House of Horrors: The Heinous Crimes of Fred and Rosemary West

Fred and Rosemary West met in 1969, when Fred was 27 years old and Rose was only 15. To the dismay of Rose’s parents, the two began a relationship and soon moved in together as Rose began caring for Fred’s children. Fred and Rose both had violent tendencies, and twisted sexual desires they attempted to fulfill by abusing young girls—including their own children.

Often, their victims came in the form of lodgers at their now-infamous murder house located at 25 Cromwell Street in Gloucester, England. Other times, the killer couple picked up young girls from the side of the road and took them to their house of horrors. After abusing, killing, and dismembering their victims, Fred and Rose West typically buried the bodies in the garden or cellar.

But Fred’s crimes started before he met Rose. He killed at least two people prior to their relationship, including Anne McFall—who was 18 years old and eight month pregnant with Fred’s child at the time. In 1992, the couple was arrested for child abuse. The charges were later dropped when their daughter refused to testify in court. Yet the presence of the police shined a light on another detail—the disappearance of Fred and Rose’s eldest daughter Heather. An investigation commenced, leading to the discovery of multiple bodies buried across their property.

Though the couple was arrested in 1994, Fred would never be convicted—he hanged himself inside his cell before his trial. Rose went on to be convicted of 10 murders and will sit in prison for the rest of her life. British journalist Howard Sounes, who broke major stories surrounding the case, details the horrific crimes in his true crime book Fred & Rose.