Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - Archibald Thomson Hall Pt. 1

Episode Date: December 2, 2019

Obsessed with breaking into the upper crust of society, Archibald Hall would go to any lengths to do so. Between 1977 and 1978, Hall killed five people across the United Kingdom. Each victim was killed a different way, but he knew all of them personally.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Due to the graphic nature of this killer's crimes, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder and assault that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. England, 1977. The sun rose slowly, shining its golden light past the house and into the thick forest at the edge of the property. The estate's 53-year-old butler, Archibald Hall, and his 32-year-old former lover, David Wright,

traipsed through the trees, shotguns in hand, searching for cotton tails. Not long into the hunt, Wright spotted his first furry target and lined up his shot. Hall watched quietly as Wright expended his ammunition, keeping count under his breath. One, two, three. After a few hours of traipsing through the English forest, Wright realized Hall hadn't fired a shot the entire morning. Hall explained that he simply didn't like killing baby rabbits and was waiting for something special to come into his sights. Right shook his head and continued to hunt. Four, five, six shots. After hearing the empty click of Wright's gun,

Archibald Hall finally raised his own. He took a breath, aimed at the back of Wright's head. and pulled the trigger. I'm Greg Poulson. This is serial killers, a podcast original. Every Monday, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today we're going to examine the life of Archibald Thompson Hall, also known as Roy Fontaine or The Bloody Butler. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson.

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And if you enjoy today's episode, the best way to help us is to leave a five-star review wherever you're listening. It really does help. Between 1977 and 1978, Archibald Hall killed five people across the United Kingdom. Each victim was killed in a different way, but he knew all of them personally. This week we'll delve into Archibald Hall's early life, his obsession with breaking into the upper crust of society, his series of escalating thefts, and his first murder. Next week, we'll explore Hall's four later murders, and his own murders.

arrest. Archibald Thompson Hall was born into a working-class family on July 17th, 1924 in Glasgow, Scotland. In the wake of World War I, Europe was devastated and turbulent, and Archibald's home life only magnified what was happening in the world around him. His parents, 28-year-old Archibald Thompson Hall Sr., and 22-year-old Mary, had only been married five months before Little Archie's arrival. It's unknown how long the couple dated, or if they planned on getting married at all prior to Mary's pregnancy. But whatever their plans had been, society dictated they wed once they knew Mary was with child. From the beginning they made an odd match. Mary was outspoken, while Archibald Sr. was a quiet, tough man, hardened from serving in World War I. During the day, he worked as a sorting clerk and telephonist at the General Post Office.

The work was steady, but paid very little. Mary was said to be vivacious and independent, though emotionally unstable. Her mother had a history of mental illness and seizures that were later believed to be the result of untreated epilepsy and possible bipolar disorder. Mary exhibited symptoms of bipolar disorder as well, but she was never diagnosed, nor was she treated for it. While Hall's father worked out the post office, Mary stayed home to raise her son. When Young Hall wasn't at school, Mary took him to the movies. Glitzy Hollywood films provided an escape for many Europeans after the devastation of World War I, and the halls were no exception.

Meanwhile, Archibald Hall Jr. was more distant from his father, who was often away from home due to his work schedule. Archibald Sr. tried to impart his Christian values and ethics, on his son, even delivering occasional Sunday sermons at their church, but a rift opened between them in Hall's earliest years. The split was encouraged by Mary, who was lenient with Hall and almost never disciplined him. She had a more laissez-faire approach to child-rearing and rarely found fault in her son's actions. Hall remained the apple of her eye, even after their family of three, expanded to four in 1931 when they adopted.

