By

CBSNews /

CBS/ December 21, 2010, 2:55 PM

"Crossbow Cannibal" Killed Women, Ate Bodies

A British man who admitted to shooting his prostitute victims in the head with a crossbow before dismembering and eating them was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday, according to several British news reports.

Stephen Griffiths, 40, who called himself "The Crossbow Cannibal," pleaded guilty to murdering Susan Rushworth, 43, Shelley Armitage 31, and Suzanne Blamires, 36, the U.K. daily Guardian reports.

Griffiths was caught when a building supervisor spotted him in the act on closed circuit television in Bradford, near the city of Leeds, in northern England, the Guardian reports.

"(The supervisor) saw an image of someone on the third floor dragging a person into flat 33," prosecutor Robert Smith said.

Shortly afterwards, a woman ran from the apartment and fell to the floor, the Guardian reports. Griffiths shot her with a crossbow as she lay on the floor, and dragged her into the flat by a leg.

Griffiths allegedly "toasted" the death by raising a can of drink to the closed circuit security camera, the U.K. daily Telegraph reports.

Police believe Griffiths might also be responsible for three unsolved murders after he indicated in an interview that he had killed six women in total, the Telegraph reports.

He claimed he had cooked and eaten parts of his first two victims, boiling one in a pot, and ate the third one raw, the Telegraph reports.

The prosecutor said Griffiths had admitted to killing Blamires in the flat and dismembering her by hand. He apparently used power tools on the other victims, the Telegraph reports.

Griffiths told police he had "cut himself off from society" and a "civil war" was going on in his head, the Telegraph reports.

The prosecutor also told the court 81 different pieces of Ms Blamires were found in or by the River Aire in Shipley. A broken knife and a crossbow bolt were embedded in her severed head, the Telegraph reports.

Griffiths was known as 'the weirdo' by neighbours in his apartment building, reports the U.K. Daily Mail. He was also known as 'Penfold', a character in the children's cartoon show Danger Mouse because he wore round dark glasses whatever the weather.

One neighbour said Griffiths befriended prostitutes who worked in the red-light area around his apartment, the Daily Mail reports. There were also suggestions that Griffiths, who was born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, kept pet lizards.

According to neighbors and his Myspace page, Griffiths had an advanced degree in psychology, and was studing towards a Ph.D. in criminology, with a focused study on homicide and serial killers, the Daily Mail reports.
Copyright 2010 CBS. All rights reserved.
35 Comments Add a Comment
linkicon reporticon emailicon
maistir says:
Not many of those civilized Eurowonks writing about gun-toting US "cowboys" in relation to this story, are there?
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
toulouseletrec says:
Another spin off from "Dexter"
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
sharoncalla says:
I can not believe he got "life". In the article it said the killer
claimed to have killed six, but only three victim's were listed. So
are we suppose to presume he ate and digested the other three, and
that they are now sewer waste? For this crime, he should of been given the death penalty and then we wouldn't have to worry about him
escaping? Can you imagine more deaths in this event? He seems to know
no other life but crime. Horrendous, Cruel, and too sick to be among us. Jeffrey Dahmer made one error in prison he bit another imate on
the ear, in a fight and he died that day. Hope this guy has the same
luck and meets his match.
reply
Aine57 replies:
linkicon reporticon emailicon
They don't have the death penalty in the UK. They can't give him the punishment you want if they don't have it. Be glad he got life.
linkicon reporticon emailicon
proeliumfessus says:
Jesus. Just when you think you've seen it all.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Resin-Smoker says:
Insert wacko into a tank.... Slowly fill the tank with 100% pure hydrogen-peroxide. The bastard will slowly disolve into a puddle of goo. Prolem solved.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
newsterI says:
Too bad he didnt get HIV long ago fromt hat raw hooker he ate, would have solved a few problems.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
VVVVX says:
Bwahahahaha!! Good boy there's no better way to get rid of low life skanky pimp loving prostitutes. Won't deserve ANY of my sympathy. Sorry folks you can't get rid of killers like these or in general there's an UNLIMITED amount of them all over the world. This is baby stuff here it gets worse.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
diamruby says:
Just another example of mentally ill people not locked up due to their rights. Their right to kill, torture, & prey on innocents & continue to live the good life in prison as a reward for their crimes. The mentally ill should be taken off the streets foe the protection of all.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
lirocky says:
A modern day Robin Hood.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
Multi-Basking says:
by porcine_aviator December 21, 2010 4:06 PM EST
It might be funny now, but in reality we're only a few years away from some liberal wanting to get rid of those too. Unless, of course, you happen to be that liberal...
.
Can't tell you how many times (endless years now) I have heard this same old tired crap. "Liberals are going to take your guns away." "Pelosi will take away your right to bear arms!" So naturally a few years back there were huge "Runs" on gun shops due to the ever continued threat of pulling guns off the shelves once and for all. Nothing. As usual, nothing. When is Nothing, NOT going to happen Einstein's!?! I am a liberal/democrat who owns two guns. One for conceal carry and a Kimber for plinking at the range. Stop listening to the NRA and all Republicans for the real story. Those idiots played you all (and continue to do so) like a fiddle.
reply
See all 35 Comments