In 1955, Ruth Ellis murdered David Blakely in a crime of passion that dominated British headlines. The dramatic trial that followed shocked the public and changed the UK's justice system forever. 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 is the controversial topic discussed in this episode?
This is Crime House. When it comes to murder, everyone has a different understanding of what justice should look like. Some people think life in prison is a fitting fate for a killer. Others believe they should be executed. Whatever your feelings about the death penalty are, there's no denying it's one of the most controversial topics out there.
And in 1955, the United Kingdom was forced to deal with the issue head on. After Ruth Ellis and David Blakely's tumultuous relationship ended in murder, everyone in London had an opinion about the appropriate punishment for the killer. By the end of the trial, it was decided. And both Ruth and David would wind up dead. 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, a Crime House original show powered by PAVE Studios. Every Tuesday, I'll explore the story of a notorious murder or murders.
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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 second of two episodes on the murder of David Blakely, an English race car driver who was killed in 1955 by his lover, Ruth Ellis.
Last time, I told you about how Ruth and David crossed paths at a London nightclub in 1953. Over the next two years, their turbulent relationship took over both of their lives. Today, I'll fill you in on how Ruth and David's love affair ended in murder. Then I'll take you through the ensuing investigation and sensational trial that upended the United Kingdom's entire justice system.
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Chapter 2: How did Ruth Ellis and David Blakely's relationship unfold?
All that and more coming up next. By the summer of 1954, 27-year-old Ruth Ellis was well and truly falling for 25-year-old David Blakely. After two dead-end relationships, Ruth felt like David was the one. But he didn't exactly feel the same way.
while they weren't exclusive david was seeing other women and ruth was sleeping with her mutual friend desmond cousin she was ready to give it all up for david and before long her feelings for him turned into a full-on obsession Despite their arrangement, whenever David was away from Ruth, Ruth worried he was out with other girls, which he was.
So Ruth tried to even the playing field by pitting him and Desmond against one another. She made sure David knew all about her dates with Desmond and was constantly looking to get a reaction out of him. Sometimes she was successful, just not in the way she wanted. That fall, Ruth and David's relationship became even more erratic, violent even.
They were both drinking heavily and their arguments would frequently turn into physical brawls. By the time Christmas of 1954 rolled around, David was thinking it was time to move on. He told a friend he wanted to get away from Ruth. But she wasn't the only one who was infatuated. Despite his realization that their relationship had become toxic, David always got pulled back in.
That might have been because Ruth also knew how to play the dating game. While she was madly in love with David, she still kept her cards close to her chest. For the holidays, she gifted David and Desmond identical silver cigarette cases.
it was a not so subtle message that they were competing for her affection but as 1954 turned into 1955 28 year old ruth couldn't hide her true feelings any longer because in march of that year she discovered she was pregnant This was the second time Ruth had gotten pregnant while she was with David. The first time, when it wasn't clear whose baby it was, she decided to get an abortion.
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Chapter 3: What led to the tragic ending of Ruth and David's relationship?
But now that she knew David was the father, she wondered if maybe having a child would finally bring them together in a serious way. The last time Ruth had gotten pregnant, David had offered to help raise the baby, even if it wasn't his. but this time he wasn't interested. The couple fought over what Ruth should do and the argument ended in tragedy.
David became so angry, he punched Ruth in the stomach and she suffered a miscarriage. Despite what he'd done, Ruth didn't or couldn't walk away from David. She continued to spend time with him and even told her friends they were planning to get married. That couldn't have been further from the truth. As the Easter holidays approached, David was ready to end things once and for all.
On April 8th, 1955, he met his friend Aunt Finn later along with Aunt's wife Carol at a pub called The Magdala. They could immediately tell something was wrong. After a bit of prying, David admitted he wanted to leave Ruth. When his friends asked why he hadn't gone through with it yet, David replied, quote, It's not as easy as all that. You don't know her. You don't know what she's capable of.
The Finn leaders couldn't argue with that, so they suggested he spend Easter weekend at their place. At least that way he could get a little distance from Ruth. David agreed. Only he didn't tell Ruth about his plans. When he missed their date that Friday, she called the Finlaters. She knew David spent a lot of time with them and asked if he was around. Carol and Aunt told her he wasn't.
