Coventry triple-murderer handed whole-life order

A Coventry man has been sentenced to a whole-life order after a “callous and evil campaign of crime” following three murders, in which he raped his final victim.

Anthony Russell, from Riley Square, admitted killing David Williams, and her mum Julie in separate flats, back in October 2020.

A few days later, the body of Nicole McGregor was found in woodland near Leamington.

Russell struck three times in just seven days in October, 2020, and the manhunt that led to his arrest was one of the largest in recent years.

39-year-old Russell was also convicted of raping Ms McGregor.

He's refused to attend his sentencing hearing, and will spend a minimum of

It began on 23 October 2020 when Julie Williams, 58, phoned police to report that her son David Williams, 31, had not been seen since 21 October.

The first killing is alleged to have been carried out to "avenge a perceived infidelity" involving Russell's girlfriend.

On 25 October, office were called by her sister to say that Julie was now missing.

Officers forced their way into her house and found her dead on the living room floor, having been violently attacked by Russell earlier in the day.

Russell fled Coventry on 26 October after the discovery of Julie Williams, with money and a mobile phone he had robbed from a man the day before.

Later that day officers raided Russell’s home in Riley Square, Coventry, after a tip-off that he had confessed to killing Julie and David Williams.

There they found David’s body hidden under a bed. He had also suffered multiple injuries.

A major manhunt was launched for Russell, who lived in the same road in Coventry as his first victims.

Russell used public transport to travel to Kenilworth where he immediately continued his violent spree by robbing a woman aged 71 of £200, dragging her along the ground.

Again using public transport, Russell arrived in Leamington Spa at approximately 2.45pm where he struck up friendships with drug users.

Sadly, 31-year-old Nicole McGregor - the third murder victim - was found in woodland on Newbold Comyn in Leamington Spa a few days later.

Nicole was 18 weeks pregnant when she was killed by Russell, only hours after he had arrived there.

Det Supt Shaun Edwards, who heads our Homicide team, said:

“This was a violent series of killings which happened over a period of just seven days, but which have left two families devastated for the rest of their lives.

“We believe that David was killed due to Russell’s mistaken belief that he was in a relationship with his girlfriend.

“When Russell went to speak to Julie about her son’s disappearance, we suspect that he confessed to David’s killing. He then killed Julie to stop her from speaking to the police.

“There’s no known link between Russell and Nicole, and it appears to be pure chance that he has encountered her.

“The huge effort that went into tracking Russell down, including national media appeals, can’t be overstated. We worked around the clock to bring him to justice, and I’m glad that that is what has happened today.

“The thoughts of everyone involved in this investigation are with the families of David and Julie, and Nicole, as well as the victims he robbed, today.”

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