True crime anniversaries in May
Every month we look over some of the most notorious and significant crimes throughout history. Join us at Crime+Investigation as we explore high-profile true crime anniversaries from the month of May.
1st - 5th May: The Bank Holiday murder of William and Patricia Wycherley (1998)
William and Patricia Wycherley were a happily married couple who were shot dead at some point between 1st and 5th May 1998. They were both shot twice in the chest by a .38 calibre revolver in their own home. The couple were killed by their daughter, Susan, and her husband, Christopher, who committed many acts of fraud using the parents’ names.
7th May: The kidnap, rape and murder of Mary-Ann Leneghan (2005)
In early May 2005, 16-year-old Mary-Ann Leneghan was stabbed to death in Reading’s Prospect Park. Prior to her murder, Mary-Ann and a friend had been kidnapped, assaulted, raped and drugged at a local hotel. Her friend was shot in the head but survived. Six men, four who were on probation at the time, received life sentences for their part in the attack and murder.
11th May: The murder of Nisha Patel-Nasri (2006)
On 11th May 2006, business owner and special constable Nisha Patel-Nasri was stabbed to death at her home in Wembley, London.
Nisha’s body was discovered on the doorstep of her property, with detectives initially believing she had been investigating a disturbance or was a victim of a burglary gone wrong. What made her death more shocking was the fact that it took place in a neighbourhood with a low crime rate.
However, during the trial for her murder, it was revealed that she had been attacked inside her house by hitman Jason Jones, a violent, powerfully built nightclub bouncer.
Jones had been instructed to carry out the killing by drug dealer Roger Leslie. But, in a shocking twist, it emerged that Nisha’s husband, Fadi Nasri, had orchestrated the plot. His chilling motive was to pay off spiralling debts of more than £100,000 with the couple's £350,000 life insurance policy.
In 2008, the three men were found guilty of murder, and all received life sentences.
11th May: Mick and Mairead Philpott murder six of their children (2012)
The story of Mick and Mairead Philpott remains one of the strangest in criminal history. Mick had made a name for himself as a small-time celebrity, appearing on everything from The Jeremy Kyle Show to filming a documentary at his home with Anne Widdecombe.
The couple’s lifestyle was unusual, living at home with 17 children as well as Mick’s live-in girlfriend. Both Mick and Mairead were convicted of the manslaughter of six of their children when a fire at their Derby home was proven to be deliberate.
12th May: The death of Dennis Nilsen, The Muswell Hill Murderer (2018)
On 12th May 2018, one of Scotland’s most notorious serial killers, Dennis Nilsen, died behind bars at the age of 72.
Nilsen, who murdered at least twelve young men and boys in the Muswell Hill area of London between 1978 and 1983, was sentenced to life in November 1983.
Born in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Nilsen would befriend his victims in pubs and bars before luring them to his flat, where he would kill them and sit with their corpses before dismembering them. The majority of his victims were vagrants, runaways and male prostitutes, and ranged in age from 14 to 30.
It was reported that Nilsen spent his final hours in 'excruciating agony', in his own filth, as a result of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.
15th May: The disappearance of Jessie Earl (1980)
Jessie Earl was a 22-year-old student who disappeared after leaving her Eastbourne bedsit in May 1980. Her remains were not discovered for another nine years, in thick undergrowth on Beachy Head. It took a long time for the authorities to determine whether Jessie had been murdered despite evidence seemingly suggesting so.
The inquest into her death recorded an open verdict, but a murder enquiry was opened in 2000 to reinvestigate the case. Jessie’s death has been linked to Peter Tobin, known as one of the UK’s most prolific sex criminals and serial killers.
22nd May: The murder of Lee Rigby (2013)
On 22nd May 2013, Fusilier Lee Rigby was murdered on the street near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. His murderers, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, claimed they were carrying out the murder in the name of Islam and it is recognised as one of the most heinous acts of extremist murder in the UK.
Rigby was off duty when the murderers first ran him over with a car and then began their violent attack. Using knives and a cleaver, they killed Rigby before dragging him into the road and yelling at onlookers that he’d been killed to avenge acts of the British military on Muslims.
22nd May: The Manchester Arena Bombing (2017)
The Manchester Arena Bombing was the UK’s deadliest terrorist attack and the first suicide bombing in the country since 2005. On 22nd May 2017, a suicide bomber detonated a homemade bomb as people were leaving the arena after an Ariana Grande concert. 22 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. Many of those killed and injured were children.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility shortly after the attack and while the bomber, Salman Abedi, carried out the act alone others were involved in the planning process. In March 2020, the bomber’s brother, Hashem Abedi, was found guilty of 22 counts of murder.
24th May: Shiregreen Child Murders (2019)
On 24th May 2019, police attended a residential property in Shiregreen, Sheffield. There were reports concerning the welfare of six children and on inspection, the police found all children unconscious inside the property. Two of the six children later died and Brandon Machin and Sarah Barrass, known to be the mother of all the children, were arrested.
It quickly became clear that Machin and Barrass were in a sexual relationship despite being brother and sister and were attempting a terrifying family massacre when they were discovered by police. They poisoned their four younger children and then strangled the elder two to death. Both perpetrators were sentenced to life for murder and will be in prison for a minimum of 35 years.
24th May: The murder of Amie Gray (2024)
In late May 2024, 34-year-old mother Amie Gray was one of many people enjoying an evening on Durley Chine Beach in Bournemouth. Sat by the warmth of a newly lit fire under the glow of a full moon with her friend Leanne Miles, the women were savouring life and each other's company.
But their peaceful evening turned deadly when they were approached and attacked by a stranger they’d never met. Amie was fatally stabbed and died at the scene, while Leanne was rushed to hospital with 20 knife wounds.
Their attacker was 20-year-old criminology student, Nasen Saadi. Described as a 'social misfit' with a 'grievance against women', Saadi had chosen the two friends at random. In the days leading up to the attack, he was captured on CCTV prowling the area.
During his trial for the murder of Amie and attempted murder of Leanne, the court heard Saadi held a deeply-suppressed rage towards society and women in particular. Prosecutors argued he had wanted to know what it would be like to take a life.
He was sentenced to a minimum of 39 years behind bars.
25th May: The murder of George Floyd (2020)
For many, 2020 is forever associated with the COVID pandemic and the unforgettable experience of countrywide lockdowns. However, in the United States, it was also the year of a high-profile murder case that led to widespread civil unrest and uncomfortable questions about police brutality and racism.
On the evening of 25th May 2020, 46-year-old George Floyd purchased cigarettes from a local store in Minneapolis. What should have been a routine purchase soon escalated after employees believed Floyd had paid with a counterfeit $20 bill and called the police.
Following a struggle with police after being removed from his vehicle, Floyd was knelt on by Derek Chauvin. Despite being forced face down and desperately protesting that he couldn’t breathe, Chauvin continued to apply pressure to Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes. Horrified witnesses, powerless to intervene, recorded the incident as it unfolded.
After falling unconscious, Floyd was later pronounced dead. The shocking footage of his death immediately went viral on social media, and fuelled days of rioting in Minneapolis and other parts of the US.
Chauvin, along with three other police officers involved, were dismissed by Minneapolis police and arrested. Following a high-profile trial, Chauvin was found guilty of Floyd’s murder and sentenced to more than 20 years in jail.
Want more true-crime content? Stay in the know with the Crime+Investigation Newsletter! Get exclusive access to new articles, episodes, clips, competitions and more – delivered weekly and completely free. Don't miss out – sign up today!
