True Crime With Caledonian Kitty : Suspected Serial Killer's Death Note Confession? | Stephen Akinmurele aka The Cul-De-Sac-Killer

(Stephen Akinmurele. Picture credit: manchestereveningnews)

*Please be aware that shocking details are shared in this post. I have tried to be as sensitive as possible without shying away from the facts of this case. The contents of this blog are not suitable for anyone under the age of 18*

He was described by the seasoned detectives that interviewed him as ''One of the most dangerous men they had ever met'' but so little is known about the individual you see in the grainy picture above. His name was Stephen Akinmurele but to the few people who know this case, as well as the families of his 'alleged' victims, he will always be known as The Cul-De-Sac-Killer.

Not much is known about Stephen's background except for the usual details of his birth date and so forth. I have tried to find more pictures of him and the victims but as I said before, this case is not that well known which is a real shame because I always think it's important to remember the victims and tell their story. Hopefully more people in the true crime community will discuss this case in the future but in the meantime, let's delve into what we do know...

Stephen Oladimeji K. Akinmurele was born in Nigeria on the 16th of March 1978. His father was born and bred in the country but his mother was from England. Little is known about his father but records show that Stephen and his mother moved to England whilst he was 10 years old and his father remained in Nigeria after his parents split up.

When Stephen and his mother moved to England they settled in the scenic Isle of Man which is a popular place for holidaymakers. The Isle of Man is known for it's seaside, history, museums and stunning landmarks. For the majority of his early childhood, Stephen was brought up by his maternal grandmother and it was reportedly a very difficult relationship for him due to her old fashioned ways and strict rules. He was very fearful for getting on the wrong side of her because her punishments could be severe at times.

Having only been in England for one year at this point, Stephen found himself on the wrong side of the law at the tender age of 11. He began a path of petty crime as well as getting involved in various other types of trouble involving drugs and alcohol. He became fixated on targeting elderly people too, he enjoyed frightening them, upsetting them and stealing from them. He saw them as easy targets to abuse.

With the broken relationship with his father, the massive change of moving from Nigeria to England at such a young age and having to live by his grandmother's strict rules, one wonders if this was Stephen's way of lashing out, but it is no excuse and unfortunately it was not just a phase of an angry young boy.

As he got older he moved to another popular tourist part of England...Blackpool! Blackpool is like a cheaper, less glamorous version of Las Vegas but many people in the UK have visited Blackpool many times and it is actually a nice place (I've stayed there many times). Blackpool is popular for it's bars, nightclubs, casinos, beach, the famous landmark 'Blackpool Tower' and The Pleasure Beach which features rollercoasters and various rides. So Stephen moved to Blackpool and began working in a welfare office during the weekdays whilst also making some extra money during the evenings and weekends as a barman.

It all looked like he had turned over a new leaf and had really found his feet but unfortunately, he could not shake off the drive and urge to cause harm. One of the things about Blackpool is that it's not just popular with younger people and families, it is popular with a lot of elderly and retired people whether they live there or go for a day out, you will always see lots of elderly people around.

For some reason this set Stephen off again and this time he wasn't interested in just robbing and being a pest, this time he (allegedly - we have to say allegedly. I'll explain why as the post goes on) wanted to go further and take the lives of his victims.

He had a particular hatred for elderly women, who he would rob, beat and strangle. His first known victims were a couple in October of 1998, Eric and Joan Boardman. Eric was 77 and Joan was 74. It is believed that Stephen had seen the couple out and about in Blackpool as they lived there and spent a lot of time in the town. The heartbreaking crime scene after Stephen had fled, was discovered by Eric & Joan's daughter. Joan was found in the livingroom of the house and Eric had been found in the hallway underneath a wardrobe, there was evidence to suggest that Eric had put up a fight to try and protect his wife and himself but sadly the elderly man could not be expected to have survived such a brutal attack by a younger, stronger man with a weapon. Eric was later honoured with a bench in his memory and recognition for his incredible bravery that day.

(Bench memorial in tribute to Eric Boardman. Picture credit: blackpool.cc)

Stephen was arrested when investigators found his fingerprints on the weapon and evidence at the scene that he had been there. He was promptly taken into custody where he confessed to more murders of elderly people. One of the victims had previously been his landlady. His other victims were all elderly women, all strangled and their houses or apartments were set on fire in an attempt to burn evidence. In total, Stephen Akinmurele was said to have been responsible for at least five to seven murders.

He never expressed any remorse but in the weeks before his trial, he was found deceased in his cell at Manchester Prison. He had apparently taken his own life, not because of feeling remorseful but because he couldn't live anymore with the constant urge to kill elderly people. He had previously told a prison Doctor that he would lay in bed all night fantasizing about killing old women. He had previously attempted to take his own life in the past and had to be moved around for his own safety, he'd even once threatened to take a female guard hostage.

(Newspaper article about the case & Stephen Akinmurele's death. Picture credit: newspapers.com)

He had a girlfriend at the time (how anyone could see this guy as a catch, is beyond me) and she would visit Stephen and write letters to him in prison. She became aware that he was spiraling deeper and deeper into some sort of depression and alerted the prison staff but not much was done about it.

Stephen had taken his own life by hanging himself from his prison window. He was found with two notes, one which was a general suicide note and the other was addressed to his mother.

In the notes he said:

''I know it's not right, always thinking like this but it's always on my mind. I can't help the way I feel, what I did was wrong - I know that and I feel for them - but it doesn't mean I won't do it again. I'll keep on having this feeling. I'm going mad because I can't take any more of this and that's why I'm saying goodbye'' - Stephen Akinmurele

(Excerpt from a note to his mother):

''I couldn't take any more of feeling like how I do now, always wanting to kill'' - Stephen Akinmurele

Stephen was pronounced dead on the 28th of August 1999, he was 21 years old.

I would like to take a moment to remember the victims that we know about and the ones who we may never know about. As mentioned before, sadly I cannot find any photographs but their names will never be forgotten. RIP:

Eric & Joan Boardman

Jemmimah Cargill

Dorothy Harris

Marjorie Ashton

The police believe that Stephen Akinmurele may have been responsible for murders in both Isle of Man as well as Blackpool. Sadly he was never to face his day in court and many questions remain unanswered but it is highly believed that he is responsible for 5-7 murders.

I know this was another difficult post to get through and I thank you for continuing through it. I don't think any of us can bear the thought of someone harming our elderly relatives. A lot of us have so much respect for the older generation and could not imagine any wrong being done to them. What was is that drove Stephen Akinmurele to do these horrendous things? What created this anger towards innocent elderly people? Why did he want to just kill elderly women in particular? was it the difficult relationship with his grandmother? or was it the feelings of abandonment from his father? I guess we will never know the answer to these questions.

Further Reading & Sources:

- Stephen Akinmurele: Article | Manchester Evening News

- Stephen Akinmurele | Wikipedia

- Stephen Akinmurele: Article | The Guardian

- Murder By The Sea | Documentary

- Eric Boardman: Article | Medium

- Stephen Akinmurele: Article | Lancashire Telegraph

- Stephen Akinmurele | Find A Grave

- Stephen Akinmurele: Article | BBC News

- Blackpool | Wikipedia

Please don't forget to check out my previous posts in this series:

- The Dating Game Serial Killer: Rodney Alcala