Ruth didn't believe them. Not only did she think David was there, but she thought he was sneaking around behind her back. Ruth was convinced David was sleeping with the Finlaters' 19-year-old live-in nanny, and she wasn't about to let him get away with it. Shortly after calling the Finlaters, Ruth showed up at their house.
She pounded on the door, and when David came outside, she yelled at him, loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear. Someone alerted the police, and they talked Ruth down. Once she was calm enough to hold a conversation, David finally told her he was done. He refused to leave with her and said he was staying with the Finlaters through the weekend. He didn't want to see her again.
Ruth was humiliated. She went home and ruminated on everything David had done to her. She couldn't believe that after what she'd been through, he was going to leave her just like that. Ruth felt like she was a true catch. If David couldn't see that well, she'd make sure he regretted it.
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Chapter 4: How did Ruth Ellis commit the crime?
On April 10th, 1955, Easter Sunday, Ruth spent the day with Desmond's cousin and her 11-year-old son, Andy, who was back home from boarding school. But Ruth didn't want him to see what she was about to do. After shopping around with him and Desmond, Ruth tucked Andy into bed at 7.30 p.m. Then she put a gun into her purse and called a taxi. She told the driver to drop her off at the Finlader's.
Around 9 p.m., the taxi approached the house. Ruth saw David and his friend Clive Gunnell walk out and hop into a car. Ruth had a good idea of where they were headed, so she paid the driver and sent him on his way. Then she walked the quarter mile to the Magdala pub. Ruth stood outside the Magdala while David and Clive had a few drinks.
Neither of them noticed her peeking through the window, watching them. At 9.30pm, David and Clive exited the pub. They walked toward the car. As David fumbled around in his pocket for the keys, he heard someone come up behind him and call his name. He turned around to find Ruth standing there. pointing a revolver straight at his chest.
On Easter Sunday, April 10th, 1955, 28-year-old Ruth Ellis hunted down her lover, 25-year-old David Blakely, outside of a pub. Then she pointed a revolver at his chest. She saw the shock on his face as he registered what was about to happen. David turned and ran. After a few steps, Ruth fired two shots into his back. She followed as David staggered away.
He didn't get far before collapsing onto the pavement in front of the Magdala Pub. David lay there motionless. But Ruth wasn't done yet. She continued to fire into David as several witnesses watched in horror. Ruth didn't stop until she ran out of bullets. When she was finished, she turned to David's friend Clive. Ruth was calm as she told Clive to go inside the pub and call the police.
But that wouldn't be necessary. An off-duty officer was already there having a drink. When he heard the commotion, he rushed outside. Ruth calmly handed over the gun. Then she just stood there silently while he called for backup, as if she was contemplating what she'd just done. A few minutes later, an ambulance arrived and paramedics removed David's body from the scene.
He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Meanwhile, Ruth was taken into custody. By 11 p.m., Ruth arrived at the police station. She was led to an interrogation room where detectives questioned her about the shooting. Ruth didn't hesitate. She came right out and said she was guilty of killing David.
She admitted that when he said he was staying with the Finlaters that weekend, she became enraged and decided to kill him. However, Ruth did try to explain her side of the story. She told the officers all about their tumultuous relationship and the abuse she suffered at David's hands. As for the murder weapon, she insisted a stranger had given her the gun three years ago.
Ruth said she didn't even know it was loaded until she fired it at David that day. Even if that was true, it didn't matter who had purchased the weapon or if Ruth knew it was loaded. There was no doubt about it. Ruth was a killer. And the following day, on April 11th, 1955, she was charged with David Blakely's murder. By that point, the story was all over the English tabloids.
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Chapter 5: What was the aftermath of the murder on Ruth Ellis?
Even today, these publications are known for embellishing their stories with sensational details. But when it came to Ruth and David's tragic romance, they didn't need to do much exaggerating. From Ruth's time as a call girl to David's exciting racing career, the people of Great Britain wanted to know it all.
As reporters clamored to learn every lurid detail about Ruth's life, she awaited trial in London's Holloway Prison. Longing for a reminder of her old life, she asked the guards for a photograph of her son Andy. Ruth seemed less interested in her daughter Georgina, who now lived with her father George, as he looked for someone to adopt her.
