William Murphy

William Murphy was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Gwen Ellen Jones 36 and sentenced to death.

He cut her throat in a field near Waltham Avenue in Holyhead on 25 December 1909 and then threw her into a drainage ditch.

At the time Gwen Jones had been living in Bethesda in North Wales but was travelling the country as a hawker.

William Murphy was a labourer.

It was heard that William Murphy had been living with Gwen Jones previously but that he had left her although he had since made attempts to renew their friendship although beyond the occasional meeting, the intimacy did not appear to have resumed.

They met up on the Saturday, 25 December 1909 and William Murphy decoyed her away to a lonely spot known as Walthew Avenue where there were only a few residential houses and then attacked her and threw her in the drain.

After killing her he went to Baker Street where he asked a stonemason's labourer to inform the police.

It was heard that his face was smeared with blood as though Gwen Jones had struggled violently with him.

When William Murphy went to the police station on the Saturday night he said, 'I have done it right enough. You can take my word for it', and when the policeman asked him what he had done he said, 'Killed a woman'.

When the police when to the place that he mentioned they found Gwen Jones body in a trench with a large gaping wound in her throat.

It was said that his motive was jealousy.