Arthur Robert Boyce

Case name

Arthur Robert Boyce

Background

In the summer of 1946, King George II of Greece rented a house at 45 Chester Square, Belgravia. Requiring a housekeeper for the premises, he engaged the services of 41-year-old Elizabeth McLindon, and she moved into the house even though the place was still being decorated. Elizabeth considered herself engaged to be married, and her fiancé was Arthur Robert Boyce, a man she had met in Brighton.

Boyce was already married and had served a prison sentence for bigamy. Elizabeth had previously been a high-class prostitute. She had only obtained the post because Boyce had forged her glowing references.

Timeline

• summer of 1946 — King George II of Greece rented a house at 45 Chester Square, Belgravia and hired 41-year-old Elizabeth McLindon as housekeeper while the property was still being decorated.
• 9 June 1946 — King George II of Greece and his private secretary, M. Papanikolaou, arrived at the Chester Square house to see how the redecoration work was progressing and found the housekeeper was not there.
• 12 June 1946 — M. Papanikolaou visited the house again and found no sign of Elizabeth.
• 14 June 1946 — Police were alerted; they broke down the door of a locked room and found Elizabeth dead.
• September 1946 — Boyce appeared for trial at the Old Bailey.
• 1 November 1946 — Boyce was hanged at Pentonville.

Investigation

When King George II of Greece, accompanied by his private secretary, M. Papanikolaou, arrived at the Chester Square house on the evening of 9 June, they were surprised to find that the housekeeper was not there to greet them. They looked into several rooms, but there was no sign of Elizabeth. They noticed that one room on the ground floor was locked.

On 12 June, M. Papanikolaou visited again and there was no sign of Elizabeth. On 14 June, the police were alerted. Officers came to the house and broke down the door of the locked room. Elizabeth was dead. She was seated at a table and had been shot in the back of the head. Officers concluded that she had been dead for about six days.

When officers searched Elizabeth’s possessions, they found letters signed “Your loving and true hubby, Arthur.”

Police followed Boyce’s trail to Brighton. They searched his lodgings and found a luggage label in the name of John Rowland. Rowland was traced to an address in Caernarvon. He told officers that he had once shared lodgings with Boyce. During their time together, Rowland had had a .32 Browning automatic pistol stolen and had suspected Boyce of taking it. Rowland produced a spent cartridge case from the weapon.

Markings on the spent cartridge case were identical to markings found on a similar one found next to Elizabeth’s body.

Trial

Boyce was arrested and appeared for trial at the Old Bailey in September 1946.

At trial, he tried to convince the jury that he had given the gun to Elizabeth as protection against some men who had threatened her. The jury dismissed this notion and found him guilty of murder.

Outcome

Boyce was hanged at Pentonville on 1 November 1946.

Other details

• Elizabeth McLindon was 41 years old.
• Elizabeth was shot in the back of the head.
• The letters found among Elizabeth’s possessions were signed “Your loving and true hubby, Arthur.”
• John Rowland said he had once shared lodgings with Boyce.
• Rowland reported that his .32 Browning automatic pistol had been stolen and that he suspected Boyce of taking it.
• Boyce’s gun was linked to the scene through identical markings on a spent cartridge case found by officers next to Elizabeth’s body.