Table of contents for Issue 72 in Crime Monthly

Welcome to the February issue. This month, how an innocent woman’s body was found in a freezer, and the drugs frenzy that ended with two friends being thrown in a well and shot. Plus, the father who rescued his kidnapped daughter, a cult built by two money-obsessed fantasists, and the woman who was drugged on a date and woke up trapped in hell. We also talk to a psychologist who works with the country’s most dangerous prisoners, and much more. And don’t miss our round-up of all the latest crime TV, books and podcasts. As ever, you can email us at Crimemonthly@bauermedia.co.uk.…

The defence team working for convicted killer Richard Allen has claimed there were a number of errors in his trial, and his conviction ‘should be vacated’. On 20 December 2024, Allen was sentenced to 130 years for the murders of Liberty German and Abigail Williams in Delphi, Indiana, in 2017. His team were given 30 days to appeal, and they have now filed multiple motions alleging the trial and pre-trial hearings were flawed. The motions include that no attorney was present during Allen’s arraignment, even though one had been engaged, and that crucial expert witness testimony was flawed. The team also say another man, Ron Logan – who owned the property where the girls were found – confessed to the crime while in prison in 2017, but this was not…

UK ministers have announced plans to close a women’s prison and reduce the number of females receiving custodial sentences. A new review, set to conclude in six months, will explore alternatives to incarceration, such as community-based rehabilitation and ending the use of short custodial sentences. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated, ‘Rather than encouraging rehabilitation, prison forces women into a life of crime. Women who serve short custodial sentences are significantly more likely to reoffend than those given non-custodial sentences. It’s clear that by changing how we treat women in the justice system, we can cut crime, keep families together, and end the harm that passes from one generation to the next.’ The initiative includes creating a Women’s Justice Board to oversee reforms, focusing on early intervention, and addressing the unique…

A kidnapper at the centre of a Netflix docuseries has been charged with offences relating to a series of historic home invasions. Matthew Muller, 47, was sentenced to 40 years for the 2015 abduction of Denise Huskins, whose story is told in American Nightmare. Now, the Santa Clara County DA’s Office said Muller has been charged over ‘a series of home invasion sexual assaults [from] 15 years ago’. It’s alleged he ‘broke into a woman’s home, attacked her, tied her up, made her drink a concoction of medications, and said he was going to rape her’ in 2009, as well as committing further attacks. The DA said, ‘The details of this person’s violent crime spree seem scripted for Hollywood, but they are real. Our goal is to make sure this…

Ruth Appleby gave birth to her first child via C-section in a hospital in Northern Spain, where she was living, in December 1992. The birth was complicated, so when doctors told her that her baby had died, she had no reason not to believe them. ‘The birth was done under general anaesthetic, so I never saw my baby,’ she recalls. ‘The father did, but the baby was swaddled and he couldn’t actually see her.’ While the pain of losing her firstborn – who she named Rebecca – never went away, Ruth went on to have two other children. But the 61-year-old teaching assistant’s sadness later gave way to anger as she started to believe she was a victim of the Spanish baby snatching scandal, first made public in 2011. FAKE…

HOT NEW PICKS STONE-COLD CASES The Frozen People ELLY GRIFFITHS (QUERCUS, £22) Police officer Ali Dawson works exclusively on cases so cold, they’re often referred to as ‘frozen’. But what people don’t realise is that Ali’s not only trawling through paperwork and digging up old clues, she’s also actually travelling back in time to when the original crimes took place. When we join Ali at the start of the book, she’s tasked with going back to 1850s Victorian London to clear the name of a living Tory MP’s ancestor – a man named Cain Templeton, who was accused of murdering three women. Ali dutifully begins her investigation, unearthing all manner of sinister secrets along the way, and winds up putting her own life in danger and – even worse –…

This month’s podcast picks Murder Most Irish (Patreon.com/murdermostirish) Hosted by long-time friends Sarah Jane Heffernan and Emma McCormack, this series expertly uses humour to cut the tension as they discuss various crimes from around Ireland. The presenters ease the listener in by kicking off every episode with a chat about their lives – a segment they refer to as ‘housekeeping’ – before they dive into various cases. Their episode titles alone should demonstrate that this is no regular crime pod – ‘Sexting An Octogenarian’ and ‘I Will Shit On The Book Of Kells And Slam It Shut’ being a couple of highlights. While Murder Most Irish follows a more casual format than a lot of other true-crime pods, their light-hearted approach to the news and ability to see the funny side…