Hall's sister, Violet. Seven-year-old Hall took to the role of a caring big brother and doted on his younger sister. But things were not so pleasant between his parents. For unknown reasons, his mother, Mary, changed her name to Marion. She became very cruel to her husband and seemingly indifferent to Violet. Perhaps because of his parents arguing, Hall started to misbehave at school,

but his mother continued to let him do whatever. ever he wanted, despite his father's protests. The boy could do no wrong in her eyes. Because of his increasingly antisocial behavior, Hall was reportedly bullied by his classmates. His troubles at school became more severe, but still his mother never disciplined him. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode. Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. Developmental psychologist Diana Baumrind coined the term permissive parenting in 1966. She found that a permissive parent makes few demands for household responsibility and orderly behavior

and essentially lets the child govern themselves. Baumrind's study suggests that children of permissive parents may be rebellious with poor emotional regulation and may have anti-social behaviors. Without discipline, these children may never feel accountable for their actions. The child might lack self-discipline and good problem-solving or decision-making skills and be self-involved and demanding. Hull certainly was rebellious. By 1937, when he was 13 years old, he had his first run-in with the law. He was caught stealing. Ultimately, he was led off with a warning. At this point, Hall's father finally stepped in. In an attempt to get his son on the straight and narrow,

he moved the family to another neighborhood. In addition to stealing, Hall had been skipping school and his father thought his friends were a bad influence. Hall's father was completely unaware that Hall had been playing hooky to go to the movies alone. Hall's mother's love of escapist films had passed down to him. As a teen, Hall's love, spent countless hours entranced by the celluloid stories of heroes and villains. He became obsessed

with the lives of lovable jewel thieves and rakeish bank robbers in American crime comedies. His favorite film, Raffles, which premiered when Archie was 15, was about a gentleman by day, thief by night, who charmed his way into high society and the heart of the leading lady. He was affable, dashing, and even earned the respect of the police officers, pursuing. him. Movies like these inspired Hall to take great pride in his appearance. He loved to dress up with his sister, Violet, and take her to picture shows. They would have dinner beforehand, most likely with money he'd stolen, and then escape into

the glimmering Hollywood adventures. In the dim theaters bathed in the glowing silver light, Hall's alter ego, Roy Fontaine, was born. learned from films that wealth garnered respect. A title and a place in high society were revered and celebrated. Hall craved the finer things and was determined to gain a higher station in life. In a move reminiscent of his mother's name change, Hall started to insist on being called Roy Fontaine. Fontaine was after Joan Fontaine, star of Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film Rebecca, where she plays an ingenue who marries an aristocrat.

However, even with a posh alter ego, his old behaviors stayed the same. He was caught vandalizing. Yet for the second time, Archibald Hall was led off with a warning. His father's solution was to move the family again. In 1940, the halls moved to their third Glasgow neighborhood in four years. Here, 16-year-old Archibald Hall met his wealthy new neighbor. Ann Phillips. Anne was an elegant divorcee who owned the newsagents shop across the street from Hall's home.

She had Hall perform odd jobs for her, and the pair soon developed a very close relationship, even though Anne was twice Hall's age. The two went out to dinner often, Anne's treat, of course, and she became a sort of mentor to him. In Hall's autobiography, he claims the relationship soon turns sexual. If true, Anne was certainly grooming him, abusing the teenage boy. While the relationship wasn't strictly defined as transactional, Anne did give Archibald Hall the material lifestyle he desired, as she allegedly continued to sexually abuse him.

Shortly after they first became physical, Anne gifted Hall a very expensive dinner jacket that caused quite a stir at his house what he went to show it off. Archibald Sr. thought the gift was improper and would incite gossip. He told Hall to return it, but Hall's mother staunchly disagreed. She told the boy to keep it. After all, why shouldn't her son have the finer things in life? The argument between Hall and his father escalated, leading Hall to pull out a knife. He threatened his father with the blade, until Archibald Sr. agreed to let him keep the jacket.

In his memoirs, Hall couldn't see fault in his actions. He wrote about pulling a knife on his father as casually as if he'd been pouring him a glass of water. Hall continued seeing Anne and began swiping things from her shop. He stole from the till whenever it suited him, unnoticed, thanks to Anne's poor bookkeeping skills. He rationalized the theft by convincing himself that he needed her money more than she did, as she was wealthy already. Over the ensuing months, Hall whined and dined all over town on Anne's dime. At upscale restaurants, he observed other diners and tried to absorb the manners and behavior of the rich and privileged. He practiced speaking with a refined tongue and even tried to drop his thick Scottish accent.

