Bible John

She needed a break from her busy routine. By 1968, Patricia had a full life: married, mother of a toddler, and working as a nurse at a large hospital in Glasgow, Scotland — all at the age of 25. Because her husband was a Royal Air Force corporal stationed in England, she and her son had been living with her parents for awhile. They had been happy to look after their grandson when necessary in the past, and so Patricia asked if they'd mind looking after him on the night of Feb. 22, as she'd decided to go out for an evening. Some of her friends liked to go to the city's Barrowland Ballroom on Thursday nights, when the popular dancehall catered specifically to those aged 25 and up. An evening with friends, dancing (and maybe some innocent flirting) might be just what she needed. Patricia put on one of her nice outfits, fixed her hair and makeup, and walked out into the darkening streets of Glasgow. In Douglas Skelton's 1992 book "Blood on the Thistle," Skelton states that Patricia first went to another dancehall, the Majestic, before going over to the Barrowland later in the evening. Patricia didn't stand out in the Barrowland crowd that night, so it is difficult to retrace her movements or to identify all her dance partners. Some people later remembered her being at both dancehalls, but they could not provide a lot of details. Apparently, however, she was escorted home by someone she'd met at Barrowland. A Grim Discovery As the sun rose on the morning of Friday the 23rd, a cabinetmaker headed off to work and noticed something strange lying along the side of a tranquil lane on his route. Looking closer, he was horrified to find the dead body of a naked woman and ran off to alert authorities. Arriving on the scene, police quickly determined that the young woman had been dead for several hours and that she had been strangled with her own pantyhose. But a quick search of the area determined that none of the rest of the woman's clothing or any other personal belongings were nearby, leading detectives to theorize that she had been killed elsewhere and the body had been dumped in the lane. Patricia's parents had the unfortunate task of identifying the body, which had been left just yards away from their house. Police questioned local residents and scoured the area for Patricia's clothes and handbag. They even sent divers into the cold waters of the nearby River Cart, but none of her belongings were recovered. One neighbor told police she thought she'd heard cries for help during the early hours of Feb. 23, but this information was too vague to be of any value to the investigation. When police learned that a journalist had hosted a party on the night of the 22nd near the crime scene, they talked with the reporters and photographers who had attended, hoping that they would have been more naturally observant than most, but no new leads were generated. A photograph of a policewoman wearing clothing similar to Patricia's was circulated in the area with the hope that somebody would remember seeing her after she left the dancehall. But the investigation went nowhere, and although detectives weren't aware of it at the time, Glasgow was just beginning to add another dark chapter to the city's shadowy history. Glasgow

Although the city's name comes from the Gaelic for "a green hollow," there is little of the area's pastoral origins left in the bustling industrial hub along the River Clyde. Over time the city developed into a metropolis that can now boast cultural gems such as the Gallery of Modern Art and McLellan Galleries, prestigious museums and universities, the Glasgow Botanic Gardens, The Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and multiple architectural masterpieces created by native son Charles Rennie Mackintosh. But lights so bright must, by definition, cast shadows, and the city also holds, as journalist Russell Leadbetter wrote in the city's Evening Times "(no) shortage of thugs...murderous villains...and petty thieves." A quick tour through the darker side of Glasgow's past reveals notable crimes and criminals such as: Madeleine Smith. Brought to trial in 1857 for the alleged poisoning of her foreign-born lover Emile L'Angelier when he threatened to expose their affair as she was preparing to marry a wealthy suitor. Emile had kept her love letters (which, when read aloud, caused a scandal in the Victorian courtroom), and those letters certainly proved motive, but the prosecution could not prove opportunity, and Madeleine was acquitted under the unique Scottish verdict of Not Proven. Dr. Edward William Pritchard. Pritchard's wife seemed to be struck by mysterious illnesses while at home, but recovered nicely when out of his presence. After he finally killed his wife off (and her visiting mother, just for good measure) with the easily hidden poison antimony, an anonymous letter persuaded the authorities to exhume both bodies, which resulted in an 1865 trial and gave the good doctor the claim to fame of being the last person to be executed in public in Scotland. Glasgow's Dark Side Oscar Slater. An obvious miscarriage of justice was done when Slater was convicted of the bludgeoning death of an elderly Glasgow woman in 1908. Slater did not resemble the clear descriptions of the murderer provided by eyewitnesses, and the guilty verdict even drew the ire of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote a book in defense of Slater, who was eventually cleared of all charges after nearly 20 years in prison. Archibald Hall. This Glasgow native rose from his humble birth in 1924 to working as a butler to some of Britain's elite. He would eventually murder some wealthy former employers and then quickly continue to killing his girlfriend (for not wanting to let Hall pawn some stolen jewelry) and his brother (for asking Archibald too many questions about where his money came from) before being sentenced to life imprisonment. Ian Brady. Born in the Glasgow slums in 1938, Brady would pair up later in life with the late Myra Hindley and the two would commit a series of killings between 1963-65 known as the Moors Murders. Peter Manuel. In his short life (in 1958, at the age of 32, he became the last person to be hanged in Glasgow), Manuel killed at least eight and committed numerous burglaries and assaults. Brought to trial several times during his adulthood, he was a master at skillfully providing his own defense in court and escaped conviction more than once. He shifted blame from himself so skillfully that the innocent widower of one of his first victims was temporarily jailed on suspicion of having committed Manuel's crime. His sociopathic audacity developed over time, and after killing a family of three over the New Year's holiday of 19578, he returned to the house frequently to rest up, help himself to holiday leftovers, and drive around the family car. He was even considerate enough to feed the murdered family's cat whenever he made one of his visits.