Tim Allen built a career on the stand-up comedy circuit, and became a household name around the world for his starring role in the hit US sitcom Home Improvement. His rise to fame also saw him become a Holly wood star in a series of big movie franchises – famously voicing Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. But behind the smiles, his early years were wracked with sadness and a descent into criminal activity. After the death of his beloved father in a car accident when Tim was just 11, the youngster was already drinking alcohol, later admitting, ‘I was lost’. His mother remarried and Tim moved to a new area, finding it hard to settle at school. He later began drug dealing and in 1978, aged 25, he was arrested…

A man who kidnapped a woman and kept her in a cinder-block cell at his family home in Oregon, US, has been given life behind bars. Negasi Zuberi, 31, was convicted of kidnap, transportation for criminal sexual activity, and being a felon in possession of a weapon in October 2024, following the incident in July 2023. Zuberi pretended to be a police officer and handcuffed a sex worker, before imprisoning her in the cell in his garage. She escaped by breaking down the door, and Zuberi was captured after going on the run. He was also convicted of a second kidnap and sexual assault, and of attempting to break out of jail. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Sweet said, ‘Zuberi is a serial predator who committed acts of evil –…

In mid-January 2025, Steven Chase Calverley – the last defendant in a horrifying kidnap and murder case – was sentenced to 40 years behind bars. As former war hero Calverley faced the court, he apologised for his involvement in the plot that ended the life of Sarah Pasco and irreparably damaged the life of her friend Melissa Pugh. Found guilty of second-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery in October 2024, the shocking crime that took place in St Lawrence County, Missouri, appears to have transpired due to a catalogue of errors and mistaken identity fuelled by drugs. Addressing the families of the two victims, Calverley said, ‘I’m not asking you to forgive me, but I want you to know I am sorry. I’m sorry I was a coward and didn’t try…

Many of the US’s most infamous serial killers have had military experience. Jeffrey Dahmer enlisted in the US Army in 1979, serving in West Germany after he had claimed the first of his 17 victims. Meanwhile, Robert Lee Yates Jr reached the rank of Chief Warrant Officer during his 19year career, which included serving in the Gulf War, before earning the nickname the ‘Spokane Serial Killer’ after s laying 16 in Washington between 1975 and 1998. Two more US multiple murderers – John Allen Muhammad and Timothy McVeigh – were both ex-military personnel, although neither were technically serial killers. Muhammad honed his shooting skills on an army-issue M-16 rifle before unleashing the ‘Beltway sniper attacks’ in 2002, which claimed 17 innocent lives. White supremacist McVeigh was another Gulf War veteran,…

The late 1940s were awash with ‘war widows’, women looking for love in desperate times. For many, lonely hearts adverts were the answer, promising to make all their romantic dreams come true. But stealing hearts was not what charming Spaniard Raymond Fernandez was after. He wanted money – and he was prepared to kill for it. ACCIDENT Fernandez wasn’t always a monster. He’d enjoyed a conventional life in Spain, marrying local girl Encarnación Robles in 1932, and fathering four children. Things changed when an accident altered his personality so severely, many later suggested it turned him into a killer. While working for the Spanish merchant navy, Fernandez was struck on the head when a steel hatch opened aboard a ship. His skull was fractured, and he was left with brain…

INFAMOUS CASE ITV, SATURDAY 22 FEBRUARY, 9PM The story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in the United Kingdom, is a fascinating one – making it surprising that there hasn’t yet been a drama about the nightclub hostess and convicted murderer since acclaimed 1985 film Dance With A Stranger. Maybe that’s because a perfectly-cast Lucy Boynton wasn’t available until now? On 10 April 1955, Ellis shot her lover – racing driver David Blakely – dead and was immediately arrested by an off-duty policeman. Acknowledging her guilt from the outset, the mum of two was given the mandatory death sentence for murder by a jury of her peers in just 20 minutes. Ellis was hung on 13 July 1955 at Holloway Prison, less than a month after her…

EXAMINING A TRAGEDY DISCOVERY+, STREAMING NOW Mere months after Josh Clayton got a job on Tresco, the only privately-owned island in the Isles of Scilly, he was found dead in September 2015, after going missing following a staff party. While the 23 year old’s death was concluded to be a tragic drowning accident, his mother Tracey Clayton and brother Ashley Cox have always had questions about what happened and the police investigation. Now, a decade on, Tracey and Ashley have returned to the island to track Josh’s final moments in this new documentary, which aims to shed light on the events leading up to his mysterious death. ‘It had been 10 years with no answers,’ Ashley says. In their pilgrimage’ the pair visit The Shed, a party venue where Josh…

