Mick Philpott became a symbol of hate across the nation when he was convicted of manslaughter following a flawed benefit scam which saw six of his children die in a fire in their home in Derby, on 10 May 2012.
Over a year later, on 30 September 2013, the Philpott house was demolished. In this article we take a look at the fate of some of the most notorious murder houses in America. In a new series ofBritain's Darkest Taboos we discover the harrowing story of how, over 30 years previous, Philpott stabbed his then teenage girlfriend, Kim Hill, 27 times.
Since the birth of cinema, a morbid fascination with murder cases has fuelled the popularity of countless slasher movies and has certainly kept Wes Craven in pocket for the last forty years. But what about the ever-growing and undeniably sinister interest in murder houses? Properties that also happen to be crime scenes have drawn the attention of crime aficionados, history buffs and even TV shows producers. Despite the fact that the only thing likely to be haunting these houses is a string of D-list celebrities, some of them do still retain eerie reminders of the horrific events that took place inside their walls. From blood stains to ghost sightings, we bring you the stories behind America’s most notorious murder homes.
#20: 1041 Cypress Avenue
Location: San Diego
Year: 1989
Murder: Socialite Betty Broderick shot dead her former husband and his new wife at their home in Marston Hills.
Sentence: 32 years to life imprisonment for second-degree murder.
Current status: Still standing.
Last sold for $2,450,000 in 2005.
#19: Glensheen Mansion
Location: Minnesota
Year: 1977
Murder: Heiress Elisabeth Mannering Congdon and her nurse were murdered by Congdon’s daughter, Marjorie, and her husband, Roger.Sentence: Roger served 23 years in prison before committing suicide. Marjorie was acquitted.
Current status: Still standing. Tours are given of the house and surrounding estate.
#18: Elm Drive Mansion
Location: CaliforniaYear: 1989
Murder: Lyle and Erik Menendez shot and killed their parents at their Beverly Hills home.
Sentence: Life imprisonment.
Current status: Still standing.
Last sold in 2001 for $3,743,000.
#17: Fall River House
Location: Massachusetts
Year: 1892
Murder: Lizzie Borden was accused of hacking her father and step-mother to death.
Sentence: None. Lizzie was acquitted and the case went unsolved.
Current status: Still standing. Now a B&B.
#16: 875 South Bundy Drive
Location: California
Year: 1994
Murder: Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were murdered in the garden, published photos showed that blood covered the ground.O.J Simpson was tried for their murders.
Sentence: None. Simpson was found not guilty.
Current status: Demolished in 1998.
#15: 1426 F Street
Location: California
Year: 1988
Murder: Dorothea Puente murdered seven of her tenants and buried their bodies in the garden of her boarding house.
Sentence: Life imprisonment. Died in prison aged 82.
Current status: Still standing.
Last sold in 2010 for $226,000.
#14: 535 South 23rd Street
Location: Michigan
Year: 1990
Murder: Three murders have taken place in the house. Timothy Granderson confessed to the first of these, but the other two remain unsolved.
Sentence: Life imprisonment.
Current status: Still standing. Currently uninhabited.
#13: 803 North Edgemoor Street
Location: KansasYear: 1974
Murder: Dennis Rader, theBTK killer, murdered four members of the Otero family as part of his killing spree.
Sentence: Currently serving ten consecutive life sentences.
Current status: Still standing and occupied.
#12: 12205 Imperial Avenue
Location: Ohio
Year: 2009
Murder: Anthony Sowell murdered eleven women and kept their bodies in the house.
Sentence: Currently awaiting the death penalty.
Current status: Demolished in 2009.
#11: Beachcomber Lane
Location: Texas
Year: 2001
Murder: Andrea Yates drowned her five children whilst her husband was at work. She was suffering from depression and psychosis.
Sentence: Life in a mental health facility.
Current status: Still standing and occupied.
#10: 3520 North Marshall Street
Location: Philadelphia
Year: 1986
Murder: Gary Heidnik used the basement as a dungeon where he tortured four women and killed two others.
Sentence: Executed by lethal injection in 1999.
Current status: Demolished.
#9: Breeze Knoll
Location: New Jersey
Year: 1971Murder: John List methodically shot his wife, mother and three children before going on the run for 17 years.
Sentence: Five consecutive life sentences. Died in prison aged 82.
Current status: Still standing.
#8: 3850 East New York Street
Location: Indianapolis
Year: 1965
Murder: 16-year-old Sylvia Marie Likens was tortured and killed by 37-year-old Gertrude Baniszewski and a gang of children.
Sentence: Baniszewski received a sentence of life imprisonment but was released in 1985.
Current status: Demolished in 2009.
#7: 755 15th Street
Location: Colorado
Year: 1996
Murder: Six-year-old pageant queenJonBenet Ramsey was strangled to death in the basement.
Sentence: None. The case remains unsolved.
Current status: Still standing. Last put up for sale in 2011 for $2,300,000.
#6: Villisca Axe Murder House
Location: Iowa
Year: 1912
Murder: The six members of the Moore family and their two guests were hacked to death.
Sentence: None. The case remains unsolved.
Current status: Still standing. Now a museum to commemorate the murders.
#5: LaLaurie MansionLocation: Louisiana
Year: 1834
Murder: Marie Delphine LaLaurie tortured and killed numerous slaves until one of them started a fire to attract the police.
Sentence: None. LaLaurie is believed to have fled to Paris and died there.
Current status: Still standing. Bought by Nicolas Cage for $3,000,000.
#4: South Wallace Street
Location: ChicagoYear: 1894
Murder: H.H. Holmes tortured and murdered up to 200 women in his ‘murder castle’.
Sentence: Executed by hanging in 1896.
Current status: Demolished.
#3: Plainfield Farmhouse
Location: Wisconsin
Year: 1957
Murder:Ed Gein murdered numerous women and fashioned ornaments and clothing from their remains. He was the inspiration for the fictional killers in the novels ‘Psycho’ and ‘Silence of the Lambs’.
Sentence: Life in a mental health facility.
Current status: Demolished.
#2: 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville
Location: New York
Year: 1974
Murder: Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his parents and four siblings as they slept. Subsequent inhabitants have reported hauntings. He was the inspiration for the novel ‘The Amityville Horror’.
Sentence: Currently serving six consecutive life sentences.
Current status: Still standing. A popular tourist attraction.
#1: 10050 Cielo Drive
Location: California
Year: 1969
Murder: Sharon Tate, wife of Roman Polanski, was eight months pregnant when she was murdered along with four guests. The Manson ‘family’ were convicted of the murders.
Sentence: Manson and four of his followers were sentenced to death, convictions that were reduced to life imprisonment in 1972 when the death penalty was abolished in the state of California.
Current status: Demolished in 1994. Until its destruction, the word ‘pig’ could still be seen on the front door, written in Tate’s blood. It was rumoured that Roman Polanski offered $1,500,000 to have the house bulldozed.
