Alfred Rouse | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 10 March 1931 | (aged 36)
Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
Other names | The Blazing Car Murderer |
Occupation | Commercial traveller |
Criminal status | Executed |
Spouse | Lily May Rouse née Watkins |
Conviction(s) | Murder |
Criminal penalty | Death |
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]