Dr. Robert George Clements

Case record: Dr. Robert George Clements

Status / outcome

Robert George Clements committed suicide in 1947 before he was caught by the police and therefore never stood trial.

When the police came to arrest Clements, they found that he had committed suicide and left a note that read: "To Whom It May Concern: I can no longer tolerate the diabolical insults to which I have been recently exposed."

Background

Robert George Clements (1880-1947) was a physician and a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Clements was born in 1880 in Belfast, Ireland. He graduated in 1904 aged 24.

The offence

On 27 May 1947, Clements murdered his fourth wife, Amy Victoria Burnett, using morphine in order to inherit her money.

Clements was suspected of the murder of his fourth wife, who died of morphine poisoning. The circumstances of Burnett's death also caused people at the time to question the deaths of Clements’s first three wives, which had occurred before her death.

Victims

• Fourth wife: Amy Victoria Burnett — the daughter of a wealthy industrialist. She died on 27 May 1947 in suspicious circumstances in Southport.

• First wife: Edith — died in 1920 of "sleeping sickness" at age 40.

• Second wife: Mary — died in 1925 of endocarditis at age 25.

• Third wife: Kathleen — died of cancer.

Clements married four times.

Investigation

Both Clements and the doctor he called to examine his dying fourth wife diagnosed myeloid leukaemia.

The diagnosis was confirmed by a botched post-mortem.

A second autopsy later found traces indicating death by morphine poisoning:

• A second autopsy was conducted by a Dr Grace, who deduced that she had died from morphine poisoning.
• The finding was confirmed by Dr J.B. Firth, Director of the Home Office Laboratory in Preston.

The circumstances of Burnett's death led to investigation, including references to an independent examiner noting signs of morphine poisoning, and police inquiry that arose from neighbors.

Police learned, from neighbors, that Dr. Clements seemed to have strange advance knowledge of his wife's "dizzy spells."

Further investigation revealed that Clements had prescribed large doses of morphine for a patient who never received the injections.

Once warrants were issued for Clements’s arrest, detectives called on both Clements and Dr Houston in turn and found both men dead in an apparent double suicide.

Autopsy and related physician deaths

The botched post-mortem on Burnett was carried out by another physician, Dr James Houston.

After Dr Houston found out that his post-mortem had missed the presence of morphine, he committed suicide.

Dr James Houston died after taking his own life with cyanide, leaving a note that read: "I have for some time been aware that I have been making mistakes. I have not profited from experience."

Arrest / police actions

When the police came to arrest Clements, they found that he had committed suicide.

Trial

Clements never stood trial because he committed suicide before being caught by the police.

Other details

Clements signed the death certificates himself in relation to the deaths of his wives, including the death certificates for his first two wives:

• For Edith (died of "sleeping sickness" in 1920 aged 40).
• For Mary (died of endocarditis in 1925 aged 25).

There was some suspicion following the death of his third wife, but there was no opportunity to perform a post-mortem because her body had already been cremated.

All, with the exception of the third wife, were wealthy women when Clements married them and were almost penniless at the time of their deaths.

Clements had called in another doctor the previous day when his fourth wife fell ill. She was taken to a nursing home where she died the next day.

Clements is thought to have murdered Burnett in order to inherit her money.

In relation to his third wife Kathleen, Clements had begun predicting her imminent death in 1939. After she collapsed and died in Southport, a physician friend of Clements persuaded police to order an autopsy, but the remains had already been cremated on orders from the grieving husband. Once again, Clements was present to sign the certificate of death by natural causes.

A discrepancy concerning cause of death existed during Burnett’s death investigation:

• A Lancashire pathologist, Dr. James Houston, accepted Clements’s word in listing the cause as myeloid leukemia.
• An independent examiner noted signs of morphine poisoning.

Timeline

• 1920 — Edith died of "sleeping sickness" aged 40.
• 1925 — Mary died of endocarditis aged 25.
• 1939 — Clements began predicting Kathleen’s imminent death.
• 27 May 1947 — Amy Victoria Burnett died in suspicious circumstances in Southport after morphine poisoning; Clements had called in another doctor the previous day and she died the next day.
• 1947 — Clements committed suicide before being caught by the police and therefore never stood trial.