User blog:UnderAPineapple/Hurricane Pineapple 4: House of Horrors

Have you heard the term "the ties that bind?". A lot of the times that would mean what links two together, or what is the glue that holds two together. But sometimes the ties that bind can sometimes lead to unhealthy habits and even illegal activity. A perfect example will be what I will be presenting today on ​Hurricane Pineapple ​about a man and a woman who both showed many red flags, and eventually became a match made in hell. Today I'm talking about Fred & Rosemary West, a pair of English serial killers who would abduct, rape, torture, and mutilate their victims, mostly women. Without further ado, let's brace for Hurricane season.

​Hurricane Pineapple Intro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCcZMjsvHtE

About Fred
The first person I’ll be discussing about is Fred West, the more egregious of the two. Fred West was born on September 29, 1941 in Herefordshire, England to a family of poor farm workers. His father was very controlling over his children, and his mother was incredibly protective. Fred had 5 siblings, two brothers and three sisters; and he was considered his mother’s “favorite child”, which can explain why Fred accused her in a police interview, of sexually molesting Fred at the age of 12. This may not be entirely true, because Fred’s brother, Doug West, said that these were “mere fantasies” that Fred had.

By 1956, Fred had dropped out of school to work on farmland. In his early-teens, he claimed to have been introduced to bestiality by his father, and considered the idea of incestual relationships to be normal, as he witnessed his father commit incest with all three of his own sisters. Fred would oftentimes go to clubs and pubs in Herefordshire where he would aggressively harass women and girls. Fred viewed woman as “sexual objects”, and wouldn’t hesitate to fondle and sexually arouse himself around them. Obviously, the feeling was not reciprocated, and this was Fred’s goal. Fred did not want to have the girls he harassed to comply to his demands or to be flattered by his sexual remarks, as he would find them to be “unsatisfying” at that point in time.

In October 1958, Fred ended up getting into a motorcycle accident that severely damaged his skull, and put him into a coma for a little over a week. Following the accident, Fred was seen to erupt into random fits of rage, and had a very short temper. It is believed that the accident could’ve made him into a murderer. In 1960, Fred suffered yet another head injury when he tried to molest another girl. The girl punched Fred and sent him down two floors from the Ledbury Youth Club he frequently attended. Fred was disowned by the majority of his family after his 13-year old sister accused him of raping and impregnating her. At the time, Fred was 19, which meant it counted as child molestation. Despite this, his mother defended him, and the sister did not testify. The case was dismissed.

Rosemary West was not the first spouse of Fred’s, as Fred was previously married to Catherine “Rena” Costello from 1962-1966, and had two children, Charmaine & Anna Marie West. Fred was considered a “sexual sadist” and a domestic abuser, who would frequently beat his wife and even sometimes his own children. During this time, Fred would cheat on Rena with multiple women; one of them being Anne McFall, an 18-year old woman looking for work in the United Kingdom, who would eventually be one of many casualties in the bloody hands of Fred West. On November 4, 1965, Fred accidentally killed a four-year old boy by running him over in the ice cream truck he was driving. The cause of death was ruled accidental, but Fred worried about the almost certain backlash he’d receive in the community.

In 1967, Anne McFall, who was eight months pregnant with another one of Fred’s children, ended up disappearing around July. The disappearance went unnoticed, and it wasn’t until 27 years later in 1994, when her body was discovered.

About Rosemary
Born Rosemary Letts on November 29, 1953, she was born to an abusive father, and a depressed mother. Her mother is surprisingly still alive today, and as of 2017, she is 98 years old. Rose’s mother had depression and this was rumored to have affected Rose’s behavior, considering her mother was suicidal and attempted to harm herself whilst she was pregnant with Rose. Rose’s father was a paranoid schizophrenic who would often sexually abuse Rose. Unfortunately, this would not be the only case of sexual assault in the Letts household. Whilst in pubescent age, Rose would often sexually harass her younger brother Graham, and occasionally went into his bedroom at night, to molest him. Rose performed poorly in school and her obsession with sex only worsened when she met the monster who would be the match to her gasoline.

Cupid's Arrow
Rosemary met Fred when the latter was 28, and Rose was only 15, meaning it would’ve been around October 1969 when the two would’ve met. Fred was initially rejected by Rose when it came to going on dates, but Rose did allow Fred to accompany her home. Rose was flattered when Fred frequently sat by her on the bus stop, and soon enough, Fred discovered Rose’s promiscuity.

Forming a relationship following a date, Rose’s parents didn’t approve of the relationship, citing the 13-year age gap between the two as a significant red flag. Bill Letts even threatened Fred with death if he dare touch Rose, which is understandable. Rumors began surfacing about Rose being brought into prostitution in Fred’s caravan. Because of this, Rose was placed in a home for troubled teenagers, which she escaped in December of 1969. It was revealed in 1970, that Rose was pregnant, and Fred was the father. When faced with the opportunity of abortion, Rose denied the option, and chose to live with Fred. Bill Letts disowned her and “wanted nothing to do with her”, according to People Magazine.

Fred told Rose that considering his wife, Rena left him and his two children, Charmaine & Anna Marie, he was looking for someone to take care of the kids. And like a best buddy, Rose was there to support…, but not in the way you’d hope for.

Criminal Activity
Before getting into the gruesome murders, it is important to discuss Rose’s significance in the crime. Many believe that she was under the control of Fred, and that is far from the truth. In early 1971, Fred was being imprisoned under charges of theft and fraud, and Charmaine & Anna Marie were placed under the case of the then 18-year old Rose. Frequently, the two girls would face abuse, almost on a daily basis, by Rose. Anna Marie was very emotional and would often cry and break down due to the abuse, but Charmaine remained unfazed. It is believed that Charmaine once said, “Mummy will come and save me.” Rose would often be infuriated by Charmaine’s inability to crack, and sometime in May 1971, Rose killed Charmaine and stored her naked body inside a coal cellar. After Fred was released from prison in June 1971, they stored Charmaine in the yard and buried her underneath the flat of the home. In August of 1971, Rena Costello-West (Fred’s ex-wife), was seeking custody of the daughters again. However, Fred murdered her and disposed of the body quickly after the heated confrontation.

Rose & Fred would go on to commit at least 10 murders from 1973-1987, and some of them were their own daughters. Many of the murders consisted of a sexual motive, and oftentimes, Fred would watch as Rose would sexually assault the women they kidnapped, and Fred often masturbated to the sufferings of these girls. Fred also joined into the murders, obviously, as he’d also rape and torture these women. When Fred was about to murder 19-year old Lydia Gough on April 20, 1973, it was revealed Fred told Lydia, “You know, I’ve killed hundreds of women before, and you’re just another statistic.”

One of the more important murders committed by the Wests in the so-called “House of Horrors” was that of their 13-year old daughter, Heather West in the middle of 1987. Heather apparently called 9-9-9 (the United Kingdom’s version of 9-1-1), and Rose caught her, forcing her to go downstairs into the West basement, where Fred allegedly raped and strangled Heather. It became an inside joke to the family that Fred would say to the remaining family members, “You better watch out, or you’ll end up under the patio like Heather”. It is believed that Heather’s murder was the final murder that the West’s committed, but considering there were a lot of disappearances in the United Kingdom occuring in the late 1980’s, I have my doubts Heather was the final casualty.

The Fall of the Family
In 1992, Fred asked his 13-year old daughter to bring some bottles up into the master bedroom, but instead the daughter was greeted with an unpleasant surprise. 50-year old Fred West raped her, and after sobbing to her mother, Rose, Rose simply stated, “Oh well, you were asking for it.” Fred filmed one of the rapes as well, which means he committed an additional crime; “production of child pornography”.

Heather’s disappearance and eventual murder would not go unnoticed, and the Wests made a lot of people suspicious of their innocence. Fred & Rose repeatedly switched their stories of Heather’s disappearance, once stating she ran away from home, and later saying she was a victim of a sex trafficking operation, lead to police getting involved. In February 1994, a search warrant was issued for the now-dubbed “House of Horrors”, and soon enough, their murders crumbled in front of their eyes.

It was not until August 6, 1992 though, that the police discovered 99 pornographic videos of home-made and commercial nature, and 1 video consisting of child pornography. In addition with the pornography found in the West household, Anna Marie West courageously told a friend about what was going on in the home, and the now 15-year old girl I previously mentioned, told a special investigator about the sexual trauma she faced.

Even though there was a lot of pressure facing the Wests, Fred was not arrested until February 25, 1994 when he confessed to police about the murder of Heather West. He claimed it was an act of manslaughter, but due to the fact that she was discovered underneath the patio, police did not buy what Fred was selling, and he was jailed quickly after. Initially charged with child sexual abuse and obstruction of justice in 1992, Fred was now adding murder to his list of charges, and Rose was also indicted for the murders of Heather, along with multiple other murders.

The Aftermath
Fred West ended up escaping trial, but it did come with a price. Fred gave up his own life by hanging himself on January 1, 1995 in his own cell, at the age of 53, taking the coward’s way out, and avoiding a possible whole life tariff. Fred’s suicide note read, “To Rose West, Steve and Mae, Well Rose it's your birthday on 29 November 1994 and you will be 41 and still beautiful and still lovely and I love you. We will always be in love. The most wonderful thing in my life was when I met you. Our love is special to us. So, love, keep your promises to me. You know what they are. Where we are put together for ever and ever is up to you. We loved Heather, both of us. I would love Charmaine to be with Heather and Rena. You will always be Mrs. West, all over the world. That is important to me and to you. I haven't got you a present, but all I have is my life. I will give it to you, my darling. When you are ready, come to me. I will be waiting for you.”

Rosemary West was taken into court, and plead not guilty to every murder. The additional murder of Charmaine was added following Fred’s suicide considering Rose was solely responsible for the murder. Prosecutor Brian Levenson had a collection of valid witnesses, including the private investigator who videotaped Fred’s interrogation interview, where Fred threw Rose under the bus for Heather’s murder. He also brought Caroline Owens, a woman who was 17 at the time Fred raped her after kidnapping her. Caroline attempted to kill herself after the penalty for this crime was only a fine of £50. The most damning witness was Rose’s own daughter, Anna Marie West, who testified against. Rose’s defense argument was incredibly weak, as the defense attorney (Richard Ferguson), tried to get the jury to think that these were all fabricated. Ferguson included stating the private investigator who interviewed Fred, was doing this for financial gain and publicity. Caroline Owens & Anna Marie West were also accused by Ferguson of fabricating these rape allegations against Rose for financial and public gain.

Rose’s argument proved to be dead weight, and by a vote of 12-0, Rose was found GUILTY of all of the murders she was charged with. Initially sentenced to only serve 25 years in prison, her sentence was changed to life in prison later on. Rosemary West was officially sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison (with a whole life order), without any chance of parole. Rosemary West will die in prison.

Hurricane Pineapple - My Thoughts
First of all, there’s a LOT of information on this case, so I made sure to specifically show only the murders that the Wests had committed to their own family. But the majority of murder victims at the hands of Fred & Rose West, were girls that were strangers to them. You are obviously free to look this information up online, as much of this information was found both in news articles and Wikipedia pages.

Whilst there is no denying that this is a disgusting case, the main question to me is, who was the leader in these murders? Was Fred the supposed mastermind behind the House of Horrors, or was Rose? I personally believe Rosemary had murderous intentions and sadistic sexual intentions since she was a child, and meeting someone with the same tendencies as herself only fueled her adrenaline to kill. But it’s also logical to say that Fred was the one who really took the reigns when it came to the murders, as he was the one doing the majority of physical harm. I spent about a week finding research on this case, and I am honestly intrigued by the events that unfolded.

That’s going to do it for this episode of Hurricane Pineapple. My next episode will be next Friday, and I’ll be giving you a few hints right now as to what the case is going to be about.

Sneak Peak for Episode 5

 * A woman married to the money, and a man who is physically and socially capable enough to get her needs met.
 * What happens when the people who trusted her the most, end up being the people she stabs in the back?
 * This story is bound to shock you, and the person responsible, is someone you'd never expect.

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Who do you believe is the mastermind of the "House of Horrors"? Fred West Rosemary West