UK - Lin, 45, & Megan Russell, 6, Chillenden, Kent, 9 July 1996

[badgersmythe]

RICHARD PENDLEBURY examines the disturbing Levi Bellfield case


As Levi Bellfield says he killed Lin Russell and her daughter, RICHARD PENDLEBURY examines the case | Daily Mail Online

 

[DFR3217]

I'm wondering about something, and I don't quite know how to phrase it, so this is likely to ramble a bit. On the wikipedia page about LB it mentions the unsolved case of Patsy Morris, whose father got a phone call from a local young man making a death threat, after the murder. As if they hated the father as much as the daughter. It doesn't necessarily mean anything, lots of cranks contact the family of the deceased, but it made me wonder.

This is a bit random, but apart from a deep seated hatred of women, can there also be a real hatred of the type of respectable man who tries to be a good husband and father, that also plays a part in motivating him to commit crimes like this? Often vulnerable women with other problems become victims of murder, but LB's victims seem to have often been young women who were students, or at school, who seemed to come from fairly happy homes, he seems to have attacked them at a moment of vulnerability, like when crossing the road, or at a bus stop. It makes me wonder if he took pleasure not just in the murder, but in destroying the families.

It's just my view obviously, and not even a half formed theory, but that might help to explain the attack on the Russell family. Could this sort of hatred of other men actually manifest itself in this way?

 

[JuicyLucy]

I'm wondering about something, and I don't quite know how to phrase it, so this is likely to ramble a bit. On the wikipedia page about LB it mentions the unsolved case of Patsy Morris, whose father got a phone call from a local young man making a death threat, after the murder. As if they hated the father as much as the daughter. It doesn't necessarily mean anything, lots of cranks contact the family of the deceased, but it made me wonder.

This is a bit random, but apart from a deep seated hatred of women, can there also be a real hatred of the type of respectable man who tries to be a good husband and father, that also plays a part in motivating him to commit crimes like this? Often vulnerable women with other problems become victims of murder, but LB's victims seem to have often been young women who were students, or at school, who seemed to come from fairly happy homes, he seems to have attacked them at a moment of vulnerability, like when crossing the road, or at a bus stop. It makes me wonder if he took pleasure not just in the murder, but in destroying the families.

It's just my view obviously, and not even a half formed theory, but that might help to explain the attack on the Russell family. Could this sort of hatred of other men actually manifest itself in this way?

That's a very interesting idea. There are definitely issues around the family unit for him imo. His father died when he was very young, and he has had a lot of children of his own with various partners. In my experience, people often have an unusually large number of children when they're trying (maladaptively) to replace an imaginary idea of family life that they feel they missed out on. A hatred of those who seem to have it could definitely be part of that. I'm just speculating though.

 

[OrlandoJames]

That's a very interesting idea. There are definitely issues around the family unit for him imo. His father died when he was very young, and he has had a lot of children of his own with various partners. In my experience, people often have an unusually large number of children when they're trying (maladaptively) to replace an imaginary idea of family life that they feel they missed out on. A hatred of those who seem to have it could definitely be part of that. I'm just speculating though.

He had a VERY strange relationship with his mother...

'She wiped his backside': Levi Bellfield's bizarre relationship with his mother revealed | Daily Mail Online

 

[Mrs Marple]

Stones team have announced this to the media but have not sent anything to the Criminal Case Review.

 

[Amonet]

I'm wondering about something, and I don't quite know how to phrase it, so this is likely to ramble a bit. On the wikipedia page about LB it mentions the unsolved case of Patsy Morris, whose father got a phone call from a local young man making a death threat, after the murder. As if they hated the father as much as the daughter. It doesn't necessarily mean anything, lots of cranks contact the family of the deceased, but it made me wonder.

This is a bit random, but apart from a deep seated hatred of women, can there also be a real hatred of the type of respectable man who tries to be a good husband and father, that also plays a part in motivating him to commit crimes like this? Often vulnerable women with other problems become victims of murder, but LB's victims seem to have often been young women who were students, or at school, who seemed to come from fairly happy homes, he seems to have attacked them at a moment of vulnerability, like when crossing the road, or at a bus stop. It makes me wonder if he took pleasure not just in the murder, but in destroying the families.

It's just my view obviously, and not even a half formed theory, but that might help to explain the attack on the Russell family. Could this sort of hatred of other men actually manifest itself in this way?

It's a very good theory, but for these cases I'd question whether Bellfield would have known anything about the victims prior to attacking them? He seems very opportunistic in that way. So I'd doubt it comes into play in these particular attacks, but there might well be others in which it could come into play.

 

[badgersmythe]

New clue in Lin and Megan Russell murders after Bellfield confession


New clue in murders of Lin and Megan Russell after Levi Bellfield confession | Daily Mail Online

 

[Mrs Marple]

I didn't think that was new. I doubt they will come forward after 26 years.

 

[OrlandoJames]

I didn't think that was new. I doubt they will come forward after 26 years.

It certainly seems a long shot!

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

TWO new witnesses have come forward after serial killer Levi Bellfield confessed to the hammer murders of mum and daughter Lin and Megan Russell.

Bellfield, 53, has offered to take a lie-detector test over his statement as we can reveal he told prison pals he has killed at least seven people in all.

One of the new witnesses has been described as “highly credible”.

She says she saw Bellfield after Dr Lin, 45, and Megan, six, were murdered in Cherry Garden Lane at Chillenden, Kent.

In his confession, Bellfield even mentions seeing the woman as he drove off in a beige Ford Sierra.

He said: “As I left, I pulled out of Cherry Garden Lane, then out on to another little road where I pulled out in front of the lady.

