Home / Crime and Justice / Hammer, Sticks, and DNA: Re-examining the Russell Family Tragedy
Hammer, Sticks, and DNA: Re-examining the Russell Family Tragedy
1 Apr
Summary
- New analysis suggests sticks, not just a hammer, were used as weapons.
- Key evidence like a shoelace and lunchbox went missing, then reappeared.
- Serial killer Levi Bellfield confessed, but his credibility is questioned.
In July 1996, Lin Russell and her daughters Megan and Josie were brutally attacked in Chillenden, Kent. Megan and Lin died, while Josie miraculously survived. Michael Stone was convicted for the murders a year later. However, his case is now under review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission, exploring claims of a miscarriage of justice.
Forensic expert Angela Gallop's report suggests that besides a hammer, bloodied sticks found at the scene may have also been used as weapons. This new focus on alternative weapons has surprised Stone's family, who believe police were too quick to focus on Stone.
Further complicating the case are pieces of evidence that went missing, including a blood-stained shoelace and a lunchbox with a fingerprint. The shoelace, possibly used as a tourniquet, yielded male DNA but not Stone's. The lunchbox print was too smudged for identification but did not match Stone.
Serial killer Levi Bellfield has confessed to the murders, having been a fellow inmate of Stone's. However, his confession is met with skepticism due to his history and character, leaving open the possibility that the true perpetrator may still be at large.