Beyond the photo of Andy, Ruth spent her time reading the Bible, but it doesn't seem like she learned many lessons from studying scripture. Two days after the murder, Ruth wrote a letter to David's mom. Ruth apologized for what she'd done, but insisted it wasn't her fault. Ruth believed the Finlaters were ultimately responsible for driving a fatal wedge between her and David.
Now, because of their meddling, she was going to die. Although it had only been 48 hours since she'd been arrested, Ruth probably knew what was going to happen next. The 1950s saw a number of high-profile executions in Great Britain, and considering how much evidence the police had... It seemed likely that Ruth would meet the same fate. Her only hope was being declared criminally insane.
Over the next two months, Ruth was evaluated by several different psychiatrists. This was her chance to express remorse about her actions, but Ruth didn't show any hint of regret. She told one doctor she felt justified in killing David because of how he'd mistreated her during their relationship.
Another psychiatrist who spent time with Ruth didn't offer an official diagnosis but concluded that Ruth was emotionally immature. As such, she didn't possess the problem-solving skills to deal with her explosive relationship with David. That same doctor asked Ruth if she'd considered how her actions would impact her two children. Ruth said she'd never thought about it.
In between meetings with psychiatrists, Ruth was allowed visitors. One of her most frequent was Desmond Cousin, the third wheel in her convoluted love triangle with David. Despite what she'd done, it seemed like Desmond was still very much in love with Ruth. And like the other prison officials, he was shocked by Ruth's indifference to the horrific crimes she'd committed.
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Chapter 6: How did the public and media react to the murder trial?
But while Ruth may have been apathetic about her actions, there was one thing she was very clear about. No matter what the psychiatrists concluded, she refused to plead guilty by reason of insanity. which meant her lawyers had an uphill battle ahead of them if they wanted to find a way to avoid the death penalty. As they struggled to prepare for her trial, yet another wrench was thrown their way.
With all the interest in Ruth's story, it didn't take long for a reporter to dig up some old photos of Ruth from her days as a nude model. Of course, they couldn't take the photos to print, so instead they published headlines like Blonde Model Accused of Killing Ace Race Car Driver and The Back Street's Girl Who Tried to Gate Crash Society.
All the negative press was a nightmare for her attorneys, but Ruth herself didn't seem to mind. In fact, when she heard she was being referred to as a model, Ruth got to thinking. Since she'd been in prison, her roots had grown out. With her upcoming trial, she wanted to look good in court. She was sure the photos would be published all over town.
So she arranged for her hairdresser to come to the prison and dye her hair back to platinum blonde. Now that Ruth looked the part of a blonde bombshell, there was only one thing left to do. Go to trial and put on a show. 28-year-old Ruth Ellis' murder trial began on June 20, 1955, in London, England.
It had been over two months since she shot her lover, 25-year-old David Blakely, outside the Magdala Pub. Since then, the story of Ruth and David's tragic love affair had spread like wildfire. As Ruth walked into the courtroom, The aisles were packed with reporters from the United States, France, Italy and West Germany.
They all turned to look as Ruth strolled in, wearing a fur-trimmed black suit, white silk blouse and black high heels. Her platinum blonde hair was perfectly coiffed. Once Ruth was seated, her attorney addressed the judge. He said Ruth was pleading not guilty.
He made it clear that Ruth didn't deny killing David, but he argued that her judgment was compromised given the emotional distress she'd experienced during her relationship with David. Because of that, he argued she should be found guilty of manslaughter, which carried a lighter sentence than murder.
When it came time for the prosecution to speak, they highlighted all of the unflattering articles that had come out about Ruth and put her complicated love life front and center. The lawyer said Ruth had been sleeping with David and Desmond Cousin at the same time He insisted that when David wanted to end things with Ruth, she couldn't handle the rejection and killed him in revenge.
When David's friends Clive Gunnell and Aunt Finn later took the stand, they supported those claims. The only witness to offer Ruth some support was Desmond. He told the jurors he'd seen the impact of David's violence on Ruth and had helped her cover up her bruises with makeup. He argued that while Ruth did kill David, it was only because she'd reached a boiling point.
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