The Newcastle Halloween Murder - Unsolved

 

Number 12 Goldspink lane, in Sandford, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne was the scene of an absolutely horrific murder on Halloween night 1963

Hi everybody and firstly my apologies for not blogging recently but I have been busy working on some very important research which has taken up a great deal of my time,

As it's the month of Halloween I think it is time that this case was given some time. . .

The horrifying murder of a retired school teacher, Katherine Lillian Armstrong sent a huge shock through the ordinary lives of the people of Newcastle, UK, but the case remains unsolved to this day. 

The murder was so gruesome that it caused police leave to be cancelled, special detectives to be brought in from London and some 16,000 people to be interviewed. 

The police were called to the corner property on Goldspink Lane by Ada Ridley, Miss Armstrong's cousin when she called at the house to find all the curtains closed and the door locked at 10.30am. Ada knew that her cousin was an early riser by habit, she knocked repeatedly but got no answer and decided that something was wrong. 

Police officers arrived to find no sign of a break-in, but when a sergeant entered the house he was met with a sight that even he found hard to believe. Spinster Katherine had been viciously beaten, stabbed all around the face and head at least 28 times, had a nylon stocking tied around her neck and various defence cuts on both hands. A post mortem examination confirmed that she had died from shock and blood loss, not from strangulation, so the reason for the stocking being around her neck was not clear, particularly as there was no evidence of a sexual assault.

The chief constable of Tyneside Police force made up his mind that his squad needed the help of Scotland Yard and despite cancelling all local police leave, including recalling officers that were on holiday arrangements were made for the murder squad lead by Eric 'Jock' Reid to travel to Newcastle.

Six years prior to the murder, Katherine Armstrong had retired from her post as headmistress at Denton Road Junior School and had dedicated a great deal of her time to the Central Methodist Church in Northumberland Road, Newcastle, Having been a regular at the church for over 40 years she sung in the church choir and was very well thought of. She was known as a very proud and independent woman, as were many ladies of that generation. 

70-year-old Miss Armstrong had last been seen looking out of the window of her house at 6.30pm on the evening of 31st October 1963 and had been due to attend church at 7.30pm but failed to show up, she was found dead some 16 hours after the last sighting of her, The police had forced their way into the house and discovered her body at 10.50am on November 1st. 

Police said that they were looking into the possibility that Katherine, known by her second name of Lillian, could have been killed by some teenagers that were troublesome in the area but were also looking into the movements of several men that had been released from prison soon before the murder who had convictions for violent attacks against older women. One of the suspects in the case had also been a chief suspect in the murder of Amy Barratt a 71-year-old who had been found beaten to death in Churchill Street, Newcastle in 1962. That suspect was later ruled out of the enquiry.

Just 3 days after the discovery of the murder, on November 4th more officers were drafted in to join the hunt for Katherine's killer and the weapon. Detectives of the time vowed that they would if necessary search the entire city to find the weapon that ended Miss Armstrong's life. The description of the implement used in the murder was 'A long-bladed instrument', possibly a large knife.

Police followed the theory that the killer would most likely have discarded the weapon soon after fleeing the scene, so they et about searching all the drains, dustbins, gutters and grates in the local area. Gardens, streams and parks were all thoroughly hunted for the dangerous implement that could have easily been used again at any time but to no avail.

There was never any motive for the murder and by the time the extra officers had been brought in some 2,000 statements had been taken but the police were still no closer to finding the killer. Police utilised the local media with Detective Superintendent Reid regularly speaking to the Newcastle Chronicle.

St Barnabas Church, Sandyford was commandeered as a working base for the police in order to be, as Detective Superintendent Reid said, "on the spot". Police carried out one of the biggest ever house-to-house enquiries ever undertaken in Newcastle, using specially prepared questionnaires, they spoke to over 5,000 people within a half-mile radius of the murder scene. 

By the end of November 1963, there were still 50 police officers working 18 hours a day on the investigation. The officers interviewed a total of just over 16,000 people in Newcastle, an inquest was held into Miss Armstrong's death in January 1964 but all attempts drew a blank.

Why would any person kill an elderly lady who had lived through two world wars? There was no motive for the murder and the whole thing seems so dreadfully sad.

The house had not been robbed, there was no sign of any form of ransacking, nothing had been stolen. Miss Armstrong had not been sexually assaulted, her clothing had not been disturbed in any way. There were blood marks found throughout the house so it does seem like the killer may have at least gone through the house looking for something or maybe someone but left empty-handed except for the murder weapon.

I have very little opinion on this case but I do think that the attack was deliberate, maybe a former school pupil, who had a held a long term grudge and waited until into adulthood to seize the moment and attack their target. They may well have used Halloween as a deliberate time to commit their heinous crime, knowing that if they knocked on the door, Katherine (Lillian) would be very likely to open up, assuming it to be 'trick or treaters'. The front door was solid wood so she would not have been able to see who was there until she opened up. 

I suspect that there were two killers, one who did the stabbing and one did the tying up, I also suspect that Miss Armstrong may well have been upstairs when the attack began and that she either fell or was pushed down the stairs, hence her body was found at the foot of the stairs. As to the weapon, it is quite likely that it was taken with the assailants and retained as a trophy. I wonder if you visit an elderly person in the Newcastle area who has a very large knife or even a wartime sword as a collector's item? 

I doubt very much if this crime will ever be solved now due to the length of time having passed but we never say never. Just as a little fun note to finish. . .

After the murder, 12, Goldspinks Lane stood empty for quite a long time before someone moved in, they only stayed a few weeks and left saying that they felt very uncomfortable there and believed the place to be haunted. The next family to move in often reported that they felt like there were small movements just like they would see out of the corner of their eye, but there was no one there. A lodger claimed that he felt a ghostly presence in the house and always at the bottom of the stairs. 

Miss Armstrong was said to have loved her house and ignored her cousin's regular pleas to leave the big old house and take a flat close to hers, maybe the killer never quite forced the retired headmistress to leave her beloved home after all

Until next time. . .

If you would like me to research any unsolved UK crime/cold case for a documentary, film, podcast, report or blog then please don't hesitate to make contact.

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Guys just had it highlighted to me that there are so many similarities between this murder and the unsolved murder of Esther Soper in Plymouth in 1976. Hardly likely to be the same killer but there are many factors including;

Both women lived alone

Both women were Christians

Tights were used in some kind of strangulation ritual

No sign of any forced entry

Both found in the hallway of the house

No sign of sexual assault

No motive

The list goes on

Please check out Lolly True Crimes Blog for yourself. . .

The Plot Thickens - Esther Soper