5 things to know about UK "Crossbow Cannibal" Stephen Griffiths

West Yorkshire's Stephen Griffiths was absolutely sure of what he wanted to be. His ambition was to become a serial killer and he idolized the Yorkshire Ripper, who notoriously killed 13 women between 1975 and 1980. Griffiths achieved his ambition by heinously killing and devouring the parts of three women between 2009-2010.

Featured in the upcoming episode of Oxygen's Living With a Serial Killer, the self-proclaimed Crossbow Cannibal is sure to sicken and shock viewers as the episode will dive deeper into his crimes and past. Tune in to the second episode of the latest season on July 16, 2022 at 9 pm ET/PT only on Oxygen.

The official synopsis for the upcoming episode, titled Stephen Griffiths, reads:

"From 2009-10, the self-proclaimed Crossbow Cannibal terrorizes the community of Bradford in Northern England. His ex-girlfriend reveals the mental and physical abuse she endured for years at the hands of one of the UK’s most heinous serial killers."

Prepare yourself ahead of the episode by checking out the following facts about the psychopathic serial killer.

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5 facts about Stephen Griffiths aka Crossbow Cannibal

1) He used a crossbow or a samurai sword to kill his victims and then ate them

Stephen Griffiths' modus operandi and weapon of choice would make his self-chosen sobriquet a lot clearer. Between 2009-2010, he killed three women, all of whom were either s*x workers or drug addicts. His choice of victim reflected that of his idol, the Yorkshire Ripper, who murdered 13 women between 1975 and 1980, all of whom were s*x workers.

He would lure his victims to his apartment with the promise of drugs. He then either sliced them up with his samurai sword or shot them with his crossbow. Once dead, he would dismember his victims. He even admitted to have eaten parts of his victims.

During his trial, the prosecutor revealed that Griffiths had turned his bathroom into a "slaughterhouse". According to The Telegraph, he dismembered two of his victims in his bathtub and ate parts of them after cooking them on his stovetop.

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2) He was pursuing a post-graduate course in Criminology

At the outset, Stephen Griffiths was an average Joe, a studious guy who lived an ordinary life. It was only when one stepped inside his apartment that they witnessed the stuff of nightmares. His apartment was full of books on serial killers and graphic videos, in addition to the crossbow and samurai sword that decorated his living space.

Ask anyone what their dreams and aspirations are and they will reply with something like becoming a CEO, writing a book, winning an Oscar, etc. Not Griffiths. He admitted to his psychiatrist that he had always wanted to be a serial killer. His idol was Peter Sutcliffe, also known as the Yorkshire Ripper.

By 2009, Griffiths' passion for serial killing had reached a peak and he enrolled in a master's degree course in criminology at Bradford University. He studied the differences between 19th-century homicides and murders today.

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3) He killed three women but there could have been more

Griffiths was arrested on May 24, 2010 for his gut-churning crimes, but not before he murdered and dismembered three women. His first victim was 43-year-old Susan Rushworth, a known s*x worker, who disappeared in June 2009. She was killed with a crossbow and her remains were never found.

Months later, 31-year-old Shelley Armitage was killed in the same manner. She was also a s*x worker when she disappeared. In a horrifying revelation, after killing and dismembering Armitage, Griffiths carried her body parts in bin bags via public transport to get rid of them. In a twisted and appalling move, he recorded a step-by-step video of butchering Shelley on his mobile, which he eventually lost.

In 2010, he killed 36-year-old Suzanne Blamires. He held her in his apartment for two days and when she tried to flee, he shot her using his crossbow and dragged her body back into his apartment. He dismembered and disposed of her body. He dumped the body parts of his second and third victims in the River Aire, which were eventually recovered by divers.

He never revealed how many women he had killed after being apprehended. Instead, he simply stated that he had killed loads of women.

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4) He had a criminal past and had been diagnosed as a violent psychopath

At the age of 17, Griffiths was imprisoned for three years because he attacked a supermarket security guard with a knife when he tried to stop Griffiths from shoplifting.

While in prison, he was diagnosed as a violent psychopath with a preoccupation for murder. However, he was still released from prison and allowed to return to society. Five years later, he was once again behind bars for holding a knife to a girl's throat.

He was also described by ex-girlfriends as abusive and scary. Zeta Pinder, who Griffith dated for two years, broke up with him the moment she stepped into his apartment. Kathy Hancock, another one of his exes, broke up with him in 2001, after being tortured by him for 10 years.

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5) He was arrested after getting caught on CCTV

Griffiths was caught in the act while shooting Blamires, his third victim, with his crossbow. In true psychopathic fashion, Griffiths flicked the finger at the camera that captured him killing Blamires. The caretaker of the building witnessed the CCTV footage and alerted the police.

When the police arrived, they found Griffiths calmly waiting in his apartment, ready to get arrested. A psychologist explained his resigned calmness as,

"He made no attempt to avoid arrest. He had become the notorious serial killer that he wanted to be."

The second episode of Living With a Serial Killer will air on Oxygen on July 16, 2022 at 9 pm ET/PT.