In 1953, 27-year-old nightclub hostess Ruth Ellis began a tempestuous romance with 24-year-old race car driver David Blakely. Two years later, their passionate but toxic relationship set the stage for one of the UK’s most infamous crimes of passion. Murder: True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original. For more, follow us on TikTok and Instagram @crimehouse To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: What draws us to crimes of passion?
This is Crime House. There's something about a crime of passion that draws us in. Whether it's love, jealousy, even rage, we can all relate to a certain degree. But while most of us never act on those violent feelings, there are some people out there who can't control themselves. In the end, they wind up hurting the person they love the most in this world.
Chapter 2: Who were Ruth Ellis and David Blakely?
When David Blakely and Ruth Ellis met in 1953, their hot and heavy romance had the makings of a Shakespearean drama down to the murder and betrayal. The difference was this wasn't a work of fiction. These were real people whose actions had real consequences. And when the dust settled, one of them would be facing execution. People's lives are like a story.
There's a beginning, a middle, and an end, but you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon, and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder True Crime Stories, the Crime House original show powered by Pave Studios. Every Tuesday, I'll explore the story of a notorious murder or murders.
I'll be bringing awareness to stories that need to be heard with a focus on those who were impacted. At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly matters.
And to enhance your Murder True Crime Stories listening experience, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode ad-free, and instead of having to wait for each episode of a two-part series, you'll get access to both at once, plus exciting bonus content. This is the first of two episodes on the murder of David Blakely.
an English race car driver who was killed in 1955 by his lover, Ruth Ellis. Today, I'll introduce you to Ruth and David,
they came from very different backgrounds but when they met at a london nightclub in 1953 they were immediately drawn to each other and for the next year their toxic relationship wreaked havoc on their lives next time i'll walk you through the dramatic end of their relationship and the sensational murder trial that followed
I'll talk about the impact it left on the British justice system and why this notorious crime of passion forever changed the way homicides are prosecuted. All that and more, coming up. Not everyone believes in signs, but sometimes they seem so obvious it's hard not to. Ruth Nielsen was born on October 9, 1926, in the seaside town of Rhyl in Wales. That day, an unusually strong sandstorm hit Rhyl.
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Chapter 3: How did Ruth Ellis's early life shape her future?
It would set the tone for the rest of Ruth's tumultuous life. Still, the first few years of her youth were relatively stable. Ruth's dad, Arthur, was a cellist and made a decent living playing live soundtracks in silent movie theaters. Her mom Bertha stayed at home to take care of Ruth and her four siblings.
But by the early 1930s, technological advancements in the film industry meant the end of silent movies, and soon Arthur was out of work. The Nielsen family left Wales and spent the next few years moving around towns in the UK, renting small apartments while Arthur searched for a new job. Arthur was ashamed he couldn't provide for his family.
By the early 1930s, he sank into a deep depression that only got worse when his twin brother died in a freak bicycle accident. Arthur turned to alcohol to cope with the loss and soon his behavior spiraled out of control. He began sexually assaulting Ruth and her older sister Muriel, who weren't even teenagers yet.
Bertha turned a blind eye, and the abuse reached a horrible turning point when 14-year-old Muriel became pregnant with her father's child in 1934. Even then, no one punished Arthur. After Muriel gave birth, her son was raised as though he was one of her siblings. No one outside the Nielsen family knew the dark truth.
Although the Nielsens tried to pretend they were one big happy family, they were all desperate for a fresh start. They got that chance six years later in 1940, when the family moved to South London. Ruth, who was 14 at the time, was thrilled about living in the big city. She loved the fast-paced lifestyle and exciting new people around her. But the good times didn't last long.
When the Nielsens first moved to London, the city was relatively unscathed by the violence of World War II. But by 1941, London became a major battleground. That year, Ruth's house was bombed by the Germans. Ruth's father was buried in the rubble, and she didn't hesitate to save him. Despite the awful things he'd done to her and her sister, Ruth still loved him.
She raced into the carnage to drag him out. Thanks to Ruth's bravery, Arthur survived. But the event made Ruth rethink her life. As a young girl living through a war, she realized she didn't have much use for school. At 14 or 15 years old, Ruth decided to drop out and find a job.
She was determined to escape the cycle of poverty she'd been born into and didn't think she needed an education to do it. One of her first jobs was as a machine operator at a factory. She wasn't making much money, but it was enough to buy a new dress from time to time. As a teenage girl, that's all Ruth really wanted. She didn't care about boys or making friends.
She was focused on keeping her head above water. The girls at the factory described Ruth as stuck up. Even though she was one of them, it seemed like Ruth thought she was above her working class peers. She stuck it out at the factory for the next couple of years, but all the while, Ruth imagined a better life for herself, one filled with luxury and sophistication.
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Chapter 4: What was Ruth Ellis's relationship with George Ellis like?
Chapter 5: How did Ruth Ellis transition from modeling to a nightclub hostess?
But most of all, she enjoyed getting paid. Ruth was making one pound an hour, which would be around 70 US dollars today with inflation. It was more money than she'd ever made in her life. Plus, the cameramen treated her well. The war was over by then, and after work, they'd take her out on the town and buy her drinks and food.
