Who killed Goldfinger? The unsolved murder of John Palmer
John Palmer was an infamous criminal in Britain who was involved in various white collar crime schemes during his lifetime. From timeshare and mortgage fraud to money laundering and racketeering, Palmer established a name for himself in the shady underbelly of the British crime world.
When Palmer was found dead in his home in 2015, it was initially misconstrued as health complications. Further investigations suggested murder, as his wounds were confirmed to be from gunshots. However, the case has still not been solved at the time of writing.
Despite Palmer’s killer not being found, there is plenty of speculation surrounding his death and who may have caused it. At Crime+Investigation, we’ve been taking a close look at the circumstances of Palmer’s mysterious death.
Who was John Palmer?
John Palmer was born in September 1950 in Solihull, Warwickshire. He came from a large family, as one of seven children in the Palmer household.
After leaving school at 15, Palmer engaged in various business schemes to make money, such as roof tiling and selling paraffin. Palmer mingled with gangsters in the area as he did so, becoming embroiled in petty theft.
Palmer later set up a jewellery and gold dealing company in Bristol alongside Terence Edward James Patch and Garth Victor Chappell. Chappell and Palmer were arrested in 1980 while selling furniture. They were charged with obtaining furniture credit via false references. Palmer was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for this.
The Brink’s-Mat Robbery
Palmer’s involvement in the crime world only intensified when, in 1983, he played a part in the Brink’s-Mat robbery. This was the biggest gold heist in British history, with around $26 million worth of gold bullion, cash, and diamonds robbed from a warehouse near Heathrow airport.
Palmer was not involved in the direct robbery, but he was crucial to what came after the initial heist. Palmer helped melt down the gold bullions and launder them. His gold dealing business made for the perfect cover. Despite evidence to the contrary, Palmer was acquitted. He claimed that he did not know that the gold had been stolen, although he did admit to melting the gold bars down. Because of his role in the robbery and his skills with gold, Palmer received the nickname 'Goldfinger'.
The murder of John Palmer
Following years of criminal activities relating to fraud and time in prison, Palmer was found dead in his home in South Weald, Brentwood, on 24th June 2015.
He was originally thought to have died from complications of gallbladder surgery, as he had undergone the operation not long before his death. However, during his post-mortem, six gunshot wounds were found, making the death a murder and a potential assassination. His wounds were noticeable, but they were thought to have been related to the aforementioned surgery. His murder is still unsolved.
Potential suspects
Due to Palmer’s criminal life, there are plenty of suspects in his assassination case. One theory is that the Kinahan cartel, an organised crime group in Ireland, ordered a hit on Palmer.
Three individuals are connected to the crime group and are considered suspects: James Quinn, Imre Arakas, and an unnamed Kinahan shooter. Arakas is an Estonian-born international assassin with links to the group, while Quinn is a hitman from Dublin.
Palmer had associates connected to the Kinahan cartel, and authorities believe that there may have been an internal dispute. Alternatively, it could be that his murder was an attempt to tie up loose ends or silence him.
Another possibility is that Palmer was killed by a Bulgarian hit squad called 'The Sofia Three'. This theory comes from a man named Paul Blanchard, who was Palmer’s offshore advisor before he became a Spanish police informant.
Blanchard makes the claims in a book published in 2021 called Wanted: Secrets of a Mafia Whistle-blower. In it, Blanchard states that the squad was instructed to kill Palmer when the timeshare scams he had set up began to affect Russian organised crime.
John Palmer’s death was surely linked to his criminal activities, and he was likely killed by an assassin or hitman. However, the truth behind who exactly killed John Palmer is still a mystery, at least for now.
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