Bluestone family murders
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| Bluestone family murders | |
|---|---|
 Marling Way, Riverview Park, Gravesend | |
| Location | Gravesend, Kent, England |
| Date | 28 August 2001 c. 10 p.m. GMT |
Attack type | Triple murder, murder-suicide |
| Weapon | Claw hammer |
| Deaths | 4 (including the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 2 |
| Victims | Jill Bluestone, Henry Bluestone, Chandler Bluestone |
| Perpetrator | PC Karl Bluestone |
| Motive | Familicide |
The Bluestone family murders occurred in Gravesend, Kent, England on 28 August 2001.[1] Police officer Karl Bluestone murdered his wife Jill and two of the couple's children with a claw hammer before killing himself in the garage.[2] The two oldest children survived the attack.[3][4]
Karl Bluestone joined Kent Police in 1987.[5] He had a history of domestic violence,[4] had accused his wife of having an affair before the murders, and had bugged her car with a listening device.[6] In June 1999, he was arrested for injuring one of his children when he threw a cup across the room.[7] His wife Jill had run to call neighbours for help.[8]
On 28 August 2001, seven-year-old Jessica Bluestone ran to neighbours shouting "my daddy is trying to hurt me."[9] The police were called, and they arrived to the property, 92 Marling Way, in the Riverview Park area at 10pm, where they found the bludgeoned body of Jill Bluestone[10] Jill had suffered 30 blows to the head.[11] The couple's three-year-old son, Henry was found dead in his cot.[12]
Karl Bluestone was found hanging in the garage at the end of the garden.[9] The family's three other children were taken to the Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, where 18-month-old Chandler died of his injuries.[13] The couple's eight-year-old son, Jack, was transferred to London's Kings College Hospital with severe injuries.[14]
Victims:
- Jill Bluestone, 31
- Henry Bluestone, three
- Chandler Bluestone, one
The funerals of Jill Bluestone and her two sons were held at Nunthorpe Methodist Church in Middlesbrough on 7 September 2001.[5] Karl was given a separate burial.[15]
Inquest
The November 2001 inquest revealed that Bluestone attacked his family after his wife told him that she was leaving and taking the children with her.[16]
