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The Shocking Murders of Julia Rawson & Emma Walker | Killers Caught On Camera

March 03, 2023 / 46:47

This episode of "Killers Caught on Camera" covers the cases of Julia Rawson and Emma Walker, focusing on their disappearances and the investigations that followed. Key topics include the use of CCTV footage, psychological insights into the suspects, and the role of technology in solving these crimes.

In the first case, Julia Rawson went missing in May 2019 after being last seen in a Dudley pub. The investigation relied heavily on CCTV footage that captured her interactions with a man who became a key suspect. Nathan Maynard Ellis and his boyfriend David Leslie were later arrested and charged with her murder.

The investigation revealed a disturbing fascination with horror memorabilia in their home, which included tools that suggested premeditation. Police found Julia's dismembered body after an extensive search, leading to the suspects' convictions.

The second case involves Emma Walker, a 16-year-old cheerleader who was shot in her home in November 2016. Her ex-boyfriend, Riley Gaul, became a suspect after a series of manipulative behaviors and a staged kidnapping incident. Police used covert recordings from his friends to gather evidence against him.

Riley was ultimately convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 51 years in prison. The episode highlights the importance of technology and psychological analysis in modern criminal investigations.

TLDR

CCTV footage and technology help solve the murders of Julia Rawson and Emma Walker, revealing disturbing behaviors of their killers.