He was carefully crafting himself into the person he wanted Roy Fontaine to be. Hall craved a position in high society, and he was determined to be. get it. But he preferred to get there as quickly as possible with as little work as he could manage. However, his efforts were cut short when the family moved once again. In 1940, Hall's father was conscripted into the Army. The family moved to the Catterick Barracks in North Yorkshire, England, their fourth move in under four years. While Hall was initially sad to leave his cushy lifestyle behind, he wasted no time to turning on his charms.

16-year-old Hall believed he had incredible sexual magnetism and thought of himself as a ladies' man on base. He also thought of himself as a mentor to some of the younger boys. He frequently brought them to his room to show off a small collection of wartime memorabilia he'd supposedly been gifted by local soldiers. It mostly consisted of discarded bullet shells and small flags. While some of the items may have been gifts, Hall had also memorized officers' schedules and stole mementos from their bunks when they were away.

However, he was caught more than once and given several stern warnings. So when several confidential papers went missing, Hall was immediately suspected. Officers searched Hall's bedroom. They immediately found the papers, along with something surprising. Hall had a shrine to Adolf Hitler at his desk. To the military police, this was a sign of treason. They questioned Hall, demanding to know if he was a Nazi sympathizer. Hall stated he respected Hitler for turning the German economy around, but insisted that was as far as his admiration went.

Hall's family was forced to leave the base two days later. Archibald Sr. moved his family. into a flat near Glasgow University and returned to his former job at the post office. It was the fifth move in four years and the fourth that directly resulted from Hall's criminal activity. But Archibald and Marion Hall didn't do anything more to help reform their son. They were preoccupied. On May 14, 1941, Marion Hall gave birth to another son named Donald, who was rumored to be the product, of an affair she'd had with an army officer while on base.

Hall was jealous of his new baby brother. He immediately resumed stealing, hoping it would garner him more attention. He also started forging checks, and as usual, he was quickly caught. But this time, instead of getting off with a warning, a judge sentenced Archibald Hall to 60 days in jail. He was finally held accountable for his actions.

Hall served his time, but didn't learn his lesson. Upon release, he dove right back into his criminal lifestyle. In August of 1941, when Hall was 17, the courts referred him to a psychiatric unit because of his frequent arrests. Doctors there observed that Hall was apathetic and completely unemotional.

Hall never felt sorry for the crimes he committed and considered himself a modern-day Robin Hood, robbing from the rich, keeping everything for himself. While in the psychiatric unit, Hall also told doctors that he heard voices in his head and complained about having visual hallucinations. But the doctors were skeptical. They believed he said this in an attempt to avoid being sent to prison.

However, there was no need for Hall to lie. His young age and apparent lack of empathy got him admitted to the psych ward on their own. But Hall escaped shortly after he was admitted. At the time, the institution's policy stated that if a person who had been admitted to an asylum escaped and stayed at large for 28 days, they were effectively discharged. Hall managed to evade capture for 28 days, most likely with the aid of his mother, and found himself free once again. Back at home, 17-year-old Hall made a new friend. A Polish freedom fighter named Captain Jakobovsky had moved in with his family. Allegedly, he and Hall began an affair that was reminiscent of Hall's relationship with Anne Phillips.

According to Hall, who may have made up the captain entirely, Jakobovsky was very cultured and refined. The pair dined at upscale restaurants and spent their days together in art galleries and museums. But even with this transactional relationship, Hall continued to rob local houses over the next two years. In 1943, the law caught up to him once again, and Hall was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment for theft. In 1944, he was again admitted to a psychiatric court and diagnosed as insane. The doctors noted 19-year-old Archibald Hall was, completely without any sense of shame or sorrow for his misdeeds and treated them as if he

had not been implicated at all. One doctor went on to say that Hall gave the impression as if he were acting a part in which all the time he was living in a purely imaginary world. He has no moral sense whatsoever and is a danger to society. By this point, Hall was completely incapable of understanding the gravity of his crime. In his head, he was a lovable rascal rather than a hardened criminal. He saw himself as the hero of a crime caper. Between 1941 and 1943, Hall allegedly escaped from three different institutions and remained at large each time.

