John George Haigh By: Sean Wise

Background Information Born in Stamford, Lincolnshire July 24, 1909 His father, John Robert, was an engineer His mother name was Emily His parents were members of the Plymouth Brethren, a conservative Protestant sect who advocated austere lifestyles He was confined to living within a 10 feet (3 m) wall that his father put up around their garden to lock out the outside world Was sentenced to several terms of imprisonment for fraud

Background information Claimed he suffered from recurring religious nightmares in his childhood He developed great proficiency at the piano, which he learned at home Won a scholarship to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield Became a choirboy after earning a scholarship to Wakefield Cathedral After school he was apprenticed to a firm of motor engineers After a year he left that job, and took jobs in insurance and advertising

Murders Haigh is said to have killed between 6-9 people After each murder, he would put the body in a 40 gallon drum filled with sulfuric acid, and the body would dissolve Rented a small workshop to dispose of the bodies at Last murder was in 1949

Aftermath Haigh was arrested in 1949 Pleaded insanity Sentenced to death in prison Died in prison on August 10, 1949 at age 40

Theory Differential-Association Theory John George Haigh would be identified as the Differential-Association Theory because he came up with the “Perfect Murder” in prison after hearing other inmates talking about murder. He heard them talk about murder and he thought of the idea of killing someone and disposing of the body in sulfuric acid because it would disintegrate.