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Julia Wallace, found brutally murdered in her living room. 

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The death of Julia Wallace is considered a classic murder mystery. Her husband, William Herbert Wallace was found guilty, but subsequently released following a review of the evidence. The case is riddled with mysteries which remain unsolved to this day.

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Julia Wallace (née Dennis) remains somewhat of an enigma to this day.

What we do know of Julia is that she had faked her age and background. Her father became veterinary surgeon William George Dennis, and her mother Aimée Dennis of French origin… But Julia was in fact the daughter of a farming family, her mother’s true name was Anne, and she was 17 years older than she had led many to believe.

Tragically she was orphaned at just 14 years of age, and at the time of her marriage to William she had just three surviving siblings: Rhoda, Amy, and William George Dennis – her other three siblings having died.

Becoming a governess

Having been raised to be a governess, much of her employed life revolved around this career path. The role of a governess is much like a nanny, except instead of caring physically for the children, they are expected to cater to their educational needs.

With Julia’s wide array of talents she was certainly well suited for this role… Indeed, her talents were many, especially in the arts: The parlour of her home was adorned with watercolour paintings she had created, she was a singer and talented pianist, and could speak French fluently.

She enjoyed the countryside, and many of her paintings were made in the countryside of Harrogate among friends who shared her passion for art.

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Back in her days in Harrogate, it is known that Julia would often perform at concerts or play piano for her friends when they would perform, and would have friends over to listen to her play. A practice which apparently she maintained, since William and Julia would often serenade visitors with music – Wallace an amateur on the violin, and Julia quite the expert on piano.

In contrast to her husband William (who was more of an agnostic), Julia was religious, being active in the local churches including at the local parish near 29 Wolverton Street, and taking part in parochial affairs.

In terms of personality there are a range of differing first hand accounts. Many say that she was a kind but rather shy and timid woman. Others – including a couple of ex-Prudential workers – claim that she was a prideful and peculiar woman, dirty in her habits, who felt she had lowered herself by marrying an insurance agent… Although some of these people seem to have a strong dislike for Julia , in general it appears that she had no enemies and was well liked by those who knew her.

One report from a Prudential worker claimed that at one particular work function Julia had attended with William, the pair had been very much reserved and shy, keeping mostly to themselves.

After marrying William and moving to Wolverton Street, it appears her social life had dried up somewhat. Stories from those who knew her claim that after church service was over she would stay and have a chat for a little while, before hurrying back home. Another acquaintance said that Julia was kept under lock and key by William… While sharing a cup of tea with friends she was visiting, she would sometimes rush home to be there before William got back.

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29 Wolverton Street, Anfield, Liverpool - the scene of a brutal murder. 

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Upon his arrival at home on the night of the murder, William found both the front and rear doors locked. He failed to get an answer from his wife Julia after knocking.

William was certain Julia wouldn’t have gone out as she had a bad cold. At this point, William saw his neighbours, the Johnstons, as they were about to head out for the evening. He told the Johnstons’ of his predicament at which point they advised him to try the back door one more time and if he couldn’t gain entry they would go and get their key. This time the back door opened.

A horrifying discovery

The Johnstons and William made the way down the hallway and towards the lounge when they made a horrifying discovery. On the lounge floor lay the body of his bloody and bludgeoned wife Julia Wallace. Mr Johnston told his wife and William not to touch anything as he went to fetch the doctor and notify the police.

Cause of death

The postmortem examination revealed that Julia Wallace had received 11 brutal strikes to the head with a blunt object. The blows were strong enough to crush Julia’s skull. A fireplace poker stick was missing, as well as a small amount of money.

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William Wallace had gained a reputation as being a total gentleman, and all who spoke about him gave him a glowing character report (all except an ex-coworker named Alfred Mather, who appeared to despise both William and Julia Wallace).

William worked in insurance and was successful at his job.

To almost everyone the Wallaces were a very loving, devoted couple.

However the family doctor and a nurse who had been into the home would attest a sense of callousness between the couple...

William was often ill with kidney problems and Julia, 52, was suspicious of strangers and led a sheltered life.

One former friend described their marriage as 'loveless and strained'.

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William Wallace - husband of Julia Wallace and Prime Suspect in her murder

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A mysterious caller allegedly told Wallace to meet him at a fake address

On the night of his wife's murder,  William Herbert Wallace attended the Liverpool Central Chess Club at The City Cafe on North John Street.

He was a member at the city centre club, but not a particularly reliable one. This trip to the club in January was his first in months.

The club's schedule had him down for a game that night, but this didn't mean very much. Wallace had missed games in the past and the schedule offered no guarantee he would actually turn up.

Shortly before Wallace arrived at the club, the captain, Samuel Beattie took a call from a man calling himself R. M. Qualtrough.

The caller told Beattie he wanted to meet Wallace to discuss insurance business and told him to meet at 25 Menlove Gardens East the following night at 7.30pm.

The caller seemed convinced Wallace would be there that night and would get his message.

Curiosity got the better of Wallace, who decided to set out in search of the mysterious Mr Qualtrough, as instructed.

The following night, on January 20, 1931, he caught the five tram at 7.06pm from Anfield to Menlove Gardens.

