November 13, 1993
Hambleton, Leicestershire, England
Roger Severs beats his parents — Eileen and Derek Severs (69 and 68 respectively) — to death with a steak mallet

On November 13, Roger (37) bludgeoned Eileen and Derek in their home. He wrapped their bodies in a yellow blanket, drove them to a wooded area, and covered them with 2 tons of gravel and soil, some of which came from the Severs’ own garden.

Friends and family became concerned with the Severs’ sudden disappearance, though Roger insisted they were on vacation. Police investigated regardless of Rogers assertions and noticed the normally pristine bungalow was disheveled. Furthermore, there was evidence of a hasty clean up with blood stains and yellow fibers found in the bathroom and garage, leading to the Severs’ suspiciously muddy car. The mud was analyzed, and the unique mineral and pollen composition helped narrow the mud’s origin to the wooded area Roger had visited. A patch on the ground looked recently disturbed and on November 18 the bodies of Eileen and Derek Severs were found. Roger was quickly arrested.

Neither the defense nor the prosecution disagreed Roger had been responsible for beating deaths of his parents by means of a steak mallet. What the attorneys did disagree upon, however, was why Roger killed them.

The prosecution contended Roger had been driven by greed and had lashed out in a rage when the elder Severs refused to give him money when he asked. The defense argued Roger had an “abnormality of the mind,” attempted a diminished responsibility defense, and stated the attack came after an argument involving Roger’s former girlfriend and the mother of his young son.

The jury took under two hours to convict Roger of murder and he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Sources:
The Forensics Library. http://aboutforensics.co.uk/roger-severs/
“L.V. site doubles as British crime scene.” The Morning Call [Allentown, Pennsylvania]. April 28, 1997
“Son gets life for murder of parents.” The Guardian [London, England]. December 7, 1994