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Original poster

Is a house where a murderer lived always the murderers house?

63 replies

NCforThis2022 · 13/01/2022 22:57

I'm rewatching Criminal Minds for the fifth or sixth time, and it occurred to me - is a house where a murderer once lived always the murderers house? Does it ever just become the house on the corner?

Obviously places like 25 Cromwell Street are 'famous', but what about the less well known places?

Would you be able to live in a house that a murderer had lived in? And if you could/do, how do you deal with true crime tourism?

OP posts:
Georgeskitchen · 13/01/2022 23:07

Some notorious ones have been knocked down . The West's house and the moors murderers house. I think the Yorkshire rippers house is still standing. Not sure I would like to live in a murderers house , or a house where a murder has taken place!!

Original poster
NCforThis2022 · 13/01/2022 23:22

Notorious was the word I was looking for, not famous!

OP posts:
Boiledbeetle · 13/01/2022 23:24

As awful as it is there are a lot of murderers out there and some of them will have lived in many houses.

I'm fairly sure that the people who live in my childhood home are completely oblivious to the fact that their front room was once the bedroom of a then twice convicted child rapist and once convicted murderer.

BasketBlocks · 13/01/2022 23:27

I think I read that Peter Sutcliffe’s ex-wife still lives in the same house as at the time (although I stand corrected if I’m wrong).

CiaoForDiNiaoSaur · 13/01/2022 23:27

@Georgeskitchen

Some notorious ones have been knocked down . The West's house and the moors murderers house. I think the Yorkshire rippers house is still standing. Not sure I would like to live in a murderers house , or a house where a murder has taken place!!
Ian Huntley's house was demolished as well I believe. I although thought it odd that his was when so many others haven't been.
Boiledbeetle · 13/01/2022 23:30

Didn't Ian Huntley murder the girls in the bath at his house? Maybe that was why his was demolished.

DorothyZbornakIsAQueen · 13/01/2022 23:30

There are some ghouls who seek out houses like this to live in.

I couldn't personally.

PossiblyDreaming · 13/01/2022 23:32

Someone was murdered in my house in 1920. A man came back from war with severe shell shock and moved back into his parents house as his mum refused him to be allowed to be kept in hospital. A couple of years later he killed her and then killed himself. I only know this because the previous owners told us when we came round to check a few things before completing and they asked us if we were interested in keeping the old newspaper clippings.

It still comes up as about the 5th hit on Google if you Google my house name and town. I don’t think anyone really knows about it locally other than maybe some people at the museum. It’s sad but any house of a certain age will have seen tragedies.

CiaoForDiNiaoSaur · 13/01/2022 23:43

@Boiledbeetle

Didn't Ian Huntley murder the girls in the bath at his house? Maybe that was why his was demolished.
Supposedly yes. But other houses where murders were carried out still stand. Dennis Nielsons (not sure on the spelling) flat and Lord Lucans flat for example.

I'm not sure if I could live in a house knowing murders took place there. Part of me says "it's just a house". Part of me thinks it's fascinating and part of me thinks "no bloody way"

IWasHotInTheNineties · 13/01/2022 23:46

A house near me was where a murderer lived with his family, he carried out the murder in the local park. People I know that went in the house said it had very bad vibes.

ComtesseDeSpair · 13/01/2022 23:46

I suppose as the murderers themselves die, so they’re no longer ever mentioned in the news, younger people will come along who have no idea of who they ever were. For example, that Ian Brady is dead and not taunting his victim’s mother about knowing where the body is buried / the media aren’t taunting the public with tales of the lovely time he’s having in prison with his television, the Moors Murders won’t really be spoken about or publicised again outwith those niche and rancid programmes about serial killers.

ClareBlue · 14/01/2022 00:01

No problem living in a house where the murder lived as long as no murders were carried out in the house. If the house was where the murder was, then no thanks.
We have one in our town and it has been for sale for 4 years and no takers. It has just been bought to be demolished and rebuilt. Even that was from somebody way out of town. It was particularly gruesome murder and the locals wouldn't touch it.

PrtScn · 14/01/2022 00:15

Ian Huntley’s house, I expect, was demolished because children were murdered in it and it was high profile. Same with the Wests. I think it less likely to demolish a house of a murderer where they were adults and it didn’t gain traction in the press.