One evening in 1946, about a year into her time at the camera club, 19-year-old Ruth and her companions made their way to an upscale nightclub in the Mayfair neighborhood. She had no idea she was about to meet a man who would change her entire life. By 1946, World War II was over and the streets of London were buzzing with activity.
By then, 19-year-old Ruth Nielsen had been working as a nude model for around two years to support herself and her two-year-old son, Andy. While Ruth still lived in South London with her parents, she was well on her way to the bigger and better life she'd always dreamed of. After finishing up her photo shoots for the day, Ruth would often go out on the town with her friends and clients.
They frequented fancy spots like the Crown Club in the Mayfair neighborhood. To Ruth, these nightclubs represented the pinnacle of society. The champagne was free-flowing, the clothing was high-end, and the people were rich. It was exactly the kind of place Ruth wanted to be. One evening that year in 1946, Ruth was out at the Crown Club when she started chatting with the owner, Maury Conley.
He was immediately impressed by Ruth and saw unrealized potential in the tough girl from South London. By the end of the night, Maury offered Ruth a job as a hostess at the club. With a commission from all the money her customers spent at the club, Ruth stood to make way more than she did as a model. Plus, the hostesses were given fancy dresses to wear to work. It was music to Ruth's ears.
But there was a catch. Maury had a reputation for operating outside the law. It was common knowledge that his hostesses also slept with male customers to make extra cash. Ruth wasn't thrilled by the idea, but when Maury told her just how much his patrons were willing to pay, she decided the arrangement was well worth it.
With her good looks and charming personality, Ruth quickly became one of Maury's most popular employees. For the next four years, she continued working at the club, making a solid paycheck on and off the books. Most of the time, Ruth kept her work separate from her personal life. But in 1950, when Ruth was 24, one of her clients started to develop real feelings for her.
41-year-old George Ellis was a successful dental surgeon going through what seemed like a midlife crisis. The previous year, his wife filed for divorce and left with their two young children. George was heartbroken and turned to alcohol to numb the pain. He became a regular at the Crown Club, though he wasn't exactly a welcome guest.
George was usually a drunken mess whenever he showed up and became known as the mad dentist. According to Ruth, she found George pathetic when she first met him, but he spent a lot of money at the club while Ruth was hosting, which meant she got a hefty commission. And after a night of drinking, one thing led to another and she ended up in his bed.
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Chapter 6: What events led to Ruth Ellis's marriage with George?
On November 8th, 1950, 25-year-old Ruth Nielsen officially became Ruth Ellis. Their marriage got off to a good start. It seemed like George was truly committed to staying sober. Ruth was thrilled by the progress he'd made and decided to stop drinking in solidarity with him. Things only continued to improve from there.
Since George had to quit his job when he went to rehab, he looked for a new position. Just a few weeks later, he was hired at a dental practice in southwest London. It was on the other side of town, so the newlyweds, along with Andy, relocated to an apartment closer to the office. For the first few weeks of 1951, life was good for Ruth and George.
He settled back into work, and Ruth fixed up the apartment. But their happiness was short-lived. At first, George seemed like he was on the path to staying clean. But before long, he was frequenting a nearby pub, buying rounds of drinks for himself and whoever happened to be at the bar. His behavior opened old wounds and soon he and Ruth were arguing on a daily basis.
This time though, George wasn't the only one battling demons. Around this period in the spring of 1951, Ruth became incredibly possessive over George. Although there was no indication he was cheating on her, Ruth was convinced he was having an affair. She was so paranoid about it, she would show up at his office while George was in surgery, hoping to catch him in the act.
George denied Ruth's allegations, but it wasn't enough to calm her fears. And eventually, George grew so frustrated with Ruth, he became violent. During one incident that April, Ruth locked George out of the house. He responded by kicking the front door down. It was the last straw for Ruth. She took seven year old Andy and they moved in with her parents.
But the separation was overshadowed by some unexpected news. Almost as soon as Ruth left, she realized she was several months pregnant. With a baby on the way, Ruth and George tried to work things out one final time. But by then they were too far gone. George kept drinking and Ruth kept worrying he was cheating on her.
After more fighting and yelling, she decided it was better if she and Andy stayed with her mom permanently. On October 2nd, 1951, Ruth gave birth to a girl named Georgina. George wasn't there for her birth because he was back in rehab. He wasn't ready to be a father and insisted Ruth give the baby up for adoption. Ruth refused, but by this point, the writing was on the wall.
Her marriage to George Ellis was broken beyond repair. And while the couple wasn't talking about divorce, they would never be together again. With George out of the picture, 25-year-old Ruth was facing a grim reality. For the last year, she'd relied on him to support her. Now she was a single mother with two kids, and she couldn't count on anyone but herself.
So she got in touch with someone from her past, nightclub owner Maury Conley. Maury was happy to have Ruth back in the fold, and even set her up in an apartment in West London where some of his other employees lived. It's not clear where Andy and Georgina were staying at the time, but they were likely with Ruth's parents.
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