 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2010) |
Eric Edgar Cooke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 February 1931 |
| Died | 26 October 1964 (aged 33) |
| Cause of death | Execution by hanging |
| Other names |
|
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Spouse | Sarah Lavin (m. 1953) |
| Children | 7 |
| Conviction(s) | Wilful murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 8 |
Span of crimes | 1959–1963 |
| Country | Australia |
| State(s) | Western Australia |
Date apprehended | 1 September 1963 |
Eric Edgar Cooke (25 February 1931 – 26 October 1964), nicknamed the Night Caller and later the Nedlands Monster, was an Australian serial killer who terrorised the city of Perth, Western Australia, from September 1958 to August 1963. Cooke committed at least 20 violent crimes, eight of which resulted in deaths.[1]
Following a four-year killing spree, Cooke was eventually arrested and made extensive admissions to his crimes, including to ones others had been wrongfully convicted of. He was convicted of wilful murder in the Supreme Court of Western Australia after a jury rejected an insanity defence. He was sentenced to death and hanged at Fremantle Prison. Cooke was the last person to be executed in Western Australia.
- ^ Christian, Bret (1 February 2003). "Police decoy used in killer hunt sting". Post Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2 February 2003. Retrieved 21 September 2006.