Born Evil?

What Happened to Martin Brown?

On May 25th, 1968, a child's dead body was found in a derelict house by a group of boys, who notified the authorities. The boys were followed back into the building by two little girls, who had to be shooed out by police. They noticed no outward signs of trauma and an empty bottle of pills lying near the body during their investigation. The boy's death was deemed accidental.

His name was Martin Brown, and he was just four years old at his time of death. His family held a service for him in their home. While grieving, they heard a knock at the door, which Martin's mother answered.

A little girl stood in front of her, with a heart-shaped face and shiny, black hair. She smiled and asked if she could see Martin in his coffin. This same little girl reportedly laughed at the boy's funeral.

Her name was Mary Bell.

Born on May 26th, 1957, to Betty McCrickett, Mary was just one day away from her 11th birthday when Martin died. Both children lived in the Scotswood district in Newcastle upon the Tyne in the United Kingdom. Her mother worked as a prostitute to make ends meet and was often traveling to see clients.

Mary was frequently in trouble at school and had a history of attacking other children. She once assaulted other girls in a sandbox and attempted to strangle them. No charges were pressed at the time.

A History of Abuse

Mary's behavior appears now to have been learned from her mother. She has stated that McCrickett would hold her by her neck and allow clients to sexually assault her, starting at a young age. She fainted several times from this abuse.

McCrickett also allegedly attempted to kill Mary repeatedly by throwing her out the window, forcing her to eat sleeping pills, and choking her. Mary's older sister had to retrieve Mary from an unstable woman after McCrickett sold the girl. So, this little girl, hurt beyond measure, learned to harm others.

The Death of Brian Howe

Shortly after Martin died, police were alerted to a break-in at the nursery school. Upon investigating, they found disturbing messages, including, "I murder so that I may come back." Unfortunately, at that point, they didn't make the connection between the murder of the little boy and the break-in.

On July 31st, Brian Howe, a three-year-old boy, was found dead on a wasteland. He appeared to have been strangled, and parts of his body were mutilated. The letters "N" and "M" were carved into his belly.

Caught in a Lie

The investigators interviewed many local children, including Mary and her friend, Norma Bell (no relation). Mary is said to have been extremely convincing and claimed to see a local boy holding scissors and playing with Brian the day he died. This lie would mark the beginning of the end of this investigation.

The boy had an alibi. He was at the airport at the time of the murder. Worse for Mary, the police had not shared any details on the mutilation with the public. Mary knew more about the killings than she should have.

Norma confessed to participating in the murder and the break-in. However, she claimed that she asked Mary to stop hurting Brian, but Mary refused. Norma said she left the scene and later saw Mary playing with the boy's dog.

On Trial

While Mary and Norma were both brought to trial for the death of Brian Howe, Mary was considered to be solely responsible for the murder of Martin Brown.

As the proceedings began, those in attendance described Mary as being calm and possessing a worldly attitude. She appeared to lack any remorse for her crimes. Dr. David Howe testified that she required psychiatric treatment for psychopathy. 

Mary was convicted of manslaughter due to "diminished responsibility." She was too young to be convicted of murder; however, the judge was concerned that she would be a "very grave risk to other children." While she remained stone-faced throughout the hearing, she reportedly cried when she heard the verdict.

Norma, on the other hand, seemed confused and distraught. While she was two years older than Mary, many said she was slow-witted, and her reaction seemed more natural. Authorities believed that she was led into trouble by Mary's more dominant personality, so Norma was acquitted.

A New Name and a New Life

Mary would spend the rest of her childhood locked away. Twelve years later, at the age of 18, she was released into society. She won a lawsuit that allowed her to change her name and start a new life. Since then, she has become a mother and grandmother and has said she now understands the full weight of her crimes.

In the 1990's she sat down with Writer Gitta Sereny to do a series of interviews for Sereny's book Cries Unheard. Sereny hoped she could shed light on what causes children to commit murder and what could be done to prevent it. Was Mary born evil inside, or were her crimes a learned response to evil from without?

Can children who murder ever be redeemed? If so, does this deny justice for their victims? What about their families who still mourn? There are no easy answers, but maybe as a society, we can do better for our children so they learn to love before they learn to hurt.