Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. To keep creating
new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help
the Murderpedia project stay alive. We have many
plans and enthusiasm
to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really
need your help for this. Thank you very much in advance.
George RUSSELL
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics:
Robbery
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder:
May 28,
1948
Date
of arrest:
June 6,
1948
Date of birth: 1902
Victim profile: Minnie
Freeman Lee, 96
Method of murder:
Asphyxiated, probably from her
internment in a trunk
Location: Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom
Status: Executed by hanging
at Oxford Prison on 2nd December 1948
Mrs Freeman Lee was a 94-year-old eccentric recluse
who lived alone in her dusty, cobweb-ridden house at Maidenhead. On 1st
June 1948 the milkman noticed that the previous day's delivery had not
been taken in and looked through the letter-box. He saw a woman's shoe
and some keys on the floor near a large, black trunk.
He called the police and they forced their way into
the house. On examining the trunk they found the tied up body of the old
woman. She had head injuries but had asphyxiated, probably from her
internment in the trunk.
It was assumed that robbery was the motive for the
killing and in the dust on top of a cardboard box police discovered the
partial prints of a possible assailant. The prints were soon traced to
George Russell, who had previous convictions for theft and housebreaking.
He was arrested in St Albans and initially denied any
involvement in the murder. Police, however, discovered in his possession
a scarf that had belonged to Mrs Lee. He went on to admit that he had
approached Mrs Lee about a job as gardener.
Russell was tried at Berkshire Assizes and found
guilty. He was hanged at Oxford Prison on 2nd December 1948.
Real-Crime.co.uk
George Russell
Mrs Minnie Freeman Lee was a 94-year-old eccentric recluse who lived
alone in her dusty, cobweb-ridden house in Ray Park Avenue, Maidenhead.
On 1st June 1948 the milkman noticed that the previous day's delivery
had not been collected and looked through the letterbox. He saw a
woman's shoe and some keys on the floor near a large, black trunk. He
called the police and they forced their way into the house.
On examining the trunk officers found the tied-up body of the old woman.
She had head injuries but had asphyxiated, probably from her internment
in the trunk. It was assumed that robbery was the motive for the killing
and, in the dust on top of a cardboard box, police discovered the
partial prints of a possible assailant.
The prints were soon traced to 45-year-old George Russell, who had
previous convictions for theft and housebreaking. He was arrested in St
Albans and initially denied any involvement in the murder. Police,
however, discovered, in his possession, a scarf that had belonged to Mrs
Lee. He went on to admit that he had approached Mrs Lee about a job as
gardener.
Russell was tried at Berkshire
Assizes and found guilty. He was hanged at Oxford Prison on 2nd December
1948.
