Daniel Gonzalez
Encyclopedia
Daniel Gonzalez also known as the Freddy Krueger Killer and the Mummy's Boy Killer, was a spree killer
who killed four people and injured two others during three days across London
and Sussex
in September 2004. His mother had previously written a letter to her MP criticising the fact that a serious incident had to occur before he could receive mental help. In her letter, she rhetorically asked "...does my son have to commit murder to get help?". Reporters have tried to say that he feigned mental illness long before the murders. He did in fact suffer for many years.
Gonzalez was inspired by horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street
and Friday the 13th to become a "famous serial killer". He went on a drug-fueled stabbing spree, attacking the elderly and infirm, writing about his experiences in letters to himself as Zippy, his past nickname. His letters said how much he enjoyed the murders "...one of the best things I've done in my life", and how similar he was to Freddy Krueger
.
, Portsmouth
, that he was going to kill him. He was fought off and fled to Hove
where he stabbed 76-year-old Marie Harding while wearing a hockey mask
. After this, he returned to his home in Woking
. He concluded that the reason for his failure to kill King was because his knife was too small.
He traveled to Tottenham
. At 5:30 AM he left 46-year-old Kevin Molloy for dead after stabbing him in the face, neck and torso with a pair of large knives he had stolen from a department store. At 7:00 AM he made a forced entry into the Hornsey
house of Koumis Constantino, but was fought off after stabbing his arm. By 8:00 AM he was in Highgate
, where he randomly tried to gain access to houses. He succeeded in murdering an elderly couple, the Robinsons, an experience he claimed was "orgasmic". He was arrested at a tube station after a decorator saw him naked and covered in blood in the Robinsons' house.
in his cell in Broadmoor Hospital
, Berkshire
, on 9 August 2007 by slicing his wrists with the edges of a CD case.
Spree killer
A spree killer is someone who embarks on a murderous assault on two or more victims in a short time in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders."-Definition:According to the...
who killed four people and injured two others during three days across London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
in September 2004. His mother had previously written a letter to her MP criticising the fact that a serious incident had to occur before he could receive mental help. In her letter, she rhetorically asked "...does my son have to commit murder to get help?". Reporters have tried to say that he feigned mental illness long before the murders. He did in fact suffer for many years.
Gonzalez was inspired by horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American slasher film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first film of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film features Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp in his feature film...
and Friday the 13th to become a "famous serial killer". He went on a drug-fueled stabbing spree, attacking the elderly and infirm, writing about his experiences in letters to himself as Zippy, his past nickname. His letters said how much he enjoyed the murders "...one of the best things I've done in my life", and how similar he was to Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger
Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
.
Victims
On September 15, 2004, Daniel Francis Gonzalez told 61-year-old Peter King, who was walking his dog with his wife in HilseaHilsea
Hilsea is a district of the city of Portsmouth in the English county of Hampshire. Hilsea is home to one of Portsmouth's main sports and leisure facilities - the Mountbatten centre. The City of Portsmouth Boys' School is also in Hilsea...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, that he was going to kill him. He was fought off and fled to Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
where he stabbed 76-year-old Marie Harding while wearing a hockey mask
Goalie mask
A goaltender mask, commonly referred to as a goalie mask or a hockey mask, is a mask worn by ice hockey, inline hockey, and field hockey goaltenders to protect the head from injury. Jacques Plante was the first goaltender to create and use a practical mask in 1959. Plante's mask was a piece of...
. After this, he returned to his home in Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
. He concluded that the reason for his failure to kill King was because his knife was too small.
He traveled to Tottenham
Tottenham
Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...
. At 5:30 AM he left 46-year-old Kevin Molloy for dead after stabbing him in the face, neck and torso with a pair of large knives he had stolen from a department store. At 7:00 AM he made a forced entry into the Hornsey
Hornsey
Hornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
house of Koumis Constantino, but was fought off after stabbing his arm. By 8:00 AM he was in Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
, where he randomly tried to gain access to houses. He succeeded in murdering an elderly couple, the Robinsons, an experience he claimed was "orgasmic". He was arrested at a tube station after a decorator saw him naked and covered in blood in the Robinsons' house.
Trial
Gonzalez tried to claim that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, although this was rejected. He was given six life sentences and the trial judge recommended that he should never be released. It was revealed that he was a habitual drug user who had run naked down a street while drunk a week before he was arrested.Death
Gonzalez immediately attempted to kill himself by biting himself to death. ‘I have never seen anyone bite himself with that ferocity,’ said the inspecting doctor. He survived but committed suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in his cell in Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital
Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital at Crowthorne in the Borough of Bracknell Forest in Berkshire, England. It is the best known of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth and Rampton...
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, on 9 August 2007 by slicing his wrists with the edges of a CD case.