The Vampire Rapist
Malabar, Florida 1985: John Brennan Crutchley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 1, 1946. John was something of a loner as a child but his intellect was never in doubt. He earned a Master’s degree in Engineering Administration at George Washington University and also a Bachelor’s degree in Physics at Defiance College in Ohio. He worked in a series of high tech jobs and also as an electrical systems engineer in Kokomo, Indiana. Things appeared to be going well until security began questioning John about missing material. This triggered a series of job changes and moves.
In 1977 Crutchley got married for a second time. The marriage didn’t last and John began dating a 25 year old woman named Debbora Fitzjohn. When she turned up missing John was questioned by the police. A year later her remains were discovered by a hunter. Crutchley was a suspect but there was no forensic evidence linking him to the murder. By now a pattern was developing. Crutchley would move and then bodies would begin turning up in the area where he resided. He was a suspect in disappearances in Pennsylvania and Maryland but the authorities could never make anything stick…that is until John started plying his trade in Florida.
Malabar is a small town of under 3,000 people situated in Brevard County about 150 miles north of Miami. Not a lot happens in Malabar but that changed when John Brennan Crutchley decided to take up residence there. One night in November 1985 a woman in her teens was hitchhiking when a man pulled up and offered her a ride. The driver offered to take her anywhere that she needed to go but instead drove to his house. When the woman refused to enter his house he choked her until she was unconscious. When she woke up she was chained to a countertop in the kitchen. She was raped repeatedly, but with a twist. Needles were inserted into her arms and wrist and the hitchhiker’s blood flowed from a tube into a jar. The man then drank some of the blood in front of his victim. This scenario was repeated four times until the next day when the man left the house. Even though she was handcuffed and suffering from a severe loss of blood the woman was able to escape through a bathroom window and literally crawled to a nearby road. She was picked up by a trucker who alerted the police. The owner of the house was John Crutchley.
Crutchley was quickly arrested and charged with kidnapping, rape causing grievous bodily harm and possession of a controlled substance. A search of Crutchley’s home turned up other items of interest unrelated to the kidnapping/rape charges. The investigators found highly classified naval information. The feds considered charging him with espionage. The Harris Corporation where Crutchley worked was involved with NASA as well as unnamed naval contractors. However, with Crutchley safely behind bars, the government did not proceed. In exchange for pleading guilty to kidnapping and rape, the prosecution dropped the grievous bodily harm tag and the drug charge. In June 1986 Crutchley was sentenced to 25 years to life.
Crutchley circa 1986
The Vampire Rapist was released after serving less than 11 years of his sentence. This could have been tragic as there was very little doubt among authorities that this man was a serious risk to reoffend. However, less than a day after his release, Crutchley tested positive for marijuana, a violation of his parole. His parole was revoked and the Vampire Rapist was sent back to the slammer to serve out his sentence. Six years later he was found dead in his cell with a plastic bag over his head. He had died while practicing autoerotic asphyxiation. Though he was only ever convicted of kidnapping and rape, it is believed that Crutchley may have killed up to 30 women in five different states.
The Murder of James Bulger
“Children become, while little, our delights,
When they grow bigger, they begin to frights,
Their sinful nature prompts them to rebel
And to delight in paths that lead to hell.
- John Bunyan 1686
"All little boys are nice until they get older
- Robert Thompson age 11
Bootle, England 1993: Twenty-five year old Denise Bulger had lost one baby during pregnancy but when she gave birth to James on March 16, 1990 both Denise and her husband Ralph were thrilled. Denise would later say that James "was a lovely boy. He was very inquisitive, liked to be the center of attention and liked to put on a show at family gatherings." Friday, February 12, 1993 should have been a day like any other in the life of Denise and Ralph Bulger and their young son James who was just a month shy of turning three years old. Denise had planned a shopping trip with her brother's girlfriend Nicola. Nicola needed to exchange some clothes that she had bought and Denise wanted to stop at the butcher shop to pick up some lamb chops. Denise also figured that it would be a nice little outing for James. The three arrived at the Strand Shopping Center in Bootle at 2:30 that afternoon.
James Bulger age 2
That same morning, ten year old Jon Venables left his Merseyside home on his way to school. He ran into Robert Thompson who was hanging around with his younger brother. Robert said that he was going to skip school that day and that was all that Jon needed to hear. Neither one of the boys enjoyed school. They had both been held back a grade and had been teased endlessly about it. Skipping school had become a badge of honor for the pair. On this particular Friday, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson decided to hang out at the Strand Shopping Center in Bootle. At the mall, the boys committed a series of small thefts. There was no rhyme or reason as to what they took - it was simply stealing for the sake of stealing. They stole a wind-up toy soldier and watched it fall down the stairs of a moving escalator. They snatched some candy, batteries, pens, pencils, and paint. ..anything that was within reach when the clerks were busy. There were kicked out of a number of stores and chased out of McDonalds for climbing all over the chairs and disturbing customers. Still, they lingered in the mall. They were still there when Nicola, Denise and James arrived.
