5 chilling details about serial killer Scalp Hunter from ITV true crime show Until I Kill You, investigated

Until I kill you is an ITV crime series that immerses viewers in the terrifying story of John Sweeney, also known as the “scalp hunter”.

Sweeney’s brutal crimes in the 1990s and early 2000s shocked the UK. This series brings his harrowing story back into focus and is based on the book by survivor Delia Balmer Life with a serial killer.

The series follows Ballmer’s journey with Sweeney. It explores the psychological and physical terror Sweeney inflicted on his loved ones. Sweeney’s twisted, violent mind was unlike anything the public had seen, making him one of Britain’s most dangerous criminals.

See 5 gruesome details about the Scalp Hunter from the ITV true crime series Until I kill you.

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5 creepy details about ITV serial killer Scalp Hunter Until I kill you

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1) “Body Disposal Kit”

in Until I kill youone of the first terrifying signs of Sweeney’s dark intentions was his so-called “body disposal kit.” Delia Ballmer has dated Sweeney in the past. Sweeney was a controlling partner who repeatedly called and stalked Ballmer, causing her friends and family to worry about the nature of their relationship.

She later discovered this disturbing bag among his belongings early in their relationship. It was stuffed with a saw, rope, gloves and masking tape. These tools only made sense in a horrific context. Ballmer later realized that this “set” was most likely intended for her. Then she realized it was a terrible wake-up call.

Series Until I kill you shows that it was obvious that he carefully planned his actions. It showed how deeply Sweeney’s violent tendencies were incorporated into his everyday life.

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2) Four-day trial of terror

in Until I kill youone of the most gruesome details is the four-day hostage situation involving Sweeney and Delia Ballmer. After their relationship soured, Ballmer tried to run away, changed the locks and stopped contact.

In 1994, he forced his way into her house and tied her to the bed. He held her captive at gunpoint. He even confessed to killing his ex-girlfriend Melissa Halstead, which scared Ballmer.

He held her captive for four days. His psychological and physical control over her showed the lengths Sweeney would go to instill fear in others and maintain dominance.

When Balmer finally managed to escape from him and went to the police, Sweeney plotted his revenge.

In December 1994, he found and attacked her in broad daylight. He brutally chopped her with an ax. Ballmer lost a finger and suffered multiple stab wounds. These injuries left her with lifelong scars. A neighbor saved her by hitting Sweeney with a baseball bat.

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3) Spooky opening in the channel

Sweeney’s activities were not limited to Great Britain. It is known that he traveled in Europe. In 2001, the dismembered body of Paula Fields was found in London’s Regent’s Canal. It was stuffed into six bags.

Fields, like Sweeney’s previous victims, suffered incredible violence. Her body was disposed of in a way that showed a complete lack of humanity. Sweeney used canals as places to dispose of his victims. Sweeney also mutilated his victims.

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4) His drawings and creepy poems “Scalp Hunter”.

Sweeney’s twisted mind went beyond physical abuse. He documented his horrific fantasies and crimes through art.

When the police finally searched his squat, they found more than 300 pornographic paintings and poems containing violence. Some of these images showed women tied up and bloody knives. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.

Another shocking one was a short poem he wrote:

“Poor old Melissa, cut her to pieces, food to feed the fish, Amsterdam was the pits.”

One picture even featured a tombstone that read “RIP Melissa Halstead.” This is a mockery of the memory of his first known victim. The nickname “Scalp Hunter” comes in part from one of these disturbing drawings called “Scalp Hunter”.

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5) Sweeney’s Creepy Secret

in Until I kill youone of the most disturbing aspects of John Sweeney’s crimes is that he never revealed what he did with the heads of Paula Fields and Melissa Halstead. Their remains are still missing. As Delia Ballmer has pointed out, this may have been his way of maintaining control.

She shared a harrowing memory of 1993, when Sweeney told her he had sealed his pet tarantula into a brick wall at a construction site in Germany. Ballmer suspects he may have done something similar with the remains of his victims. Perhaps he left them hidden in the walls of buildings somewhere in Europe.

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In 2011, Sweeney was finally convicted of his heinous crimes. Chief Inspector Norman McKinlay interviewed Sweeney in prison. He remembered Sweeney’s silent, piercing gaze.

Judge Justice Saunders condemned the crimes as cold and brutal. He noted that the mutilation of the victims caused even greater suffering to their families. They still do not have the comfort of recovering the remains of their loved ones.

Until I kill you sheds light on these gruesome details. This reveals the extent of Sweeney’s warped mind. Now broadcast on ITV.

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