John Latus: The shocking story of a double murderer
Julian Sanders was only 21 years old when he was brutally and tragically murdered. His decapitated body was discovered in Cofton Park, Birmingham in 2000. But who would do such a thing to a well-respected man and member of the local community?
More than two decades ago, John Latus committed a series of shocking crimes. His name now signifies horror and brutality. Those who remember the crimes still suffer from them. His acts, which included the murder and beheading of one victim, were brutal and violent.
One of the most infamous cases in Birmingham’s history, the story of John Latus will leave you as stunned and horrified as we are at Crime+Investigation. Join us as we delve into a case that shocked the nation.
Julian Sanders
In May 2000, a dog walker found the first of John Latus' victims, Julian Sanders, at Cofton Park in Longbridge. He had been hacked to death and decapitated.
His body was lying under a tree, while his head was a few metres away. Birmingham police later discovered that Julian was killed somewhere else before his body was dumped at Cofton Park.
'There was a good deal of blood in the lungs, indicating the deceased was alive when his head was severed,' a pathologist explained.
The case puzzled detectives. They struggled to identify the corpse for 16 days as fingerprint checks drew a blank. However, it wasn’t until they searched Julian’s jeans that they found a crumpled-up bus ticket to Shrewsbury.
This crucial piece of evidence led them to check Shrewsbury's missing persons records and they eventually found Julian's family.
After the murder, Julian’s devastated father, Russell Sanders, said he was a 'fun loving young man whose main interests were motorbikes'.
Who killed Julian?
Before his murder, Julian was trainee welder at a foundry in Shrewsbury. Detectives later discovered that he had been close friends with a colleague called Colin Foulkes. Colin shared a house with his friend, John Latus.
Colin had taken Latus into his Wroxeter home as a teenager in 1985 after he had fallen out with his mother.
A few months before his murder, Police learned that Julian had been hospitalised with head injuries while working at Colin's' home. Although Julian never reported the attack, it was confirmed that Latus was the only other person at home.
Four weeks later, Colin was admitted to hospital with similar head injuries. He told the police that Latus had inflicted them. The parallels in the attacks led to police to question Latus about the murder of Julian, but they had limited evidence and had to release him.
Christine Artiss
The investigation into Julian Sanders’ murder gained speed again almost a year after his body was found. An elderly woman, named Christine Artiss, was brutally attacked with an axe in North Wales.
It turned out that Christine was John Latus’ mother. She was beaten with the blunt edge of the tool at her home in North Wales. The police later hunted and found the suspect during his journey back to Shrewsbury from Wales. He was arrested.
During this time, police were also investigating the disappearance of Colin Foulkes, Latus’ housemate. They discovered his corpse near his home in Shrewsbury. The similarities between both instances seemed overwhelming. This led police to charge John Latus with the double murder of Julian Sanders and Colin Foulkes — plus the attempted murder of his mother.
A rage over inheritance
No one truly knows the reason for the murders, or what happened during the lead-up to the tragic events. However, it is believed that Latus suffered from schizophrenia and exploded in a jealous rage over inheritance.
Reports say Latus became enraged. He thought Julian Sanders was trying to steal his inheritance if Colin died. He believed that he was due to inherit the £160,000 house.
Sentencing
The axe murderer was handed five life sentences in June 2003 at Chester Crown Court for the murder of Julian, Colin, and the attempted murder of his mother.
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