London's 'Freddy Krueger killer' who stabbed 6 people to death to re-enact his favourite horror film

Described as one of the most violent and disturbed inmates at the notorious Broadmoor Hospital, Daniel Gonzalez had become known as the ‘Freddy Krueger Killer’. In September 2004, he had embarked upon a violent murder rampage across London and Sussex, murdering elderly men and women that he came across by chance.

Inspired by horror films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, the 24-year-old loner murdered four people over two days by brutally stabbing them to death. Randomly selecting houses in North London to disturb his victims, he also attempted to murder another two men but was fought off and managed to escape.

He was eventually caught while trying to board the London Underground and spent a disturbing few months in Broadmoor, where he tried to bite himself to death. An NHS report later found that there had been multiple opportunities missed to treat Gonzalez and that his mum had even begged her MP to intervene in a desperate attempt to stop her son from murdering members of the public.

Who was Daniel Gonzalez?

Described as a “dark and troubled boy”, the warning signs that Gonzalez would go on to become a serial killer had existed since his childhood. Born in Woking, his parents separated when he was six and despite doing well at school and being noted for his acting skills, his teachers were concerned about his behaviour.

By the time he was 17, he was being treated by mental health specialists and his behaviour was becoming increasingly disturbing. A reclusive loner, he was both unemployed and taking drugs by the age of 24, spending an increasing amount of time playing computer games and watching horror movies.

It was in his bedroom at his mum’s home that he plotted to carry out his violent rampage, to act as his favourite fictional serial killers and make newspaper headlines. On September 15, 2004, he travelled to Portsmouth and approached a 61-year-old man and his wife who were out walking their dog. After telling them he was going to kill them, he was fought off and fled to Hove, where he murdered his first victim.

Marie Harding, a 76-year-old woman, was stabbed to death while Gonzalez wore a hockey mask to imitate the character Jason Voorhees in the movie Friday the 13th. After killing her and stealing her purse, he returned to Woking and decided that his first failure had been due to the size of his knife.

Two days later, Gonzalez travelled to Tottenham and murdered 46-year-old pub landlord Kevin Molloy. He had approached him as he wandered around alone at 5.30am and left him for dead after stabbing him in the face, neck and torso with a pair of large knives.

At 7am, he then forced entry into the house of Koumis Constantino and stabbed him several times. He was also bitten by Gonzalez and only managed to survive after his wife managed to sprint outside and scream for help.

Evading capture, Gonzalez then travelled to Highgate and began randomly trying to gain access to different houses. By 8am, he had murdered retired paediatrician Derek Robinson, 71, and his wife Jean, 68, who were found by their decorator later that morning. During a later police interview, Gonzalez described the experience as “orgasmic”.

He was arrested later that day at Tottenham Court Road Tube station after trying to buy a ticket with a bloodstained £20 note. He was also identified by the decorator, who had seen him sprinting naked away from the crime scene.

Before his trial, Gonzalez was held at Broadmoor Hospital and attempted to commit suicide by biting through an artery in his arm. He was considered so violent that he was accompanied everywhere by guards in riot gear.

He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but this claim was rejected by the jury and he was given six life sentences, with the judge recommending that he should never be released. During the trial at the Old Bailey leading psychiatrist Dr Edward Petch said Gonzalez was the most disturbed patient he had ever seen.

He said: "At Broadmoor we are used to taking high-risk offenders but I have never seen anything like this. The degree of disturbance was without parallel in my experience. I interviewed him and felt as though he wasn't really with me, he wasn't really in the room."

On August 9, 2007, he was found dead in his room at Broadmoor after killing himself. A number of mental health charities criticised the circumstances around his death and his treatment, and an independent investigation was launched.

Commissioned by both the NHS South East Coast and Surrey County Council, the report concluded that health professionals never engaged effectively with him, he was not treated successfully and there were a number of missed opportunities.

Over seven years, Gonzalez had nearly 60 appointments with psychiatrists and had once written to his GP pleading to be admitted to hospital for help before going on to commit the atrocious crimes. His mother had also written to her MP expressing her concerns and asking whether her son had to kill someone to qualify for proper treatment.

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Update: 2024-06-04

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