Episode

46:47
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[THEME MUSIC PLAYING] MAN 1: That just sounds like something bad is happening to her.
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WOMAN 1: I heard her scream, no, stop it. MAN 2: I heard some gunshots. Drop it.
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Whatever it is, drop it. That is not true that I killed my wife. WOMAN 2: We know what happened because the video
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tells us what happened. MAN 3: The camera doesn't lie. NARRATOR: This time, on "Killers Caught on Camera."
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In the UK, a woman is picked up by a stranger-- This person is the key to everything.
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NARRATOR: --who's obsessed with horror memorabilia. It became really clear that between them, there
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was a real fascination with true life crime, serial killers, cannibalism. NARRATOR: And in Knoxville, Tennessee--
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NARRATOR: --a secret spy camera is deployed to catch a killer. Audio is located up here, and we have the camera here.
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These are young boys. That's, kind of, dangerous. NARRATOR: In the heart of the United Kingdom,
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in the West Midlands, lies Tipton, home to carer Tracy Barrett. NARRATOR: Tracy's home overlooks the Birmingham canal,
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a serene and tranquil space. NARRATOR: But what used to be a place of calm for Tracy is now tainted with bad memories.
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In May 2019, Julia Rawson ran a business, selling pagan goods with long term partner Elaine Higginson.
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She was a keen artist, bubbly, outgoing, and well-known in the area. On the 11th of May, Julia spent the day shopping with Elaine.
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They parted ways, and Julia went towards the center of Birmingham to meet some friends.
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But she got on the wrong bus and ended up in the market town of Dudley, eight miles northwest
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of Birmingham. The next morning, Elaine messaged Julia, but there was no reply. Julia's friends also hadn't heard from her.
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Her silence was completely out of character. Elaine called the police. Julia Rawson was reported missing
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on the 14th of May, 2019. She was reported missing by a friend, having last been seen on the Saturday late afternoon.
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NARRATOR: Police started to make enquiries. The last sighting of Julia was in a Dudley
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pub, The Bottle and Cork. The pub was wired with CCTV cameras. Emi Polito is an expert in forensic video
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analysis, who has worked on hundreds of cases in the UK. The daytime CCTV of Julia in Dudley
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helps the police established what clothes she's wearing, what footwear, what trousers, what jacket.
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And therefore, it really helps the police starting building a picture. Now, have a look at this footage.
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This is really interesting. We see a person matching the description of Julia entering a pub, and we can get a good view
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of what she's wearing, potentially some patterns on a jumper. This is really good detail that will help
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with the police investigation in terms of trawling her whereabouts. NARRATOR: Julia was seen chatting
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and drinking with a man. At around 10:45 PM, another man came in and sat down at the far end of the bar.
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The lamp is covering the person's face completely. It looks like almost like if he's done it on purpose,
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doesn't it? NARRATOR: Julia approached him, and they started to chat. This is really good because this
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puts Julia in a specific location, a specific time. And she's potentially talking to someone that could be
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involved in her disappearance. NARRATOR: The CCTV footage provided police with vital clues.
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This is potentially the last person that Julia is seen with before she disappears.
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This person is the key to everything. What was distinctive about him is that during the course
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of the evening in the pub, he'd rolled up his sleeves and shown Julia some quite distinctive tattoos
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that he had on both arms. Yes, the CCTVs are not great. We are not able to tell in detail what this tattoos are.
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But certainly, we know that this person has got tattoos on each of his forearms, and this is really helps the police
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identifying this person. Luckily for us, not only do we get a view of the tattoos,
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but we also get a view from different angles. Because as the person is showing them,
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he is also rotating his arms. And this allows us to see them in even more detail.
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There is a point in the CCTV, where the person leans over to Julia, perhaps, because he wants to talk
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a little bit closer to her. And you can get a view of his face. We, perhaps, can discern a long beard on his face.
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And again, this is now additional information to the tattoos, which can really help
