A man who was “callous and calculating” when he murdered three people and raped his final victim, who was five months pregnant, was sentenced to life in prison.
Anthony Russell had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of Julie Williams, 58, and her son David Williams, 32, on October 25 and 21, 2020, in separate flats in Coventry.
Russell shared a street with his first two victims.
He had also admitted to the October 26 murder of Nicole McGregor, 31, who was discovered three days later in woodland near Leamington Spa.
Russell had lured her there, where he had befriended her while on the run for the other killings, before raped and murdered her.
Russell, who had sparked a nationwide manhunt, was apprehended on 30 October after being discovered sleeping in a stolen car.
What was Russell convicted of?
Ms McGregor died as a result of “external neck compression as a result of ligature strangulation” after suffering a blunt force injury to her head and face, as well as a bleed to the brain.
Nicole had proudly shown Russell her baby scan hours before she was killed during the chance encounter that led to her death.
Russell was unanimously found guilty of raping Ms McGregor in a retrial at Warwick Crown Court on Thursday, after only an hour and 23 minutes of deliberation by the jury.
The 39-year-old assaulted her just hours after she showed him a photo of her baby scan.
Russell had also told the expectant father, who was Ms McGregor’s partner, in the hours after she vanished, “I bet you can’t wait for it to be born,” despite knowing he had raped and murdered her.
Mr Williams was strangled with a lanyard and his body was discovered under his bed by police five days later, covered in 87 injuries.
Russell later claimed he killed a man who “had sex with his girlfriend.”
Prosecutors said Russell strangled Mr Williams’ mother in a “violent and sustained attack” in which she was hit five times on the head and neck.
She had 113 separate injuries and is believed to have been murdered after discovering Russell had murdered her son.
During the trial, CCTV footage of Ms McGregor, who lived in a flat in Leamington, was shown to the jury, showing her walking alongside Russell at 7.45 p.m. on October 26.
“This is the last time Nicole is seen alive,” prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC said of the video during her opening statement.
“It appears that Nicole has agreed to walk with the defendant into Newbold Comyn just three hours after meeting the defendant.”
“We believe the defendant enticed Nicole to the Comyn for drugs rather than sex.”
“The defendant murdered Nicole McGregor shortly after that photograph was taken, just hours after they met.”
Following the murder, he pretended to assist Ms McGregor’s partner in her search for her.
What have the victims families said?
Prosecutor Zoe Johnson QC read victim impact statements from Ms McGregor’s mother, Maggie, and Ms Williams’ sister, Carol, to the court.
Ms McGregor’s mother said in a statement, “She was caring, she was kind, and behind her barriers, she had a heart of gold.”
“Losing Nicole in the manner that we did has destroyed us as a family.”
Moving on, Ms Williams’ sister stated, “Not only was our dear, sweet, caring, loving Julie taken from us, but also our dear, loving nephew, David.”
“Sentencing will not bring our family back, but we hope it will prevent the defendant from committing these heinous crimes against other families.”
When was Russell arrested?
Russell fled Coventry on the 26th of October after being discovered with money and a mobile phone he had robbed from a man the day before.
He took public transportation to Kenilworth, where he immediately continued his violent spree by robbing a 71-year-old woman of £200 while dragging her along the ground.
Russell arrived in Leamington Spa at approximately 2.45pm, once again using public transportation.
The assailant fled Leamington in a car he stole from a 75-year-old man he had assaulted.
Russell rang the pensioner’s doorbell for directions, and when the victim was distracted, he hit him over the head with a brick from behind, leaving him with a fractured skull and a brain bleed.
On October 30, police discovered Russell in the back seat of a stolen Ford C-Max parked on a road near Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. Bodycam footage shows the moment he was apprehended.
“I admit it, I did it,” he told officers as he was being booked into custody.
What did the judge say in court?
On Friday, Mr Justice Wall sentenced the 39-year-old in his absence, saying, “I have no doubt that this is a case that falls fairly and squarely within the description of being exceptionally serious.”
“You are a man who is willing to use significant violence on anyone.
“You are exceptionally dangerous to those who know you, and those who do not.”
What have the police said?
“This was a violent series of killings that happened over the course of just seven days, but have left two families devastated for the rest of their lives,” said Det Supt Shaun Edwards, who leads our Homicide team.
“We believe David was killed because Russell mistook him for being in a relationship with his girlfriend.”
“When Russell went to see Julie about her son’s disappearance, we believe he confessed to David’s murder.” He then murdered Julie in order to prevent 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.”