If Glasgow breathed a sigh of relief after Manuel's execution, that respite from a serial killer lasted only 10 years, until the corpse of a young mother named Patricia was found dumped along a quiet street. Jemima A year and a half had passed since Patricia's body was found near her parents' home and most of Glasgow had forgotten about the brutal unsolved murder. The crime was the last thing on the mind of Jemima, a 32-year-old mother of three, on the evening of Aug. 16, 1969. Like Patricia before her, Jemima was looking forward to an evening at the Barrowland Ballroom, and left her kids with her sister Margaret for the night. According to Alan Crow and Peter Samson's book "Bible John: Hunt for a Killer," Jemima arrived at the Barrowland and engaged in a ritual then popular with young women: to preserve the heavily-sprayed hairstyles of the time, Jemima traveled across town with a scarf covering her hair, and upon arriving at the dancehall went immediately to the ladies room to remove her curlers and make final adjustments to her makeup before going out to the main dance floor Other dancers that evening noticed that Jemima spent much of the night dancing with a tall man in a blue suit. He appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s and was neat in appearance and had short fair-colored hair. In the early hours of the 17th, several Glaswegians out for a stroll noticed Jemima and the same man walking slowly away from the Barrowland and into the night. Missing Margaret was puzzled when Jemima hadn't come by to pick up her children early on the morning of Aug.17. As the day wore on, she began to worry. Her anxiety distracted her to the point that she did not initially hear the neighborhood kids outside her window talking about a grisly discovery they'd made in a nearby abandoned building. Once paying attention and fearing the worst, Margaret asked one of the children for directions to their find and soon discovered Jemima's body in the derelict building. Unlike Patricia, Jemima was fully clothed. However, like the earlier victim, she had been strangled with her own nylons, her handbag was missing, and her body was found near her home. Additionally, when police compared the two cases, they discovered another similarity: Patricia and Jemima had both been menstruating at the time they died. Police did an investigation of the area and tried to question those who had also attended Barrowland on the night of the 16th (which proved difficult, as some of Jemima's fellow dancers were married and had told their spouses they were going elsewhere before sneaking off to Barrowland). Skelton states that on the evening of the 19th, police had the music stopped and made an official plea for information from the stage. Additionally, Jemima's six siblings offered a reward of £100 for information leading to an arrest, but no suspects came to light. A Face to a Phantom With no solid leads in sight, police stepped up the investigation.

In an attempt to jog the public's memory, a policewoman who closely resembled the dead woman dressed in similar clothing and retraced Jemima's last known steps. This yielded a few additional clues, but still did not lead police to a particular suspect. A rough sketch of the man seen leaving Barrowland with Jemima was created and, for the first time in a Scottish murder investigation, police released the sketch to the media (drawings of suspects had traditionally been distributed solely within the police organization). Before the investigation had a chance to cool down, another murder gave police the solid lead they needed: a living witness who had shared a taxi with both the killer and his next victim. Helen Getting an early start on the Halloween festivities, 20-year-old Helen decided to spend the evening of Oct. 30, 1969, at the Barrowland Ballroom. Her husband offered to stay home with their two young boys, but warned his wife to be careful. Helen brushed off his concerns: She wasn't worried about the recent murder linked to the dancehall because she wouldn't be alone. She was going with her sister Jean and was confident they would be safe together. Skelton recounts that Helen partnered with a tall young man during the evening and, according to her sister Jean, the two danced almost exclusively together. Around midnight, Jean and Helen prepared to go home, and Helen's new friend offered to see them home in a taxi. Skelton and Crow & Samson tell different versions of this brief cab ride that will haunt Jean for the rest of her days. Both books agree that during the cab ride, Jean learned that the man's name was John and he told them about his history — a story that the police would later ask Jean to recall in as much detail as possible. Jean remembered that John mentioned having a sister and claimed that they had been raised in such a strict religious household that he was still able to easily quote passages of scripture. John also mentioned that while he played golf poorly, he had a cousin who had recently hit a hole-in-one. Skelton states that the taxi ride ended without incident. After Jean was dropped off at home, she watched the taxi take Helen and John off into the early hours of Halloween. Another Strangling Crow & Samson paint a more sinister picture of this cab ride — stating that John seemed upset at not being alone with Helen, and resented Jean's presence. John spoke darkly of the evil women who went to places like Barrowland and completely ignored Jean for the latter half of the ride, including refusing to acknowledge her when she bid him goodbye. Regardless of how amiable John was during Jean's trip home, her farewell glance at her sister through the cabs window was the last known sighting of Helen until a man walking his dog Halloween morning came across what he thought was a pile of discarded rags on the street. Looking closer, he discovered Helen's fully-clothed body, and he ran to get help. Like the earlier victims, Helen had been strangled with her own pantyhose and her handbag had been taken. As with Patricia and Jemima, Helen had been having her period at the time of her death, and this time the killer had removed her sanitary napkin and tucked it into one of Helen's armpits.

