The MI6 spy found dead in a bag three years ago probably locked himself in the holdall and died as a result of a tragic accident, Scotland Yard has said.
Outlining the results of a three-year investigation on Wednesday, the Metropolitan police said Gareth Williams most likely died alone in his flat.
But Detective Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt said the police could not "fundamentally and beyond doubt" rule out the possibility that a third party was involved in his death.
Williams's naked body was found in the padlocked bag, with the keys discovered under his body, in the otherwise empty bath in his flat in Pimlico, central London, in August 2010.
Last year, a coroner concluded that Williams was probably unlawfully killed and his death the result of a criminal act. Following an eight-day inquest, the Westminster coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, said he was probably either suffocated or poisoned, before a third party locked and placed the bag in the bath.
But Hewitt said Scotland Yard's three-year inquiry had come to a different conclusion and that Williams was "most probably" alone when he died.
"Despite all of this considerable effort, it is still the case that there is insufficient evidence to be definitive on the circumstances that led to Gareth's death," he said.
"Rather, what we are left with is either individual pieces of evidence, or a lack of such evidence, that can logically support one of a number of hypotheses."
Hewitt added that the investigation had added "some clarity and detail" to the case, but that "no evidence has been identified to establish the full circumstances of Gareth's death beyond all reasonable doubt".
Look I don't want to tell Scotland Yard how to do their job but.....no scratch that, I really DO want to tell them how to do their job.
Listen when you find a naked dead guy locked in a bag, with the keys on the OUTSIDE of the bag, that pretty much rules out "accidental death."
I mean don't you think?
Seriously DON'T you think?
even if we were to entertain the possibility that this guy some hoe got off on zipping himself up naked in various pieces of luggage, HOW would locking the bag enhance that experience?
And while we are on the subject HOW in the fuck do you lock a bag from the inside, while leaving the keys on the outside?
My new rules is that if I am ever inclined to kill anybody I am flying us both to England first because apparently there you can get away with ANYTHING!
Update: Okay it appears that I read the part about the keys incorrectly, and that they were inside the bag instead of outside the bag. This changes the story from completely impossible to virtually impossible.
I continue to stand by my WTF response however.
It says the keys were under the body. Was that inside or outside the bag? Also, what kind of lock was it? If it was the usual padlock type, keys aren't needed to lock it, only to unlock it. When the bag was locked, was there enough opening to get some fingers out where locking it would be easy and unlocking it difficult? I don't think what is presented here is enough to ridicule Scotland Yard.
ReplyDeleteDetails are left out which only make us speculate, did he starve? Was there trauma to the body? Wouldn't there have been signs of struggle, if he did this himself, even he would be desperate enough to tear himself and the bag up from the inside.
ReplyDeleteJesse, the article says the keys were found under his body, not under the bag. Still strange, but maybe he thought he was the next Houdini? Or was there a new kink out there that he was trying out?
ReplyDeleteMy question is, where was the lock on the bag? Was it lockable from inside? If the picture above is the actual style bag, how did he manage to lock it?
Curiouser and curiouser........
The way I take it is that the suitcase was PADLOCKED from the outside, but the keys were inside the bag, underneath his body. Either way, though, it is a mission impossible feat to PADLOCK the suitcase OUTSIDE from the inside.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I believe they might be correct in their assessment: yes, he DID die alone. But only because he was stuffed inside the suitcase, which was padlocked from the outside (with the added irony being that they gave him the keys to the lock...), but then they left him to himself.
The fact that he was stuffed inside the suitcase adds to the suspicion that a he was drugged or totally drunk when stuffed in there, and most likely he suffocated, because otherwise he might have been able to open the zipper (IF it was a suitcase with a zipper, that is.).
All just splitting of hairs for whatever reason that they will not give the real reason of his death.
Hhhmmm. I wonder how they would describe a hanging in a locked room that held nothing for the victim - uh, sorry, suicide - to stand on to reach the rope?
ReplyDeleteDamn! GOOFY has better brains than that!
I'm going to bet the press is going to have a field day with this.
Quite elementary, Doctor Leland. The suicidee - wearing the noose - stood on a block of ice that melted - resulting in his death - and the puddle of water evaporated before the body was discovered!
DeleteA child could have solved this case, but sadly there were no children available. Now, let's have some more opium!
Puh Leeze! (And no, that wasn't a mispronunciation of POLICE!)
DeleteEven THEY could recognize water stains on the floor given today's forensics!
Ah! But that was why it was in the bathtub! Elementary!
