He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 26

26. The Serial Killer

◈ Rupert Wilson, Barrister’s Office

Benedict Rodney, the magistrate, stood up and addressed Wilson, the barrister,

“Mr. Wilson, I’m counting on you. Please assist Mr. Sanderson in uncovering the truth behind the Earl of Burns’s tragic death. The Countess has repeatedly requested that you provide all possible support.”

“Yes, don’t worry. I will do my best to help in any way I can.”

With his busy official duties, Magistrate Rodney departed, leaving Theo and Wilson to continue their conversation.

“You mentioned that the Court of King’s Bench, where you work, is handling the Earl of Burns case?”

“That’s right.”

“What exactly does the Court of King’s Bench deal with?”

Theo was unfamiliar with the British court and legal system of the 18th century.

“Well, there are three main courts in London. The Court of King’s Bench, where I serve, is…”

In late 18th century London, there were indeed three prominent courts: the Court of King’s Bench, the Court of Exchequer, and the Court of Common Pleas.

The barristers of the Court of King’s Bench primarily handled criminal cases, those of the Court of Exchequer dealt with matters related to taxes and fines, and the barristers of the Court of Common Pleas were responsible for minor civil disputes.

“So, even if you’re a lawyer, you can’t represent someone in court if you’re a solicitor?”

“No, that’s correct. Only barristers are permitted to argue cases in the courtroom.”

Besides ‘barristers,’ who were considered gentlemen, there were also ‘solicitors.’

While solicitors offered legal advice and support to clients outside of court, barristers were the ones who presented legal arguments and conducted examinations within the courtroom.

Interestingly, if a solicitor needed to bring a client’s case before a judge, they had to engage a barrister and pay them a ‘referral fee.’

This system served as a discreet way for barristers, often from noble families, to earn income while upholding their social standing.

Solicitors, who received fees directly from clients, were not regarded as gentlemen and were seen as akin to ordinary merchants.

The same distinction applied to doctors. Physicians who attended to patients within the palace were treated as gentlemen, whereas those who directly received payment from common citizens were viewed no differently than tradesmen.

Rupert Wilson, whom Theo was visiting, was the second son of an Earl’s family with a long history. He had studied law at Oxford University and now worked as a barrister at the Court of King’s Bench.

“Oh, Mr. Sanderson, didn’t you mention earlier that you needed to urgently review some data with me?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m looking for records of murder cases that have occurred in London and its vicinity over the past two to three years… Roughly how many cases would that be?”

Theo suspected that the Earl of Burns had fallen victim to a serial killer.

Therefore, to identify the perpetrator, he needed to find other murder cases committed by the same individual.

Mr. Wilson handed over some documents and said,

“Well… Officially reported and processed through the courts, there have been approximately 20 murder cases in recent years.”

This number seemed too small to effectively identify a serial killer.

However, given the limited forensic investigation techniques of the era, many murders likely went unsolved or were simply overlooked.

Furthermore, considering the challenges of tracking residents due to incomplete registration, only a fraction of actual cases would have reached the Court of King’s Bench.

Therefore, the data Theo required wasn’t the official court records, but rather the primary investigation records of actual murder cases.

“Mr. Wilson, do you happen to have any primary investigation records for murder cases?”

“We have ‘unresolved materials,’ which are the initial investigation records of murder cases that occurred in London and its surroundings. These are records of cases where the investigation stalled because we failed to identify a suspect. Why are you interested in those?”

Theo asked with a hopeful expression,

“I have a hunch. Do you happen to have those materials, Mr. Wilson?”

“Yes, I do. In criminal cases, I always keep separate records of murder cases from the initial investigation, regardless of the outcome. They’re sometimes necessary when defending against revenge crimes or repeat offenses.”

“Ah! Is that so? That’s fortunate. Could I take a look at those records?”

“You can look, but… well, there’s quite a lot of it…”

“The more, the better.”

“Is that so? Very well, then. Why don’t you take a look first.”

Mr. Wilson, scratching his head, rose and retrieved a rather large wooden box from the adjacent room.

Thump-

Inside the box on the desk were dozens of thick notebooks filled with murder cases, organized by Mr. Wilson in his own way.

Opening one at random, Theo saw densely written case records, including the location and time of the incident, the victim’s physical characteristics, the scene’s condition, the weather, and testimonies from nearby residents. Drawings were even included to illustrate certain details.

