All Fall Down

The world has known many horrifying kinds of people and disgusting individuals who committed dreadful deeds because of twisted thoughts, mental disorders or just out of a bloodthirsty frenzy. The worst kind of killer are the young ones. When children are capable of, not only taking someone's life, but to do it to many people in the most disgusting, bloody manner.

This story follows the killing spree of a young boy from Gloucester, England who had no reason to become the killer he is known to be today. William Greene Jr had a very nice and large house, surrounded by a meadow-like garden with all kinds of different flowers and plants. Living with his parents Rebecca and William Sr, he attended King’s School and was considered the best at his age. He was only thirteen years old. William was generally a quiet student but loved to engage with his classmates when he was given the chance, and occasionally he would stand up to lead the class in projects or group activities. He was sometimes bullied by some for being so perfect but he was generally accepted by everyone throughout the school.

William’s parents were always busy and so he would spend most of his time in the garden with his pet dog Trevor. William Sr was the current residing Speaker of the House of Commons in London, so he was away rather often. Rebecca Greene was the head teacher at William’s school and so she spent time with William but usually only to check his homework and help with school work. William had few interests, those being forensic science, archery and parkour, since he was only ten years old he could only act on his last two interests until he was older.

So there is his background. An A grade student, very nice house, busy parents and very work centred. To this day, nobody knows what made this boy snap, only that he seemed to take a strange pleasure in the brutal killings and he was extremely poetic about it.

The first victim was found at 9:30 pm on May 26th 2012. Brian Howard, 13 year old boy was found dead on the edge of Severn Road. Autopsy showed that he was killed 3 hours before a passer by found the corpse about to roll into the River Severn. The body had nothing on it, no phone, no wallet or ID or anything except for a note scrunched up and shoved into his mouth. Some of the letters and words were unintelligible due to water clogged up in the mouth but after it being sent to the forensic team the note was rewritten for police to investigate and try to find out who the killer was. The handwriting was smooth and elegant and showed a significant love for proper grammar and a very poetic use of the English language.

The killer seemed to write as if writing a letter to the victim, expressing all the feelings they couldn’t convey before or during the murder, perhaps in order to get the murder done swiftly and without witnesses.

“Bullies deserve no more and no less than what you have been given. I can’t help but think that I was somehow destined to be your release, to send you to the one place where man, woman and child alike have no escape from themselves. Your death was only a small release to me, I have much more to do before I will definitely be free. I felt so ecstatic when you finally left your house today. I spent the whole day waiting for you until you finally showed your filthy face out of the cesspit you call a home. Blood rushed to my brain when you stepped out of the door and the excitement only elevated when I held the pipe in my hand and followed you through the town. After half an hour I began to get impatient. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on you and make you pay for everything you did to me. As you were nearer to the Docks I was ready to make my move. As I crept up to you blood rushed throughout my body and my heart rate elevated exponentially. Soon enough, the crack of the metal pipe connected with the back of your head. Blood seeped out from your skull and stained the front of the pie and for a moment I just stood there staring at your body. I may have thought I was done but you were tenacious. You refused to give up your life to me. As you began to rise up I grabbed your head and collar and forced you into the river. Water stained with blood splashed out of the river and created numerous ripples echoing across the river as you struggled against my will. Your tenacity was admirable but mine was overpowering. I was not ready to let you get away and I never would be. I don’t know how I knew but I could feel your life slowly slipping away as you struggled slightly less and less after every passing second. I could hear your sound becoming more and more quiet as I kept your fat head under the waters, drowning in your own blood. After about five or six minutes you were silent. I kept your head under the water for another minute to be certain and when I felt your neck there was nothing. I was exhausted but so refreshed. The smell of blood and death filled my nose and I felt nothing but happiness. As I took one last look at your soaking body I let out a small chuckle, knowing that I still had plenty more opportunity to do this again. I threw the pipe into the river and watched it sink to the bottom where it would rust and eventually waste away. I took one last look at your body and a feeling of rage filled my body as I kicked your dead face, breaking your nose and jaw. I never felt more alive.”

Nobody wanted to believe what they read on this note. What kind of sick and twisted killer would romanticise murder so much? From the clues so obviously given in the letter the murderer must have been a school student at the same school as the victim and also must have been bullied by him.

Police were sent to King’s School in Gloucester to investigate anyone who was bullied by Brian but this proved to be a very trying task since the victim was a monumental bully who would have a poke at anyone who got near him.

Police gathered at least sixteen people who could have been a possible suspect including William Jr. This was the first time PC Jebediah Bush would have a conversation with William.

William was described by Bush as an “unnervingly nice” boy. Bush clearly had his suspicions about William but nonetheless disregarded him as just a weird little kid.

The police continued their investigation as William was sent home along with the other suspects for having to be interviewed by police. But William didn’t go home. He wanted more. Later that day the fire brigade were at King’s School. The police walked among the charred ashes and the ruins of the school as the fire brigade put out the fires. Among the black waste were various bodies of adults and children alike. Attached to the main gate which was still intact, there was a note in the very same writing as the last victim. Neat, clear but not as long as the last note. This letter was shorter, yet more sickening.

