Episode 583: Peter Manuel: The Beast of Birkenshaw (Part 1)

The tragic story of Anne Neelins, a 17-year-old who was brutally murdered in 1955, remains a frightful memory in East Kilbride. Her death brought not only sorrow but also mystery, as investigators struggled with scarce leads and alibis that cleared suspects.

On the evening of December 30, 1955, 17-year-old Anne Neelins went to a dance at a social club in East Kilbride and met a young soldier named Andrew Murnin, with whom she made plans to meet up a few days later.

Anne Neelins, looking forward to a rendezvous with a young soldier Andrew Murnin, had her hopes dashed as Andrew failed to show up, likely due to him being heavily intoxicated on the night they arranged the date and having no memory of the agreement. Anne's body was later found brutally beaten and sexually assaulted on a golf course, her clothes and belongings scattered nearby.

Despite touching base with family friends, the Simpsons, and taking the bus back to East Kilbride, Anne's last confirmed sighting was at Willow Cafe. Anne's dashed hopes on the planned date led her to an unfortunate fate that night, her body later discovered by a passerby at Calderwood golf course. The discovery was at first dismissed as a prank by colleagues of the passerby, but reality soon set in upon police arrival; it became apparent Anne had likely been chased as there were footprints that lead from the golf course to where her remains were found.

The attacker dragged Anne by her ankles into the wooded area, where evidence of a savage assault was unmistakable. Blood saturated the ground, and the state of her clothing suggested a sexual assault, which was later confirmed by autopsy. The ferocity of the blows to her head left her nearly unrecognizable and certainly contributed to her tragic demise.

The police investigation into Anne's murder struggled to find any leads or suspects, aside from briefly considering the possibility that the absent Murnin was involved.

Andrew Murnin, initially considered due to his planned meeting with Anne, was quickly ruled out after providing a concrete alibi. The investigation continued with interrogations of local males including those who frequented the Willow Cafe and with histories of sexual offenses, but all had alibis. Neighbors and Anne's acquaintances provided little information about her routines or potential contacts that might lead to her ...

On September 17, 1956, a chilling crime shook Lanarkshire as the bodies of the Watt family were discovered inside their own home, launching a complex and haunting investigation.

On September 17, 1956, the bodies of Marion Watt, her sister Margaret Brown, and Marion's 16-year-old daughter Vivian were discovered inside the Watt family home, each having been shot execution-style.

The crime scene at the Watt family home was a disturbing tableau of violence. The house had been vandalized in a manner that indicated a brutal, intrusive attack accompanied by signs of struggle. Initially, William Watt, the family patriarch, who had been on a solo fishing trip, became the prime suspect. However, pressure mounted as the community reeled from the horror of the murders, and investigators were under intense scrutiny to solve the case.

The initial police investigation focused on the absent family patriarch, William Watt, as a potential suspect, but he was eventually cleared of any involvement.

Despite widespread criticism for his absence on the day of the murders and being initially detained as the potential perpetrator, William Watt was tracked down at his fishing lodge by the press and informed of his family's tragedy. He faced multiple witnesses in a lineup, was held at Barlinnie Prison, but ultimately was released as the case against him failed to hold due to the weak evidence presented.

The discovery of the bodies and subsequent investigation painted a gruesome picture.

The housekeeper, who found the back door unusually locked, enlisted the help of a mailman to enter the house through a smashed front door. Inside, the mailman discovered Marion and Margaret deceased in bed with immediate fatal gunshot wounds to the head, while Vivian was found gravely injured and died before help could arrive. Vivian’s room, unlike the pristine state of her mother and aunt’s, was in disarray, suggesting a physical confrontation. She had suffered multiple injuries, including bruising and violent handling, and despite the lack of conclusive evidence of sexual assault, it was surmised she had been tortured. The violated state of the deceased women's bodies, with their night clothes disturbingly rearranged, underscored the cruelty of their attacker.

