Daniel Julian Gonzalez (21 June 1980 – 9 August 2007), also known as the Freddy Krueger Killer and the Mummy's Boy Killer, was a British

spree killer A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders or homicides in a short time, in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations ...

who murdered four people and injured two others during two days across

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Sussex in September 2004. Gonzalez was inspired by horror films such as ''

A Nightmare on Elm Street ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise and stars Heather Langenka ...

'' and '' Friday the 13th'' to become a "famous serial killer". In a drug-fuelled stabbing spree, he attacked the elderly and infirm, writing about his experiences in letters to himself as "Zippy", his past nickname. His letters said how much he enjoyed the murders "one of the best things I've done in my life", and how similar he was to the character

Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit ...

. Gonzalez's mother, Lesley Savage, had previously written a letter to her MP criticising that a serious incident had to occur before he could receive mental help. In her letter, she

rhetorically Rhetoric () is the Art (skill), art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the Trivium, three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuad ...

asked "does my son have to commit murder to get help?" He was jailed for life in 2006 and committed suicide in

Broadmoor hospital Broadmoor Hospital is a high-security psychiatric hospital in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. It is the oldest of the three high-security psychiatric hospitals in England, the other two being Ashworth Hospital near Liverpool and Rampton Secure ...

(a high-security

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...

) the following year.

Early life

Daniel Gonzalez, who had an English mother and

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

father, was educated at Gordons School, a privately run school in West end, Woking, Surrey. His parents separated in 1986 when he was six years old. Gonzalez left school with eight GCSEs and was known to be a good actor, a chess champion, but also a "dark and troubled boy." From the age of 17, Gonzalez received care because of his psychological problems and was treated by specialist mental health teams. By the age of 24, he was unemployed and using drugs. He spent all his time playing computer games and watching horror films.

Victims

On 15 September 2004, Gonzalez told 61-year-old Peter King, who was walking his dog with his wife in

Hilsea Hilsea is a district of the city of Portsmouth in the English county of Hampshire. Hilsea is home to one of Portsmouth's main sports and leisure facilities – the Mountbatten centre. Trafalgar School, Portsmouth, Trafalgar School (formerly the Ci ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, that he was going to kill him. He was fought off and fled to

Hove Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th c ...

, where he stabbed 76-year-old Marie Harding while wearing a

hockey mask A goaltender mask, commonly referred to as a goalie mask, is a mask worn by goaltenders in a variety of sports to protect the head and face from injury from the ball or puck, as they constantly face incoming shots on goal. Some sports requiring th ...

, similar to the character

Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a character from the ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in '' Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Mi ...

in the movie ''Friday the 13th''. When the mask was taken in for evidence, it had Harding's DNA on it. After killing Harding, he returned to his home in Woking. He concluded that the reason for his failure to kill King was because his knife was too small. Two days later, on 17 September 2004, Gonzalez travelled to

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Wal ...

. At 5:30am, he left 46-year-old Kevin Molloy for dead after stabbing him in the face, neck and torso with a pair of large knives he had stolen from a department store. At 7am, he forced entry into the

Hornsey Hornsey is a district of north London, England in the London Borough of Haringey. It is an inner-suburban, for the most part residential, area centred north of Charing Cross. It adjoins green spaces Queen's Wood and Alexandra Park to the ...

house of Koumis Constantino, but was fought off after stabbing his arm. By 8am he was in

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...

, where he randomly tried to gain access to houses. He murdered elderly couple Derek and Jean Robinson,Is there a cure for Britain's most dangerous criminals?
/ref> an experience which he claimed was "

orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region chara ...

ic".

Arrest and trial

Gonzalez was arrested on 17 September 2004 at Tottenham Court Road Underground station after a decorator, who had seen him running naked and covered in blood from the Robinsons' house, reported him to police. Before his trial, while held at Broadmoor Hospital, Berkshire, Gonzalez tried to bite himself to death and was so violent that he was accompanied everywhere by officers in

riot gear Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest. If a riot is spontaneous and irration ...

. At the trial, Gonzalez tried to claim that he was not guilty by reason of insanity, although this was rejected. He was given six

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes fo ...

s, with the trial judge recommending that he should never be released.

Death

After his arrest, Gonzalez attempted to commit suicide by biting through an artery in his arm. "I have never seen anyone bite himself with that ferocity," said the doctor who treated his wound. He survived but committed suicide in his room in Broadmoor Hospital, on 9 August 2007, by cutting himself with the edges of a broken CD case.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Daniel 1980 births 2007 deaths 21st-century English criminals Crime in Brighton and Hove Crime in Hampshire English people convicted of murder English people who died in prison custody English prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment English spree killers Murder in London People convicted of murder by England and Wales People detained at Broadmoor Hospital People from Woking People who committed suicide in prison custody People with antisocial personality disorder Place of birth missing Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by England and Wales Prisoners who died in England and Wales detention 2007 suicides Suicides by sharp instrument in England