John Sweeney, a notorious British serial killer known as "the canal killer," has died in prison at the age of 69. Sweeney was serving a whole-life tariff for the murders of his former girlfriends Paula Fields and Melissa Halstead. He died from cancer on August 14 at HMP Whitemoor in Cambridgeshire.
Sweeney was convicted in 2011 for butchering his victims' bodies and disposing of them in canals in London and the Netherlands. The remains were discovered a decade apart, and Sweeney was not connected to the disappearances until he was convicted of an axe attack on another former partner.
Melissa Halstead, an American-born model from Ohio, was killed in 1990. Her dismembered body was found in a Dutch canal, but her head and hands have never been recovered. Paula Fields' body parts were discovered in holdalls in London's Regent's Canal in 2001, with her head, hands, and feet also missing. Prosecutors stated at the time that the missing body parts were likely an attempt to prevent identification.
In addition to the murders, Sweeney also attacked another girlfriend, nurse Delia Balmer, with an axe in 1994. Balmer survived the assault after a neighbor intervened. Prior to the attack, Sweeney had held her captive and threatened her. Balmer later wrote a memoir about her experience, which was adapted into a television series.
Sweeney, who worked as a carpenter, created lurid paintings and verse at his home, sometimes referring to himself as the "Scalp Hunter." Police have also investigated the possibility that Sweeney may have been involved in the disappearances of two other former partners from South America in the late 1990s, though no evidence of harm has been found.
A Prison Service spokesperson stated that the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is investigating the death, as is standard procedure for all deaths in custody. "These were horrific crimes and our thoughts remain with the victims and their loved ones," the spokesperson said.