New suspect in infamous Bible John murder case in Scotland identified by DNA

A new lead has emerged in the grisly Scottish Bible John murders as a new suspect is named, identified using DNA.

The man linked to this famous unsolved case is former printer John Templeton, suspected of being the murderer of Helen Puttock, one of three women brutally murdered in Glasgow in the 1960s.

John Templeton, who died in 2015 aged 70, was implicated following an investigation which revealed both family links and a shared DNA profile with the former main suspect, John Irvine McInnes. This spotlight on Templeton was prompted by Australian author Jill Bavin-Mizzi's groundbreaking book which investigated the 55-year-old case; Bavin-Mizzi's investigation uncovered significant evidence suggesting that Templeton – scrutinized by the original homicide squad – may well be the infamous killer.

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Bavin-Mizzi expressed his certainty: “I am 100 percent convinced that John Templeton is the John of the Bible. The circumstantial evidence is so great that it would be mathematically impossible for it not to be Templeton.

Adding a chilling twist, this would indicate that the murderer had brazenly given his real name and information to the only witness in the case, Jean Langford, the sister of the late Helen. Templeton's identity was traced by Bavin-Mizzi by examining the lineage of McInnes, who was named as a suspect following a cold case evaluation in 1996.

McInnes, a former soldier from Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, committed suicide in 1980 and was questioned over Helen's murder, aged 29, in 1969, but was later dismissed as a suspect. Nonetheless, DNA later collected from Helen's clothing resembled samples provided by McInnes' siblings Jane and Hector, the Daily Record reports.

However, when McInnes' remains were exhumed from Stonehouse Cemetery in 1996, no definitive matches were found.

Australian experts have confirmed that DNA can be inherited from one generation to the next, and a deep dive into McInnes family history led Jill to John Templeton, born in 1945.

Jill explained: “The name John Templeton exists among the ancestors of Hector and Janet McInnes, siblings whose DNA samples share patterns with the DNA profile of the semen stain on Helen's stockings.”

She added: “I was lucky enough to find some well-researched genealogical records on the McInnes family. I realized the killer probably used his real name when he introduced himself to Helen and Jeannie that evening- there in the Barrowland Ballroom.”

“Templeton's age, height and hair color match the suspect's description. He was also a foster child, as police suspected of being the killer.”

Jill also believes: “For me, Bible John was not a Barrowland regular. He was going to murder women. These were not impulsive killings. »

Helen's body was discovered on October 31, 1969, behind a building in Earl Street, Scotstoun, where she lived with her husband and two children. She was last seen by her sister Jean after sharing a taxi with a man Helen had met at the Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow.

Three months earlier, the body of 31-year-old Jemima MacDonald was found in an abandoned apartment on MacKeith Street in Bridgeton, near her home.

In February 1968, Patricia Docker, 25, was found dead in an alley near her home in Langside Place, south Glasgow. All three victims were mothers of young children and were menstruating at the time of their deaths, a detail that linked the murders in the eyes of police.

Jill, 62, revealed the allegations in her book Bible John A New Suspect after reuniting with her ex-wife. She provided Jill with a photo that bears an uncanny resemblance to the artist's impression created by George Lennox Paterson, based on information provided by Jean.

She said: “It is clear that Templeton's jawline, the length of his chin, the distance between his mouth and the tip of his nose and the length of his nose are all comparable to Paterson's portrait of Bible John. She revealed Templeton had been questioned by police six times. following months

“Helen's murder, but was never re-interviewed or included in an identity parade. Jean, who died in 2010, informed police that the suspect introduced himself as John and gave the last name Templeton or Sempleson.

“The man told Helen and her sister that he worked in a laboratory. Templeton was a printer who, after an apprenticeship, became a typesetter or typesetter. Templeton was also tall, with sandy hair, and matched the age profile provided by Jean.

Dental analysis of a photo led Jill to believe Templeton had the killer's overlapping tooth and another missing. He had been placed as a child with a family in Dumbarton Road in Yoker, Glasgow. In the taxi, Bible John had even pointed out the location of the old children's home.

Helen's sister Jean informed police that in the taxi back to Scotstoun the killer used biblical phrases which later earned him the nickname Bible John. Jill discovered that Templeton had married in August 1969, before the second murder, and had moved away. north of Kelvinside.In 2022, she searched for her former spouse and traveled to Scotland for a face-to-face meeting.

The ex-wife, who first met Templeton at the Majestic Ballroom in Glasgow, gave him a photo of him dating from 1967, just a year before the killings began.

Now 82 and having been Templeton's wife until their separation in 1974, the woman has confirmed they have no offspring.

She acknowledges that he was questioned by the police in 1969 but insists: “I had no suspicions. I lived with this man for five years, I slept with this man, you know everything about him.”

The case for Templeton's death was officially lodged by his former partner Margaret Murphy, a resident of Baillieston, Glasgow.

His son, Robert Murphy, a 51-year-old engineer, expressed deep astonishment at the allegations. Jill is convinced that authorities should investigate Templeton's case posthumously, suggesting that DNA analysis of his belongings could be key.

Police Scotland said: “The murders of Helen Puttock, Jemima McDonald and Patricia Docker remain unsolved. However, as with all unsolved cases, they are under review and any new information regarding their deaths will be investigated.

” Former Detective Superintendent David Swindle, who reviewed the case twice, shared his professional position: “I do not believe, in my professional opinion and the available evidence, that the same person is involved in the three murders. “.