Although the lack of established forensic investigation techniques made it challenging to fully understand the cases, the data seemed detailed enough to allow for some reasoned analysis.

It was indeed impressive work by Mr. Wilson, providing even more data than Theo had hoped for.

However, the notes were organized chronologically, not by case type.

In a modern office, classifying and retrieving information would be simple, but such convenience was absent in this era.

Theo realized he would have to manually extract the information he needed.

Still, this was far better than nothing.

These materials could be the key to exonerating the unjustly accused Anthony Burns.

“Mr. Wilson, this is amazing! You’ve organized these unsolved cases so meticulously.”

“Oh, I simply transcribed the investigation data shortly after each incident. But I’m curious about what you intend to do with these materials.”

“I believe that Earl Burns is being framed. I want to clear his name, and I intend to use these records as reference material.”

Mr. Wilson tilted his head.

“The circumstantial evidence against Earl Burns is so strong that his conviction seems almost certain… Do you really think you can prove his innocence with these materials that never even made it to court? It’s going to be a difficult task.”

“I’ll give it my best shot. I believe these materials are essential.”

“……..”

“Mr. Wilson, if it’s not too much trouble, could you lend me these materials for about a week?”

Mr. Wilson was taken aback by the request to borrow the materials that had been gathering dust for so long.

“What? All of these materials?”

“Yes, please.”

“Yes… well. I don’t see any problem with lending them to you, but I’m not sure how they’ll help.”

“If it weren’t for these records, I might have given up. If I can clear Earl Burns’s name, it will be thanks to your efforts, Mr. Wilson.”

In modern society, such an act would be a serious breach of confidentiality, akin to leaking investigation data. However, in this era, the concerns were minimal. Moreover, the Countess and the magistrate had both requested assistance.

When Theo Sanderson, a respected figure among London’s intellectuals, earnestly requested the data, Wilson seemed proud to have his work recognized.

◈ 6 days later, Theo’s house in Hampstead.

“Done! Whew…”

Theo, having organized all the data in six days, let out a long sigh.

While only 24 murder cases were officially processed through the courts, Mr. Wilson’s notes contained well over 200 murder cases spanning three years.

Theo spent nearly four days simply reorganizing the 200-plus cases.

It took him two full nights to classify the records that showed similarities to the Earl of Burns case.

Finally, he identified nine unsolved murder cases that bore striking resemblances.

This was a more significant result than Theo had anticipated.

‘Starting with the murders of homeless people and prostitutes three years ago, followed by the murders of merchants and nobles… All of them had their necks cut in the same manner as Earl Burns.

The missing items were also personal belongings, not valuables, and other circumstances were remarkably similar. These nine cases appear to be the work of the same perpetrator.’

From homeless individuals and prostitutes to commoners, merchants, and Earl Burns, the location, shape, and size of the wounds depicted in the records were consistently similar.

There was another unique element.

When the nine cases were arranged chronologically, a clear pattern of escalating the victim’s social status emerged.

It began with a street vagrant, then a prostitute, a lower-class individual, a commoner, a wealthy merchant, and finally, a noble.

This progression was too significant to dismiss as mere coincidence.

‘The target of the murder, the method, the actions after the murder, etc… Considering everything, it’s almost certain that this is the work of a serial killer. Moreover, the signs of a psychopathic serial killer, rather than a typical serial murderer, are evident.’

Serial killers with psychopathic tendencies invariably leave specific traces in their crimes.

In particular, the victim’s personal items, such as buttons or brooches, often serve as trophies for psychopathic serial killers.

If a child with a genetically low capacity for empathy experiences environmental factors like mental and physical abuse, they are more likely to develop into a criminal psychopath.

In the mind of an adult psychopath, a special ‘fantasy’ emerges to resolve the backlash and seek revenge for the violence or abuse they endured in childhood. They prepare for the ‘hunt’ to fulfill this fantasy, searching for a suitable target.

When they finally find their prey, they seek a location to carry out their ‘ritual’ and then begin the murder.

They lack empathy for the victim’s pain or suffering, treating them as an object and performing a ‘ritual’ to reclaim the powerlessness they felt in childhood.

This is sometimes referred to as ‘a ritual to reunite with the murderer’s childhood, where roles are reversed.’

