, and buried her in the garden.

Answer: Muriel Eady

Muriel Eady was 32 years old at the time of her death. She worked in the assembly department of the Electric Company. Muriel lived with her aunt, and had a steady boyfriend. She was friends with John and Ethel Christie, and occasionally, she and he boyfriend went out with John and Ethel. On the day of her murder, Ethel once again went to vist her brother.

This was the perfect opportunity for John Christie to pounce. He claimed he had a cure for her catarrh, a sickness from which Muriel suffered. Christie told Muriel that he had a special inhaler that would help her sickness. Because she knew him, she didn't have any fear of him. Christie made Muriel a cup of tea to relax her.

Then he brought out a jar with two holes in the top. In one hole was a tube that actually went into the liquid, and in the other hole was a tube that supplied gas.

This dazed Muriel to the point that she could not struggle anymore. Christie proceeded to lay her on the floor, and while strangling her, he had sex with her until she died. Christie then buried her in the garden, close to where he buried Ruth Fuerst.

Answer: Geraldine

When baby Geraldine was born she placed a strain on her mother and father. It seems that neither Beryl or Tim were prepared for the baby. Sometimes they neglected her, and once in a while she wasn't fed for most of a day. It seems that baby Geraldine wasn't meant to be born, because a few months later, she was murdered as a cover-up in her mother's murder.

Answer: Lucy Endecott

During this time, Lucy Endecott stayed with the Evans family. Lucy and Beryl would share the bedroom, and Tim had no choice but to sleep on the kitchen floor. When Tim found out that Beryl was pregnant, he blamed her. In November of 1949, he found out that she wanted to get an abortion, and he went crazy. That night, he assaulted Beryl.

He attempted to strangle her, and hit her a few times before tossing her to the ground. Later, when they calmed down, Beryl explained why she wanted an abortion. Confused, Tim agreed.

He then asked Beryl where and how she was going to get it done, since at that time it was illegal to get an abortion in England. Beryl said that Mr. Christie knew how to perform an abortion, and that when he asked her, she agreed. Beryl then told Tim that when he went to work the next day, for him to tell Christie that it was okay with him that Christie give Beryl an abortion. Tim acquiesced, althougth it was against his better judgment.

Answer: Joan Vincent

According to Christie's confession, he said that he went up to the third floor flat around noon. Christie said that Beryl already had a quilt on the kitchen floor in preparation for the abortion. According to Christie, when he gave her his special inhaler, she panicked and began fighting. Christie then hit her several times to knock her out.

While she was unconscious, he got out a rope and, while strangling her, he had intercourse with her. At about that same time, Joan Vincent arrived. Upon seeing the kitchen door shut, she knocked several times, but there was no answer. Joan testified that she opened the door, but that it seemed like it was blocked from behind. Finally, getting no where, she left.

Answer: Mr. Kitchener

As Christie and Evans were transporting the body to the garden, Christie's back began hurting him. He told Evans that they could put the body in Mr. Kitchener's apartment because the tenant was in the hospital going on five weeks. Christie then ordered Evans to leave Rillington Place.

When Evans said he would take his daughter and go to his mother's, Christie said not to do that because it would arouse suspicion. Christie told Evans that he knew of a couple that wanted a baby girl. Unfortunately, Evans fell for Christie's lies.

Answer: Merthyr Vale

Evans aunt and uncle was surprised to see him on their doorstep, but they readily welcomed him. Evans stayed for six days before returning to Rillington Place. During this time he was very worried about baby Geraldine. When he arrived back at Rillington Place, Christie told him that he must go, and that he would be able to see his baby in a few weeks. Evans, reluctantly, went back to his aunt's house and stayed there for several weeks.

Answer: Merthyr Tydfil police station

When Evans went to the police station, he told the officer in charge that he disposed of his wife's body in a drain. This confused the police because Evans had not confessed to any murder. In any case, the police had to check out Evans' claim. They went to 10 Rillington Place and lifted the drain.

It took three police officers to lift the lid on the drain. This immediately struck the officers as strange. They then confronted Evans with this evidence. Unfortunately for Evans, he changed his story. Now he said that his wife was dead, but that he didn't kill her.

He said he met a man who had given him some medication intended for a spontaneous abortion. He allowed his wife to take the bottle from him, but he told her not to use it. That day, however, when he returned from work, he found her dead.

