A triple murderer who raped and strangled one of his victims has been sentenced to a whole-life order, meaning he will remain in prison for the rest of his life.
Anthony Russell, 39, pleaded guilty to the murders of Julie Williams, 58, her son David Williams, 31, and Nicole McGregor, 31, during a seven-day “campaign of crime” in October 2020.
After a trial at Warwick crown court, he was also found guilty of raping McGregor, who was 18 weeks pregnant. Passing sentence, Mr Justice Wall said guidelines on whole-life orders required that the sentence should be reserved for “exceptionally serious” cases in which they were required as just punishment.
The judge told Russell in his absence: “None of these crimes was random or motiveless. I have no doubt that this is a case which falls fairly and squarely within the description of being exceptionally serious. There were three murders – each was separated in time and location. Each was the result of a separate murderous act which was sustained and brutal. Each involved the use of very significant violence.”
Saying Russell was exceptionally dangerous and manipulative, the judge added: “This is one of those cases deserving of a whole life order. You will remain in custody for the rest or your life and will never be eligible to apply to the Parole Board for your release.”
Earlier the court had heard how Julie Williams reported her son missing on 23 October 2020, before she was reported missing by her sister two days later. Police found her body with 113 injuries after forcing their way into her home in Coventry. After raiding Russell’s home on the same street later that day, they found David Williams’ body hidden under his bed.
Russell fled the city with money and a mobile phone he had robbed from a 78-year-old man the day before, triggering a nationwide search. He travelled to Kenilworth, where he robbed a 71-year-old woman of £200, dragging her along the ground during the attack.
He went on to Leamington Spa where he raped and killed McGregor a few hours after arriving. She was found in dense woodland days later, with wood and twigs in her mouth, and having suffered blunt force injuries to her head and face and a bleed to the brain.
Russell went on to attack a 75-year-old man and steal his car before he was found and arrested in Staffordshire two days later.
Det Supt Shaun Edwards, the head of the West Midlands police 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.”
Police believe David Williams was killed because of Russell’s mistaken belief that he was in a relationship with his girlfriend. They suspect he subsequently confessed to the killing to Julie Williams and then killed her to prevent her from going to the police.
“There’s no known link between Russell and Nicole, and it appears to be pure chance that he has encountered her,” Edwards said.
Zoe Johnson QC, prosecuting, said Russell’s motivation for killing McGregor was to stop her from reporting the rape. “Every other violent crime committed by the defendant was for a reason,” she said. “We suggest this incident was no different. His crimes were deliberate and calculated.”
“The huge effort that went into tracking Russell down, including national media appeals, can’t be overstated,” Edwards said. “We worked around the clock to bring him to justice.”