Unlike the earlier crimes, however, the killer had left two identifiable clues: a bite mark on Helen's body and a semen stain on her clothing. Although only limited use could be made of those at the time, they were preserved and came into play decades later. Jean was questioned thoroughly about John and police released massive amounts of information in hopes of getting the public's help in tracking down the killer. His ability to quote scripture was picked up by reporters who dubbed the killer "Bible John," a nickname that haunted Glasgow for years to come. Similarities As Crow & Samson point out, there were multiple similarities with the three victims: All had spent the last night of their lives at the Barrowland Ballroom All three were strangled with their own nylons Each body was left in very close proximity to the victim's home The handbags of all three were taken after the murder (possibly as souvenirs?) All three victims were menstruating All three were seen leaving the Barrowland with a man of similar description, which the CID distributed to newspapers after Helen's murder: 25-30 years old Medium build, about 6 feet tall Short light reddish hair and blue-grey eyes One tooth in upper-right of mouth overlaps another tooth Military-style wristwatch band Although the New York Daily News stated that a lead investigator in the case had dismissed Bible John as a media creation and further claimed that the police never really thought there was one man who killed three times, what is known of the investigation seems to strongly indicate that after Helen's murder, the Glasgow police did believe in some connection between the three crimes. In fact, they initiated a multi-faceted investigation that was arguably the largest the city had ever seen. Portrait of Bible John A color portrait based on witnesses' descriptions was created by a member of the Glasgow School of Art and widely circulated in the Glasgow area. Skelton narrates one rare comical point of the investigation involving the creation of this portrait: while being interviewed, one witness commented that a dog walking nearby had hair color that was nearly an exact match to Bible John's. For the sake of authenticity, officers chased the startled dog through the streets until they cornered it and clipped a sample of the dog's hair for use by the portrait artist. The portrait generated more than 4,000 tips from people who claimed they saw or knew the man pictured. Some men who bore an unfortunate resemblance to the portrait eventually carried cards issued by the police stating that they had been questioned and cleared of the crimes.

Helen's husband made a public appeal for the killer to turn himself in. Crow & Samson further relate that he also offered a reward that accounted for most of his life savings. The BBC aired a recreation of Helen's final night using a policewoman as a stand-in and a man who had once been brought in for questioning due to his strong resemblance to the portrait of the killer. But few leads were generated. Leads After Helen's murder, a man came forward who said that he'd been on a nearly deserted bus in the early hours of Halloween when a disheveled looking young male with scratches on his face boarded the bus and then later got off at a stop on Gray Street. Police searched the areas for clues and for men matching Bible John's description, but came up empty. While dealing with the overwhelming public response (at one point more than 100 police officers were working on the case and more than 50,000 statements were collected), police also performed numerous interviews of bus drivers and taxi drivers — and younger officers began going undercover to Barrowland, pretending to be fun-loving dancers out for a night on the town while looking for likely suspects who matched Jean's description of the man she and Helen had shared a taxi with. Jean's description also led police to focus a part of their investigation on the armed forces (and possibly even their own), as John's short haircut may have indicated his belonging to a branch of the military. Additionally, police questioned dentists about male patients who had the overlapping tooth, and golf courses throughout the country were contacted to see if John's story about a cousin recently making a hole-in-one could be used to track down the killer. A Glasgow newspaper brought in a Dutch psychic who had been helpful in similar cases in the past, and Crow & Samson state that by being told only Helen's name, age, and the location of her body, the psychic was able to draw a detailed map of a Glasgow neighborhood that was later searched — without result. Skelton reported that in the middle of 1970, a Glasgow psychiatrist produced an early profile stating that Bible John would most likely appear friendly, but somewhat prudish. The psychiatrist theorized that Bible John liked to go to movies by himself and read about topics ranging from the Third Reich to sorcery. Jean was called in to police stations more than 250 times to view suspects that matched her description, but she was unable to positively identify Bible John and, although the investigation continued, no arrests were made. Bible John and the three murdered women faded from the public eye as the new decade began.

