Bio

George Russell was born in 1902 in England. He began to engage in petty crimes and developed a record of theft and housebreaking.

In the years leading up to his arrest in 1948, he faced many difficulties. He was living in St Albans, where he continued to seek out ways to support himself, often through illegal means.

Murder Story

On May 28, 1948, George Russell committed a murder in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. His victim was 94-year-old Minnie Freeman Lee. She was a reclusive woman who lived alone in her home. The crime was discovered a few days later when the milkman noticed that the previous day’s delivery had not been collected. He looked through the letterbox and saw a woman's shoe and some keys on the floor near a large black trunk.

The milkman called the police. Officers forced their way into the house and found the trunk. When they opened it, they discovered Mrs. Freeman Lee's body inside. The body was tied up and showed signs of head injuries. It was determined that she had probably asphyxiated while being confined in the trunk. Police believed that robbery was the motive for the killing.

As the investigation continued, police found partial fingerprints on the dust of a cardboard box in the house. The prints were traced to George Russell, a 45-year-old man with previous convictions for theft and housebreaking. He was arrested in St Albans on June 6, 1948. At first, Russell denied any involvement in the murder. However, police later found a scarf in his possession that belonged to Mrs. Lee. Russell eventually admitted that he had approached her to ask about a job as her gardener.

George Russell was tried at Berkshire Assizes. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. He was executed by hanging at Oxford Prison on December 2, 1948.