Albert Edward Marjeram

Albert Marjeram murdered Edith May Parker 23 who he stabbed at Dartford Heath, Kent on 11 April 1930.

Edith Parker and her sister had been gone out around 10am on the Friday morning 11 April 1930 for a stroll in the warm sunshine across Dartford Heath. They were walking along a narrow path between the old drinking fountain at Heath Lane Corner and the Dartford Golf Club house. The sister said that as they walked Albert Marjeram, who she did not know, jumped out of a clump of bushes and stabbed Edith Parker and then ran off. after being stabbed Edith Parker staggered about 150 yards towards Heath Lane Corner and then collapsed near  hawthorn tree.

She was found injured at 10.15am on a footpath near Heath Lane and Heath Close Road. She had no hat on and one shoe was off and had blood on the back of her overcoat from the stab wound. She died shortly after at 10.35am just before the ambulance arrived.

Further along the footpath the later found the knife after Albert Marjeram showed them where it was. When they found it Albert Marjeram said 'That is the knife. It has two or three gaps in it'..

Later that day at 11.15pm Albert Marjeram was detained at Belvedere police station and then taken to Dartford police station where he was charged with murder.

When he was in court he said 'I am very sorry this has occured. I never intended to do any murder or anything like that.'

Albert Marjeram's mother said that when he was 5 years old he suffered from abscesses on the brain and his agony was so great that he had to be strapped down and had wanted to die. She also said that during the last 2-3 years he constantly looked at knives and pretended to draw them across his throat. She said that once he chased the other children with a jam stained knife and put jam on his throat and pretended it was blood.

Two years earlier he had attacked his mother with tongs and put a knife within an inch of her breast. His mother also said that he had tried to strangle his little brother and put a fork into the cat. He had also locked himself in a room and turned on the gas and the police had had to break in.

Prior to the murder he had constantly discussed the 'Fox' case with his mother as well as discussing it with the police. Sidney Fox was another murderer who was also executed.

In July 1927 he had also been charged with demanding money by menaces.

On 12 April 1930 whilst at Dartford police station a policeman said that Albert Marjeram had asked to see the papers saying that he wanted to read the account of the murder and all that had been said about him in the paper. He said that there must be a lot about him 'as a job like that had not been done for a long time'. He also said there would a lot in the News Of THe World about him the following day and said there would sure to be a lot of people in the Court to look at him. he also later said that Maidstone prison was being sold and that everyone thought that 'Fox' would be the last person to get the rope there.

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see National Archives - CRIM 1/497, PCOM 8/428