It is believed that his mother assisted in his escapes. Just like when he was a child, Marion Hall was desperate to help her son avoid any consequences of his behavior. behavior. By 1946, when Hall was 22, after over a year at the Perth Asylum, he was spending his days traveling to the suburbs of London and breaking into people's homes while they were at work. He primarily stole money and spent it all on a fast-paced city lifestyle, and eventually he moved on from houses to bigger ticket targets. Around 1950, he was arrested for breaking into two of London's jewelry shops and served a two-year sentence in Wandsworth Prison. During his imprisonment, Hall finally decided to take up a respectable career. He wanted to live comfortably.

He wanted to rub elbows with the elite. He decided he wanted to be a butler. Hall learned all he could about the butler profession from books in the prison library. He paid special attention to learning about antiques, jewelry, and porcelain, probably to familiarize himself with their values. Archibald Hall wasn't done with his life of crime. As soon as he was released, he contacted a friend he'd met in prison. Together, the two planned the biggest con of their lives. Coming up, Hall concocts a plan to steal the Hungarian crown jewels. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination

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Now back to the story. In 1952, 28-year-old Archibald Hall had just been released from a two-year imprisonment for robbery. He decided to become a butler, but he wasn't giving up his life of crime. He was escalating it. A butler job would allow Hall to pull off the greatest theft of his life. That same year, Hall's mother, Marion, left his father and became a housekeeper in a castle in Dundas. Dunblane, Scotland. Hall visited her upon his release from prison and was asked by the Lady of the House, Mrs. Dunsmere, to stay on as her driver. After noticing her many

valuables on display, he was only too happy to oblige. Around this time, John Wooten, a friend of Hall's from prison, came to visit. He was taken with Marion Hall, and the two began a romantic relationship. It wasn't long before Hall was fired. He returned to his original plan and applied to a butler position advertised in the papers using his assumed name, Roy Fontaine. To seal the deal, he paid his friends to act as stellar references. The scam worked, and the wealthy Warren Connell family hired Archibald Hall to work on their estate in Stirlingshire, Scotland. All planned on using his working hours to case the house and memorize the security. Once he felt confident enough, he'd quit his post, pretend to move on, then come back and

rob the family blind. But he'd hardly begun familiarizing himself with the home's layout when he heard a rumor about a local jewelry store, the Mowbray house. The shop was said to be storing some of the deposed King of Egypt's treasure. Reportedly among the valuables were the original crown jewels of Hungary. It sounded just like the beginning of a movie. Hall abandoned his home robbery scheme and hatched a plan to steal the jewels instead. Along with his friend John Wooten and another man referred to as Ricky,

Hall cased the shop in disguise over several weeks. On the day of the heist, in 1953, one man was stationed at a payphone outside, while the other two posed as American customers in the shop. It's unclear which role 29-year-old Hall played in this scheme, although he claimed to have been the mastermind. The two men in the shop engaged the owner, Esther Henry, in a conversation about a T-set, while the man of the pay phone called the shop.

This distracted Esther from her customers and gave them time to pocket several valuable items. Hall claims they stole the Hungarian crowned, jewels, which were allegedly kept in a black deed box. The men fled to London, where they successfully sold several pieces of jewelry. However, they were arrested while trying to pawn more stolen jewels in Canterbury. All three men were found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison. In his autobiography, Hall claims he'd pulled off the biggest high Scotland had ever seen.

However, the court records show they stole a sum worth just over $6,000 today. the crown jewels not among them. Hall likely fabricated the details in order to boost his reputation. Upon his release in late 1955, 32-year-old Archibald Hall immediately returned to his life of crime. Perhaps his most outlandish scam occurred in 1956. According to Hall, he hired a theatrical customer to construct a sheikh's headdress and robes.

He then used iodine to dye the skin on his face, arms, and hands brown. Once in costume, he hired a Rolls-Royce to drive him to an expensive hotel. He checked in under the name Chic Mutluck Medina and gave the impression that he was rich and powerful. He made sure to tip the staff well and asked if they would book him at a higher-class hotel called the Dorchester. He repeated the process of the Dorchester. Only this time he asked the hotel manager to arrange for some local jewelers to come sell their wares to him in his room. Six different jewelry shop assistants showed up, ready to peddle their finest gems to the wealthy sheik. Hall feigned indifference toward the merchandise as the shop assistants competed for his patronage.

