A family's 32 year wait for justice
By Boingboing
@boiboing (13153)
Northampton, England
May 10, 2016 3:45am CST
32 years ago a teen-aged girl was stabbed, sexually assaulted and left to die in a pool of blood. Her only 'mistake' had been that she walked home alone from a night club in the city of Bath. The police had samples of the killer's blood but couldn't find the man. The police had a major investigation and arrested (and then released) a total of 94 men as part of their investigation but they never found the killer.
After killing Melanie Road, Christopher Hampton calmly went back to his own life with none of his friends or family ever suspecting anything about his horrendous crime. More than 30 years passed and Hampton must have thought he'd got away with it, that he'd been one of the criminals that could look back on their crime and laugh in the face of the police.
And then it all went wrong for him - but through no action of his own.
Hampton's daughter was picked up by the police for a domestic dispute with her boyfriend, was cautioned and a DNA sample was taken. Police computers crunched the DNA data and spotted the similarity to the DNA of the blood found at the scene of the crime. Since Hampton's daughter was only 12 when the killing took place and the DNA was similar but not a match, the natural conclusion was that she must be closely related to the killer.
A life sentence has just been passed on Hampton and he's been told that he'll most likely die in jail.
16 people like this
17 responses
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
10 May 16
A crime that violent it's odd he only struck once, but Im glad he was finally caught
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
11 May 16
@boiboing still so weird, as violent as that was, I cant see that person as being normal the rest of their lives
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
10 May 16
That is something. It is so interesting what DNA testing can do. It helped them find what meds would be best for me to try. Didn't do the trick but is amazing what information it can give up.
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104632)
• United States
10 May 16
This is truly chilling!
What is even more horrendous to think about is that his daughter was only a few years younger than the victim! I don't want to even think of what could have happened to her had he been a more disturbed man.
Atleast the family will now find justice, though his family is having to face the fact that the man they knew wasn't whom they thought he was.
@boiboing (13153)
• Northampton, England
10 May 16
Even worse, the killer had FOUR children. How could he live with what he'd done?
@ScribbledAdNauseum (104632)
• United States
10 May 16
@boiboing I do not even want to think about that. It does make me wonder if this crime was his only.
@just4him (306196)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
11 May 16
Totally bazaar how that happened. I'm glad justice was finally served.
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
10 May 16
I love a story with a happy ending. Glad he's going to die in jail,
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
10 May 16
Awesome that he is finally going to pay for his crime. To bad they didn't catch him 30 years ago.
@Dena91 (15860)
• United States
10 May 16
I love when the police are finally able to get the criminal and justice is served. I am sure it helps this girls family who waited far too long to have some sort of resolution to her case. Have a blessed day.
