John Haigh once believed he could escape the consequences of his horrific actions. This English con artist carried out a series of gruesome murders during the 1940s, killing at least six people and using sulfuric acid to destroy their bodies.
Haigh became infamous and was dubbed "the acid bath vampire" by the media, marking him as one of England’s most notorious criminals. His personal letters, many discussing his heinous acts, can now be found at the Institute of Criminology in Cambridge University.
His downfall came when authorities uncovered his letters as well as evidence of an acid-burnt body in his workshop in Crawley, England. Sadly, it was too late for his victims by this time.
A Life of Crime
Haigh’s life took a turn for the worse in his early twenties. He was once a talented pianist and singer, but he found himself unfulfilled in an insurance job that he quickly lost due to theft. This event pushed him into a life of deception and fraud, where he thrived on charming others for his gain.
Eventually, Haigh discovered a more brutal and direct method to accumulate wealth.
The ‘Acid-Bath’ Murders
Released from prison in 1944 for fraud, Haigh’s first victim was a wealthy ex-friend, William McSwann. After killing McSwann, he disposed of the body in acid. He then proceeded to befriend and murder McSwann’s parents, Don and Amy, stealing their income and selling off their properties for profit.
Haigh often presented himself as a civil engineer and inventor, claiming to operate a workshop in Crawley where he would lure individuals for business discussions that quickly turned deadly. He was convinced that he had perfected the act of murder until investigative methods caught up with him.
Haigh’s Arrest and Execution
Suspicion fell on Haigh when a wealthy widow named Olive Durand-Deacon disappeared. He met her at an upscale hotel and persuaded her to visit his workshop to discuss a supposed invention in need of funding. It was there that he killed her and disposed of her body in a less-than-fortunate manner.
After forensic evidence linked him to the crime, Haigh confessed but attempted to plead insanity, a defense that was ultimately rejected when he was sentenced to hang in 1949.
According to Professor Friedrich Loesel from Cambridge University, Haigh showed little understanding of the emotional consequences of his actions. Historians have debated whether he exhibited traits of psychopathy, suggesting he grasped the concept of malice but failed to comprehend its true depth.
Haigh’s execution in August 1949 closed one of the most sensational murder cases of the post-World War II era, a case that paved the way for intense media coverage of serial killings in the future.