Dirty Money CHARLOTTE PHILBY (BASKERVILLE, £16.99) Introducing a new detecting duo on the block! When journalist-turned-PI Ramona Chang hits a dead end on an assault case, she needs to team up with Serious Crimes detective Madeleine Farrow to get justice. Thrilling. Bonded In Death J.D. ROBB (PIATKUS, £22) The 30th anniversary of the sensational series sees Lt Eve Dallas investigating the death of a retired businessman, who used to operate as part of a shadowy secret organisation – one that’s way too close to home. Unmissable. The Inheritance TRISHA SAKHLECHA (CENTURY, £14.99) On a remote Scottish island, the wealthy Agarwal family gather for a reunion – but it’s really all about who gets what when patriarch Raj is no more. With each of them hiding a secret, it isnt long…

EXPOSING EVIL ROTTENMANGOPODCAST.COM Hosted and produced by Stephanie Soo, this podcas is named Rotten Mango because, despite the dark subject matter, it’s ‘still a little sweet’. And it certainly holds nothing back when investigating gruesome crimes, delivering every ‘rotten’ detail. In one gripping episode, Stephanie dives into the story behind the former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries. who, in 2024, was indicted for running atrafficking ring of models, following an investigation by the BBC. Another standout episode is ‘The Real Life Squid Game’, which focuses on the horrific story that inspired the hit Netflix series. Highly recommended for any fan of the intense and twisted show, the host recounts the stories of the thousands of orphans and homeless people who were abducted and forced to play life-threatening games in…

In Japan, Hiro Onoda was feted as the ‘lone Samurai’ who fought bravely for his country. To the residents of Lubang Island in the Philippines, where he killed as many as 30 of their small community, he was the ‘devil of the mountains’. A second lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army, Onoda was stationed on Lubang in 1945 when it was captured by Allied forces as the World War 2 neared its end. Like other Japanese servicemen stranded on isolated islands in the Pacific, Onoda was unaware the conflict was finally over and continued to fight. He took to Lubang’s jungle and mounted a guerilla war against the locals. He was finally persuaded to lay down his sizeable arsenal of weapons in 1974 by his former commanding officer, and 10,416…

PREVIEW NETFLIX, FROM 20 FEBRUARY Some of you may remember in 2017 that the sixth season of Homeland was thrown off-kilter when the election of Donald Trump messed with the show’s mirroring of the real USA. Whereas Homeland featured a Hillary Clinton-like Washington ‘insider’, real life had the disruptive-outsider Trump. Similarly, the fact that this new six-parter features a black female president played by Angela Bassett (Black Panther), who could loosely be compared to Kamala Harris, hits a little differently. There is an extra layer of irony, too, given that Trump has railed against the ‘deep state’ that he says politicians like Harris and Clinton represent – not to mention his avid weaponisation of conspiracy theories and misinformation to stir up his base. We mention all this only in the…

FIRST LOOK THE STOLEN GIRL Disney has released the first images of its upcoming thriller series The Stolen Girl, starring Holiday Grainger (Strike) and Denise Gough (Andor). Brit couple Fred (Jim Sturgess, Cloud Atlas) and Elisa (Gough) have their world turned upside down after their nine-year-old daughter is invited to go on a sleepover at a new friend’s house. After meeting mum Rebecca (Grainger), Elisa agrees – only for her daughter to go missing. The five-part series also stars Ambika Mod (One Day) and Bronagh Waugh (The Fall), and is produced by the makers of Harlan Coben’s Netflix drama Fool Me Once. It will premiere later this year. WILL UNCOVERS MORE BAD APPLES Will Mellor exposes more unlawful lawmen with a new run of his series Cops Gone Bad. Featuring…

What was the inspiration behind your new novel? A few years ago, I was due to go on a girls’ surf trip to Morocco, but it was cancelled when the pandemic hit. I remember staring longingly at the social media feed of the guest house where we’d been due to stay. It was a laid-back, barefoot-chic place on a cliff top that overlooked an incredible surfing break. It looked intimate and stylish, yet when I looked more closely, I could see the frayed edges of the area – abandoned homes and crumbling buildings, stalked by packs of stray dogs. I was interested in the space between the outward beauty of the guest house and its darker edges, and began thinking, ‘Who would run this place, and what sort of guests…