Prime Crime: Solved Murders - Saville Kent Pt. 2

Episode Date: September 8, 2021

In 1860, two Scotland Yard detectives raced to find evidence that would confirm a hunch… But Saville Kent’s killer was shrewd and calculating, and the case went cold. Five years later, a startling confession changed everything. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this murder case, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes vivid depictions of infanticide and mention of insanity and suicidal ideation that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. On Friday, July 20, 1860, Detective Inspector Jonathan Witcher arrested 16-year-old Constance Emily Kent for the murder of her three-year-old half-brother. The veteran detective walked the morose teen up the steps of Temperance Hall. A shocked crowd of villagers had expected to see Samuel Kent arrested, not his teenage daughter. Constance kept her head down and wept as she was led into the hall. It was unclear if those tears were genuine or for the gathered audience.

Detective Witcher gave his statement to the court, detailing his theory based around the missing nightdress. He asked that the accused to be remanded to prison so that he could investigate without Constance being able to destroy evidence. The magistrates granted witcher's request. They gave him one week to provide evidence that would show Constance Kent should be tried for her brother's murder. The clock was ticking and the renowned detective now had to make his case or risk allowing a potential child killer to go free. Welcome to Solved Murder's True Crime Mysteries, a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm your host, Carter Roy.

And I'm your host, Wendy McKenzie. Every Wednesday, we step into the world of true crimes, most fascinating murder cases, and tell the tale of how real-life detectives close the case. You can find episodes of Solved Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free exclusively on Spotify. This is our second episode on the murder of... Francis Saville Kent. In part one, we covered the failed attempts of the Wiltshire police to find the killer and Detective Inspector Jonathan Witcher's investigation that led to the arrest of 16-year-old Constance Kent. In part two, we'll discuss how Detective Witcher's

arrest of Constance Kent shocked a nation and how the truth about this horrific crime came to light in the most unexpected of ways. We have all that and more coming up. Stay with us. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars. Catch the Jonas Brothers return to the Yamava Theater stage on April 30th, the powerful vocals of Demi Lovato

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would rustle a confession out of the teen. However, Constance maintained her innocence. While Witcher considered Constance's silence as proof of her guilt and guile, the newspapers were telling another story. Multiple papers reported how Constance was sent off with cheers from the crowd. The villagers were sure of her innocence.

Many in the press and public thought the missing night dress was part of the killer's plot to make Constance look guilty. The public simply could not believe that a middle-class teenager was capable of committing such a horrific crime. Detective Inspector Jonathan Witcher was battling against public opinion and against time. He only had one week to prove his case. So he wrote to Scotland Yard and requested the assistance of another skilled detective. Scotland Yard immediately sent Witcher's protege, Detective Sergeant Frederick Aldolphus, Dolly Williamson,

to aid him in his investigation at Road Hill. Detective Dolly and Witcher had recently captured a pair of illustrious jewel thieves together. Dolly was intelligent and had kind eyes that put witnesses and suspects at ease. With no time to spare, the two Victorian detectives set off to Gloucestershire to learn more about Constance,

This time, they were focused on talking to 15-year-old Louisa Hatherill. Oh, Constance was always so upset. Her parents were partial to the smaller child. She was very protective of her brother. Her brother, William? Yes, she'd go on and on about how their mother would treat him like a servant. She'd force him to push the infants in their perambulator out in public. So, Constance was close with her brother.

Very much so. I remember she was enraged one time when she'd returned to school. Her father had said how much finer a man the small child would be in comparison to William. The small child? Do you mean Saville? She never said specifically, but whomever it was, I fear for. I wouldn't want to be on Constance's bad side.

Why is that? Constance was a brute. She was overly fond of showing off her strength. She loved wrestling other girls. No one wanted to risk a tussle with Constance Kent. With Louisa's statements, the detectives learned more about the close relationship between Constance and William. The possibility that William could be an accomplice to the crime,

was looking more and more likely. Newspapers picked up on this possibility as well. The Somerset and Wilt's Journal appeared to be the first outlet to agree with Witchers' investigation. Their coverage focused on the nursemaid's testimony that William often used the back stairs. This reinforced the narrative

that he was treated like one of the servants. Of course, all of this evidence that supported witcher's claims was purely circumstantial. If they were going to prove their case, the detectives needed to find Constance's missing night dress. This was the lynchpin of their investigation. On Tuesday, July 24, 1860, Witcher and Dolly posted a five-pound reward for the missing night dress. Afterwards, the two detectives split up to cover more ground.

