UK UK - Julia Wallace, 69, Liverpool, 20 Jan 1931

[STANDREID]

Julia had a 20 Pound life insurance policy and 90 Pounds in savings so only a total of 110 Pounds gain for Wallace. In 1931, a Pound was worth 4.87 U.S. Dollars so that's $535.70 in 1931 U.S. Dollars. Convert that to inflated 2012 U.S. Dollars and you get $8,121.21 or 5,022.33 Pounds today.

Which would have left him little after burial expenses.

 

[STANDREID]

Apparently, Parry, Marsden and Young all had alibis for the murder time that satisfied police.

 

[STANDREID]

I think the alibis were checked closer than was once thought too.

 

[STANDREID]

The men actually needed 2 alibis - one for the night of the phone call and the other for the night of the murder.

 

[Robin Hood]

I always think of a motive for a murder such as this. Robbery ? rape ? revenge ? and if none jump out I go with the only person who could gain something, even if it were only freedom from the constraints of a relationship. Just my thoughts though.

 

[STANDREID]

I always think of a motive for a murder such as this. Robbery ? rape ? revenge ? and if none jump out I go with the only person who could gain something, even if it were only freedom from the constraints of a relationship. Just my thoughts though.

I believe one of the lawyers said that marriage was a motive in and of itself.

 

[STANDREID]

I'm not sure if he was being serious.

 

[STANDREID]

I think freedom can be as compelling a motive as financial gain with some people. However, there is financial gain from killing your wife even if she doesn't have anything because you spare yourself giving up half of what you own in a divorce.

 

[KarlK]

I always think of a motive for a murder such as this. Robbery ? rape ? revenge ?

Perhaps the husband was being nagged to a potentially lethal level and reacted in self-defense?

 

[STANDREID]

That's certainly possible Karl - the "self defense" being in his own mind of course. There was an awful lot of detailed advance planning here though and I would expect that scenario more in some sort of sudden outburst, again, in the view that Wallace did it.

If Wallace was innocent, then the motive was most likely robbery but it could have been some other things.

 

[Dragonfyree]

Apparently, Parry, Marsden and Young all had alibis for the murder time that satisfied police.


I believe that in more recent investigations, the woman who was Parry's alibi, said she was not with him that night, she alibied him because she didn't think he could do it

And there was a guy who I think worked in a garage who said he had come in that night and was cleaning out his car. I think he might have seen some blood.

I don't remember why he didn't come forward sooner, but I'm thinking Parry's name wasn't released. I know I have read old accounts of the case where a pseudonym was used because of the strict libel laws in England.

 

[STANDREID]

Yes, I don't think Parry's name was revealed until after his death. I believe that Jonathan Goodman referred to him as Mr. X in his 1969 book about the case, which I have.

Parry's girlfriend, Lily Lloyd did give him an alibi for the night of the murder but it was after the time the killing was likely to have taken place. I do believe though that Parry had some other witnesses who gave him an alibi for that earlier time.

Regarding the garage worker, John Parkes, he was a former schoolmate of Parry. There is some suspicion that his tardy account of events might have been colored by his envy of Parry's popularity with women.

Again, I am not saying that Parry couldn't have done it - only that I lean more toward Wallace.

 

[STANDREID]

Parry died in 1980 at age 71.

 

[STANDREID]

Regarding the garage worker, John Parkes, he was a former schoolmate of Parry. There is some suspicion that his tardy account of events might have been colored by his envy of Parry's popularity with women.

I don't think Parkes came forward with his story until he knew Parry was dead or near death.

 

[STANDREID]

I think Parry was visiting with a family he knew at the time of the murder. That was a more important alibi than the one from Lily.

 

[STANDREID]

According to Olivia Brine, her daughter and her nephew, Parry was at their home from 5:30-8:30 PM on the night of the murder. Julia was seen alive after 6:30 and was found dead at 8:45 PM.

 

[STANDREID]

The range given for Julia's time of death was from 6-8 PM.

 

[STANDREID]

One proposed scenario regarding the possible 6 PM death time was that, when Alan Close talked to "Julia" at around 6:40, he was actually speaking to William Wallace disguised as his wife.

 

[STANDREID]

According to Olivia Brine, her daughter and her nephew, Parry was at their home from 5:30-8:30 PM on the night of the murder. Julia was seen alive after 6:30 and was found dead at 8:45 PM.

I wonder if either the daughter or the nephew could still be living.

Olivia was 39 at the time so the daughter and nephew were most likely in their teens during 1931.

 

[STANDREID]

I don't think Parkes came forward with his story until he knew Parry was dead or near death.

Parkes did claim that he went to the police soon after he said that he found the bloody glove but said that they didn't believe him. There is no record of this in police files so his claim can't be verified.