“I read in a book once that priests would purify people with fire, which explains why witches and sorcerers were executed by fire, a sort of purge. The fire was said to burn away the evil and leave only whatever good may still be within them. I don’t believe a word of it. Fire destroys everything, good or evil. When fire is introduced, it does not matter what kind of person you are. I burned you all because you are good and bad. Good to yourselves and bad to everyone else. You cared only about your own self interests, and so, served no feasible purpose to the world. I took every single pleasure in watching you burn and scream. Then walking among your cold ashes and kicking at your charred corpses with every ounce of fury and hatred I had left in my body. Every single one of you deserved to die this way. All you adults who pretend to know the world better than me. You delude yourselves into thinking that you know me better than I do. I bet you didn’t know I would do this. The children deserve no better. You all go about your lives after everything you do as if nothing happened. You think life has no consequences and thus you all are immune to retribution of any form. I won’t stop here. I’ve got a long list of victims but with a lot less names. You may think what I do is crazy, but I know I’m sane.”

So poetic. The police thought the killer was hooked on some kind of twisted morality regime in which they believed to be the hand of god or some kind of righteous killer. The truth was much more simple than that. William was a twisted child who wanted to see the world burn to the ground. Clearly he wasn’t done and he was more than ready, as well as capable, of doing this again and again.

The next day, police were working furiously on this case to find the killer. The chief of police, Derek Robbie, ordered for all the suspects that were sent home to be arrested and brought to the station for further interrogation. All were found except for one William Greene Jr. Police immediately rushed to the Greene residence and saw blood sprayed across the window. The police rushed in the house to see the most violent murder scene they have ever witnessed. The body parts of Mr and Mrs Greene were tied up and hung from the ceiling. Arms, legs and torsos accompanied by heads next to the right body were hung from the ceiling. Both of them were stripped of their clothes and long cuts ran down their body parts. On the floor was a dog lying on its side with a closed up cut across its throat that appeared to have been cleaned and stitched together. There was another note attached to the dog’s collar.

“I don’t think I have anyone left to get. These people were my least favourite to kill, knowing they would be the last. Since this would be my last murder, I wanted it to be a special one. The look on his face when I pushed him out of his office window was just too hilarious. Hearing him whimper as I kicked him off his ridiculously high chair and his fat, blubbery body rolled out of the window and on to the garden patio. The blood spraying out of his head looked like a broken fire hydrant. Marvellous. Then I went to her room. She was totally unaware her husband was lying in a little puddle of his own blood. She smiled at me and I smiled back as I became filled with excitement over what would happen next. I took up the lamp on the table next to her and landed a perfect blow on her head. I looked at her body for a moment and laughed as my thoughts went back to the other one. I had to get his body out of the garden before anyone saw. I went downstairs and dragged his corpse into the main theatre. This bloody house. I would have burned it down as well if I had the time. I robbed him of his clothes and hacked into his body with the meat cleaver from the kitchen. I'd read a book on anatomy and saw how butchering works so this was easy. Blood spurted out of his neck, shoulders and torso as I chopped away. It was done for him. His body parts were separated from each other. I grabbed his heart and squeezed it as it popped in my hand, blood oozing through my fingers and down my wrist. I threw the remains at the window in anger and never felt more powerful. I then returned to her and dragged her body to the floor and took up the cleaver. As I removed her clothes I felt a significant excitement fill me up, but a different kind. This wasn’t the usual adrenaline rush I would feel from death but a different kind. All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind as I looked at her body lying there. I was overpowered by this new feeling but it felt great. I had no idea what I was doing, all I knew is that I was acting on this feeling. Releasing some sort of carnal desire. Afterwards, I got back to work. Chopping at her body and then standing back to admire my work. I knew I couldn’t just leave them like this, I had to do something nice for them. I took up the rope from the shed and proceeded to hang my new ornaments from the ceiling. Just like Christmas. Then the bad part. The dog walked in. I looked around and looked at him. I promised myself at the beginning. No witnesses. So I sliced his throat. Just like that. I felt a small sting to my heart as I did that. Why was I regretting this? I can’t keep it up. This is definitely my last one. I cleaned the wound and closed it up when I was sure he was gone. I need to finish what I started. I still have one more to kill. I’m sorry Billy.”

The police looked at the name on the collar. Billy. Nobody could believe it but there was only one suspect. William Jr. It was the kid all this time and the police had no idea. All those murders, all those deaths and it was a thirteen year old boy.

The police pursued the traces left by William. Blood smears left on walls of alleyways and some pieces of a school uniform left on the floor including a blazer, a tie and a belt. Eventually the police found Williams last victim hanging dead in the public eye for all to see.

William Greene Jr’s dead body was impaled on two metal rods that were sticking out of his left shoulder and the other through his torso.

Chief Derek Robbie concluded that it was a suicide by jumping off the scaffolding being placed to renovate the new church, but the motivation for this suicide was unclear. Whether or not he killed himself to escape police detainment or from the guilt of the murders as per his letter was unclear and became even more of a mystery after Robbie searched William’s person. In his shirt pocket was one last note. The shortest and most puzzling of all.

“Body decomposes. Corpse is damp and frozen. Ashes, ashes. All fall down.”