William Murphy for the murder of his ex-girlfriend.

William Murphy, (photo) a 49 year old former soldier and now labourer, had been living with 36 year old Gwen Ellen Jones (photo) for more than five years. Her two children from her previous marriage also lived with them at Holyhead on the island of Anglesey. Gwen was very poor and hawked cheap goods around the town to make ends meet.

In the winter of 1909, Murphy went to Yorkshire in search of work and returned to Holyhead just before Christmas. He found that Gwen had left him and further enquiries revealed that she had gone to live with one Robert Jones in Baker Street, Holyhead. He visited Gwen a couple of times and was even invited in for breakfast.

On Christmas night 1909, Gwen went for a drink with Elizabeth Jones at the Bardsey Inn in Newry Street, Holyhead. It is unclear whether this lady was the wife or sister of Robert Jones.

She had been supposed to meet Murphy at 7.00 pm. but he did not show up on time and when he arrived, she had already left. He found her and insisted on talking to her alone. They then left the pub together. Murphy returned alone and had visible scratch marks on him. He later turned himself in to the police and led them to Gwen’s body laying in a field at Harbour of Refuge off Waltham Avenue in Holyhead. He told officers: "I am not sorry for it. I am glad I have done it - I shall get a bit of rest now." Jealousy was clearly the motive as Murphy told police that he could not think of her with another man.

The post mortem revealed that Gwen had been first strangled and then her throat had been cut, before she was held underwater in the ditch running alongside the field to make sure she was absolutely sure she was dead.

Murphy was tried at Beaumaris on the 26th of January 1910 before Mr. Justice Pickford. The prosecution was led by Mr. J. Ellis Griffith and the defence by Mr. Austin Jones. Mr. Jones put forward the usual plea of insanity but Justice Pickford told the jury that there were no grounds for this statement as the prison doctor testified that he was not insane. Otherwise there really was no defence. It took the jury just three minutes to reach their verdict.

At 8.00 a.m. on Tuesday the 15th of February 1910, William Murphy became the last man to be executed at Caernarfon (Caernarvon) Gaol when he was hanged by Henry Pierrepoint and William Willis. Murphy reportedly walked unaided to the scaffold and death was “instantaneous”. He weighed 146 lbs. and his drop was set at 7’ 0”, significantly more than required by the 1892 Table which specified 5’ 9” for 145 lbs. Murphy’s last words to the chaplain were reportedly "I hope the Lord will have a little mercy left for me."

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