He said he would contemplate what to buy in a hot bath. Hall ran scalding water into the tub which filled the room with some. steam. He then claimed he stuck one of his arms out the bathroom door asking to inspect the jewels while he was bathing. Each assistant eagerly handed over the goods. Meanwhile, Hall pulled out a briefcase he had stashed under the sink and stuffed the gems inside. He then quickly disrobed, revealing a suit he'd been wearing underneath his costume. He escaped through a back door in the bathroom. In modern currency, the stolen gems would be worth over $10 million.

And this time, he got away with it. In his autobiography, Hall claimed he was riding a high like he'd never known after this crime. He believed himself to be the best thief in all of London. He was particularly proud of the fact that the police never suspected him of the crime, and he was never questioned for it. His next mark was the Montague, Arms Hotel. By 1956, Hall had gotten wind of a large safe filled with valuables in the hotel's basement. This time, Hall enlisted the services of a known safe blower named Ambrose Carr.

The men rented a flat nearby and patronized the hotel bar for several weeks. They noted the owner's comings and goings. They even befriended the Great Dane that lived on the property, gaining his affections with scraps of raw meat. Finally, after getting the owner and his wife blind drunk, Hall and Carr gave the dog a stake and broke into the hotel basement. Carr was able to blow open the safe and the two made out with cash and jewelry worth nearly a million dollars in modern currency. Around the same time, Hall broke into another home.

He stole a Spanish Renaissance jewel-encrusted pendant in the shape of St. George and a drive. Outrageously, Hall tried to sell the piece to the son of Esther Henry, the owner of Mowbray House, the store he claimed to have stolen the Hungarian crown jewels from years before. Louis Henry, Esther's husband, recognized Hall right away and called the police. The police searched Hall's flat and soon after investigated him for the Montague Hotel Robbery too. He was eventually arrested in connection with both crimes and put on trial in 19th. Court documents from the subsequent trial state the men were charged with stealing about $24,000 worth of money and goods, not the whopping sum Hall had claimed.

Even worse somehow, Hall convinced Safeblower Ambrose Carr to take full responsibility for both crimes. Carr pled guilty and said that he acted alone, while Hall pled not guilty. But the court was unconvinced. Police found forensic evidence on two pairs of pants in Hall's flat, which linked him to the Montague Hotel crime scene. Both pairs were covered in particulates that were known to be used in safe-cracking bombs. Ever the showman, Hall tried both pairs of pants on in front of the jury. Using sleight of hand, he attempted to trick the jury into believing neither pair fit him correctly. It was a forerunner to the famous O.J. Simpson glove defense.

But the courts saw through Hall's lies. The pants in question were the same size as every other pair of pants Hall owned. Both men were found guilty. 32-year-old Hall was given 10 years. Carr received seven. Hall claims in his autobiography that he was very sexually active during his 10 years in prison from 1955 to 1965. He even claimed to have been transferred to a women's prison.

There's no proof any of these claims are true, but interesting to note that he still painted himself as an attractive, smooth criminal. He also claimed to be the world's greatest jewel thief, ignoring the fact that he'd almost always been caught. Hall may have suffered from delusional disorder. The American Psychiatric Association defines delusional disorder as a psychosis in which a person,

cannot tell what is real from what is imagined. The DSM-5 says delusions are defined as unshakable beliefs in something untrue, such as Hall's perception of himself as a hero akin to Carrie Grant's character in To Catch a Thief. In the 1955 film, Grant plays an infamous jewel thief, who not only saves the day, but steals Grace Kelly's heart. Hall wanted to be in the spotlight. He sought respect and adoration from his fellow inmates and the general public. And in his mind, pulling off elaborate heists was the way to get it.

After all, that's how it worked in the movies. After serving almost 10 years in prison, Hall was paroled in 1963 at the age of 40. He immediately found work as a butler and returned to petty crime. Hall stole from his wealthy employers whenever the opportunity arose and was usually quickly caught. Still, he continued to use bogus references to land job after job as a butler. Meanwhile, in March of 1963, Hall's mother, Marion, married her longtime lover and Hall's co-conspirator, John Wooten. Hall approved of the union, and he and Wooten continued committing robberies together. As before, it didn't seem like Marion Hall found fault with any of their actions.

