Walter Horsford

Walter Horsford (April 1871 – 28 June 1898) was a murderer executed in June 1898 for poisoning his cousin Annie Holmes with strychnine. He was the first person to be executed in Cambridge, England, following the end of public executions, and a dedicated building was constructed for his hanging. His conviction was notable for relying solely on circumstantial evidence. He was suspected of three other murders using the same method.

Murder of Annie Holmes In 1897 Horsford, aged 26, was a well-off farmer living in Spaldwick. He was in an intimate relationship with his cousin, Annie Holmes, a widow with three children. In October of that year, Horsford married another cousin of his, Bessie Mash. Shortly after this marriage, Holmes left Spaldwick and lodged in an inn in St Neots. In December she wrote to Horsford claiming she was pregnant.

The trial took place on 2 June 1898. At the trial it was stated that the impression of handwriting on the packages could be traced on a blotter on a desk in Horsford's home. Horsford had also purchased strychnine from a local chemist on 28 December 1897, claiming he was overrun with rats, and signed the register with his name. The second was a "girl from Peterborough" with whom he had been intimate, and who died after receiving a letter from him.