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the police identify the person, perhaps, with the help of the public. This imagery was shown by the community support officer
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to people who work within Dudley Town Center. Bear in mind, at this stage, we still got a missing person
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inquiry, and this person was going to be key to that investigation. NARRATOR: The footage was circulated on social media,
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and a local security guard recognized him. 11 days after Julia went missing, a man matching his description was
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spotted in Dudley Town Center. Young female that has gone missing? OFFICER: We're looking for a female missing person.
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She's been missing for about 11 days, OK? We've got picture on CCTV with someone that matches
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your description with her, so we just want to get some details from you. OFFICER: She's been missing for 11 days.
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So obviously, we need to find her, OK? And because you look like the person we've seen on CCTV, we
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just-- OFFICER: --get some details. NARRATOR: The men were identified as 30-year-old Nathan Maynard Ellis, a former film
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and theater student, and his 25-year-old boyfriend David Leslie. Professor Coral Dando is an expert in forensic psychology
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at the University of Westminster, applying psychological research to help criminal investigations.
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OFFICER: We're looking for a female missing person. Here, we've got some body cam footage of Nathan being stopped
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initially by one police officer, and he was then joined by, at least, one other, maybe a third
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because he resembles the person that was last seen with Julia. OFFICER: With someone that matches
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your description with her, so we just want to get some details. He reacts quite differently.
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OFFICER: And because you look like the person we've seen on CCTV, we're just-- Oh, yeah.
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He tries to turn and do a bit of reverse engineering, we call it, with the police officer
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and say, well, this is nonsensical. It doesn't make sense. If I was the person involved, don't you think
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I'd have changed my appearance? NARRATOR: Nathan was answering questions and was being cooperative.
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So notice, from the body-worn camera footage that the officer gives out this information and then says nothing,
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and then Nathan feels it. We know when people are being deceptive, that they don't like to be silent.
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Silence is uncomfortable. So they will always try and fill a silence with something.
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Conversely, David, his partner, seems to react very, very nervously, blowing his nose, coughing,
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almost seeming as if he is going to be physically ill at any point. And one thing we can notice from the footage
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is that the other male is carrying quite a large bag, which, to me, looks like almost as
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if it is a pillow or some sort of bedding. And again, this could be an interesting piece
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of data for the investigation. NARRATOR: Police were confident he matched the man seen in the bar.
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We get a good idea from these images of the size and of the tattoos and where they are located in the arms.
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Because they'd been, apparently, had gone under the radar, I suspect they'd let their guard down.
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So initially, he may have covered his tattoo. But then, he's become a little bit more confident.
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It's not unusual for people to just think that they're clever enough to get away with this thing.
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And so, as a result, he hasn't got a bother to cover his tattoo or change his appearance.
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In actual fact, if he thought about it, that's exactly what he actually should do because it
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would have reduced the likelihood that he was going to get spotted. When people do not have the chance
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to develop a story or a lie script or prepare for telling a lie, it's a classic opportunity for spotting when
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people are being deceptive. The fact that he changed nothing about his appearance
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suggests, to me, that, probably, especially combined with the response of, I would have changed something,
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he thought that that would make him look more innocent. So at some point, he knew, well, the police are going to ask me.
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They're going to maybe pull up CCTV footage or some picture and say, hey, this looks like you.
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And his response was going to be, well, I would have changed my appearance if I had been guilty.
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NARRATOR: Nathan was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and taken into custody.
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David provided a written statement and claimed he and Nathan were at home all night.
