Beverley Stephens was volunteering at a day centre for the down at heel in the Saltley area of Birmingham when she first met Barry Williams. She thought he was kind with a friendly personality, a ‘regular’ man who had simply fallen on hard times.
Despite a 17-year age gap they started dating, but while Beverley, 34, was falling for her new man, he was hiding a dark secret that would make most potential suitors run for the hills. Williams, 51, was a convicted spree killer who had just spent 15 years in Broadmoor Hospital for executing five people in a gun rampage across the West Midlands.
He came clean to Beverley about his horrifying crimes and incredibly their romance blossomed. When the five-times killer proposed a year into their relationship, she said yes.
Beverley told The Crime Desk: ‘He was kind and just seemed like a pleasant, regular man. He wasn’t violent then. He just liked a quiet life.’
But despite the scenes of domestic bliss, behind the net curtains of the couple's terraced home Williams was a ticking timebomb. To read our exclusive feature on what happened next sign up to The Crime Desk newsletter. Each week our team will bring you unrivalled insight, expert analysis, and in-depth reporting on the cases you can't stop thinking about. Every newsletter will be packed with exclusive features, interviews and the breaking stories dominating today’s headlines. Delivered to your inbox every week, completely FREE.