Witcher served subpoenas on key witnesses, while Dolly traveled to William's school in Gloucestershire to see what more he could learn about the potential accomplice. Dolly's trip did not uncover any incriminating evidence against William, and they had to abandon the theory that William was involved. Later that night, the detectives searched the grounds of Road Hill House once more for the dress and came up empty. Determined to retrace the nightdress's steps, Witcher re-interviewed Sarah Cox, the maid who had packed it.

This time, she remembered an important detail. As I've said before, the dress went missing the Monday after the murder just before the inquest. I collected the linens from the bedrooms around 10 a.m. Constance's night dress was on the landing. It was not stained, just soiled as usual. Miss Cox, I know you're frustrated at having to tell the story again and again, but I need to ask you to calm yourself and think. Was there anything about the laundry or Constance that day that comes to mind?

I don't believe. I... Wait, there was one thing that was odd. Odd how? Just out of the ordinary. I was in a rush because I had to attend the inquest. I'd packed the clothes. Marianne and Elizabeth had left,

but Constance came into the room. What happened when she came in? She... She asked me if I could check the pockets in her night dress. She thought she had left her wallet in it. I pulled out the nightdress and checked. no purse, but then she asked me to fetch her a glass of water. I remember because I was in a rush and I was quite annoyed by the request.

So you left her alone with the laundry the morning of the inquest before it was picked up. I wasn't gone but a minute, but yes, she was alone with the laundry. From this interview, Witcher had surmised that Constance had the opportunity to remove her nightdress from the laundry basket. She asked Cox to check the pockets so she could easily locate it, then likely hit it beneath her skirt while Cox was out of the room. He deduced that the removal of the nightdress was tactical. It was intended to be another red herring to waste the police's time. In all likelihood, the bloodied garment Constance wore that evening of the murder

had been destroyed that same night. Constance made this unstained night dress disappear to throw off investigators as she had done by opening the drawing room door and windows. If a clean night dress was missing, police would focus on that. This would allow another more common garment of Constances to disappear without being noticed. Witcher guess she had likely worn something light and easy to hide, like a chemise or shift. Unfortunately, this theory still left the detectives without any physical evidence. Witcher and Dolly's case was fated to take another blow from the Wiltshire police themselves.

The Wiltshire police wanted to win in the Court of Public Opinion, and they worked to undermine and discredit the Scotland Yard detectives. It was a commonly held belief in Victorian England that child criminals were a result of lower-class upbringing and urban street life. The local police and much of the British public felt that it was impossible for middle-class country girl to commit such a depraved murder. Despite Witcher, Superintendent Wolfe and Captain Meredith went to interview the headmistress of Constance's school on their own.

They got the same glowing review that Witcher had gotten from the school earlier, only this time the police used the press to push that narrative. They briefed the Bath Chronicle about how the teachers spoke of Constance in the highest terms. To make matters worse, the local officers claimed that they had researched Constance's family history. They told the press that they had failed to find any evidence of mental instability. Articles came out from multiple news sources playing down aspects of Witchers' case. Witcher's accusation that a well-educated lady could be a killer was not only an affront to decency, but an attack on the very soul of what it meant to be British.

In Victorian England, servants were feared as intruders into upper-class homes. They were seen as spies, seducers, and necessary evils. It was far easier for the British public to believe that a nursemaid could kill a child in her charge than an educated lady could slit her baby brother's throat. Some members of the public even saw detectives as the enemy. A year prior, an article in household words about these elite officers, officers stated simply that, it is never a wise or safe proceeding to put arbitrary authority or power in the hands of the lower classes.

