Dennis Nilsen: The Kindly Killer (Part 1)

On the morning of February 8, 1983, a plumber working in London’s Muswell Hill neighbor opened a drainage cover behind a Cranley Gardens apartment building and made a horrific discovery—the drain was blocked by pieces of bone and human tissue. Upon investigation, detectives traced the blockage back to one apartment in the building, where additional evidence suggested things were far worse than they’d initially thought. When the occupant of the apartment, Dennis Nilsen, was confronted with the human remains, he began telling investigators a shocking story and when he was finished, Nilsen had confessed to murdering and dismembering at fifteen men over the course of five years.  In the annals of British crime, Dennis Nilsen ranks among the worst serial killers the country has ever seen, not only because of the number of people he killed, but also the method of disposal and the motive.   Want to help out the people of Minneapolis? Click here to help small business owners impacted by current events! References Barlass, Tim, and Robert Mendick. 2006. "Killer: This was my first victim." Evening Standard (London, UK), November 9: 1. Davies, Nick. 1983. "A nice person, says the man who escaped." The Guardian, October 26: 5. —. 1983. "Nilsen 'claimed to have no tears for victims, bereaved, or himself'." The Guardian, October 26: 5. —. 1983. "Nilsen 'enjoyed power of his victims'." The Guardian, November 1: 4. —. 1983. "Nilsen tells of horror and shame at killings." The Guardian, October 28: 2. Henry, Ian. 1983. "'My fury if visitors didn't listen to me'." Daily Telegraph (London, UK), October 27: 3. —. 1983. "Nilsen 'has admitted 15 or 16 killings'." Daily Telegraph (London, UK), October 25: 3. Liverpool Echo. 1983. "London body: Man in court." Liverpool Echo, February 12: 1. Masters, Brian. 1985. Killing for Company: The Case of Dennis Nilsen. London, UK: J. Cape. McMillan, Greg. 1980. "Family scours Britain for missing son." Hamilton Spectator (Hamilton, ON), January 31: 10. Murphy, Fin. 2021. "I struck up a friendship w