ParkheadParadise · 14/01/2022 00:24

My nephew, partner and kids live in the flat my dd was murdered in she was found outside.
They would never have been able to afford to buy a place for themselves.
They seem happy.
I've only been back a couple of times in the last 6 years.

Original poster
NCforThis2022 · 14/01/2022 00:38

@ParkheadParadise, I am so sorry for your loss.

OP posts:
wanttomarryamillionaire · 14/01/2022 00:49

There is a ground floor flat in the town next to mine where three people were brutally murdered. It's been completely refurbished but I still get the creeps every time i see it.

Namechangenumber23 · 14/01/2022 01:23

Village I grew up in. Very elderly man murdered just as he returned home from his regular evening drink at the local. He was found just inside the back door of his bungalow. The people who did it were arrested within the week of it happening because they might as well have stuck a neon sign on themselves with "we did it" emblazoned across it (local "intelligence" was on fire that week). Council had a new resident in it within 6 months and it still stands. It was renovated inside but it looks exactly as it was from the outside and I don't like walking past it.
Nearly 30 years on, obviously there are much less people who know, but still plenty who remember. He had no family living so locals keep his grave immaculate. I always take up flowers when I go to my Dad's grave and from the looks of it, a lot of other people do as well.

daisychain01 · 14/01/2022 03:19

10 Rillington Place was demolished - these places attract seriously twisted and voyeuristic weirdos so it's better to raze them to the ground and start again, to get rid of all that loaded history.

ShippingNews · 14/01/2022 03:25

It would only bother me if they actually did their deeds in the house. If they just happened to live there ( like Peter Sutcliffe) and do the deeds elsewhere, I wouldn't necessarily chose to live there, but it wouldn't bother me so much.

Kanaloa · 14/01/2022 03:39

Hmm I’m not sure. This might sound cold but I’d be more worried about the creepy weirdos that might come to see it than I would about the actual murders. If that makes sense.

Like if a murderer had killed someone in the house I would recognise that it’s sad but it wouldn’t bother me because something awful could have happened in any house. But if it was likely to attract the creepy people who visit serial killers graves/write to them in prison/visit the scenes of the crimes then I wouldn’t want to live there.

bloodywhitecat · 14/01/2022 03:49

@Boiledbeetle

Didn't Ian Huntley murder the girls in the bath at his house? Maybe that was why his was demolished.
It also stood on the site of Soham Village college and was a horrific reminder for all the kids who attended,, many of whom knew Holly and Jess.
SquarePeggyLeggy · 14/01/2022 04:28

I lived in an area where a young man killed his parents and sibling in the house and then tried to make it look like an intruder, but was eventually caught. It was a nice house in an expensive area, but while it sold for less than you’d expect, it wasn’t much less and it did sell, it didn’t sit on the market for ages. The ad had a note that it was the scene of a crime and to ask the agent for details. And inspections were by appointment only (because of gawkers I assume).
It wasn’t knocked down, but was extensively renovated.

AlDanvers · 14/01/2022 05:06

House that are knocked down, are demolished murders occur in then. Not, usually, just because the murderer lived there.

I believe (told to me by a police officer) but not 100% that decision is usually made on certain murders, for a range of reasons. Including, watching for 'crime tourists', during the investigation.

I grew very close to Wendy Speakes house. It's still known locally as 'Wendy speakes house' or other labels that are not pleasant.

I couldn't tell you where her murderer lived or even his name. For the first few years it seemed to be sold alot. Though it hansr been for a while. I passed at the weekend. It's still standing. But, as far as I know they never got people coming to gawk.

A murderer living in a house wouldn't bother me. An actual murder in the house might do.

Monty27 · 14/01/2022 05:18

@ParkheadParadise

My nephew, partner and kids live in the flat my dd was murdered in she was found outside. They would never have been able to afford to buy a place for themselves. They seem happy. I've only been back a couple of times in the last 6 years.
OP Murderers don't hang around the scene for long hopefully because they're behind bars forever. @ParkheadParadise I can't even imagine your grief. I am truly sorry for your loss. Wishing you peace and strength. ♥️
BurningTheToast · 14/01/2022 05:28

I remember one property - I think it might have been Dennis Neilsen's former flat - being sold at auction and interested parties were advised to make their own inquiries into the property's history...