Victorian England revered the privacy of the home above all other virtues. For good or bad, detectives were invading that long-respected private space. Mistrust among citizens about the police was becoming prominent in the country's consciousness. The morning of Friday, July 27, 1860, Detective Witcher was so worried about the state of his case that he paid workers to tear down the Privy where Saville was found. It was a last-ditch effort to find the missing nightdress. Witcher believed the case hinged on finding this garment and showing it had been Constance who tried to conceal it.

However, nothing was found in the Privy's foundation, but more excrement. That afternoon, Constance's examination was held. The detective's time to make his case was up. The newspapers were clearly on the side of the teenager, writing that she came to court in deep mourning and wore a thick veil. This portrayed Constance as modest and adhering to proper decorum. When she entered the court, she fell into her father's arms and wept. If this display of emotion was calculated to endear the court to her,

It was working. Typically, Samuel Kent would have been expected to arrange the prosecuting attorney for his son's murder. Instead, he funded the defense because his own daughter was on trial. He hired the best barrister money could buy, Peter Edland, while the magistrate's clerk was left to prosecute the case. This put the prosecution at a massive financial disadvantage. Most of the examination of witnesses went by as expected. Elizabeth Goff recounted how the child went missing.

On examination by defense barrister Edlin, the nursemaid admitted she had never heard Constance say anything unkind to Saville. Edlin then proved himself as a formidable legal adversary in the examination of witcher's key witness, Emma Moody. Now, Miss Moody, you are acquainted with a defendant, Miss Constance Kent. Quite closely, in fact, she confided everything in her. and even told me on many occasions that she used to tease and pinch her brother, the deceased Savile Kent. She also said she did not wish to return home over the holidays because her home life was fraught with familial drama.

Miss Moody, you recall telling me during the investigation that Constance had a deep-seated hatred for her- Objection, Detective Witcher is badgering the witness. It's no surprise that he should try his devious methods in court. Devious? She gave me her testimony of her own first. She gave you her testimony after you stalked her and coaxed her into damning her friend. Nonsense. Miss Moody, please. I urge you to tell the truth and nothing but. Need I remind the detective, Miss Moody is under oath. It is assumed that she would be telling the truth as she clearly has. Is that so? Well, I'd rather hear it from the prisoner. No, I meant witness. As all can see, Detective Witcher has come unhinged. We can hardly trust

objectivity of his investigation, let alone his questioning of the witness. No. The detective had unintentionally given the defense more ammunition with which to shoot down his case. And while his examination of Emma Moody proved powerful, it was Edlin's closing speech that put the final nail in the coffin of the case against Constance Kent. Magistrates, there is not one title of evidence against this young lady. A brutal murder has been committed, but I'm afraid that it has been followed by a judicial murder of character. Let it not be forgotten that this young lady was dragged from her home and sent like a common felon to devise his jail,

a step that should not have occurred in the absence of tangible evidence, evidence which has yet to be presented to this court. All this over a missing night dress? But remember this, the nightgown in question was unstained, as has been stated by Ms. Cox. So what purpose could anyone have in removing it? It proves nothing. The steps this detective has taken have ruined this young girl's life. She will never be free of these spurious accusations so long as she lives. And upon what evidence is this ruination warranted?

Why, nothing more than the suspicions of Mr. Witcher? On Friday, July 27, 1860, the Wiltshire magistrates were forced to drop the case against Constance Kent. With Constance's release, Witcher decided there was nothing more for him to do in the case. There was no hope of finding further evidence. Unless the nightdress was found, and he believed it was destroyed, this case would never come to an end.

Realizing that they were at a dead end, Witcher and Dolly took the train back to London. Their investigation had shown a light on the private world of a middle-class family. That necessary and delicateness inherent to detective work both intrigued and disgusted the British populace. While witcher's investigation was over, the public investigation into the murder of Saville Kent

was only just beginning. Coming up, Detective Witcher's investigation ends. This, however, doesn't end the public's obsession with the case, causing all of England to catch Detective fever. Imagine living with a secret so big that if anyone ever found out, it would change everything. Imagine carrying that secret with you every day,

desperate to one day get it off your chest. Do you think you could take a secret like that to the grave? I'm a Stefania Hakeman, host of the new podcast series, Deathbed Confessions, the show where we dive deep into the most explosive things people have admitted to while drawing their last breath. From murder, fake identities,

heists, illicit affairs, and even top government secrets. This season on deathbed confessions, we investigate cases like Frank Thorogood, the construction worker who claimed that the drowning of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones was no accident. Margaret Gibson, a silent film actress who, while dying of a heart attack, confessed to one of the most famous unsolved crimes in Hollywood history.