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Police now had a suspect in Julia's disappearance, but still no idea where she was.
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They searched the canal for evidence, but the extensive security camera footage revealed both men made regular trips along the canal path
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with heavily loaded plastic bags. NARRATOR: Police weren't sure where the men were going
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or what heavy items were in the bags. Julia was still missing. CCTV footage also revealed Nathan
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had celebrated his birthday the day after Julia's disappearance. But could be that the person is trying to look normal.
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And so, they're putting on a brave face. They're going out as normal so that they have an alibi, so
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that people don't point out that they're acting weird, or it could be that they actually
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don't have those feelings. NARRATOR: Tracy lived directly below them and noticed something else that was odd.
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NARRATOR: Unusual nighttime cleaning. And Nathan and David remained uncommunicative with neighbors.
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NARRATOR: And they had a unique taste in home accessories. NARRATOR: Police got a warrant to search the flat
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and confirmed what Tracy had observed. On top of the gory obsession, a range of tools,
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including a saw and ornamental weapons. It became really clear that between them there
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was a real fascination with true life crime, serial killers, cannibalism. There is some research, which has found that people who like
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horror films are more likely to be high on what's called sensation-seeking. On top of that, horror films often
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represent our greatest fears. And so, it gives you a safe way to explore encountering those fears.
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Psychologically-speaking, the reason why people like horror movies is because they like the thrill.
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They like being shocked maybe even disgusted. But if you are already predisposed to violence,
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and you have higher sensation-seeking, and you're watching horror movies, you might take inspiration from your horror movies
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to engage in your violent tendencies and then do terrible things to people. NARRATOR: The shrine of horror memorabilia was untouched,
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but much of the flat had been refurbished. In most cases, but especially in cases
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involving major crimes, such as murder, or kidnapping, or rape, the police would start gathering evidence from a small confined area,
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which, usually, is limited to the scene of the crime. NARRATOR: Police pulled up the carpet and found a stain.
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It was blood and matched Julia's. If and when that limited amount of CCTV or video evidence reveals enough information,
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then the investigators can extend their scope to search for video evidence to larger areas.
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And it becomes a little bit like a tier level investigation. NARRATOR: Further afield, CCTV footage revealed Nathan
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getting rid of his couch. And Tracy provided police with more clues. NARRATOR: In retrospect, Tracy realized
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something was going on. NARRATOR: Search teams abandoned the canal and turned their attention to the wasteland
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on the other side of the water. Sniffer dogs searched the area. I received a call from the search advisor
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to be informed that they'd made what turned out to be a very grim discovery. NARRATOR: Over the course of the next few days,
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police found the rest of Julia's body. The body parts were very very well wrapped and preserved.
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There was no sense given off for dogs to pick up on. There was no flowers for us to indicate on.
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Ultimately, one of the body parts was exposed slightly, but you couldn't see it.
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Now, it's a specialist search dog that picked up on the scent from that first body part that led us
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to that location, which was not visible to the naked eye at all. NARRATOR: 12 separate body parts were found.
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The search phase lasted a total of 47 days. It stands a long time, however. The searchers were split over various areas canals, woodland,
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refuge tips, self-storage units, premises, drains, and other areas. They were found scattered in quite a large area.
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But the drone footage really helps us get an idea of the scale of the area or where the body parts were found.
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And this, potentially, could indicate the suspect is forensically aware and is trying to cover his tracks as best as he can.
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Now, this would have taken a considerable amount of time and effort to be able to do.
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Because, otherwise, you would just dump the body in one place. NARRATOR: The body parts were sent
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to a specialist imaging unit. Now, in this particular case, the police have also employ
