Talk:George Joseph Smith

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This case had a large impact on British law, since it was often used as a case study when applying the concept of 'system' to murder trials in the first half of the 20th century (Judge Patrick Devlin mentions it frequently in his book "Easing the Passing" about the unsuccessful prosecution of suspected serial killer John Bodkin Adams). Unfortunately, I know little about law so if someone could add something about this it would be helpful.Malick78 15:46, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Re: "The first stage of an epileptic fit consists of a stiffening and extension of the entire body."

Did the police think this or is this the opinion of the author? The statement is factually incorrect. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.44.140.252 (talk) 15:00, 2 January 2011 (UTC)

Logical Problem with 'Solution'

If the pathologist was correct about the killer knocking out his victims flawlessly with this method of suddenly pulling the women underwater, yet was only able to figure this out after hiring and experimenting upon divers, how did the killer hit upon it? Pure inspirational luck seems unlikely. The logical alternative is that he attacked and/or killed many other women in bathtubs by less successful methods until refining it. Did the police not look for similar crimes and patterns? The supposed homicide method is itself dubious, as it rests on a single anecdote from a prosecution source; whereas YouTube is full of videos of water-skiers and surfers being pulled suddenly underwater without going unconscious. Assuming the method worked, why wouldn't there be obvious bruising or marks on the ankles or legs from such a strong pull? It's an intriguing theory, but this explanation is far too pat.71.234.44.10 (talk) 02:16, 21 November 2012 (UTC)

A legal point should be explained

The article states that George Joseph Smith was charged for the murders of Bessie Williams, Alice Smith and Margaret Lloyd on 23 March 1915. {...} Although he could only be tried for the murder of Bessie Williams in accordance with English law .... Why could he not be tried for the other two murders? What did the law say in this regard? The article fails to offer an explanation. --Zerolevel (talk) 13:19, 18 July 2015 (UTC)

other wife?

after the mention of the first wife, the paragraph ends with "Smith then went back to his other wife, cleared out her savings and left." - it isn't clear who is meant 146.200.171.218 (talk) 10:43, 6 May 2024 (UTC)