FIENDISH KILLERS (True Crime) by Anne Williams, Vivian Head, Amy Williams
Book: FIENDISH KILLERS (True Crime) by Anne Williams, Vivian Head, Amy Williams
Read Free Book Online
Ads: Link
was convicted of murder. He was sentenced to death by firing squad. Once in jail, on death row, he admitted to his crimes and became a devout Muslim, praying for God to forgive him for the terrible murders he had committed. According to one source, Justice Affairs Officer Lukas Tarigan, Suradji developed a reputation in prison as a tolerant, kind man – just as he had before his conviction, when he was living in the little village of Aman Damai.
The case of Ahmad Suradji is unusual, involving as it does a ‘dukun’, or sorcerer, from Indonesia, where instances of serial killing are relatively rare compared to the West. However, the dukun have long been associated with strange rituals involving death: for example, some of them go to cemeteries to summon up the spirits of the dead. Many Indonesians believe that the dukun, who are also known as ‘pawing’ or ‘bomoh’ (meaning shaman), are advised by the wise spirits of the dead, and will go to them for advice about health or romantic problems. The dukun are believed to be able to find out the reasons for bad luck or bad health, and as well as healing ills, are also thought to be able to cause possession by bad spirits, leading to ill health and bad luck. The dukun works by performing incantations and rituals, and also by administering potions. Most of their practices are extremely ancient, and the origins of them are in many cases difficult to trace. Nevertheless, the dukun continue to hold sway in modern Indonesian society, not just in the countryside but even in large cities, where they continue to offer their services in many shopping centres. Many people accept that there is always a risk in consulting a sorcerer, but tend to be unwilling to criticise the dukun, for fear of bringing bad luck on themselves and their families – in Suradji’s case, with horrifying results.
Peter Manuel
Peter Manuel was a serial killer who terrified the people of Scotland with a series of vicious murders in the 1950s. When he was finally arrested and convicted, his callous, arrogant attitude shocked the British nation, for he went to his death without showing any remorse whatsoever. Today, he is remembered as one of the last people to be hanged in Scotland before the death penalty was banned.
B LUDGEONED TO DEATH
Manuel was born on March 1, 1927, in New York. His parents were Scottish, and when he was five years old the family moved to the city of Coventry in England. Growing up in Coventry, young Peter showed signs of becoming a criminal, and was constantly in trouble with the authorities. At the age of twelve, he was arrested for burglary and was sent to reform school. For the next few years he was in and out of reform school, and became known to the authorities as a juvenile delinquent, as young offenders were called then. At sixteen, he was charged with rape and received a jail sentence. In 1953, the family moved to Glasgow, Scotland and when Manuel got out of jail, he joined them there. Birkenshaw, the area where the family lived, was in the rough east end of Glasgow and afforded many opportunities for Manuel to continue his antisocial behaviour. He was jailed for rape several times before beginning a killing spree that lasted for five years until his capture in 1958; by which time people were beginning to lock their doors day and night in the belief that a complete madman was on the loose and would attack them at any moment.
His first unfortunate victim was Anna Knielands, a seventeen-year-old girl that he bludgeoned to death with a length of iron. Her body was found on a golf course in East Kilbride. In 1956 he was pulled in by police for questioning over the murder, but he managed to convince them that he was innocent and was released without charge. Two years later, when brought into police custody on another charge, he confessed to this murder.
N O MOTIVE
His next victims were forty-five-year-old Marion Watt, her sister Margaret Brown, aged
The case of Ahmad Suradji is unusual, involving as it does a ‘dukun’, or sorcerer, from Indonesia, where instances of serial killing are relatively rare compared to the West. However, the dukun have long been associated with strange rituals involving death: for example, some of them go to cemeteries to summon up the spirits of the dead. Many Indonesians believe that the dukun, who are also known as ‘pawing’ or ‘bomoh’ (meaning shaman), are advised by the wise spirits of the dead, and will go to them for advice about health or romantic problems. The dukun are believed to be able to find out the reasons for bad luck or bad health, and as well as healing ills, are also thought to be able to cause possession by bad spirits, leading to ill health and bad luck. The dukun works by performing incantations and rituals, and also by administering potions. Most of their practices are extremely ancient, and the origins of them are in many cases difficult to trace. Nevertheless, the dukun continue to hold sway in modern Indonesian society, not just in the countryside but even in large cities, where they continue to offer their services in many shopping centres. Many people accept that there is always a risk in consulting a sorcerer, but tend to be unwilling to criticise the dukun, for fear of bringing bad luck on themselves and their families – in Suradji’s case, with horrifying results.
Peter Manuel
Peter Manuel was a serial killer who terrified the people of Scotland with a series of vicious murders in the 1950s. When he was finally arrested and convicted, his callous, arrogant attitude shocked the British nation, for he went to his death without showing any remorse whatsoever. Today, he is remembered as one of the last people to be hanged in Scotland before the death penalty was banned.
B LUDGEONED TO DEATH
Manuel was born on March 1, 1927, in New York. His parents were Scottish, and when he was five years old the family moved to the city of Coventry in England. Growing up in Coventry, young Peter showed signs of becoming a criminal, and was constantly in trouble with the authorities. At the age of twelve, he was arrested for burglary and was sent to reform school. For the next few years he was in and out of reform school, and became known to the authorities as a juvenile delinquent, as young offenders were called then. At sixteen, he was charged with rape and received a jail sentence. In 1953, the family moved to Glasgow, Scotland and when Manuel got out of jail, he joined them there. Birkenshaw, the area where the family lived, was in the rough east end of Glasgow and afforded many opportunities for Manuel to continue his antisocial behaviour. He was jailed for rape several times before beginning a killing spree that lasted for five years until his capture in 1958; by which time people were beginning to lock their doors day and night in the belief that a complete madman was on the loose and would attack them at any moment.
His first unfortunate victim was Anna Knielands, a seventeen-year-old girl that he bludgeoned to death with a length of iron. Her body was found on a golf course in East Kilbride. In 1956 he was pulled in by police for questioning over the murder, but he managed to convince them that he was innocent and was released without charge. Two years later, when brought into police custody on another charge, he confessed to this murder.
N O MOTIVE
His next victims were forty-five-year-old Marion Watt, her sister Margaret Brown, aged
Similar Books