DeleteA lot goes on that we don’t know about. My recent reading tells me to avoid law enforcement if at all possible. They do great things, as evidenced by the Boston bombing, but they also catch innocent people and don’t let them go, or wreck them financially.
ReplyDeleteA guess? The spy was “given up” in some sort of trade. Since they don’t want to admit that, it becomes a convoluted suicide.
I seriously doubt that the bag was air-tight so how could he have died accidentally unless he was in there so long he starved to death?
ReplyDeleteThere's more to this story that's not being publicly mentioned. If he had a sexual fetish then there was likely other items involved.
After that post I did some Googling. Claustrophilia is indeed a recognized and apparently common sexual fetish, but there's still something not right about this case. There has to be one or more other individual involved.
DeleteThe Daily Mail has a long story about the case which gives additional details. For instance, the photo Gryphen used in this article is from a video introduced in court of a yoga and escapology expert attempting to seal himself inside a replica bag and fail. He wasn't able to do it alone despite numerous attempts.
Then there is the over $32,000 worth of high-end womens clothing found in Williams' apartment. Authorities cannot explain how he could have possibly afforded them on his salary. I think he had a wealthy co-fetishist.
Very fishy, indeed. However, it says in the article that the keys were discovered under his body, not on the outside.
ReplyDeleteWell, upon further thinking, I have come to the conclusion that he committed suicide. Just like the black kid that committed suicide in the cop car with a gun - with his hands cuffed behind him, and shot from the right hand side, even though he was a lefty.
ReplyDeleteSMHID at just HOW DUMB law enforcement thinks the average person is.
Bloody hell, Gryphen.... You're being a bit hard on the MI6 chaps, old boy, eh what? Bangers and mash, bob's your uncle, know what I mean, nudge, nudge, wink, wink?
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about a twisted freak who got his jollies locking himself into high-end Gucci handbags, some costing as much as $15,000. Then he'd call 911 from inside the bag and wait for the rescue squad. Sadly the disco era saw the bags getting so small they could only hold a lipstick, a tampon and a condom and yet somehow he managed to cram himself in there. Sure enough, the last time he engaged in this disgusting behavior, he apparently realized there wasn't room for his 6'/185lb body AND a cell phone in his newest gold sequined clutch purse but got into the bag anyway - without the phone. Lacking a means to call for help he eventually succumbed without water and food.
The worst part is that his body wasn't discovered til years later when a frugal young woman bought the unopened bag at a thrift store and discovered this bloke's dessicated corpse all twisted up inside the tiny purse. Bloody awful story, in'it, guv'na?
And yet you insist the MI6 bloke was murdered? As you yanks like to say, "No shit, Sherlock!"
There is yet another possible "reason" this could have happened besides the sexual fetish thing. Perhaps this guy was an escape artist aficionado. Like Houdini, he was attempting to pull off a trick that he wasn't able to complete.
ReplyDeleteAccording to what Balzafiar said @ 5:32 above (and yes, I realize it could be off), the picture shows a "similar" bag. If that is the case, once the idiot discovered he couldn't get out, what stopped him from rolling out of the tub somehow (and we are all pretty much able to worm our way out of a tub if we can even sit up) and then inching his way to an exterior door and attempting to get help by making noise such as banging one's head against it?
DeleteAnd if he was "an escape artist aficionado" (spelling corrected) he was one of the dumbest ever because only an IDIOT would try something like this and not have another person there in the event of a problem. OR Having a knife with him to cut his way out!
So if that's the case, I personally say "Hey. YOU! Out of the gene pool!"
PETA and their dead kittens in the back
ReplyDeleteSort of looks like he's smiling?
ReplyDeleteI think Scotland Yard goofed big time like losing or not doing blood work and other tests. If this guy was into asphyxiation to get his jolly's, locking yourself up in a bag or asking someone to lock you in a bag doesn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking he may have OD'ed on something or been poisoned and someone else locked the bag with a spare set of keys to confuse Scotland Yard and got away with murder.
OR it was Colonel Mustard, in the bathroom, with some rupies and a fabulous wardrobe.
You can also get away with anything in the US if you are in power. A man LBJ ordered killed by his people was ruled a suicide, the coroner said he shot himself five times, hit himself in the head and gave himself carbon monoxide poisoning. There are many other strange LBJ killings.Then there is the DOC in Alaska who can't see blood running off a thin (like an exercise mat) mat for hours and want the public to believe someone can choke themselves to death by pulling a sheet with their lower extremity. My favorite part of the story is they said they couldn't figure out what killed him the bleed or the choking. There are many stories altered or covered up and then there are the ones we hear nothing about.
ReplyDelete