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the services of Warwick University to get a three-dimensional reconstruction virtual footage of the actual injuries on on the body.
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Now, this is done so that the images are not too upsetting or too graphic in the courtroom,
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but also help establish the extent of the injuries. NARRATOR: Analysis of the images showed there were
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two types of incisions made. The first were clean cuts. The second, more amateur.
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We can see from the images here that there have been some false starts and failed attempts to dismember,
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severe the body. And the different styles of cuts that we can see from the imagery, potentially,
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could suggest that there were more than one person employed in this operation. NARRATOR: The amateur cuts helped
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prove a second person had helped Nathan dismember Julia. Nathan and David were charged with murder.
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Most of Julia's body was retrieved, but her kidney was missing. People who murder, especially people who spend a lot of time
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planning their murders, sometimes, take trophies from the crime scene. So they will keep things, like photos,
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or they'll keep objects, or sometimes, even things like hair or body parts. That is, however, really rare.
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So mostly, if you take a trophy or memento, as it's sometimes called from the crime scene, to remember your kill,
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to remember what you did, you will take things that are less obvious and just belonged to the victim, not actual organs.
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NARRATOR: Forensic pathology concluded, Julia had been bludgeoned to death with a rolling pin
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before being dismembered. I realize that quite a lot of the detail around what happened
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to Julia in her final hours and the terrible things that took place within the flat and the way in which she was treated
00:22:34
in death and disposed of in such horrific circumstances will be absolute terrible news for the community in which
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these discoveries were made. NARRATOR: Nathan and David were tried separately in December 2020.
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During Nathan's trial, a dark past came to light, when a character witness took the stand.
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She'd been in a relationship with Nathan, and he'd been sexually violent towards her.
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Having got a previous history of sexual violence and other types of violent behavior, which may not
00:23:09
be sexual in nature, but bring those two together is a red flag for future offending in terms of murder.
00:23:17
So it's like a progressive type behavior. And they get away with it once or twice,
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maybe even get convicted, serve a term imprisonment for serious sexual violence or other violent behavior.
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So it could be GBH, ABH, that type of thing. And then, when they come out, or if they haven't been convicted,
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if they walk away, they will, often, men, typically go on to murder. NARRATOR: For the murder of Julia Rawson,
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Nathan claimed diminished responsibility, that it was a terrible accident and, in a panic,
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disposed of her body. It seems as if Nathan was the dominant one. He certainly appeared to be the person that was reaching out
00:24:00
to have psychologically damaging relationships with women, damaging to them, physically and psychologically,
00:24:07
but also damaging to himself because he was trying to repress the true him for the public,
00:24:12
for society at large. That behavior fits within we would expect. And this acting out of fantasies, obsessive thought
00:24:21
behaviors, psychologically damaging behaviors is just one of a long list of behaviors that are exhibited
00:24:28
by people who try and repress their sexuality and try and present a self to the world, which is not true.
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NARRATOR: Nathan was sentenced to 30 years for Julia's murder and for four offenses of historic rape.
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At David's trial, he was also found guilty of murder and sentenced to a minimum of 19 years.
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This was a complex investigation that involved an extensive search of an area to locate Julia's body.
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The sole aim of the investigation to seek justice for Julia. I hope that the result today provides
00:25:05
some solace for Julia's family. I know that they are still grieving for her loss,
00:25:10
but, hopefully, as a family unit, they can move forward. So in this situation, we have two
00:25:19
gay men who are in a relationship together, and they kill a woman. And there has been some research on what
00:25:26
sometimes feels incongruous. So although many men who are gay embrace aspects of femininity,
00:25:32
that straight men often don't embrace in the same way. There still can be misogyny within gay male communities.
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So you're not outside of the norms. You're not outside of culture entirely just because you're a gay man.
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And so, you can still have that hatred that can get built up and manifest in very violent ways.
00:25:55
So CCTV is crucial to a police investigation. Certain circumstances might lead you to slip up
00:26:02
and to make mistakes. And obviously, the more cameras, the more sources of video recordings are, the more are the chances that you
00:26:11