He attended to the baby and wondered what he should do. He was afraid that the police would think he had killed his wife. Evans then said that the next morning he placed his wife, head first, in the drain.

The police, however, didn't buy his story for a moment. Faced with jail, Evans decided to tell the truth. He said that John Christie performed an abortion on his wife. Evans told the police that Christie had medical knowledge, and knew how to give women abortions. He said that when he came home from work, Christie told him that Beryl had died during the abortion, and that the both of them had disposed of her body. The police investigated the house and garden at 10 Rillington Place, but their search was superficial. They never even saw the human thigh bone in the garden that propped up a fence, let alone did any digging. Otherwise, they might have found a few surprises. Christie's dog dug up a skull, but the police failed to notice this as well. It seemed that the police wanted to pin the murder on Evans, and didn't even bother to see, or prove, that he was telling the truth.

Answer: Stanley Setty case

When the police searched Evans' apartment, they found an article from the newspaper about the Stanley Setty case. The police took this as evidence against Evans. Considering the fact that Timothy Evans and Beryl were illiterate, what was this newspaper doing in the apartment? Had the police bothered to investigate this, they would have realized that the only person at 10 Rillington place that could read was John Christie. During Christie's confession, he told the police that he brought the newspaper up to the Evans' apartment.

Answer: January 11, 1950

On January 11, 1950, the trial of Timothy Evans began. Evans was tried at the Old Bailey for the murder of his baby, but his wife's murder was also included in the testimony. Prosecutor, Christmas Humphreys, did his best to convict Evans of the crimes.

He relied heavily on the testimony of John Christie. Unfortunately for Evans, his defense lawyers failed to have Joan Vincent or the carpenters, who were working in the house, testify on behalf of Evans. Also, Evans's lawyers failed to see if Christie had any criminal records. Sadly, Timothy Evans was convicted of the murder of his baby and his wife, and was sentenced to die by hanging. On March 9, 1950, Evans was hanged for the murders.

It would take a few more years before his innocence was realized.

Answer: Ethel

On Thursday, December 11, 1950, Christie murdered his wife, Ethel. In the days and weeks leading to her murder, she was very annoyed with Christie, and often sacked him out for his impotence. On December 11, 1950, Ethel went to do the laundry. Friends who saw her testified later that she seemed happy.

They also said that she made no mention of leaving for a few weeks. Five days later, Christie sent a letter to his sister in law, which his wife had written on the day of her murder. He changed the date and sent it on its way.

He then told his neighbors that his wife left for good and went to live in Sheffield.

Answer: In an old cupboard that was patched over

Beresford Brown, the new tenant of the second floor, was told by the landlord that he could use the old Christie kitchen. He wanted to build some shelves on the walls, but noticed that one of the walls sounded hollow. He peeled off the wallpaper, and noticed a cabinet that was tightly closed.

When he prized it open a little, he discovered the body of a woman. He immediately called the police. Within the hour, the house was alive with police activity, and more action was soon to follow.

Answer: False

The police discovered four victims inside the cabinet. The victims were: Hectorina McLennan, 26, Kathleen Maloney, 26, Rita Nelson, 25, and Mrs. Christie. McLennan, Maloney, and Nelson had been dead from eight to fifteen weeks, while the body of Mrs. Christie had been dead for almost two and half years.

Answer: Thames

When John Christie was arrested, he had been wandering for ten days in various parts of England. The police officer who noticed the man at the Putney Embankment of the Thames River, stopped and questioned him. When the officer asked Christie his name, he gave a false name at first.

Then the officer asked him to remove his hat. When Christie did, his balding head told the officer who he was. He was promptly arrested. Once Christie was at the Putney police station, he willingly confessed to four murders.

He didn't know at the time that the police had discovered his graveyard in his garden.

Answer: July 15, 1953

On July 15, 1953, John Christie was hanged at Pentonville Prison. In 1966, sixteen years after his death, Timothy Evans was given a posthumous pardon by High Court Judge, Sir Daniel Brabin. Although he was given the posthumous pardon, he was not declared innocent, just innocent of the murder of his daughter. Why the police never fully investigated the Evans case, one can only wonder. All information can be found at www.crimelibrary.com.