John M. Although only the murders of Patricia, Jemima, and Helen were officially attributed to the man known as Bible John, similar crimes were theorized to have been committed by the same killer. A 1977 murder, for example, brought Bible John's specter back to the public eye because the victim had spent her last evening at a Glasgow dancehall and was found strangled and without her handbag.

Crow & Samson report that in 1983, a well-to-do Glasgow man hired private investigators to try to track down an old childhood friend whom he thought resembled an artist's depiction of Bible John. The investigators eventually found the man in question living in Holland and, after being questioned, the man was cleared. A man known as John M. was one of the men who had been a suspect in the original investigations and who had been paraded before Jean for possible identification. His resemblance to the police sketch was remarkable and as the years went on, despite the fact that less and less effort was spent on the three murders as time went on, John M. continued to be considered a prime suspect, and his name continued to come up in the investigation even after he committed suicide in 1980. By the late 1990s, forensic criminology had progressed to a point not dreamed of in the late 1960s, and Glasgow police wanted to use the bite mark on Helen's body (and, more specifically, the semen left on her clothing) to test for a possible match to John M. After obtaining an inconclusive result on a DNA test using a sample from one of John M.'s siblings, the police began the process to request exhumation of John M.'s body. Enter DNA Technology In February 1996, Marie Cassidy of Glasgow University supervised the removal of John M.'s body from its grave and took samples for DNA comparison to the evidence remaining from Helen's crime scene. Cassidy told the Daily Record that she was certain that the test "...will [leave] no doubt whether this is Bible John or not," and showed her complete confidence in the procedure she would be directing: "If DNA testing had been around in the days of Jack the Ripper, things could have been very different." Regrettably, the media splashed John M.'s name and history all over Scotland, forcing his family into an unwanted spotlight, with his children and relatives being hounded for statements before the testing had been completed. Numerous acquaintances from John M.'s past gave interviews about whether they thought he could have been the killer and his life was examined under a microscope with every shortcoming being trumpeted in the headlines. Similarly, Helen's husband was interviewed for the Feb. 5, 1996, Daily Record and decried the most recent portrait of his wife painted by some of the media as "a tart. That's what hurts most. [She was] a terrific mum and a vivacious girl." Unfortunately, the promise for swift test results wasn't as swift as hoped, and it wasn't until July 5 that the Daily Record reported that "Scotland's top law officer...confessed DNA tests...failed to...link (John M.) to semen stains found on Helen's clothing or prove he made a bite mark on her wrist." The following day the Daily Mail published a statement made by Jean where she claimed "...she always knew [John M.] was not [Helen's] killer [and] she repeatedly told Strathclyde Police they suspected the wrong man." The New York Daily News reported that even before the DNA testing was completed, several newspapers had "flatly concluded that [John M.[ was Bible John." When the "... DNA evidence showed [he] was innocent...the government apologized to the man's family." John M. was quietly re-buried and the investigation went nowhere for eight years.

Another Try

In December 2004, the hunt for Bible John came back into the headlines as the Sunday Mail reported that "DNA taken from [a person connected to a recent Glasgow] crime scene was ... an 80 percent match for that found on [Helen's clothing]." The police have not released the name of the recent DNA source, probably not wanting to repeat the media circus that swarmed around John M.'s family several years earlier, although it does appear that the focus of the Bible John investigation is on the 2004 person's older male relatives. In May 2005, the New York Daily News reported that Glasgow police are actively collecting DNA samples from that family and a police spokesperson had stated confidently that "science will solve these killings. We have no doubt of that." Overall, Bible John's notoriety may have diminished in recent years as, sadly, more horrific crimes have superseded Bible John's spree. If the current forensics tests prove conclusive it may bring some closure to the family and friends of the victims but the lore and legacy of the dancehall killer will live on. Entering the realm of folklore, he's become something that some parents use as a bogeyman to get children to behave, he was the basis for Ian Rankin's 1999 detective novel "Black and Blue," and singer/songwriter Shane MacGowan is said to be planning a song about the murderer for inclusion on an upcoming release. Bible John's hunting ground, the Barrowland Ballroom, is the sole survivor of the crime spree. It successfully shook off any negative association it had with the killings and is alive and well and is, as its Web site proudly announces still "the best rock venue in Scotland."