It was even rumored that Marion took part in some of the scams. But even with help, Hall was caught again. He was arrested again in 1964 and was sentenced to 10 years in Blundeston prison. He'd been a free man for less than a year. Located in Suffolk, Blundeston prison had only opened the year before, But with its brand new facilities and modern security, it should have been inescapable. But it proved no match for Archibald Hall. Coming up, Archibald Hall escalates from grand larceny to murder.

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And stream Paradise on Kulu and Kulu on Disney Plus. Now back to the story. In 1964, 40-year-old career criminal and jewel thief, Archibald Hall, had just been sentenced to 10 years in Suffolk's, He'd committed a string of robberies while working as a butler for London's elite. He'd already spent a good portion of his life behind bars and wasn't about to do any more time. He quickly befriended his fellow inmates Donald Whitaker and George O'Neill. The three men devised a plan and broke out of Blundeston in September of 1965, less than a year into Hall's 10-year sentence.

It's unknown exactly how the men broke out, but once they did, they made their way from Suffolk, England, to Scotland in several stolen cars. Hall's frequent partner in crime and now stepfather, John Wooten, may have aided Hall in his escape. He certainly helped him stay hidden, but even with the heat on him, Hall couldn't keep himself from taking what wasn't his and continued robbing home. Around this time, he met an Irish woman named Margaret. She was 21 years old, six months pregnant. Using the name Roy Fontaine, he began to date Margaret and convinced her he was madly in love with her, sharing nothing about his criminal past.

He made sure that pair played the part of a happy, expectant couple around town. Hall introduced her to his mother and Wooten and even told the Margaret's baby was his. When Margaret delivered baby Caroline on December 18, 1965, she cited Hall as the father on the birth certificate. Hall claimed Caroline was his biological daughter for the rest of his life. After Caroline's birth, Hall threw a celebratory dinner for the family,

at a lavish hotel. However, he neglected to invite his much younger brother Donald. Even as adults, Hall was still jealous of his brother, of his brother and sought to snub him any chance he got. But the morning after the party, Hall fled to London. He was worried the authorities had tracked him down and he'd be caught. And more importantly, he had no intention of paying for last night's dinner. Margaret and Caroline eventually joined him, and while he remained on the lamb for several months, he was caught yet again on May 13th, It's unknown exactly how the police tracked Hall down, but some speculate that his brother Donald tipped them off after being snubbed from the family dinner. Whatever the case, at the age of 41,

Archibald Hall was recaptured and indicted for breaking out a prison in the Edinburgh High Court. Hall was sentenced to another 10 years in the top security, Parkhurst Prison. Parkhurst was much worse on Hall than his previous prisons. Some of the guards targeted him, particularly one officer named Harry Jackson. Hall sought revenge on Jackson and somehow acquired a key to the prison records office. Once in the records office, Hall stole the prison file on a fellow prisoner named Morris Cohen. Cohen was a Russian spy, and the information in his file was both top secret and intensely valuable. Hall leaked the file to the press. Then he went straight to the prison's governor

and accused Officer Jackson of leaking the documents. Jackson was put on trial in July of 1968. Hall testified during the trial and his testimony was so explosive it made headlines all across the country. It was his moment in the spotlight and he ate it up. However, the judge and jury found Hall's testimony incredibly unreliable, and Jackson was found not guilty. However, for Hall's safety, he was transferred to Hull prison in Yorkshire. While Hall was happy to be freed from his nemesis, he craved the attention he had gotten during his testimony. He encouraged John Wooten to try to keep his story alive by talking to the newspapers.