are going to make that mistake. After the images of Julia and the person talking
00:26:17
in the pub circulated on social media, police caught a lucky break. And in investigations like this, you do need a lucky break.
00:27:02
NARRATOR: Cameras are an increasingly common presence in our lives, capturing normal life.
00:27:10
A vital part of catching Julia Rawson's killers were the CCTV cameras in the bar and along the canal,
00:27:19
but also body Cam on law enforcement officers. OFFICER: We're looking for a female missing person.
00:27:26
NARRATOR: Less visible are the hidden cameras available at specialist stores. This is a spy pen.
00:27:33
You would just have the camera here, and the audio is in the back, and it's a one-button operation.
00:27:39
And your SD card storage is here. NARRATOR: Spy cameras are now so sophisticated,
00:27:45
they can record good quality audio and video, day or night. The water bottle has a pinhole built in the label.
00:27:54
The camera sits on the outside of the bottle. You can fill it up with water, which makes
00:27:58
it a very good covert device. NARRATOR: And in our next case, essential to capture
00:28:05
a killer on camera. It's definitely a game changer. Now, your everyday person can come into a store
00:28:12
and then do their own investigation. NARRATOR: The US, in the state of Tennessee,
00:28:20
Knoxville, its historic capital and home to almost a million people. In 2016, 16-year-old Emma Walker was a cheerleader
00:28:31
at Central High School. She was dating star athlete, 18-year-old Riley Gaul. Riley Gaul was a year or so older than Emma.
00:28:40
He had just recently graduated. NARRATOR: They seemed like perfect high school sweethearts.
00:28:46
But only a few months into their relationship, things started to change. Riley began telling Emma what to wear
00:28:55
and became possessive and controlling, which played out through texts and social media posts.
00:29:04
Her friends, particularly, had been encouraging her to part ways with Riley. NARRATOR: Her parents weren't happy either,
00:29:13
especially when they saw one particularly chilling text. Her family did not approve of this relationship.
00:29:27
The parents had, in fact, at one point, grounded him to try to keep her away from Riley.
00:29:34
NARRATOR: They also banned Riley from the house, but he was always quick to apologize.
00:29:45
As you're a teenager, your brain is actually still physically growing. And until you're 25, so it goes into your early adulthood.
00:29:51
And so, if you're talking about a 16 and an 18-year-old, their brains just aren't fully developed.
00:29:56
It means that you're less able to make good long-term judgments. Because one of the later parts of your brain to develop
00:30:04
is your prefrontal cortex, the front part of your brain. And it's responsible for you making good decisions.
00:30:13
NARRATOR: After two years of on and off dating, Emma decided she'd had enough. Emma finally was starting to realize
00:30:22
that it was time to move on. NARRATOR: The breakup affected Riley deeply. He started texting her.
00:30:30
He was constantly trying to get her to talk to him. Well, there's usually an escalation of stress
00:30:38
before the breakup. Then, there's a peak after. Because not only have you had the stress
00:30:44
of the actual dissolution of the relationship and all that that entails, but you also lose,
00:30:49
typically, one of your closest emotional supports. So that person, who you normally would
00:30:55
be turning to in a high stress situation, is also gone. NARRATOR: Emma turned to her friends for support.
00:31:05
Emma had gone to a party after a football game, talking to her friends about, you know, I'm done.
00:31:11
I'm really done. And while they're at this party, and it's dark, he starts texting her and claiming
00:31:21
that he's been kidnapped. And then, she gets some texts that indicate that, perhaps, he's been dumped outside this party.
00:31:31
All the kids are scared. And a couple of her friends actually went outside first.
00:31:38
Then, what they discover is Riley laying in a ditch, faced down, looks very disheveled,
00:31:45
and as if he has been beaten. Coercive tactics during a breakup are quite common,
00:31:56
and coercive tactics can include things like threatening to hurt yourself or others,
00:32:01
potentially, or to take other drastic steps to force or, you think, force that person to stay with you.
00:32:08
Now, the level, of course, of tactics we're seeing here, staging a whole kidnapping,
00:32:13
is absolutely wild. That is not something that normally happens, of course. And so, that level of coercion, manipulation, lying
00:32:22
is that's just the sine of something much deeper and much more obsessive happening at this point.
00:32:34
NARRATOR: Riley decided not to take the kidnapping to the police, but things turned even stranger.
00:32:42
The very next day, a stalker emerged in Emma's life. Emma was home. Her mother had gone, I guess, was at work.
00:32:51
Somebody knocks on the door. It scares her. A guy, all dressed in black. She was scared to death.
00:32:59
NARRATOR: Her parents were so worried, they started walking her to and from work
00:33:03
to make sure she was safe. Police were keen to check security cameras for clues.
00:33:10
As the police investigated the man in black, they start pulling footage. NARRATOR: Nothing in the footage gave away
00:33:20
who the strange figure in black was. Here, we obviously see that there is a dark character outside, who seems to be stalking her.
00:33:33
People who engage in stalking are usually obsessed with the person they are stalking.
00:33:38
And usually, they are a former or current partner. So there's a huge piece of this feeling
00:33:44
like you are in love with somebody, even if it's unrequited, that you are then following them around.
00:33:49
Whomever it is, if someone's following you, or you think someone's following you,
00:33:52
that's going to have profound psychological implications for you. It might make you afraid to leave the house.
00:33:56
It might make you feel unsafe within your own-- within your house, even, right? It can have really, really intimidating consequences
00:34:05
for you and your loved ones. NARRATOR: On Monday morning, November 21, 2016, just
00:34:14
a couple of days after the stalker incident, at 6:00 AM, Emma's mother, Jill, went into her room
00:34:23
to wake her up for school, but she was unresponsive. NARRATOR: Emma was pronounced dead from two gunshot wounds.
00:34:56
