The "Morgue Monster" David Fuller, who killed two women and sexually assaulted over 100 corpses

In 1987, two horrifying killings that happened just a few months apart rocked the English community of Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Two young ladies had been raped and strangled to death in their studio flats by an unidentified attacker. After decades of puzzlement about the potential perpetrator of the "Bedsit murders," authorities were able to identify David Fuller in 2020 thanks to DNA testing.

When they discovered Fuller was the perpetrator of these heinous killings, those who knew him were shocked.

David Fuller was 67 years old and leading a quiet life in Heathfield, East Sussex, in a charming cul-de-sac. Fuller, an electrician at the hospital, was a cheerful and helpful worker who enjoyed simple hobbies like bird watching and cycling. He was a father of four.

However, that wasn't the case's only startling discovery. Soon after, during a search of David Fuller's Sussex house, authorities discovered a cache of unsettling photos showing Fuller abusing the bodies of 100 women and children in the hospitals where he was employed.

This is the tale of David Fuller, the twisted murderer who went by the nickname "Morgue Monster."

David Fuller: Who Was He?

Born on September 4, 1954, David Fuller grew up in Portsmouth, England's southernmost city. He was married three times, had four children from each marriage, and worked as an electrician at many hospitals in Kent and Sussex as an adult.

At the hospitals where he worked, Fuller was well-liked for his amiable demeanour and diligent work ethic. He appeared

to be a regular guy leading a peaceful existence, taking pleasure in simple pastimes like cycling, birdwatching, and photography.

However, there were early signs of darker things simmering beneath the surface. Fuller was found guilty of a string of house burglaries between 1973 and 1977 that were known as "creeper burglaries" because they were committed through back windows. However, he never went to jail.

The "Bedsit Murders" of Caroline Pierce and Wendy Knell

Wendy Knell, at 25 years old, lived alone in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1987. She had recently moved there following a broken marriage, according to the BBC. Knell was self-reliant, diligent, and looking forward to starting a family. According to the Evening Standard, she first met David Fuller while she was the manager of a SuperSnaps picture business. Fuller was an ardent photographer and frequently brought his images in to be developed there.

Then, on June 23, 1987, Knell was discovered dead, and nude in her bed. Investigators discovered that she had been assaulted, maybe after she had passed away.

A few months later, another horrifying murder shook Kent.

In Tunbridge Wells, twenty-year-old Caroline Pierce had likewise resided alone. She was employed at a nearby restaurant called Buster Browns; later entries in Fuller's notebook would show that Fuller had made many visits to the same establishment.

Neighbours claimed to have heard screaming on November 24, 1987, right outside Pierce's apartment building's front door. Three weeks later, over forty miles from her house, she was discovered dead in a ditch, wearing just her tights. Since her wounds resembled Knell's, authorities began to think that the same person may have committed two homicides.

The crimes were subsequently called the "Bedsit Murders" because both ladies had resided in studio flats in Tunbridge Wells, or "bedsits." The offender got away with it for years, but decades later, DNA he left behind would bring him to justice.

A Signifiant Development In The "Morgue Monster" Investigation

Advances in DNA technology allowed investigators to make progress in the Bedsit Murders investigation in 2007. They were able to develop a DNA profile for the offender, which made it simpler to exclude suspects, by analysing DNA recovered from both crime locations.

"With God's grace, there will be a celebration, especially if he goes down for a very, very long time," Wendy Knell's father told the BBC at the time. "One day someone is going to ring that door and say: 'We've caught him."

In the years that followed, more technological advancements made it simpler for detectives to match DNA using "familial DNA," which enables them to ascertain whether another person in their database is related to a person whose DNA was taken from a crime scene.

Detectives discovered one of David Fuller's brothers in 2020, who lived close to the crime scene and whose DNA closely matched that of the Bedsit Murderer.

At last, police had gotten close to David Fuller. According to LBC, Fuller was detained for the killings of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce on December 3, 2020, when police showed up to the peaceful cul-de-sac in Heathfield, East Sussex, where he was residing with his third wife and a teenage son.

Fuller's DNA was collected by Kent police, and the results matched the DNA found in semen taken out of Pierce's tights.

More evidence linking him to the murders was discovered during a search of his Sussex house. This included journal entries, SupaSnaps photo sleeves that linked him to the ladies who were killed, and a picture of Fuller in which the bottoms of his shoes matched a print discovered at the location of Knell's death.

It appeared as though the murderer of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce would at last face justice, almost thirty years after their deaths.

However, the cops discovered other items at Fuller's house.

Terrible crimes committed by David Fuller

Following Fuller's arrest, the investigators discovered "a library of unimaginable sexual depravity" in the form of hundreds of floppy discs and USB drives filled with images and films of child pornography as well as a horde of printed photos. Officers discovered an astounding 4 million of these kinds of unsettling photos. The majority had been found online. However, investigators then discovered a series of terrifying photos that Fuller had shot.

At the moment, an officer reportedly inquired, "Are these ones he's taken?" according to LBC.

"Why do they appear to be dead?" inquired another cop.

The photos depicted Fuller abusing the bodies of several women and girls at the hospitals where he worked from 1989 until his arrest in 2020.

Soon after, the police discovered that Fuller, as an electrician, had key card access to the hospitals' mortuaries, allowing him to enter after the other medical staff members had left. In addition, Fuller was able to carry out these actions beyond the sight of security cameras since he knew where they were, but he tragically captured them on his own camera.

Additionally, the police allegedly discovered a black book in which he recorded the identities of his victims. It seems that he visited certain victims on a regular basis. This startling evidence quickly created a picture of a guy obsessed with abuse, rape, murder, and necrophilia, especially when combined with the proof that Fuller had perpetrated the Bedsit crimes.

During the questioning, Fuller assured the cops, "I'm not crazy." "I could still be dealing with some lingering personality issues, as you are aware, having lived both a very almost Christian life and a very deadly one without any crossovers. There are just two distinct personalities.”

David Fuller Is Finally Held Accountable

David Fuller first claimed to have "diminished responsibility" because of his unstable mental condition, rejecting any involvement in the Bedsit Murders. However, when the evidence against him grew stronger on the fourth day of his trial, he changed his plea and admitted guilt.

Fuller was given a life sentence without the chance of parole in December 2021 for the killings of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce. For the offences involving the mortuary, he received an extra twelve years.

Following the conviction, detectives were able to identify a minimum of 101 mortuary victims, whose ages ranged from 18 years old to 100 years old.

One of these victims' mothers, a nine-year-old girl, spoke with Fuller face-to-face at his sentence hearing.

She shouted, "You raped my baby," the Daily Mail said. “The 66-year-old man was assaulting her body, and she was unable to say no to him. I'm sorry I left her there. I never want to enjoy life again. I'll never get over this strange, painful sensation.”

The court spoke to David Fuller, the "Monster in the Morgue," in a similarly scathing manner.

"Due to your swipe card, you were able to enter the hidden world of hospital mortuaries and select your victims from the dead," she continued. "You turned into a vulture." Your conscience is burned by the depravity of what you did.”

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