Who were Susan and Christopher Edwards? Disturbing family history explored ahead of 'Landscapers' premiere

Susan and Christopher Edwards, the couple behind the 1998 Mansfield 'garden bodies' Murders, are coming to life in HBO Max's upcoming mini-series, Landscapers.

The infamous murderers, Susan and Christopher Edwards, pled guilty to shooting and killing the former's parents in 1998 more than 14 years after committing the crime. HBO Max's series, Landscapers, explores the story behind their crime.

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Who were Susan and Christopher Edwards? What did they do?

The extent to which some people go for money is beyond anything, and brutal killers Susan and Christopher Edwards know a thing or two about it. The couple murdered Susan's parents and buried their bodies in the garden in 1998, all for money.

They spent 15 years looting their bank accounts only to spend it all on Hollywood memorabilia. On the May Day Bank Holiday of 1998, Susan's parents - Patricia and William Wycherley - were shot dead at their home in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and the very next day, she cleared £40,000 from their account.

A web of lies was built as letters to friends and family were sent, and forged signatures were made on official documents only to keep up with the pretense of the Wycherleys being alive. Christmas cards were sent year after year, signed by the dead couple and at times by Susan, stating:

"I should explain that - with my father getting elderly and my mother not always in the best of health - they had been travelling around Ireland because of the good air on and off for some years"

According to neighbors, the Wycherleys were known to be an eccentric couple who kept to themselves, and false locations about the two were shared every now and then by Susan.

In order to keep up with the lies, Susan and Christopher Edwards used to travel back home every three weeks. They also canceled all hospital appointments and sent letters to the Department for Work and Pensions to continue receiving the Wycherley's pensions.

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Did the murderers get caught?

Christopher and Susan Edwards (Image via BBC)

In 2005, a driver accidentally crashed his car through the Wycherleys garden fence. Due to fears of the bodies getting discovered, Susan and Christopher Edwards quickly sold off the property, again forging the Wycherley's signatures. According to Rob Griffin, of the East Midlands major crime unit:

"They planned what they were going to do. The Wycherleys didn't have many close friends, weren't particularly close to their families. The Edwardses were prepared to go to great and extravagant lengths to keep up the pretence they were alive."

In 2012, the DWP requested Mr Wycherley for a face-to-face interview as he was approaching his 100th birthday, sending Susan and Christopher Edwards into panic mode who then fled to France. However, the couple surrendered with an email by Christopher, sent to the force:

"We are going to surrender ourselves to the UK Border Force authorities at the Eurostar terminal at Lille Europe station. We would prefer to do this… Since my wife is already sufficiently frightened."

In 2015, police found remains of the Wycherleys in the garden, later confirming one body had a bullet lodged in the spine. A jury at Nottingham Crown Court found Susan and Christopher Edwards guilty of murder more than 16 years after they committed the crime. According to police, Christopher shot both his in-laws with a World War Two .38 commando revolver.

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Series adaptation on the Mansfield murderers

Created by Ed Sinclair, HBO Max's Landscapers is a mini-series on the Mansfield 'garden bodies' murders. The series follows the story of Susan and Christopher Edwards and explores their crime of killing the former's parents, a heinous act that remained hidden for over a decade.

The official synopsis for Landscapers reads:

"Landscapers is a new crime drama that tells the true story of the murder of William and Patricia Wycherley, a couple who was killed by their daughter and son-in-law and buried in their own backyard for 15 years before anyone realized what had happened."

The official trailer for the Landscapers was released recently with its premiere on 6 December 2021, exclusively on HBO Max. The series stars Olivia Colman, David Thewlis Susan and Christopher Edwards, along with Kate O'Flynn, Dipo Ola, Samuel Anderson, Karl Johnson, Felicity Montagu and Daniel Rigby.

Stream Landscapers on HBO Max from 6 December 2021, and explore the henious act by Susan and Christopher Edwards. The series is also available to watch on skyTV from 7 December 2021.