And ex-CIA officer Howard Hunt, who on his deathbed confessed to playing a role in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Deathbed Confessions is a Spotify original from Parcast, airing episodes weekly starting July 21st. Follow and listen to DeathBet Confessions for free on Spotify. And now, back to our story. Upon returning to Scotland Yard,

the commissioner handed Witcher a giant bundle of letters from the public proposing solutions to the Road Hill case. These letters kept arriving day after day, month after month. Witcher was being buried in correspondence from a public that believed they could do his job better than him. The people of England were obsessed with this unsolved murder. There was no end to the variety of theories espoused. Everyone from a wandering stranger to Mrs. Kent herself was thought to be responsible. The most popular theory among the public was that William Nut, the shoemaker, who had found the body and Elizabeth Goff, the nursemaid, were involved in an alive.

illicit affair and had killed the boy to keep it a secret. Everyone had an opinion on who had really killed Savile Kent. While the press and public condemned witcher's unfounded speculations, they happily made their own. The globe glommed on to the William Nut theory. The Frume Times sided with Wiltshire police, blaming Elizabeth Goff. There was even an article in the Bath Chronicle that was so complete in its condemnation of Samuel Kent as the killer, that it prompted a liable suit. The biggest consensus was that sex was the motive for the murder. Most believe the child had witnessed a sexual act and was killed so that he would not divulge the secret. By August, Wittcher and Dolly had

solved another murder case and got almost no coverage by the press. The papers were still focused on the unsolved Road Hill case. The case was so renowned by this point, it made its way to the halls of Parliament. On August 15, 1860, Witcher was denounced by members of the British government. Sir George Bauer complained about the quality of England's police force and used Witcher's failure at Road Hill as his prime example. He called Witcher's actions most objectionable.

The papers ran with his story, and the Frum Times exclaimed that an officer who can play haphazard with such an awful charge as that of willful murder and can promise that which he must have known he could not perform cannot expect to be looked on otherwise than with distrust. While Witcher was being forced to defend his reputation in public and in private, the Wilcher Police were moving forward with their own investigation. Early in August of 1860, the Wilcher Police got permission to exhume Savile Kent's body.

They hoped to find the missing nightdress in his coffin. They found nothing more than the decomposing corpse of a small child. Then out of nowhere on Friday, August 10, 1860, a bricklayer by the name of John Edmund Gag confessed to police that he was the murderer. Wilcher Police thought the case was finally closed. By the following Monday, however, Gagg claimed his innocence. The bricklayer had confessed because he was evident.

suicidal ideations. He thought that by confessing he might be sentenced to death. When he had time to rethink his circumstances in custody, he changed his mind and gave an alibi for the day of the murder. The case went from being solved to being wide open in less than a weekend. Constables watched Road Hill House 24-7. They continued using the press to blame Witcher for their failures. This was mostly done to hide the fact that there were no close. to solving the case themselves. With neither Scotland Yard nor Wilts or police finding new information they could print,

the press decided to try their hand at detective work. At the beginning of September, the Bath Express in Somerset and Wilts Journal sent petitions to the Home Secretary to open a special commission to investigate Saville's murder. The Home Secretary publicly denied these requests, but secretly appointed E.F. Slack, a solicitor from Bath to investigate.

