History repeated itself so precisely in England that it almost defies explanation. Two murders, two young women, 157 years apart, yet their stories are so strikingly similar they read like the same crime.
This is the story of Erdington murders.
- Mary Ashford was killed on 27th May 1817 in Pype Hayes Park, Erdington, Birmingham. Barbara Forrest was killed on 27th May 1974 in Pype Hayes Park, Erdington, Birmingham.
- Both Mary and Barbara were 20 years old at the time.
- Both events occurred on a Whit Monday, a popular English bank holiday.
- Mary and Barbara were both born on 31st December.
- Both women spent their last evening dancing before being assaulted and killed.
- The Last name of the accused in both cases was Thornton.
- Mary and Barbara had expressed a feeling of doom in the days before the tragedy.
- Both Thorntons were acquitted due to lack of evidence against them.
- A Sibling of each of the victims refused to accept the verdict and fought for justice but neither murder was ever solved.
Coincidence or history repeating itself?