Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
19 November 2010
Convicted Murderer Dr. Crippen
May Have Been Innocent
One of the most notorious criminals in English history
was convicted of murdering his wife in 1910;
new evidence implies an innocent man was hanged
Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen (left) was born in America and moved to England in 1900
with his wife Cora. He set up a homeopathic medical practice in London and his wife
pursued her musical career.
Dr. Crippen’s
Wife an Unpleasant Person
Born Kunigunde Mackamotski, Cora Crippen (below) preferred to be known by her stage name, Belle Elmore. According to a Crippen family genealogy website, Belle Elmore had a mean streak and a disagreeable temperament.
Although a woman of a robust build her singing talent was of a lesser size. She openly
entertained gentleman callers when her husband was at work, and Dr. Crippen sought
comfort in the arms of his lover Edith Le Neve.
Mrs. Crippen Disappears
After a house party on January 31, 1910, Cora disappeared. Her husband said she had returned to the United States, but suspicions were raised when Edith Le Neve moved in with Crippen.
The police interviewed Hawley Crippen and searched his house and left, apparently satisfied that no crime had been committed. However, Crippen and Le Neve were so unnerved by the visit that they took flight, boarding the SS Montrose, which was bound for Canada. This set off a great hue and cry.
Famous Use of Wireless Telegraph
The Times retold the story of the doctors capture in October 2007: “The captain (of
the Montrose) had recognized the doctor from newspapers and had become suspicious
of Le Neve, who had disguised herself as a boy, and he famously used the newly-
Crippen was arrested and brought back to England. A mutilated body had been found under the cellar of Dr. Crippen’s home.
Sensational Trial of Dr. Crippen
On October 10, 1910, Dr. Crippen’s trial opened in London’s Old Bailey Central Criminal Court. (A dramatized audiobook of The Trial of Dr. Crippen has been published).
There was a heavy weight of evidence against him; he had bought poison in January 1910, he had pawned some of his wife’s jewelry, experts witnesses said the body had been professionally dissected, and the doctor had run away.
Interestingly though, the pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury was unable to say whether the corpse was that of a male or a female.
Hawley Crippen maintained his innocence throughout the five-
New Evidence May Exonerate Crippen
On June 7, 2009, The Observer reported that, “The case of one of the most notorious murderers in British history, Hawley Crippen, is to be referred to the Court of Appeal, where the infamous doctor may secure a posthumous pardon 99 years after he was hanged.”
An examination of tissue from the body found in Crippen’s cellar has been compared with the DNA of Belle Elmore’s relatives. The samples don’t match.
Lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano is acting for family member J.P. Crippen, who is trying to clear the doctor’s name. He told The Observer, “We have been told categorically that the case is being referred and we are now just waiting for the paperwork. The body was a man and so the pardon is deserved.”
However, In July 2010 BBC News reported that despite the new evidence “J.P. Crippen has failed to get the case reopened. The Criminal Cases Review Commission declined to refer it to the Court of Appeal, because he is too distant a relative to have sufficient interest.”
Sources
“Dr. Crippen May Have Been Innocent.” Patrick Foster, The Times, October 17, 2007.
“Appeal Judges Asked to Clear Notorious Murderer Dr. Crippen.” Mark Townsend, The Observer, June 7, 2009.
“Was Dr. Crippen Innocent of his Wife’s Murder?” BBC News, July 29, 2010.
© Canada and the World, October 2010
All rights reserved
“Have strong suspicions that Crippen London cellar murderer and accomplice are amongst saloon passengers moustache taken off growing beard accomplice dressed as boy voice manner and build undoubtedly a girl both travelling as Mr and Master Robinson = Kendall .”
“Faced with pressure from a horrified public, the media and Winston Churchill, then home secretary, the police may have resorted to planting evidence and suppressing documents that could have helped to prove Crippen’s innocence at his trial.”
The Times Online, July 2008
“I have no interest in clearing Dr. Crippen’s name. What I care about is being right.”
Forensic scientist Professor David Foran who led the team examining tissue from the body on Dr. Crippen’s cellar. Quoted by BBC, July 2010.