Where are Fred West and Rose West now? Details about World's Most Notorious Killer subjects explored

World's Most Notorious Killers is a docuseries that shows the dark world of serial killers like Fred West and Rose West. Launched on Peacock on September 17, 2024, the series kicks off with an episode titled The West Murders.

The episode uncovers the gruesome crimes committed by Fred and Rose West that stunned England. People looking to understand the depth of their depravity can watch the Peacock series.

Fred West's life came to a grim end on January 1, 1995 when he took his own life in his cell at HM Prison Birmingham, as per The Independent. Facing numerous charges, including 12 counts of murder Fred chose to end his life before a trial could provide any semblance of justice to his victims or their families. His death marked a disturbing close to his chapter in criminal history.

Meanwhile, Rose West continues to serve her life sentence having been found guilty of 10 murders in November 1995. Despite her attempts to appeal the conviction, she remains incarcerated at HM Prison New Hall, as per The Sun. Her life in prison has been marked by isolation as most of her family members have reportedly ceased contact over the years.

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Majority of murders by Fred West and Rose West took place at 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester

The West Murders episode features Fred West and Rose West's crimes (Image sourced from Unsplash)

Fred West and Rose West are two of Britain's most notorious serial killers whose crimes during the latter half of the 20th century horrified the nation. The couple was responsible for the s*xual assault and murder of multiple young women, including members of their own family.

As shown in the docuseries and reported by BBC, the Wests’ activities primarily took place at their residence, 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, which later came to be infamously known as the "House of Horrors." Over the years, the house was a scene of s*xual and physical abuse, with the couple often targeting vulnerable young girls who were either living with them as lodgers or picked up from bus stops and local hangouts.

Fred West and Rose West's modus operandi involved picking up girls under the guise of offering them a ride or a place to stay, only to hold them captive at their home. Once there, the victims were subjected to extreme torture, often lasting for days.

After murdering their victims, the duo would dismember the bodies and bury them in their cellar or under the patio in their garden. It is believed that their killing spree began in the late 1960s and continued unabated until their arrest in 1994.

As BBC reported, their first known victim was Rose's stepdaughter, Charmaine West, who was killed in 1971 while Fred was in prison. Upon his release, Fred joined Rose in her murderous pursuits.

Together, they killed young women including Lynda Gough, Carol Ann Cooper, and Lucy Partington, among others. These young women were subjected to brutal violence that culminated in their deaths after which their bodies were carefully dismembered and concealed.

BBC also reported that Fred West was also responsible for the murder of his first wife, Rena West, and their nanny, Anne McFall, whose deaths added to the series of grim discoveries linked to the couple. The Wests went to great lengths to conceal their crimes, with Fred doing much of the manual work to hide the bodies and Rose participating actively both in the murders and the subsequent cover-up efforts.

Noir (Image sourced from Unsplash)

The truth about their actions slowly came to light after the police began investigating the disappearance of their daughter, Heather West, in 1994. Her disappearance led to a search of the Cromwell Street home where police uncovered multiple human remains buried on the property which revealed the scale of their crimes and led to the couple's arrest.

CNN reported that Fred West admitted to several of the murders but hanged himself in his prison cell before he could be tried. Rose West was tried and found guilty of ten murders in November 1995. She was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and remains in prison to this day.

Throughout their years of committing these atrocities, Fred West and Rose West managed to maintain a facade of normalcy, deceiving their community, neighbors, and even some family members. The case remains one of the most chilling and perverse instances of serial murder in British criminal history.

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Watch the first episode of World's Most Notorious Killers, titled The West Murders on Peacock.