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Not all true crime is created equal, and the real story behind British serial killers Fred and Rose West is one of the most depraved in recent memory. The married couple was responsible for the deaths of at least 12 young women and girls from the 1960s to the 1990s, including multiple of their own children and step-children. A new Netflix limited docuseries that premiered on May 15, Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story, recounts the horrors committed by “two of the U.K.’s most prolific murderers” via recently discovered police reports and first-person accounts, and resurfaces the story of the deadly duo to new audiences.
The investigation into Fred and Rose’s crimes finally came to an end after one child’s assault was reported in May 1992, and their other children were placed in foster care, where they spoke about a disturbing “family joke” that they could end up like their missing sister Heather. Considering the true crime case is a lot to unpack, ahead, we’re breaking down the legal proceedings and providing an update on where Fred and Rose West are now. Please proceed with caution, as the details are upsetting.
How did Fred and Rose West get caught?
The victims of Fred and Rose West, from left: Ann McFall, Catherine Rena Costello, Charmaine West, Lynda Gough, Carole Ann Cooper, Lucy Partington, Therese Siegenthaler, Shirley Hubbard, Juanita Mott, Shirley Anne Robinson, Alison Chambers, and Heather West.
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Wests repeatedly assaulted their 13-year-old daughter Louise in May 1992, a fact that she confided in a close friend a few weeks later. Louise’s friend’s mom anonymously tipped off the police, which led to a search warrant for the West’s home for an alleged tape of Louise’s rape by Fred. Louise was instructed to make a statement where she detailed her parents’ behavior, after which she and her siblings were placed in foster care.
This search warrant kicked off a more thorough police investigation. Fred was arrested for rape and sodomy, while Rose was listed as an accomplice and charged with child cruelty, inciting her husband to engage in sex with their daughter, and obstructing the police.
During the investigation, Fred’s step-daughter, Anna Marie, provided her own statement about the abuse she had endured and alerted the police to three missing persons: her mother Rena and half-sisters Charmaine and Heather. But in 1993, Anna Marie and Louise declined to testify in court out of fear that Rose might retaliate against their siblings, allowing all of these initial charges to be dropped.
Still, the police looked into Heather’s sudden disappearance and obtained another search warrant to look for her remains on the family’s property at 25 Cromwell Street in winter 1994. After repeatedly denying being involved in her death and lying about what happened, Fred eventually confessed to murdering Heather, and the police found her body buried in the garden along with three other bodies. Fred admitted to nine killings, including Charmaine, Rena, and “others to be identified.” He initially claimed that Rose was not involved, but the investigators believed otherwise. He later changed his tune during the pretrial when she seemed repulsed by him.
Fred West, as pictured in Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Where is Fred West now?
After confessing to murdering his daughter Heather, Fred was arrested in February 1994. Rose followed shortly after that, with an arrest in April 1994. The couple appeared in a magistrates’s court in Gloucester in June of that year, where Fred was formally charged with 12 murders and Rose with nine. In court, Rose allegedly visibly winced at Fred’s touch, which, along with her refusal to reply to his letters and her public stance of innocence, reportedly drove him into a depression in prison.
Fred died by suicide via asphyxiation while in police custody in January 1995. He left a suicide note addressed to Rose and two of their children, Stephen and Mae, though the contents read like a love letter to Rose.
Rose West, as pictured in Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Where is Rose West now?
Following Fred’s death, Rose stood trial alone from October to November 1995 and was convicted of all 10 murder charges. The presiding Justice sentenced her to life imprisonment, and in 1997, the Home Secretary increased this to a “whole life order,” which removes any possibility for parole or conditional release. Now 71, she is still in jail at HM Prison New Hall in West Yorkshire.
What happened during Rose West’s trial?
During pretrial proceedings, Rose pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of murder. However, the judge allowed the prosecution to utilize testimony related to the sexual assault of three women, which helped to establish a pattern of behavior. Prosecution also invited a wide array of witnesses—from relatives, like Rose’s mother, to sexual partners—to testify to Rose’s aggressive behavior.
Rose herself also took the stand against her attorney’s suggestion, telling the court of the abuse she had endured as a child at the hands of her father. Accounts of her appearance reveal that her demeanor varied greatly between upbeat and sullen during her testimony.
Her conviction eventually came at the hands of the final witness, Janet Leach, who was assigned to Fred as his appropriate adult due to his illiteracy. Leach stated that Fred confided in her, divulging that he and Rose had made a pact for him to take the fall for all of their crimes. In his secret confession to Leach, he referred to a few of the murders as “some of Rose’s mistakes,” and pinpointed the deaths of Charmaine and Shirley Robinson on Rose.
It is believed the Wests had more victims beyond the 12 they were proven to be connected to.
(Image credit: Netflix)
How many total victims did Fred and Rose West have?
While the couple is connected to at least 12 deaths, they likely had more victims. In recorded interviews before his death, Fred made allusions towards more murders, and he told Leach that he and Rose had killed at least 20 more people, though investigators have not been able to confirm their identities.
An old photo of Rose and Fred West.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Where are Fred and Rose West’s children now?
The surviving children who witnessed and experienced abuse and violence have tried to move on from their difficult childhood. According to the Daily Mail, the siblings no longer speak to each other, even though some reportedly live within minutes of each other. “Too much has gone on,” the eldest son, Stephen, told the site. “It’s probably too painful for us.”
Media attention, including the release of the Netflix documentary, stirs up difficult emotions for the family. “It’s the children who live with the pain of what happened on a daily basis,” Anna Maria’s husband, Philip, said to the Daily Mail. “It’s the siblings who live with the misery and pain of what went on in that house.”
Of the 10 children who lived at 25 Cromwell St.—which the media dubbed the “House of Horrors”—only seven are still alive. Heather and Charmaine were killed by their parents; Barry died of an overdose in 2020 at age 40. Four siblings are believed to have assumed new identities and moved to other parts of the country.