Nicola, Denise and James arrived at the Strand Shopping Center at 2:30 in the afternoon. Nicola went to TJ Hughes to exchange her clothes and to do some shopping. James was in a hyper mood and Denise bought him a snack in an effort to slow him down. Even with the snack, James was being a handful. In a children’s clothing store he tossed around some baby clothes. In another shop he grabbed candy and juice. Denise figured that she only had one more stop to make and spotted Nicola coming out of TJ Hughes. She put James down and approached the counter in the butcher shop. James was eating smarties at the entrance to the butcher shop. Nicola saw James playing with a cigarette butt and then popped into another shop. Meanwhile, Denise was distracted when the butcher had screwed up the lamb chop order.
At that exact moment, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson had arrived at the concession stand right next to the butcher shop. They had planned on attempting to pocket some candy but the store was closed. Jon turned and spotted James all alone and eating from his box of smarties. "Come on, baby," Jon said and James followed. Just like that, one of the most infamous crimes in British history had begun to unfold. A security video shows James being led out of the Strand by two boys. The video is time-stamped at 15:42 or 3:42pm. Denise was frantic. One second James was safe in front of the shop; the next second he was gone. She checked with security and gave them a description. Then Denise and Nicola checked all of the shops. Nothing! Another check with security turned up nothing and Denise called the Marsh Lane Police Station reporting James as missing. It had already been 33 minutes since Venables and Thompson had led James away.
Jon Venables walking with James. Robert Thompson is ahead of them.
James was led outside of the shopping center by the two ten year olds. They walked down Stanley Road. James cried but was ignored by the two older boys. They walked down to the canal where Venables and Thompson talked about throwing the young boy into the water. One of them picked up James and dropped him on his head. Something frightened the boys and they ran. Unfortunately, for all concerned, they came back. They made James wear his hood to partially cover up the wound he had received when he was dropped on his head. Many witnesses saw James with the two boys. So
me even saw him crying. A few wondered where the parents were. One witness in a car saw Thompson kick James. Another witness saw Jon punch James and shake him. Her response was to close the curtains and ignore what she had seen. The newspapers claimed that 38 people saw something and did nothing. They were dubbed the Liverpool 38.
The time was now about 5:40pm. Venables and Thompson finally led James down to the old rail yard. One of the boys (depending on who you choose to believe) threw blue paint in James's face. They brutalized the young boy for more than half an hour. He was kicked and beaten. His clothes were torn off and batteries were stuffed in his mouth. The assault continued with Venables and Thompson throwing stones and bricks at James. Finally, as James was lying on the ground, they dropped a railway fishplate on him. The iron bar, used to tie two tracks together, weighed 22 lbs. James was then laid across the railroad track with the hope that a train would come by and hit him making the death look accidental. The boys then simply walked away from the scene. Meanwhile, Jon's mother Susan was fit to be tied. She had been searching for Jon for hours. After the attack on James, Jon and Robert had ended up hanging out at a video store. Susan Venables caught up with them there and she was furious. She hauled them both out of the store, smacking and screaming at both of them. Robert ran off. Susan took Jon to the local police station and asked the officer on duty to give Jon a lecture. The policeman told Jon about a little boy who had been kidnapped from the Strand Shopping Center that afternoon. It could just as easily been Jon, the policeman told him. Jon remained quiet. A few blocks away, Ann Thompson, was not too pleased about the way that her son Robert had been manhandled back at the video store by Susan Venables. She took Robert down to the police station to report the incident. The officer noticed scratches under Robert's eye and figured it had been caused by an irate Susan Venables. He had no reason to suspect something much more sinister.
By now, night had fallen upon Merseyside and the disappearance of James Bulger had hit the evening news. The police had received a number of phone calls from people who had seen the three boys walking together. At the same time, investigators were pouring over the security video from the Strand Shopping Center. They were especially intrigued with reports of an older man with a ponytail who had been seen approaching children that day. They were surprised when they came across grainy images of James being led away by two young boys.
As Friday night turned into Saturday morning, divers searched the canal. Police and the media circulated still shots taken from the security footage. The stills were grainy but it set the mind of at least one mother working. Ann Thompson came right out and asked her son Robert if that was him in the video. He said that it was not. She threatened to take him to the police but the boy did not change his story. James was not found until Sunday afternoon. Four boys had been leisurely walking down the tracks. At first they thought that they were looking at a doll cut in half. When they got closer and realized what they were seeing they called the police. James had been cut in half by an oncoming train. The crime scene was a mess. The top half of the body, still with clothes on, was lying where the killers had placed it. The bottom half, without clothing, was dragged down the track. The iron bar was recovered and was drenched in blood. Three AA batteries were found near the body. A tin of blue paint was also found nearby. There were also numerous stones and bricks that were covered in blood. Even the most hardened detectives were shocked at the obvious brutality. They would be shocked beyond belief when they learned who had perpetrated the vicious murder of a defenceless two year old child. The kidnapping investigation was now a murder investigation.