Slack questioned anyone he could find. He even attempted to interrogate five-year-old Mary Amelia Kent, but the family's lawyer stymied that effort. Like all the investigators who came before him, he came up empty-handed. Slack learned that there was a plot of land at Road Hill called Miss Constance's Garden. He had the area dug up,

in hopes of finding the missing nightdress. The wallet that Constance Kent had lost was found behind a dresser in her room. Slack took this as proof the girl was genuinely looking for it when she made the request for Cox to check her nightdress's pockets. On Monday, September 24, 1860, Slack had Superintendent Wolfe arrest Elizabeth Goff for the second time. By October 1st, she was being charged again with the murder of Francis Saville-Kent. The prosecutor argued the same tired theory that the public had latched on to,

that no one could have abducted and killed Saville alone, and that if two people had committed the crime, the nursemaid must have been one of them. To prove their point, they called Mrs. Dallimore, the busybody who had been brought on to search Elizabeth Goff, to testify as a witness. However, her testimony proved to be less than helpful. She testified as if she were gossiping with friends

about all the things Elizabeth Goff said to her during the investigation. Ms. Dallimore's testimony became fodder for some of the only levity found in this horrific case. I'm not sure what's so funny. As I've mentioned, breast flannels, like the bloodied one we found, are worn by young women, the elderly, and the ill. I even wear one myself. This is no laughing matter. A child has been murdered. Don't worry, Miss Delamore.

Despite your marvelous memory, I won't take the liberty to ask your age. So serious a matter shouldn't be turned to ridicule. You're correct, ma'am. Back to the bloody breast flannel you say fit my client. You tried it on, did you not? I did. It fit you nicely. It did.

Then perhaps you are the killer. Dallimore tried to portray herself as an amateur detective on the stand, and this only furthered the defense's case. Goff's attorney in his closing speech said he had seldom seen anything as disgraceful and a witness as the evidence of Ms. Dalymour. Dalimor had taken Witchers' place as the operative invading the privacy of honest English men and women. The magistrates released Elizabeth Goff. Crowds gathered at every train station to catch a glimpse of her as she made her way back to her family's home. The investigations were back to Square One.

The case would remain in limbo until November of 1860. Another inquiry would be made, which would change the course of the investigation and the public's perception of who committed the murder. Thomas Saunders, a lawyer and magistrate in Bradford-upon-Avon, became convinced that the villagers of Rhode Hill had information about the murder that they were keeping secret. Saunders had no power whatsoever to hold an inquiry,

but in his unbridled passion for detective work, he pursued the case nonetheless. While his specific position as a magistrate did not give him the authority to investigate, people did not wish to push back against him. Perhaps they should have. Over two weeks, Saunders turned the tragedy of Road Hill House into a comedy. He would drink brandy in court and was rarely seen without a bottle in his hand. Even during examinations, he drank and drank and,

and snacked on cookies during the proceedings. Reporters who had been covering this case since it began were flabbergasted by Saunders. The Bristol Mercury called him a caricature of the amateur detective who saw meaning in every banality, trivial circumstance, and believed that he alone could unravel the mystery

that had foxed the professionals. He read letters out loud in court, including one that derided him as an ill-conditioned, meddling, vain, old idiot. be it. He was cast by the press as a clown who managed to misunderstand and misinterpret all of the information that he was presented with. Despite the absurdity of Sonder's inquiry, he did find one significant fact that had alluded even Detective Witcher. A police sergeant from Frum wrote a letter to Saunders. The sergeant implored Saunders to interrogate the Wiltshire police about a discovery they had made the day of the murder. the discovery that had been concealed from the public and Detective Witcher.

On the day of the murder, Officer Watts had found a woman's shift wrapped in newspaper in the kitchen's firehole beneath the hot plate. It was dry, dirty, and covered in blood. Coming up, a cover-up by the Wiltshire police is brought to light, and the truth of who killed Francis Savilkent comes out in a most unexpected manner. And now, back to the story. During his publicly denounced hearings, Thomas Saunders had unwittingly stumbled upon a cover-up. The Wilcher Police had found a bloody slip in a kitchen burner the day of the murder. This dirty, bloody slip that Wilcher Police had found the day of the

murder was, in all likelihood, the nightdress worn by the child's murderer. Saunders questioned the police extensively about this new piece of evidence. We will have quiet in this court. Now, Superintendent Foley, explain to me. Once again, why you did not bring this piece of evidence to the public's knowledge sooner? Watts had found the shift and brought it to me. Was it coarse or fine? I should think it was one of the servants, though the three-year-old.

of us, Urge, Watts, and myself remarked that it was a bit small. So, a course shift meant for a young girl? Perhaps. In what shape did you find the shift? It was very bloody, dry, but blood covered both the front and back. And what did you do with this obviously important piece of evidence? I immediately concealed it. It was a woman's private undergarments.

