Dennis Nilsen: The Muswell Hill Murderer

The Muswell Hill Murderer A serial killer, by definition, is a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern. Dennis Nilsen killed twelve to seventeen men in the five-year period of 1978-1983. He began his killings while he lived in a house in Muswell Hill, England, but he moved to an apartment in hopes of stopping his homicidal behavior. This move eventually led to his capture. Dennis Nilsen is a serial killer who lured men into his home and killed them; he then kept their bodies, finally disposing of them in different ways. There are many reasons a serial killer may give for why he kills; Nilsen has claimed three reasons for committing his crimes. Nilsen has said that his grandfather’s, a man with

The police arrived to question Nilsen and were overwhelmed by the smell of rotting corpses; Nilsen immediately confessed. As stated by Biography.com, “When police finally arrested him in 1983, it quickly became apparent that, had they linked a series of reported incidents from lucky escapees over the previous five years, they might well have halted his ghoulish killing spree considerably sooner” (“Dennis Nilsen”). Though Nilsen disposed of his victims’ bodies in cruel ways, he is often referred to as the “Kindly Killer” because he believed that strangling his victims in their sleep was the kindest way to kill them. Perhaps his mother was right about his kindness in that aspect, but Nilsen killed many men and showed no sign of stopping. Although Nilsen confessed to killing fifteen men, he was only convicted on six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. In 1983, he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in twenty-five years. This was later extended, so he could never be released. All can sleep well knowing Dennis Nilsen, the “Muswell Hill Murderer” is locked in