Authorities began to suspect that the Watt family murders may have been connected to a recent break-in and burglary at a nearby home, where the intruder had also vandalized the property in a similar manner.

In a puzzling turn, authorities discovered similarities between the Watt family crime scene and a nearby burglary. An intruder had grotesquely trashed another house, leaving behind a scene of disarray similar to the Watt’s. The perpetrator had not taken expensive items but appeared to linger, with evidence suggesting they had stayed overnight. This particular house ...

The life of Peter Manuel is a dark narrative of criminal behavior that escalated into extreme violence, documented by his early life struggles and assessments by authorities and psychiatrists that pointed to a dire lack of hope for his rehabilitation.

Early Patterns of Disturbing Behavior

Adjustment Struggles and Early Crimes

Born to Scottish immigrants in Manhattan, Peter Manuel moved back to Scotland with his family in 1932, settling in Motherwell, Lanarkshire. The young Manuel found it difficult to adjust to his new life and was often teased for being different. By age 10, his disturbing behaviors began to surface. He broke into a local chapel to steal the church collection box, a theft combined with sacrilege that hinted at his future transgressions. In school, his teachers discovered "unspeakably filthy" drawings, and despite being confronted, Manuel demonstrated no remorse.

Escalating Criminal Behavior in Adolescence

As Manuel entered his teenage years, his disturbing behaviors escalated into a series of increasingly violent crimes. Manuel continued with break-ins and petty thefts, exhibiting persistently antisocial behavior without any signs of remorse. He faced multiple detentions in juvenile facilities and consistently involved himself in criminal activities.

At 14, after fleeing an approved school, Manuel committed burglary while armed with a large axe. By 15, his violent tenor had escalated alarmingly; in separate incidents, he attacked two women in their homes with a hammer and a piece of wood, causing significant physical harm and deep psychological trauma. Furthermore, Manuel began showing a penchant for destructive acts during break-ins, such as damaging property and vandalizing walls.

Psychiatric Assessment and Perceived Hopelessness

Manuel's pattern of violent and predatory behavior led to an evalu ...

Peter Manuel’s extensive criminal history and his repeated emergence as a suspect in multiple murder cases demanded the attention of the police, despite his efforts to alibi himself and his attempts to manipulate the investigation process.

After the Neelins and Watt family murders, Peter Manuel's name surfaced repeatedly as a potential suspect, due to his extensive criminal history and the similarities between the crimes.

Peter Manuel's name came up as a suspect following the brutal murders of the Neelins and Watt families. Manuel's criminal record and the resemblance of these recent crimes to his known modus operandi inevitably made him a figure of interest in the investigations.

However, Manuel was able to present strong alibis that, for a time, distanced him from direct responsibility for both murder cases. His father's corroboration provided him with an alibi for the night of Anne Neelins' murder, which the police originally accepted. Similarly, Manuel convinced the authorities of his non-involvement in the Watt family murders. Consequently, the police directed their attention toward other potential leads.

Manuel, seemingly unable to resist involving himself in the investigations, began writing letters to authorities claiming knowledge of the crimes and hinting at his potential involvement.

Despite being cleared by his alibis, Manuel inserted himself back into the focus of the investigations by sending a letter to William Mott's lawyer. He claimed to have information about the crimes, which piqued the police's interest. Manuel's unusual approach to law enforcement suggested a pattern: his consistent link to violent crimes, his clearances, and his intentional insertion into investigations from which he was previously dismissed cast a long, dubious shadow on his character.

The police were highly skeptical of Manuel's claims, viewing him as a compulsive liar and narcissist who was seeking attention and potentially trying to bargain for an early release from his current incarceration.

Authorities were hesitant to accept Manuel's declarations at face value, deeming him a compulsive liar with narcissistic tendencies, whose main interest was to draw attention to himself. His past behavior patterned with the pursuit of self-interest, raising suspicions th ...