Michael Eddowes
Encyclopedia
Michael Eddowes was a British
lawyer, author and investigator.
Eddowes came from a family of barristers and built a large law practice specializing in divorce
.
, who was hanged
in 1950 for the murder of his daughter. Eddowes wrote a book on this case called The Man On Your Conscience in which he argued that the real culprit was serial killer
John Reginald Halliday Christie
. It was because of Eddowes' efforts and those of other such as Ludovic Kennedy
and Sidney Silverman that the case was reinvestigated and Evans was issued a posthumous pardon
. The outcry over this case helped to lead to the abolition of the death penalty in the United Kingdom
. Curiously, many years later his son John published a book which argued against his father's claims that Evans had been innocent.
Eddowes also wrote a book called The Oswald File in which he argued that Lee Harvey Oswald
was not the real killer of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
. He argued that the real assassin was a Soviet impostor whose first name was Alec. Eddowes pointed to a number of differences between Oswald and the autopsy
of the alleged assassin to argue his point. He pointed out that Oswald was 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) in height, and that the Dallas pathologists said the assassin they autopsied was 5 ft 9 in (175 cm). The corpse also had a large scar on the wrist; Eddowes claimed that Oswald had no such scar. Eddowes pointed out that, as a child, Oswald had a mastoid operation that left him with a depression in the flesh behind one of his ears as well as a dime sized hole in his skull; he claimed that the corpse of the man Jack Ruby
killed had no such depression or hole in the skull. Eddowes sought action in Texas
courts and the body was exhumed in 1981. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition, but it was said to have been Oswald's.
Eddowes died of a burst aneurysm
in 1992.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
lawyer, author and investigator.
Eddowes came from a family of barristers and built a large law practice specializing in divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
.
Notable cases
Eddowes' first famous case involved Timothy EvansTimothy Evans
Timothy John Evans was a Welshman accused of murdering his wife and daughter at their residence in Notting Hill, London in November 1949. In January 1950 Evans was tried and convicted of the murder of his daughter, and he was sentenced to death by hanging...
, who was hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
in 1950 for the murder of his daughter. Eddowes wrote a book on this case called The Man On Your Conscience in which he argued that the real culprit was serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
John Reginald Halliday Christie
John Reginald Halliday Christie
John Reginald Halliday Christie , born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, was a notorious English serial killer active in the 1940s and '50s. He murdered at least eight females – including his wife Ethel – by strangling them in his flat at 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London...
. It was because of Eddowes' efforts and those of other such as Ludovic Kennedy
Ludovic Kennedy
Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy was a British journalist, broadcaster, humanist and author best known for re-examining cases such as the Lindbergh kidnapping and the murder convictions of Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley, and for his role in the abolition of the death penalty in the United...
and Sidney Silverman that the case was reinvestigated and Evans was issued a posthumous pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
. The outcry over this case helped to lead to the abolition of the death penalty in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Curiously, many years later his son John published a book which argued against his father's claims that Evans had been innocent.
Eddowes also wrote a book called The Oswald File in which he argued that Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
was not the real killer of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. He argued that the real assassin was a Soviet impostor whose first name was Alec. Eddowes pointed to a number of differences between Oswald and the autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
of the alleged assassin to argue his point. He pointed out that Oswald was 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) in height, and that the Dallas pathologists said the assassin they autopsied was 5 ft 9 in (175 cm). The corpse also had a large scar on the wrist; Eddowes claimed that Oswald had no such scar. Eddowes pointed out that, as a child, Oswald had a mastoid operation that left him with a depression in the flesh behind one of his ears as well as a dime sized hole in his skull; he claimed that the corpse of the man Jack Ruby
Jack Ruby
Jacob Leon Rubenstein , who legally changed his name to Jack Leon Ruby in 1947, was convicted of the November 24, 1963 murder of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. Ruby, who was originally from Chicago, Illinois, was then a nightclub operator in Dallas, Texas...
killed had no such depression or hole in the skull. Eddowes sought action in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
courts and the body was exhumed in 1981. The body was in an advanced state of decomposition, but it was said to have been Oswald's.
Eddowes died of a burst aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
in 1992.