Searching for evidence at the scene of the murder
At home, Jon Venables was keenly interested in following the story. He told his mother Susan that, " if I seen them lads, I'd kick their heads in." When his father asked him about the blue paint on his coat sleeve, Jon simply replied that Robert had thrown it at him. We can only imagine how terribly difficult it would be to even remotely think that your ten year old son could be responsible for such an act. The evidence was starting to stack up however. Jon had skipped school on the day that James had disappeared. He had blue paint on his coat sleeve and blue paint had been found at the crime scene. Jon was also showing a major interest in the case. Susan confessed to a girlfriend that she was worried about it. That got the case moving in the right direction.
The break came when Susan's girlfriend anonymously called the police to tell them what Susan had confided to her. She told the police about the blue paint and the fact that both Jon and Robert had skipped school that day. The police decided to have a chat with the boys. On Thursday morning, four days after James had been found, the police arrived at the home of Susan and Neil Venables. When police asked for Jon's clothes, Susan commented about the paint on Jon's jacket. When the police asked for the jacket, Jon broke down. In between sobs Jon said, "I didn't kill the baby. It's that Robert Thompson. He always gets me into trouble." Jon told the police that they should talk to Robert. The police did not tell Jon that other officers, armed with a search warrant, were already at Ann Thompson's house. Robert Thompson was crying as the police gathered up his blood stained clothing. The police interviewed Robert with his mother present. Ann sat in stunned disbelief as Robert told of his involvement while being careful to mention that Jon was the ringleader. Robert was worried that he was going to be blamed for everything and that Jon would go free. When Jon was interviewed he was much more hysterical than Robert was. He did pretty much the same thing Robert did...he admitted his involvement but claimed that Robert was the instigator. By Saturday the investigators felt that they had enough information and the boys were charged that night with abduction and murder. There would be a battery of psychiatric tests before the trial which would get underway in November 1993.
Jon Venables and Robert Thompson
Ralph Bulger carries his son out of church in Merseyside
Emotions were running high in England and especially in Merseyside. The young killers were given new identities for their own safety and were housed in separate, special secure units. When the trial began a London newspaper obtained a photo of Jon Venables walking to court with a lollipop. The public was outraged thinking that the boys were enjoying the luxuries of everyday life. If they thought the lollipop was bad, they had no idea of what was to come much later. Venables and Thompson were tried as adults. In the court for the duration of the trial they would be known as Child A and Child B. They were tried together with the prosecution asserting that both boys took part in the abduction and the murder. Many of the Liverpool 38 testified as to what they had seen. The boys themselves did not testify. They watched impassively as the security video from the Strand was played for the jury. They showed no emotion when blood stained stones, bricks and clothes were entered into evidence. The pathologist explained the injuries: 10 skull fractures resulting in severe brain damage and hemorrhaging. At least 42 separate injuries including severe injuries to his bottom half which were inflicted after his clothes had been torn off. James had been repeatedly kicked in the groin and suffered what amounted to torture at the hands of the two boys. It took the pathologist 33 minutes to go through the list of injuries. A forensics expert testified that James was already dead by the time that the train had cut him in half. James's mother Denise did not attend the trial as she was seven months pregnant. Her husband Ralph attended every day. A statement was read in court on behalf of Denise.
On November 24, 1993 Robert Thompson and Jon Venables became the youngest convicted murderers of modern times. These are the words of Justice Morland as he delivered the verdict: "The killing of James Bulger was an act of unparalleled evil and barbarity. This child of two was taken from his mother on a journey of over two miles and then, on the railway line, was battered to death without mercy. Then his body was placed on the railway line so it would be run over by a train in an attempt to conceal his murder. In my judgment your conduct was both cunning and very wicked. The sentence that I pass upon you both
is that you shall be detained during Her Majesty's pleasure, in such a place and under such conditions as the Secretary of State may now decide. You will be securely detained for very, very many years until the Home Secretary is satisfied that you have matured and are fully rehabilitated and until you are no longer a danger." The judge also ordered that the names of the children be released. For the first time the media saw the photos of the two child killers.
The judge's quote of very, very many years proved to be anything but. The sentence became a political football of sorts and the media came along for the ride. Lord Taylor (the Lord Chief Justice) ordered that the boys would serve a minimum of 10 years. This meant that the boys would have been eligible for release in 2003 at which time they would have been 20 years old. To the media and the public at large, the sentence was a joke. Editors of the Sun newspaper, backed by James's parents Denise and Ralph, gathered 282,000 signatures on a petition that was presented to Home Secretary Michael Howard.
Ralph, Denise and Michael Bulger delivering the petition
The public outcry had some effect and in July 1994 it was announced that Venables and Thompson would be held in custody for a minimum of 15 years. This would mean that the boys would not be eligible for release until 2008 at which time they both would be 25 years old. That seemed to appease the public and the media but now the politicians would weigh in. Lord Donaldson was critical of the increased sentence, calling it "institutionalized vengeance" and saying that the Home Secretary had "played to the gallery." In 1997 the increased sentence was overturned by the House of Lords. They claimed that it was "unlawful" for the Home Secretary to increase sentences. Everyone had an opinion. Prime Minister John Major said that "society needs to condemn more and understand a little less."
Scene of the Crime Page 6