I couldn't believe Watts had been so foolish as to expose it. I was sure the stains were of a natural cause. You believe them to be menstrual? Yes. I didn't want to embarrass another member of the Kent family. They had been through enough that day. Let me get this straight. You found a bloody shift, wrapped in newspaper, hidden in a fireplace,

obviously intended to be destroyed on the day a child had been brutally murdered. And your instinct was to protect the propriety of the dress's owner? Are you a policeman or an imbecile? Foley went on to testify that the shift dress had been returned to the home the morning of the inquest. He thrust it down the boiler, hoping he might catch someone trying to find it. When he returned a half hour later, someone had already removed the shift. It had not been seen since. Superintendent Foley admitted he had not told the magistrates about the missing shift because he was too ashamed.

He didn't even like touching the garment. He thought exposing it publicly would be indecent and improper. Following this admission, the story came out in the papers. Saunders had inadvertently furthered Witchers' case. Unfortunately, despite all the interest in the case, the truth would not come out for another five years. years. The Kent family officially left Road Hill House on April 18, 1861. Constance left for school in Dino, Northern France. William returned to his studies in Longhope. The remaining members of the Kent family settled in Weston, a seaside town in southwestern England. Constance did her

best to become invisible while in school. She went by the French spelling of her middle name, Emilee, but everyone knew who she really was. The other kids bullied her so badly. By the end of the year, Samuel removed her from the school and sent her to live in a religious community instead. In 1863, Constance returned to England and became a border at St. Mary's home in Brighton. This was one of the first places like it established in the Church of England by Reverend Arthur Douglas Wagner. Constance slowly began finding her home among the devout, she grew close to the nuns and Reverend Wagner. She eventually admitted to Wagner she felt immense guilt,

and under the seal of confession, told him what had happened to her brother five years earlier. Constance was ready to tell the truth publicly. After two years of working with Reverend Wagner, on April 25, 1865, Constance Emily Kent took a cab to the Bow Street magistrates court. There she finally confessed to the murder of her brother, Francis Saville Kent. I, Constance Emily Kent, alone and unaided on the night of the 29th of June, 1860,

murdered at Road Hill House, Wiltshire, won Francis Saville Kent. Before the deed, none knew of my intention nor after of my guilt. No one assisted me in the crime, nor in my evasion of discovery. Constance was read her rights by the magistrate who made sure that she had not been induced to confess by outside influences she admitted she was making the confession of her own free will. The press greeted Constance's confession with astonishment. Many hoped that she was insane rather than guilty

because they had pushed her innocence so strongly. By this time, Detective Witcher had retired from the Metropolitan Police Department and was working as a private detective while living off his pension. Dolly had become head of the department. The Somerset and Wilt's Journal made it clear to readers how merciless and universally Detective Witcher had been censured, despite now being proven correct in his suspicions. Detective Witcher was satisfied to see Constance go to trial three months after her confession.

Some believe that Wagner had encouraged Constance to confess. Constance made it clear at court that the decision to confess was hers and hers alone. She then explained exactly how she had carried out the murder of her younger brother. A few days prior to the murder, Constance had stolen a razor from her father's wardrobe. She hid it in the privy, along with matches and a candle. On the night of the murder, Constance pretended to go to bed as usual. When she was certain the rest of the residents of Road Hill were sound to solid. sleep. She left her bedroom, went downstairs, and opened the drawing-room door and windows.

She then snuck into the nursery, wrapped Saville in his blanket, and carried him downstairs. She put galoshes on and skulked away with the child to the privy. She lit the candle so she could see clearly while she slid his throat and stabbed his chest. When she was sure he had been killed, she wrapped him tightly in the blanket and tossed him into the depths of the outhouse. Constance used an old flannel to wipe away the blood before returning to the house. She went back to a room and realized that there were two blood splotches still on the dress. She washed the blood away, folded up her dress, and placed it in her drawer.

