10 Rillington Place

In 1944, John Christie lures Muriel Eady to his West London flat at 10 Rillington Place, promising to cure her bronchitis with a special mixture. He incapacitates her with town gas, then strangles her with a rope. It is implied that he has sexual contact with the corpse. He buries Muriel in the communal garden of the building, and while digging the grave he uncovers Ruth Fuerst, a previous victim.

While Christie is burying Muriel, he uncovers the body of Ruth Fuerst, one of his previous victims. This discovery ties the 1944 murder to a pattern of killings in the same building. The find foreshadows later revelations about his crimes.

Tim Evans and his wife Beryl move into 10 Rillington Place with their infant Geraldine in 1949. Beryl is pregnant again, and she seeks an abortion, which is the setup for Christie’s predatory involvement. The Evanses' new home becomes the setting for the early crimes.

Christie pretends to have medical expertise and reads from a fake textbook to convince Tim that he can perform the abortion. He convinces them to let him carry out the procedure, exploiting their desperation. The plan takes place inside the Evans home.

During the procedure, Beryl reacts violently to the gas. Christie knocks her out with a punch and then strangles her, and the narrative implies he sexually assaults her corpse. After Beryl dies, Christie tells Tim that complications from the abortion caused the death, and he disposes of the body.

With Beryl dead, Christie strangles Geraldine Evans with a tie. He then hides Geraldine's body as part of his ongoing concealment. Tim is away at the time, unaware of the full scope of Christie's crimes.

Panicking at the prospect of arrest, Tim leaves town with his aunt and uncle in Merthyr Tydfil. He tells people that Beryl and the baby are visiting relatives in Brighton, maintaining the ruse. The Lynches correspond with Beryl's father to avoid suspicion while Tim hides.

Back in London, Tim is questioned and confesses to disposing of Beryl's body in the sewer after the botched abortion. Three London police officers lift a manhole but fail to locate the remains at first. A thorough search of 10 Rillington Place eventually reveals Beryl and the baby.

Tim is brought back to London charged with the murders of his wife and daughter. During the trial, Christie's credibility is attacked by exposing his own history of theft and violence, but Tim is convicted. He is sentenced to death.

At the trial, Christie is a key witness for the prosecution, yet his own history raises questions about his reliability. Tim Evans is hanged for the murders he did not commit. The case is later recognized as a miscarriage of justice.

Two years after Tim's trial, Ethel Christie reveals fear of her husband and plans to move out. Christie murders Ethel and hides her body under the floorboards in their front room. The crime shows his continued brutality.

In 1953, new tenant Beresford Brown notices a foul smell and peels back wallpaper to reveal a space behind the wall containing three of Christie’s victims. Christie is arrested soon after, ending his killing spree.

An intertitle confirms that Christie was hanged and that Tim Evans was posthumously pardoned and reinterred in consecrated ground. The film highlights the miscarriages of justice and the human cost of the case.