The psychopath recalls their helpless childhood and becomes excited by what they can control and do as they please.

After the murder, they revel in the process of collecting totems, attempting to prolong the feeling of power or control they experienced during the murder by taking the victim’s tokens or body parts.

Whirr-

Theo unfolded the map and marked the locations of the nine unsolved murder cases one by one.

‘Hmm… 3 in Croydon, 2 in Bromley, 4 in Beckenham…’

When the locations were connected, they formed a cluster.

The perpetrator likely committed the crimes over three years while traveling within this area.

However, this area was quite far from Maidstone, where Earl Burns lived.

‘The areas where the nine murder cases occurred and the location of Earl Burns’s murder are too far apart. Does that mean the Earl’s case might not be the work of the same perpetrator?’

Theo took out a blank piece of paper and began to analyze the information from scratch.

Scribble-

Theo had a habit of taking notes on a blank piece of paper when trying to solve a problem or when his thoughts were disorganized.

Strangely, this often led to new solutions.

‘Hmm, yes. Certainly, unexplained murder cases have occurred mainly in these areas since three years ago.’

At first, the targets were the most vulnerable: homeless people and prostitutes. As the perpetrator gained confidence, they gradually escalated the status of their targets to merchants, gentry, lower-class nobles, and eventually, higher nobles.

This planned escalation of the victim’s status is a typical behavior pattern of criminal psychopaths who seek to maintain control.

Whack-

Theo unfolded Mr. Wilson’s case record notes again.

The conditions at the locations where the nine victims were murdered were similar.

They were usually places with little foot traffic, but along routes the victims took regularly at specific times.

Perhaps the perpetrator, familiar with the area, targeted those locations and times.

At that moment, a note caught Theo’s attention.

『The testimony of surrounding residents indicates that the location where victim John Jenner was murdered is known only to those intimately familiar with the local geography.』

‘All nine murder cases occurred in places that were rarely visited and not well known to non-local residents. Up to this point, it seems certain that the crimes were committed by someone who has lived in the area for a long time and is familiar with the geography.’

Since cars didn’t exist yet, the perpetrator would have to live within a reasonable distance by horse or carriage. Therefore, they were likely residing near the scenes of the incidents.

‘However, the Maidstone area where Earl Burns was murdered is too far from those locations. The promenade where he was killed wasn’t particularly secluded or known only to locals… Could the murderer of the Earl and the murderer of those nine people be different?’

The location of Earl Burns’s murder was secluded, but not as remote as the previous incidents. It was a promenade that anyone could find by entering the village and walking a short distance.

If it was the same perpetrator, why would they choose a more public location this time?

Yet, the nine murder methods were frighteningly consistent with the Earl of Burns case, making it difficult to dismiss the possibility of a single perpetrator.

No matter how much Theo considered it, the nine murder cases and the Earl of Burns case seemed to be the work of the same psychopath.

‘But why did he suddenly come to Maidstone? And why did he choose a common promenade?’

Psychopaths often try to commit crimes only under the perfect conditions they have created.

‘Perhaps there was a reason why he had to kill him, even if it meant taking risks?’

Theo shook his head, deep in thought.

Was it necessary to force a connection? Some psychopathic serial killers deviate from their patterns.

Perhaps the psychopathic serial killer, emboldened by three years of successful murders, had expanded his hunting grounds beyond his usual area to include Earl Burns’s territory.

‘Perhaps he had to leave his area to find a target of higher status? Or, there might have been a reason why he had to be in Maidstone, and a suitable target presented itself, leading him to commit the crime hastily.’

In any case, the murder of Earl Burns was a manifestation of the perpetrator’s confidence and could mark the beginning of a full-fledged psychopathic serial murder spree.

‘The person who took down a high-ranking Earl must have felt an indescribable pleasure. Now, he has become a murderer who can’t stop. He will definitely try to commit another senseless, self-gratifying murder while leaving some characteristic traces.’

That also meant there could be more victims in the future.

Moreover, Anthony Burns was about to be unjustly hanged because of this serial killer.

‘I have to find him quickly… as soon as possible.’

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Theo, lost in thought, looked up at the sound of his maid Lucy’s knock.

“What is it, Lucy?”

“Mail has arrived from Lady Murray.”

“…Lady Murray?”