There was nothing about Emma Walker that would suggest that she had caused her own death.
00:35:01
There was no apparent history of drug use or reckless behavior. NARRATOR: Crucially, body cams from officers,
00:35:09
first on the scene, picked up vital evidence. There were at least two shell casings there on the ground
00:35:16
that they were able to locate. Every gun has a signature. There's grooves and twists that occur within the gun
00:35:25
when you're firing it. NARRATOR: Emma was shot from outside the house while she was asleep.
00:35:32
Once from above her head, and once from the side. This bullet that entered Emma's
00:35:38
body had traveled through wood, through the house there. And so, there was some damage to that bullet.
00:35:47
NARRATOR: Riley turned to social media, an outpouring of grief. Police started questioning all of Emma's friends,
00:35:58
and the Sheriff's Department got a break. One of his classmates said that Riley had asked
00:36:05
about fingerprints on guns and whether those could be erased, if they could be detected.
00:36:13
NARRATOR: 16 hours after Emma was declared dead, Riley was questioned by detectives
00:36:18
at Knoxville Police Station. NARRATOR: Riley was in shock. He couldn't bring himself to mention Emma by name.
00:36:53
Referring to a victim in a not quite dehumanizing, but certainly depersonalized way by calling her the girl is a--
00:37:02
I mean, it just feels like a psychological tactic to distance yourself from the victim,
00:37:08
to not really see her as a human being, don't name her because that evokes who she really
00:37:13
was as a human being, and instead to, sort of, go, pushing it away. Because, I think, that makes it easier to not feel,
00:37:21
maybe, guilt, not to feel the remorse that you would have if you're constantly actually thinking
00:37:26
about the complexity of this victim as a human being. NARRATOR: Police asked Riley about his grandfather's gun.
00:37:54
NARRATOR: They revealed that his friends, Alex and Noah, said he had asked about removing fingerprints from a gun.
00:38:14
NARRATOR: Police released Riley. He immediately texted his friends. Police needed to eliminate Riley or find some evidence.
00:38:24
The Sheriff's Department was in a bit of a conundrum. We've got lots of smoke. We need some fire.
00:38:32
NARRATOR: The police came up with a radical plan. If ever Riley is going to mess up
00:38:38
and say things to implicate himself, it's not going to be to them. It's going to be to his buddies.
00:38:46
So the Sheriff's Department talks these boys into becoming spies, basically. NARRATOR: Alex and Noah invited Riley over to play video games.
00:38:57
Try to get him to talk about the gun. Try to get him to talk about the killing. NARRATOR: His friends were wired for sound and vision
00:39:11
by the police. These are young boys. That's, kind of, dangerous. But they agreed to do it.
00:39:27
NARRATOR: The secret camera was hidden in a car key. Audio is located up here. And then, we have the camera here and the different buttons
00:39:37
that operate that would be on a card or the different mode settings for audio only, audio and video.
00:39:44
Very covert. Nobody would think twice about a key fob. The friends of a suspect were undercover cops,
00:39:57
without guns, without badges, and without protection. NARRATOR: When Riley arrived, the secret camera
00:40:20
was recording. You only have one one take at it, you know? It's only one time he's going to probably be this open about it.
00:40:37
Right away, what you saw was a bit of a psychopath. It's pretty incriminating evidence
00:40:54
because of how relaxed he is. He's talking as if he doesn't even know her. NARRATOR: Riley was worried the police were closing in.
00:41:32
NARRATOR: He wanted his friends to withdraw their statements about his grandfather's gun.
00:41:47
I don't know if it'll be over the phone or in person. It's really good audio quality, good video.
00:41:52
He seems pretty relaxed. He definitely doesn't know he's on camera, right? NARRATOR: Incredibly, Riley then asked his friends
00:41:58
to help him get rid of the gun. Ultimately, he tells these boys, his friends, that he's
00:42:13
got to get rid of this gun. NARRATOR: The bluffs are a remote area of forests and deep lakes.
00:42:32
They didn't sign up to help him dispose of a murder weapon. But that was part of the mission.
00:42:44
They had to carry it all the way through. NARRATOR: Riley took them to where he'd hidden the gun.
00:42:53
Noah and Alex waited in the car. He got back in, holding a plastic bag. His friends are basically like, yeah, we got your back,
00:43:18
you know? So they're doing a pretty good job of getting him to talk and getting him to feel comfortable
00:43:23
that they can help, his friends could help him get out of it, I guess. So, yeah, that's pretty good evidence.
00:43:30
NARRATOR: And Riley was unaware three police cars were following close behind. NARRATOR: Once his friends had eyes on the gun,
00:43:50
Alex texted the police with the code word. NARRATOR: Riley Gaul was arrested, and police recovered the bag containing the evidence.
00:44:26
He has the gun and all this men in black clothing and duct tape. And I mean, basically, a whole kit of evidence.
00:44:36
NARRATOR: Not only did the bag contain the gun used to kill Emma. Also inside were the clothes worn by her stalker.
00:44:43
Solid evidence that the stalker was, in fact, Riley. The camera doesn't lie. The audio to back up who said it.
00:44:58
So having the covert device was definitely a great way to get the evidence that the friends
00:45:04
were trying to get. They obviously wanted some closure for the family. And today's technology making it easier for things like that,
00:45:11
then, definitely, the camera and audio did its job, what it's supposed to do. NARRATOR: At his trial, Riley Gaul
00:45:18
was convicted of first degree murder, sentenced, to 51 years in prison. She was a young girl, and he really
00:45:27
had been the only boyfriend she had known. So while it's a little sad that she couldn't quite
00:45:34
seem to break free, it's not unusual that she would have thought of Riley in terms of her protector.
00:45:42
And that makes it all the more upsetting, I think, that Riley was playing on those fears.
00:45:50
It's very apparent that what he was trying to do was to win her back. [THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 85
    Most heartbreaking
  • 80
    Most shocking
  • 80
    Best concept / idea
  • 80
    Biggest twist