Hall was not the first nor the last serial killer to relish media attention. In 2009, criminologist Dr. Kevin Haggerty studied the media's reporting of serial crimes. He posits that the media and serial killers have a symbiotic relationship, and both thrive on the actions of the other. Haggerty also found that media attention often helps a killer form their identity. identity. If a killer who thrives off media attention goes too long without it, they'll begin to lose their sense of self, which is psychologically devastating. Additionally, around this time, the Manson family and the Zodiac Killer had caused a panic in

the U.S. and dominated the news. Given these precedents, it's possible Hall saw the media as a way to increase his reputation and get the attention he'd so desperately craved since childhood. But despite Wooten's help, media and the public lost interest and quickly forgot about Hall, who was still incarcerated. However, there was one bright light. Hall soon met fellow inmate David Barnard, who was in for armed and aggravated robbery. In Hall's autobiography, he claims David was the true love of his life. But David Barnard was far from his only relationship. Hall carried on numerous physical relationships after he was released

and continued his pattern of grand theft as well. From 1975 to 1977, he spent another two years in prison for car theft. During this time, he had a relationship with a fellow inmate, 20 years his junior, named David Wright. His relationship with David Barnard had fallen apart. In January of 1977, 53-year-old Hall, was released yet again, and of course, returned to his butler scam. He became the live-in butler of wealthy, 70-year-old Lady Hudson at Cardleton

and set to work charming her household staff and casing the estate. Everything was going according to plan until David Wright showed up. Wright told Hall he had accidentally beaten a man to death in a mugging gone wrong. and needed a place to lay low. Hall told Lady Hudson that David Wright was a dear old friend in need of work, conveniently leaving out their prison relationship. Lady Hudson hired Wright to do odd jobs around the property. Hall welcomed the prospect of carrying on his affair with Wright,

but soon grew weary of the man's presence. According to Hall, Wright racked up quite a gambling debt around town and left Hall to pay for it. He also began seeing a woman named Annette, which may have made Hall jealous. And when Wright wasn't gambling or with Annette, he was trying to persuade Hall to steal from Lady Hudson. Hall insisted they wait to rob her until after they quit their jobs, but Wright didn't want to wait. Sometime between July and November of 1977, Hall discovered that what of Lady Hudson's diamond rings was missing. Wright had given it to Annette.

Hall convinced her to give it back and confronted Wright about the theft. The two men argued loudly for a while, but eventually settled down. They parted ways and proceeded to get drunk in their separate rooms. Hall thought the matter was settled, but later that night,

Wright snuck into Hall's room and aimed a gun at the sleeping butler's head. The sound of the gun cocking, a woke hall with a start. Wright fired a single shot at Hall, but missed. The bullet hit the headboard of the bed and damaged the wall behind it. A struggle ensued, resulting in Wright

hitting Hall in the face with the gun. After seeing blood pouring from Hall's injured face, Wright suddenly dropped his weapon and started to cry. Hall managed to convince him to go back to bed, then cleaned up the mess and went to slug. but he was secretly planning his revenge. The next day, Hall asked Wright to go rabbit hunting with him on the property. The two men set out toward the nearby forest.

As they hunted, Hall counted Wright's shots, never firing a shot himself. When Wright had used up the last of his ammunition, Hall shot him in the head. Wright collapsed, but Hall wasn't done. He shot him again in the chest. He dug a makeshift grave and buried the body. At the time, Lady Hudson had been away in London visiting a friend, but she was due back later that day.

Hall made haste and picked her up in town. He told Lady Hudson that while she was away, Wright had accepted a job elsewhere. Hall nervously expected to be caught once again, but days went by without inquiry. He had just gotten away with murder, and it wasn't even better high than theft. Archibald Hall now had a taste for blood,

and he'd spend the next few months looking for more. Thanks again for tuning into serial killers. We'll be back Monday with a new episode. Next week, we'll cover Hall's four subsequent murders and how we got his nickname, The Bloody Butler. You can find all episodes of serial killers and all other Parcast originals free on Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Not only does Spotify already have all of your favorite music, but now Spotify is making it easy for you to enjoy all of your favorite parcast originals, like serial killers, for free from your phone, desktop, or smart speaker, To stream serial killers on Spotify, just open the app and type Serial Killers in the search bar. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Parcast and Twitter at Parcast Network.

We'll see you next time. Have a killer week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler and is a Parcast Studios original. Executive producers include Max and Ron Cutler, sound designed by Anthony Valsick, with production assistants by Ron Shapiro, Carly Madden, Freddie Beckley, and Paul Mahler. This episode of serial killers was written by Vanessa Pigram, with writing assistants by Maggie Admire

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