“I kept looking in the rear-view mirror at her while also checking my face for blood.”

Two new witnesses come forward after Bellfield confesses to hammer murders

 

[badgersmythe]

Witnesses come forward after Bellfield confessed to brutal murders


[URL="https://mol.im/a/10506845"]Two witnesses come forward after Levi Bellfield confessed to brutal hammer murders | Daily Mail Online[/URL]

 

[OrlandoJames]

So two different stories over the weekend.

First, two witnesses come forward. The first is a woman who is certain she saw Bellfield driving away from the scene just after the murders. She's previously come forward to identify Bellfield and even picked him out in a virtual suspect parade, and came forward again last week. The second witness claims that Damien Daley has admitted he made up his story about Stone's 'confession' (other witnesses have previously claimed this too).

Second, a 'source' tells a newspaper that Bellfield's confession last week was just a 'sick joke' and that he's now denying the murders again.

I have no idea whether Levi Bellfield is responsible for the Chillenden murders, but I do think he's a compelling suspect. He resembles the e-fit much more closely than Stone, the murders fit his criminal profile much more closely than Stone's and an eye witness is adamant she saw him fleeing the scene. Plus, he's now apparently confessed (although he may have retracted this again, depending on who you believe).

I am, however, certain that Michael Stone did not commit these murders. The only evidence against him was the 'confession' reported by Damien Daley, a known liar and convicted murderer who has, apparently, admitted to several people that he lied about Stone's confession. Plus, tests have shown that forensic evidence left at the scene, which almost certainly came from the murderer, definitely did NOT come from Michael Stone.

Stone is eligible for parole this year, but he won't get it because in order to qualify he'd have to confess to the murders, which he'll never do. I just hope for his sake that ongoing DNA tests on the bootlace provide further evidence that the killer was somebody else, and that he's granted an appeal. I also hope he gets out in time to enjoy the massive compensation pay out that will surely come his way eventually.

 

[Amonet]

I am also feeling more set on Bellfield as the perp. I hope we will hear more about whatever investigations are happening now.

 

[Kasmeer]

I can't be certain that Bellfield did it, but I can be pretty sure that if you stuck Bellfield and Stone in front of a jury with the known information (minus Stone's conviction), while correctly downplaying Stone's "confessions" (and, to be fair, also telling them not to rely too much on Bellfield's confession), they'd find Bellfield the more likely of the two, even if they couldn't convict him due to it not being proven. And in that case, there is no way on earth that Stone's conviction can be considered safe, when he's not even the most likely person to have done it...

I don't know if I can be sure that he didn't (due to limited knowledge mostly based on media supporting his case), but if there ever was any evidence that he did, it's been well and truly forgotten about, as on what ever gets mentioned these days, I can't see how he could possibly be found guilty if the trial was held today. Here's hoping that he can finally gain his freedom - and hopefully for the sake of Josie Russell, Bellfield can be convicted of it, rather than just unconvicting Stone and returning it to unsolved status.

 

[MsMiniSleuth]

I think it also strong that when Josie descrhbed the man she said he was tall like her father, ie in the 6ft area which Bellfield is - Stone is about 5'8". She also described him as having a round face, as did Bellfield.

 

[MrsWatson]

Stone and Bellfield look nothing alike, other than both being white males. I believe the lady who passed by right after the event and the description Josie gave. I just don't see anyone describing Stone as having a round face.

I also think Bellfield is just the type who would confess to this and then renege. He hasn't gotten this much attention in years.

 

[OrlandoJames]

I think it also strong that when Josie descrhbed the man she said he was tall like her father, ie in the 6ft area which Bellfield is - Stone is about 5'8". She also described him as having a round face, as did Bellfield.

Yes - she described the attacker as being a similar height to her father - Shaun Russell is 6ft and Bellfield is 6'1", whereas Stone is 5'7". She described him as having a podgy face (which matched the eye witness decriptions of the man seen driving away at speed) - Bellfield had a podgy face, whereas Stone was gaunt. And she said he had blonde/ginger short spiky hair - Bellfield is known to have worn his hair like that at the time, whereas Stone was balding.

None of which proves that Bellfield committed the murders. But as Kasmeer says, it does make him a much more likely suspect than Stone. Even leaving Bellfield aside for a moment, if Stone was tried today on exactly the same evidence, it's almost certain he would be acquitted as prison cell 'confessions' are regarded as far less credible than they apparently were in the 1990s.

 

[joe jones]

I have always had issues with this conviction, so am glad to see it may be looked at again

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Yes - she described the attacker as being a similar height to her father - Shaun Russell is 6ft and Bellfield is 6'1", whereas Stone is 5'7". She described him as having a podgy face (which matched the eye witness decriptions of the man seen driving away at speed) - Bellfield had a podgy face, whereas Stone was gaunt. And she said he had blonde/ginger short spiky hair - Bellfield is known to have worn his hair like that at the time, whereas Stone was balding.

None of which proves that Bellfield committed the murders. But as Kasmeer says, it does make him a much more likely suspect than Stone. Even leaving Bellfield aside for a moment, if Stone was tried today on exactly the same evidence, it's almost certain he would be acquitted as prison cell 'confessions' are regarded as far less credible than they apparently were in the 1990s.

Here is the photo fit in comparison:



Milly's Killer Now Accused Of Kent Killings

 

[Amonet]

Here is the photo fit in comparison:

View attachment 333748

Milly's Killer Now Accused Of Kent Killings

I'd say that fits Bellfield better than Stone in a number of points. I can also see that at first glance it's kind of mid-way between them. But look at the eyes on the photofit...looks just like Bellfield's eyes to me.