The Cement Killer: Frederick Bailey Deeming
THE CEMENT KILLER: Frederick Bailey Deeming
In 1892, investigative journalist Henry Jonathan Caine began documenting one of the Victorian era's most chilling serial killers: Frederick Bailey Deeming, who murdered at least six people-including his wife and four children-burying them in cement beneath domestic floors.
Caine's forty-three-year investigation reveals Deeming as a psychopathic bigamist who operated across three continents. In August 1891, Deeming killed his family at Dinham Villa, Rainhill, England, entombing them beneath the kitchen floor. Months later, he married Emily Mather, murdered her in Melbourne, and buried her in identical fashion. Only the intervention of sharp-eyed witnesses saved his next intended victim, Kate Rounsefell.
Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary-including jail records proving he was imprisoned in South Africa during the Ripper murders-the myth that Deeming was Jack the Ripper persisted for decades, demonstrating how sensational fiction can overwhelm documented truth.
Deeming was executed in Melbourne on May 23, 1892. His case contributed significantly to the emerging field of criminal psychology, helping establish understanding of psychopathy, family annihilation, and serial domestic murder.
Caine's meticulous investigation preserved the victims' stories and provided crucial insights that would help prevent future tragedies, transforming one man's evil into knowledge that protects the innocent.
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