10 Rillington Place (1971) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Tim Evans was largely illiterate and desperate for help after his wife Beryl became pregnant again. Christie presented himself as a learned medical expert, complete with a fake textbook, and convinced the Evanses he could safely terminate the pregnancy. Tim had no way to verify Christie's claims and trusted his neighbor's false assurances.

Foreshadowing: Christie had already murdered multiple women in the same building and presented himself as a helpful medical expert to lure victims.

• tim evans
• christie
• abortion
• manipulation
• deception

After murdering Beryl, Christie told Tim she had died from a severe reaction to the gas used during the procedure. He warned Tim that if he went to the police, he would be seen as an accessory to an illegal abortion, which would land him in prison. Terrified of the consequences, Tim believed Christie's story and agreed to flee town that night.

Foreshadowing: Christie had already established his false medical persona to gain the Evanses' trust.

• christie
• tim evans
• beryl
• lie
• abortion
• gas

Tim Evans, in shock and despondent over being charged, confessed to murdering his wife and daughter even though he was innocent. During the trial, Christie's defense attempted to expose his history of theft and violence, but the prosecution still secured a conviction. Christie himself testified as a witness for the prosecution, and Tim was hanged in 1950 before the truth emerged.

Foreshadowing: Christie's history of violence and theft was known but not enough to discredit his testimony.

• tim evans
• convicted
• hanged
• christie
• miscarriage of justice
• trial

In 1953, Christie was living in a dosshouse in Putney. A new tenant named Beresford Brown noticed a foul smell emanating from the kitchen. When Brown peeled back the wallpaper, he discovered a hidden space behind the wall containing the bodies of several victims. Christie was arrested shortly afterward.

Foreshadowing: The film earlier showed Christie wallpapering a kitchen wall while visually implying a body was hidden behind it.

• christie
• arrested
• beresford brown
• wallpaper
• victims
• dosshouse

When Tim confessed to disposing of Beryl's body in the sewer, three London police officers lifted a manhole cover but failed to find the remains. The bodies were actually hidden inside 10 Rillington Place itself, concealed in the washroom where Christie had hidden them. A later, more thorough search of the house uncovered both Beryl and Geraldine.

Foreshadowing: Christie had ample time to hide the bodies while convincing Tim to flee town.

• police
• bodies
• search
• sewer
• 10 rillington place
• missed

Christie spotted an opportunity when Beryl became pregnant and sought an abortion. Knowing the procedure was illegal and that the Evanses would be desperate and vulnerable, he offered to help. This gave him access to the women in the household under the guise of medical assistance, allowing him to commit his crimes.

Foreshadowing: Christie had used similar tactics before, posing as someone who could help victims before harming them.

• christie
• evans family
• targeting
• abortion
• prey
• vulnerable

Two years after Tim Evans's trial, Ethel's fear of her husband grew sufficient that she moved out to stay with relatives. Christie pleaded for her not to leave and hinted that prison might be in his future. That night, he murdered her and hid her body under the floorboards in their front room.

Foreshadowing: Ethel had lived with Christie throughout the murders and likely knew more than she revealed.

• ethel christie
• murdered
• floorboards
• wife
• 1952

Tim Evans was hanged in 1950 for murders he did not commit. After Christie's arrest in 1953 and the discovery of his multiple victims, the full extent of his crimes became evident. Evans was posthumously pardoned and reinterred in consecrated ground, though this came years after his wrongful execution.

Foreshadowing: Christie's continued killing spree after the Evans murders ultimately exposed his pattern of deception.

• tim evans
• pardoned
• posthumously
• innocence
• christie
• hanged

When Beryl reacted violently to the town gas used during the procedure, Christie seized the opportunity. He punched her unconscious, strangled her, and committed a brutal sexual assault. The murder allowed Christie to continue his pattern of killing women who came to him under the guise of medical help.

Foreshadowing: Christie had previously used his false medical promises to lure and kill other women.

• christie
• beryl
• murder
• abortion
• gas
• strangled

John Christie killed at least eight people across multiple years. His victims included Ruth Fuerst and Muriel Eady in 1944, Beryl Evans and her daughter Geraldine in 1949, his wife Ethel Christie in 1952, and at least three additional victims discovered behind the wall in 1953.

Foreshadowing: The film opens with Christie's 1944 murders, establishing his extensive pattern of killing.

• christie
• victims
• murders
• total
• count
• serial killer

Ethel Christie had begun to fear her husband and decided to leave him, moving in with relatives. When she threatened to leave, Christie murdered her to prevent her from exposing him or leaving. He buried her body under the floorboards in their front room, treating his own wife no differently than his other victims.

Foreshadowing: Ethel's earlier role in helping Christie with paperwork at his workplace had enabled his crimes.

• ethel
• christie
• wife
• murdered
• floorboards
• 1952

Tim Evans was dragged back to London, charged with the murders of his wife and daughter, and placed under immense psychological pressure. In a state of shock and deep despondency over the charges against him, he confessed to both crimes despite being innocent. His confession was coerced by the overwhelming stress of the situation.

Foreshadowing: Tim had already been manipulated by Christie into believing he would be blamed for the illegal abortion.

• tim evans
• confession
• coerced
• innocent
• police
• pressure