Pub Landlord Shoots His Girlfriend and Hides Her Body in the Freezer

All seemed fine from the outside of The Compasses Inn. It was a typical English pub in Norfolk. The pub wasn’t far from my grandparents' home, and from time to time we would go there together. Little did we know the landlady was destined to be murdered by her partner.

Rebecca Thorpe 29 was a popular young woman, described by all who knew her as kind and fun. She had a passion for food and dreamed of one day owning her own pub.

Michael Tucker is less well regarded. People who knew him well describe him as a controlling alcoholic, with little respect for women and an inability to be faithful.

The couple's relationship didn’t have the best start

Michael Tucker, aged 50 at the time of the murder, employed Rebecca to work as a chef in his pub the Dray and Horses, which he ran with his wife. Yes, Mr. Tucker was a married man with two young children.

Rebecca and Michael began to have an affair. Despite being 20 years her senior he was said to have charmed her. After a while, the mother of his children grew suspicious of their relationship. She realised Michael was being unfaithful. She left him and took the two children with her.

Rebecca and Micheal went on to make their relationship official. They decided to leave the Dray and Horses pub. Rebecca used her redundancy money from a previous job to join a joint venture with Micheal. They invested their money into The Compasses Inn.

Regulars at the pub didn’t like the way he treated Rebecca

Customers from the pub commented on Michael’s behaviour. They described him as possessive. Whenever male customers would talk with Rebecca, he would come over and act as if he was the only man who could talk with her. He behaved as if she was his property. Some said he would ‘fondle’ her in front of customers, and they undoubtedly found the strange spectacle very uncomfortable.

From the outside, Michael appeared to be controlling and insecure.

The pub wasn’t as successful as they had hoped

Unfortunately, they weren’t making as much money as they had expected. Their financial problems were made worse by Micheal's alcoholism. He drank every day. Often having in excess of 10 pints. Not only did he drink in his own pub and waste all their profits, he also visited other local pubs to drink.

Alcoholics never make good landlords.

The couple's relationship was put under immense pressure by their financial issues and the cracks began to show.

Michael tried to kill himself by hanging. He did this multiple times during their relationship and he once went missing for three weeks. Clearly, he had been unstable for a long while.

Despite Michaels's drinking and mental health problems, Rebecca worked hard to make the pub a success. After all, she had invested all of her life savings into it.

Michael took it way too far

Rebecca took a bath and whilst laying in the water Mr. Tucker took his .410 shotgun that he had in his bedroom, loaded it, and shot her in the back of the head at point-blank range. Rebecca died instantly.

In court, Michael described this moment as a ‘loss of control’ following Rebecca claiming to be having an affair. Although there is no evidence to suggest she was seeing anyone else.

He also said, “I don’t know whether I just wanted to scare her with it and walk away. I don’t know because it went off. I didn’t deliberately set out to kill her.”

Whatever his intentions were, it no longer mattered. Rebecca was dead.

He carried on as normal

After murdering her, he put the gun on the floor and walked away, leaving Rebecca’s lifeless body bleeding out into the bath. He carried on as if nothing had happened. People asked where she was and to some, he said she was ill, to others he said she had gone away. All lies, of course.

Perhaps he had grown sick of the sight of her dead body in the bath or maybe the stench of rotting flesh had become too bad to bear, regardless he moved her body. Did he bury her? No, that would be too respectful for Michael. Did he tell the police? Of course, not that would mean he would have to accept his wrongdoing and face his punishment. Instead, he wrapped her decomposing body in a duvet and carried her to a freezer in an outbuilding of the pub. He placed her body inside the freezer and put empty beer barrels on top of it.

Next, he finds a new woman

Norwich Crown Court heard how Mr. Tucker began a sexual relationship with another woman whilst Rebecca’s body lay in the freezer, just days after the murder.

Not only did he find a new girlfriend, but he also invited the mother of his children to come back from Ireland, and she did. Those who saw the pair together said they behaved like they were a normal couple.

No one had any idea that he had just murdered his girlfriend and was already being romantic with two women.

Then, he makes his great escape

He continued running the pub, like everything was normal for 10 days. Until he fleas and drives to Hampshire. Shortly after this, he went to the Isle of Wight.

During this time he admitted to the murder via text conversations. He messaged his lover, Ms. Ellis saying “It’s not your fault, I’ve made a mistake.”

He then said, “I’ve done something wrong and it will be on the telly next week.”

To which she explained whatever the problem was she would help him.

Michael responded by saying,

“Even for murder. I think not. Let me know. It’s Becks.”

He also admitted his crimes to a barman from the pub. He contacted the police with the information he had and they tracked him by his mobile phone. They found him on the Isle of Wight. Despite him lying to everyone he was communicating with, claiming to be in Kent, they still found him.

When he was arrested on suspicion of murder, the police officers read him his rights, to which Mr. Tucker responded, “It’s not suspicion, I’ve already admitted it.”

An off-duty police officer had been informed of the potential murder at the pub. He visited it and found the ominous freezer. He looked inside and was shocked to find toes ‘poking out’.

The forensic team then came and carried out an investigation. They retrieved the gun and inspected the bathroom that he killed her in. They found evidence of significant cleaning, but still found traces of blood. They took Rebecca’s body to carry out a full post mortem, but because of her frozen state, they had to wait days until her body had thawed out.

The trial

Mr. Tucker pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, despite previously admitting it. So the case went to trial. Norwich Crown Court scheduled a week-long trial by jury. Tucker claimed that the murderous act was not deliberate. Apparently, he had no intention to kill her.

The jury didn't believe a word of it. After just 45 minutes of deliberation, they returned to the court with a guilty verdict. Later he was sentenced to 26 years in prison.

His family has disowned him

His family told the press “he could rot in hell.” His niece (Kelly Stevens) made a statement following the verdict, she said:

“We are all delighted with the verdict. It has not come as a shock to us because we were all praying he wouldn't get away with murdering Becky. We were all horrified by what we read about her being shot in the bath and then kept her there for two days. All the family have been reading what went on during the trial and we have all disowned him. As far as his mum is concerned she doesn't want anything more to do with him. She wants him to rot in hell.”

Final thoughts

This story really hits hard with me personally. I had been to this pub many times and even visited briefly while Rebecca was dead in the freezer. The only comfort you can find is that she wouldn't have experienced any pain, nor any fear as she died instantly and never saw the gun. God bless her soul.

R.I.P Rebecca Thorpe

Delilah Brass

SOURCES

The Daily Mail Online: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1387676/Norfolk-pub-landlord-Michael-Tucker-murdered-Rebecca-Thorpe-carried-normal.html

The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/26-years-killer-pub-landlord-2288332.html

BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-13499798

Daily Motion: Body in the freezer https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3lmudz

COPIED FROM MY MEDIUM BLOG. SEE ORIGINAL HERE