She put a different night dress on and then went to bed. Later, when nobody was watching, she pulled her old dress back out and noticed that the blood stains were suddenly visible in the light of day. To get rid of the evidence, she burnt the dress in her bedroom and dumped the ashes into the kitchen grate. She also cleaned the razor and discreetly returned it to her father's wardrobe. She then took her other nightdress out of the laundry while the maid went to get her water as a deliberate diversion,

just as Detective Witcher suspected. The garment that the Wiltshire police had covered up actually had nothing to do with the murder. The biggest question that had been left on a... answered was Constance's motive for the crime. This she answered in a letter to Sir John Erdley Wilmot, a barrister who had worked to help clear the Kent's names. I committed the murder to avenge my mother whose place had been usurped by my stepmother. The latter had been living with the family since my birth. She treated me with all the kindness and affection of a mother, and I loved her

as though she had been. When I was no more than three years old, I began to observe that my mother, held quite a secondary place, both as a wife and a mistress of the house. Many conversations on the subject which I was assumed to be too young to understand, I overheard and remembered for years. At that time, I always took part against my mother. As I grew older, I realized my father loved the maid and treated my mother with indifference. This was when my opinion began to alter. I vowed deadly vengeance, renounced all belief in religion,

and devoted myself body and soul to the evil spirit, invoking his aid in my scheme of revenge. I became a demon, always seeking to do evil, and lead others into it, always trying to find an occasion to accomplish my evil design. I found it. It seemed once again, witcher's theory about revenge for the treatment of the mother had been correct.

Constance wanted to inflict on her stepmother the same pain the stepmother had inflicted on the deceased Mrs. Kent. Finally, with a confession and explanation in hand, the court had their murderer. Constance was found guilty and sentenced to death for her crime. It looked like Constance was going to hang for her evil act, but on Thursday, July 27, 1865, Queen Victoria commuted her death sentence to life in prison. The queen felt that the woman's age was a mitigating factor in the murder. This meant Constance would only have to serve 20 years in prison. Constance,

Emily Kent, served every day of her 20-year sentence and was released on July 18, 1885. She went by her middle name and changed her last name to Kay in order to become a nurse in Australia. While there, she stayed close with her brother William who had become a marine biologist. Detective Witcher believed to his dying days that Constance's confession came about mainly to protect William and allow him a chance at a normal life. By solving the crime, people would stop speculating about William's involvement, thus letting him off the hook. It was a plausible explanation, but no one could substantiate this one way or another. Whatever the truth may have been, Constance's name changed granted her a healthy and productive life in Australia. She lived there for

59 years, and in 1944, Constance was lauded as a pioneer nurse in Australian papers and praised for saving lepers. The Australian papers, it would seem, were unaware of her dark past. In April of 1944, Constance Emily Kent died peacefully at the age of 100. While Constance was only 16 years old when she killed her three-year-old brother, she lived with the guilt of that act every day for another 84 years. Thanks again for tuning into Solved Murders. We'll be back next Wednesday with a new episode. For more information on the murder of Francis Savilkent,

amongst the many sources we used, we found Kate Somerskills book, The Suspitions of Mr. Witcher, a shocking murder and the undoing of a great Victorian detective, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of Solved Murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. If we live till next time.

Solve Murders, True Crime Mysteries is a Spotify original from Parcast. It is executive produced by Max Cutler. Sound design by Michael Langsner with production assistants by Ron Shapiro, Trent Williamson, Carly Madden, and Travis Clark. This episode of Solve Murders was written by Kevin. Kevin P. Regan, with writing assistance by Giles Hofseth, fact-checking by Amber Hurley, and research by Mickey Taylor. The amazing cast of voice actors includes Tom Bauer, Ryan Green, Joe Hernandez, Laura Faye Smith, Rebecca Thomas, and Jen Wong.

Solve Murder stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy.