Alfred Rouse

Alfred Rouse
Alfred Arthur Rouse c. 1930
Born(1894-04-06)6 April 1894
Died10 March 1931(1931-03-10) (aged 36)
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
Other namesThe Blazing Car Murderer
OccupationCommercial traveller
Criminal statusExecuted
SpouseLily May Rouse née Watkins
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal penaltyDeath

Alfred Arthur Rouse (6 April 1894 – 10 March 1931) was a British murderer, known as the Blazing Car Murderer,[1] who was convicted and subsequently hanged at Bedford Gaol for the November 1930 murder of an unknown man in Hardingstone, Northamptonshire.[2] Rouse's crime became known as the "Blazing Car Murder" due to the fact Rouse, seeking to fabricate his own death, burned to death an unknown hitchhiker whom he had rendered unconscious inside his car.[3]

The murder was notable because the identity of the victim has never been established, resulting in Rouse being tried, convicted and executed for the murder of an unknown man.[4] Despite recent DNA testing, the identity of the victim still remains unknown.[5]

  1. ^ Butchers 1991, p. 73.
  2. ^ "Alfred Rouse 'Blazing Car Murder': New DNA Tests Used". 27 December 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  3. ^ Butchers 1991, pp. 73–74.
  4. ^ "Alfred Rouse 'Blazing Car Murder': New DNA Tests Dsed". 27 December 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  5. ^ "Alfred Rouse 'Blazing Car Murder': DNA Tests Fail to Identify Victim". BBC News. bbc.co.uk. 18 July 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2017.