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Kaitlin Cassity P5: Serial Killer Project Outline Fred and Rose West

Serial Killer(s): Fred West & Rose West Definition of a Serial Killer: A serial killer murders many people, at least two or more, over a specific period of time, particularly in a systematic and methodical way. 1. Background (Childhood, jobs, motives, physical description, hobbies): A: Fred West was born in Much Marcle among farm laborers. He was very close with his mother and father and struggled in school. Thus, he dropped out at the age of fifteen, (nearly illiterate) working upon his family’s farm. a) Described as unattractive and overweight, Fred appeared messy and unkempt, with a large mouth, big teeth, and curly brown hair. b) He displayed an aggressive character with women, accused numerously for sexual harassment and rape. Being a notorious liar, Fred was coined a child molester and thief by the age of 20. Appearing charming, pleasant, and trustworthy, Fred seduced young girls in his jobs as an ice cream man and bakery delivery boy. c) Changing jobs quite frequently, West became obsessed with blood and dismemberment within the slaughterhouses. Over time, his promiscuity worsened as well, as he began relations with a houseguest, continuing his marriage with first-wife, Rena Costello. B: Rose Letts was born in Devon, England. She grew up with an abusive, schizophrenic father and a mother who experienced severe depression. From an early age, Rose expressed bizarre behaviors, rocking back and forth for no specific purpose. She was teased for her weight and appearance as well, constantly fighting anyone who crossed her. a) Letts was very comfortable wit her sexuality, sometimes fondling with her siblings and men of older age. Her encounters with men inevitably led her to her meeting with Fred West. b) With a short-temper, Rose was tested by West’s two children, relentlessly beating them when they disobeyed. c) Marrying West in 1971, Rose began a prostitution business within their home on 25th Cromwell Street. As time progressed, West began abusing houseguests physically. 2. Killings/ Patterns (Details) -In all murders, Fred West dismembered the victim’s body, removing toes, kneecaps, and fingers. He buried the bodies either in the garden or in the basement. Typically, the victims were young women he would abduct from bus stations or the side of the road. Some of his victims were family members, while others were strangers. Nevertheless, his killings involved torture, murder, and dismemberment. Specific Dates/Victims: July 1967: Fred West murdered and buried McFall near his trailer park, killing their unborn child as well as systematically dismembering her corpse. 1971: Charmaine, West’s daughter, is murdered by Rosemary Letts. August 1971: Rena, Fred’s wife, is worried of Charmaine’s disappearance. Realizing his wife’s discomfort, Fred decides to kill Rena, strangling her at his house and further dismembering her body. January 1973: Friend and local seamstress, Lynda Gough is invited to move in with the Wests. Evidence later revealed details of Lynda’s disappearance, as she was murdered and dismembered. She was buried in a pit in the garage, with her fingers, toes, and kneecaps removed. 1973: Carol Ann Cooper is abducted, strangled, and eventually dismembered. Similar to Cooper, university student Lucy Partington was abducted as well, as she ventured to a bus stop to visit a friend. Partington was tortured for one week, murdered, dismembered, and buried. April 1974-April 1975: Three young women were similarly tortured and buried under the cellar floor of the West’s home. Late 1975: Heather, Fred West’s daughter, is murdered as she refuses to be sexually abused. 3. Evidence Used to Convict Killers -Upon the confession of a rape victim, the police as well as Detective Constable Hazel Savage were contacted. Savage, aware of Fred’s past as well as his sexual tendencies, issued a search warrant i