Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised.

This episode includes discussions of murder, rape, and assault.

We advise extreme caution for children under 13.

On December 14, 1952, the mood at 10 Rillington Place was dark and more unpleasant than ever.

John and Ethel Christie had a new landlord and several new neighbors,

all of whom were making their lives a living hell.

There was noise at all hours, and the new tenants partied late into the night.

Worse yet, this new crop of renters seemed to take pleasure in antagonizing the Christie's.

Ethel was at her wit's end, and on the verge of a nervous breakdown, depressed and terrified,

she spent all day indoors crying, afraid that the neighbors might hurt her or worse.

John Christie hated their neighbors too. After all, they refused to show him the respect he felt

he deserved. Instead, they mocked him, not unlike the kids he'd known at school.

But what really bugged Christie about the situation was that his depressed wife was always home,

in constant need of attention. Every time he tried to relax with a book or cup of tea, Ethel's

sobs interrupted him.

Christie felt trapped. He had urges that needed attention too,

once that were darker and more sinister than Ethel's anxiety.

But with her crowding him at every moment, it was impossible to find relief. Something had to give.

Christie was a killer, so he knew there was an answer to his problem, but he also knew his limitations.

He couldn't just get rid of the neighbors causing Ethel's fragile state,

and if he couldn't kill the ones responsible for his wife's misery,

the only thing left was to end it for her, once and for all.

...