To ask if you’ve ever become obsessed with a murder case?

First thing the landlord of our Sheffield uni house said to us was ‘they caught the Yorkshire ripper just behind here’ (Broomhill).

Yes, me too. My son was born a week after the murder of baby P, it truly affected me, my husband told me about because he knew I would hear it on the news, absolutely heartbreaking, that poor child

agree - I know there’s a bunch of videos on YouTube about how she was involved but there’s no evidence for this and although she doesn’t seem like a very good person and was obviously very interested in self preservation so lied about some things to police I think it’s a big old stretch to claim she had a hand in what he did.

it is kinda interesting about her being linked to the OTO though.

I agree. There’s no way Nicole wasn’t looking at Shannan’s social media, and not know that he was “happily” married and that she was pregnant.

I don’t think she knew he was going to murder them, or that she was in any way involved

Yeah, I do. I think Nicole Kessinger lied about thinking he was separated and not knowing that Shanann was pregnant, but I think those were lies to make herself look better, not to cover up any involvement in the murders.

The Steve Wright murders bother me a lot. Not least because of how vulnerable those women were, and how nobody remembers their names. As prostituted women they were 'just' that, and a collective almost.
It seemed very easily forgotten about as if they were disposable.

The Long Shadow was excellent but I still have a preference for its forebear 'This is Personal' (I think It's on youtube).

Not murders (live in hope) but there's a lot of missing children I think about and google every now and then. Summer Wells. William Tyrell, the 10 year anniversary of his disappearance just passed. Sky Metalwala.

@Amdone123 Thanks for explaining that and I agree, I think he acted alone, that's why I wondered what the other poster thought. Yes, I really hope the girls were just confused and not scared, as he was their dad and they probably felt safe with him.

Yes, it was a frightening time sometimes. He operated over a big geographic area, Yorks and Lancs, and then of course there was the Wearside Jack tape, which of course no one realised was a fake at the time. Parents were very scared, we soon learned that there was safety in numbers when we went out, and you were absolutely carpeted if you ever got back late from anywhere.

Ironically, some years later, I teamed up with someone who has become my very best friend. At the time of his capture, she was working as a young midwife and her beat included the red light district of Sheffield, (tales of which you don’t want to hear about😱) And then, one time on holiday in Cornwall, we pitched tent next door to a nice young couple from Bradford…..who lived next door to the Ripper’s ex wife😱

The TV drama was named The Long Shadow for a very good reason.

@Neverheather a lot of people, particularly on Facebook fora think that his girlfriend was involved in their murders.
I don't. I think he acted alone.
Also, I think the girls would have been very confused. I like to think they wouldn't have been too scared, mainly because he'd never harmed them previously.
To all intents and purposes, he was a good dad, before this.

@ChickAndTheDuck I watched the Netflix documentary again the other night. How anyone could do that to his pregnant wife and those poor little girls is beyond belief. To get the girls out of bed and take them on a 45 minute drive to their deaths with their poor mother lay dead at their feet is horrific. I can't bear to imagine the fear those two little girls must have felt. How his family can forgive him so easily is beyond me. I don't care what anyone says about the wife being bossy or whatever, there is such a thing as divorce, he could have just left her. No one deserves what he did to them. He is an absolute monster. I'm interested to know what you mean about him acting alone, do you think someone else was involved?

*Sharontheodopolodous *I didn't know the 'areas' of York at all, when l moved down there, l'd looked at one flat (no idea where it was, the estate agent took me there!) and didn't like it, l said do you have anything else, and he took me to the Olympian Court one.
Very nice 'estate', mostly professional people from what l could tell, just off Hull Road, l liked the apartment so l took it. I felt safe there, it had very good security, and l hadn't a clue about the reputation Tang Hall had, but to be honest my home town wasn't great either, and l'm ex police so l'm fairly savvy about looking out for myself. I never had any bother while l was there, though.

That doesn't surprise me at all-in the tang Hall area,there are a lot of families who are hard working,fantastic parents and lovely people-i grew up there and never had a problem-lovely place to grow up

And then there is the scum-and I've had dealings with some of those families
the ones who allow their kids to do what ever they like and if you'd hit him,they would have blamed you

It's hull road-good rep,working class
Tang hall-bad rep,poor class (but most are not like that,they are just doing their best in an area where there's not much going)
Heworth-posh,middle class and where most want to live

All in the same area-I don't mean that to sound snobby at all,I just know the area well

*Getitwright *I remember the Yorkshire Ripper case very well, l'm from the North East (North of Newcastle) but my best friend is a Yorkshire lass, and when we went out for the evening where she lived her parents were very strict about us staying in groups, not letting anyone go home on their own, and dads or brothers meeting us to go home.
It was very scary at the time, we were young and felt very vulnerable.

Yes I always feel their deaths are overshadowed by OJ Simpson which is upsetting. Especially Ron Goldman. Similarly with Reeva Steenkamp and Pistorius

A case I think about a lot is Melanie McGuire convicted of killing her husband and discussed in the Direct Appeal podcast.

*Sharontheodopolodous *
They will be the green spaces/park l'm thinking of, it was a long time ago, 2012-2013, as l said, l only lived in York for a year, and l was always in the car along that road, so l wasn't entirely sure.
I remember driving home from work one night after a 9pm finish, it was late November and one particular bit seemed very dark, and a kid on a bike, dressed completely in dark clothing with no lights on the bike shot across the road in front of me. Scared the life out of me, thank goodness l had good brakes and good reflexes!

The Black Museum had a "visiting exhibition" at The Museum of London a few years ago and Dh & I were invited to the opening. (We're not police). It was fascinating and even though I've read about classic and modern true crime for a long time most of the exhibits were very disturbing.

There is a lot of green areas-tang hall park/the green that tang hall school uses for pe (it's at the start of melrosegate),the church grounds-its very built up
Sound carries-i live behind a school and can hear the kids-even if they are at the other side-I live a mile or so away from a train station and a park
I can hear both late at night/early morning when it's quiet

Thank you for your message-ill read it now

Do you think he did it alone?

*Sharontheodopolodous *
It is indeed a built up area, and it would've been quiet at that time of the morning, there are bits with no housing (is there a park or green space on one or both sides part way down the main road?) but I imagine any sound (particularly shouting or screaming) would have carried to the houses because it'd be so quiet with very little traffic noise?
By the way l've sent you a private message, if you haven't seen it, l hope you don't mind, but l'm finding it very interesting.... certainly food for thought.

I’ve been obsessed with loads of murder cases. The most recent one is the Watts murders, because I also have two little girls, who were born within a few years of Bella and CeCe. (My older one was born after Bella but before CeCe, and my younger one was born in 2018 and would have been one grade ahead of Nico in school.) My daughters even like the same TV shows; there are pictures of the Watts girls wearing clothes with Sofia the First and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I’m also obsessed with the case because it’s so bizarre how Chris Watts seems to have been so passive his whole life until he killed his family.

Noah Donohoe in Belfast.

I grew up in the midst of one. The Yorkshire Ripper. I was a young teenager, grew up during his active years. All my age group were wary, we never went anywhere alone, parents were constantly on alert, and don’t forget this was well before mobile phones to help keep you safe, and police misogyny was rife. He was finally caught seven miles from my home. The sigh of relief was huge.