Episode Highlights

  • CCTV Footage Reveals Key Clue
    CCTV footage shows Julia chatting with a man, potentially the last person she was seen with.
    “This person is the key to everything.”
    @ 00m 34s
    March 03, 2023
  • Julia Rawson's Disappearance
    Julia Rawson was reported missing after a day out with her partner. Her silence was alarming.
    “Julia's silence was completely out of character.”
    @ 03m 19s
    March 03, 2023
  • Nathan and David Charged
    Nathan and David were charged with murder after evidence linked them to Julia's disappearance.
    “Nathan was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping.”
    @ 11m 29s
    March 03, 2023
  • Psychological Insights into Violence
    Experts discuss the psychological factors that can lead individuals to commit violent acts.
    “People who like horror films are more likely to be high on what's called sensation-seeking.”
    @ 15m 07s
    March 03, 2023
  • Discovery of Body Parts
    Police discovered Julia's body parts after an extensive search, revealing a grim reality.
    “12 separate body parts were found.”
    @ 19m 22s
    March 03, 2023
  • Emma's Breakup Decision
    After two years, Emma realizes it's time to move on from Riley.
    “Emma finally was starting to realize that it was time to move on.”
    @ 30m 22s
    March 03, 2023
  • Riley's Disturbing Texts
    Riley's alarming texts claim he's been kidnapped, causing panic among Emma's friends.
    “He starts texting her and claiming that he's been kidnapped.”
    @ 31m 21s
    March 03, 2023
  • Riley's Arrest
    Riley is arrested after his friends help police gather incriminating evidence.
    “Riley Gaul was arrested, and police recovered the bag containing the evidence.”
    @ 44m 10s
    March 03, 2023
  • Riley's Conviction
    Riley is convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 51 years in prison.
    “At his trial, Riley Gaul was convicted of first degree murder.”
    @ 45m 18s
    March 03, 2023

Episode Quotes

  • This person is the key to everything.
    The Shocking Murders of Julia Rawson & Emma Walker | Killers Caught On Camera
  • Julia's silence was completely out of character.
    The Shocking Murders of Julia Rawson & Emma Walker | Killers Caught On Camera
  • This imagery was shown by the community support officer.
    The Shocking Murders of Julia Rawson & Emma Walker | Killers Caught On Camera
  • There is some research which has found that people who like horror films...
    The Shocking Murders of Julia Rawson & Emma Walker | Killers Caught On Camera
  • I'm really done.
    The Shocking Murders of Julia Rawson & Emma Walker | Killers Caught On Camera
  • Staging a whole kidnapping is absolutely wild.
    The Shocking Murders of Julia Rawson & Emma Walker | Killers Caught On Camera

Key Moments

  • Missing Person03:23
  • Arrest Made11:29
  • Body Discovery18:38
  • Trial Insights22:50
  • Breakup Decision30:16
  • Kidnapping Claims31:21
  • Stalker Incident32:42
  • Riley's Arrest44:10

Tension Over Time

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown