The Acid Bath Murderer “I got a mug and took some blood, from his neck in the mug, and drank it”

John Haigh was born on July 29 th, 1909 in Stamford Lincolnshire Haigh grew up in Outwood, West Riding of Yorkshire His parents are John Robert and Emily nee Hudson They were a Plymouth Brethren religious family His father built a loft fence that his father put up to lock out the outside world Haigh suffered from recurring religious nightmares during childhood He left school at seventeen and was apprenticed for a time to a motor engineer He left home and on July 6 th, 1934 he got married. He married Beatrice Hamer They had a baby girl which they later gave up for adoption He started in business for himself by forging vehicle documents John Haigh’s motive for killing was to make a profit

CrimeDateVictim(s)Punishment Forging Vehicle Documents November 1934 None15 Months at Leeds Assizes 1 st Degree Murder September 9 th, 1994 William McSwan None 1 st Degree Murder July 2 nd, 1945 Donald and Amy McSwan None 1 st Degree Murder February 12 th,1948 Dr. Archibald Henderson and Rosalie Henderson None 1 st Degree Murder February 18 th,1949 Mrs. Olive Durand- Deacon Sentenced to execution (Wandswort h Prison) Def: an unlawful killing that is both willful and premeditated, meaning that it was committed after planning or "lying in wait" for the victim. Def: the act of killing someone especially as punishment for a crime Def: produce a copy or imitation of (a document, signature, banknote, or work or art) for the purpose of deception

Mr. Henderson’s foot Gallbladder 28 pounds of human body fat 18 fragments of a human bone Intact upper and lower dentures

Haigh was given the death sentence Wandsworth Prison Hung on August 10 th, 1949

Books: John George Haigh- Acid Bath Murderer (By Andrew Alexander) John George Haigh- Acid Bath Murderer A Portrait of a Serial Killer and his Victims (By: Jonathan Oates) In Conversation with an Acid Bath Murderer (By: Nigel Fairs) Movies: A is for Acid Songs: Acid Bath Vampire- Macabre "A is for Acid"

The theory to best explain John Haigh’s deviant and criminal behavior is the Anomie Theory. However to be specific his behavior falls under the innovation category. It was said that Haigh suffered from a mental illness and a reoccurring nightmare about killing people. It was not proven that his mental illness was present however his influences reflected the environment and society around him. He rarely misbehaved but when he did his mother struck the back of his hand with the bristles of a hairbrush. He later said that this action drew blood which he would lick and that’s how he developed his blood cravings. John Haigh’s main motive for committing his six known murders was for the profit. When John and his wife divorced, his life began to go downhill. He was in no means financially stable and the murders were his only option to resort to for money. John would murder his victims and then gather up all of their valuables to be sold. He would then forge their signatures in order to sell their belongings and make a profit of them. John’s goals of wealth and normalcy couldn’t be legitimately reached in his eyes so he resulted in actions that would forever change his life.