Harold Shipman was a British doctor and serial killer. Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in history. He killed over 200 people but was only convicted of 15. He was sentenced to life in prison.

The victim that got Shipman caught was Kathleen Grundy. Grundy was found in her home dead on June 24, 1998. Grundy was known as a healthy and active 81-year-old woman. The front door of her house was left open, which was typically locked as it was rarely used. Grundy was found curled up on the couch still clothed as if she had fallen asleep. It was discovered that Shipman had been at her house the previous night to collect a blood sample for research regarding aging. When Shipman arrived at Grundy’s house he pronounced her dead and contacted her daughter, Angela Woodruff. Shipman told Woodruff that an autopsy was not necessary because he had seen her alive and well shortly before her death.

Shortly after Grundy’s burial, Woodruff received a call from solicitors claiming that they had a copy of her mother’s will. Woodruff knew this was untrue as she was a solicitor herself, owning her own firm, and had handled her mother’s will. Woodruff’s firm still had the original document that was filed in 1986. When Woodruff reviewed the “will” she noticed that it was poorly typed; the document was full of errors and did not make sense. Woodruff also noticed that her mother’s signature was not quite right. Another red flag for Woodruff was that Shipman was now the primary benefactor. After speaking with the witness of the “new will” Woodruff came to the conclusion that Shipman had murdered her mother.

Woodruff then went to the police and an investigation began. Grundy’s body was exhumed and examined. It was found that she had been given a lethal dose of morphine. Other patients were also exhumed and examined and they were also found to have been given a lethal dose of morphine. The police also discovered that Shipman had tampered with the medical notes, so, even if the family members of his previous patients asked for their loved one’s medical records, the records would not show anything abnormal. However, Shipman was not aware that there would be a timestamp corresponding with his edits to the records.

It is not known why Shipman killed his patients. One theory is that he was in it for money. Shipman was going to be getting 386,000 pounds, $526,110.28, from Grundy’s will. The police found jewelry and other valuables from Shipman’s previous victims in his home. Another theory is that he desperately needed to be in control. When Shipman was 17 he watched his mother die of cancer. He saw the doctors inject her with morphine to ease her pain. Now, as an adult, Shipman had control over whether his patients lived or died.