Wallace's strange behaviour that night would make sure his movements were remembered by no fewer than a dozen witnesses who saw him on his wild goose chase around South Liverpool.

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The mysterious telephone box used by 'Mr Qua;trpugh'. 

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What do we know about the mysterious Mr Qualtrough? Not much!

The key witness who spoke to the caller said he was well spoken and sounded educated.

Samuel Beattie, owner of the chess club who spoke to the caller attested that, “it would take a great stretch of the imagination” to say that the voice was anything like Williams"

When recounting the voice, the telephone operators described it as an “ordinary man’s voice, not nervous or agitated”, but perhaps somewhat cultured and likely belonging to an elderly gentleman.

One thing that stood out to them was how the man pronounced the word café with the accented “e” (caff-ay), as opposed to the more common “caff”.

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The living room, where Julia's body was found. 

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Why was William Wallace the Prime Suspect? 

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Why was William Wallace the Prime Suspect? 

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Prime Suspect

Investigators wasted no time at all in making William Herbert Wallace their number one suspect. Police quickly built a case and just two weeks after the brutal murder of Julia Wallace police charged her husband William with the murder.

The police discovered that the phone call made to the chess club the night prior to the murder was made from a phone box just 400 yards from the Wallace home. The theory was that William Wallace left himself the message to help provide him with an alibi for the following evening on which he would murder his wife. Investigators believed he committed the murder and then he rushed to catch his tram and use the Qualtrough search as an alibi.

William Wallace was sent before a jury for the murder of Julia Wallace. William denied being the man responsible for the crime but the jury didn’t believe him. After just an hour of deliberating the jurors announced a guilty verdict.

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William Wallace - guilty or not guilty? 

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William Wallace - guilty or not guilty? 

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William made an instant appeal. His lawyers worked hard to rubbish the prosecution’s case piece by piece. They noted that the person that took the call at the chess club was certain it was not William Wallace’s voice on the other end of the phone.

The Lawyers also said that Wallace would have been covered in blood after the murder and that the police’s own timetable of events left William no time to wash, change or dispose of his clothing.

Finally, there was also a witness. A Milk Delivery boy had spoken to Julia Wallace. This was just moments before the time William Wallace boarded the tram to go to his meeting .

Successful Appeal

For the first time in British legal history, a conviction for murder was overturned by the courts. The court’s ascertained that there was not enough evidence against William Wallace. He was to be released.

After his release, William Wallace returned to his previous employment. Wallace didn’t stay for long though as his health was starting to deteriorate. After resigning from his post and moving to the Wirell from Anfield, William Wallace passed away. He died just 2 years after the murder of his wife Julia Wallace. Police never formally identified another suspect for the murder of Julia Wallace.

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Reasons have varied as to why Richard Gordon Parry would have murdered Julia Wallace. One theory is that it was merely a robbery that went badly wrong. Parry knew Julia Wallace and so she may have granted him access to the house. Did she catch him in the act of taking £4 of William’s Prudential collections and pay the ultimate price?  Why though, if it was a robbery and you’ve already murdered the occupant, didn’t he take the rest of the money that was in the house?

Another reason given is that Parry and Julia Wallace were having an affair. By his own admission, Parry would visit Julia Wallace for tea and listen to music. An Affair is not impossible but it is probably worth pointing out Parry was just 22 at the time. Julia Wallace, on the other hand, was much older, at 52!  Some say that Julia Wallace was going to come clean about the affair with Parry to her husband and Parry stopped her, violently.

On the same night the murder of Julia Wallace took place Parry took his car for a wash. Whilst cleaning the vehicle a witness claims they saw a bloody glove inside the vehicle. It was said the police were told of this but chose to suppress the evidence as they had already made up their minds that William Wallace was the man responsible. Parry's fiance, Lily Lloyd,  claimed that Parry was with her on the night of the murder, thus providing an alibi. However, Lily later stated that she had covered for Parry out of loyalty - saying this only after he dumped her.

Plain and Simple Revenge

The final reason mainly used to suspect Parry is plain and simple revenge. Parry had covered for Wallace’s round at work the previous week as William Wallace had been ill. Upon his return, Wallace noticed the payments were short and saw fit to report his colleague to management.

These theories of why Parry may have committed the murder are possible. However, would he really go through all the effort with the phone call so he could get William out of the way? Surely too much could easily have gone wrong. What if William didn’t get the message, just ignored it, or returned as soon as he found the address didn’t exist?

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The Wallace’s neighbours,  Jack and Florence Johnston

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More recently a finger or two has also been pointed at another suspect (or suspects). The Wallace’s neighbours Jack and Florence Johnston, who discovered the body with William, have been named as the killers by Tom Slemen in a section of the book Murder On Merseyside.

According to this story, Jack Johnston made a deathbed confession to the murder of Julia Wallace. Jack said that he and his wife Florence had first taken the Wallaces’ pet cat. Next, they had planned to get William out of the way (the Qualtrough phone call) and then Florence would lure Julia around to her house to retrieve the cat whilst Jack snuck into the Wallaces’ and burgled them.

The plan apparently deviated when the pair believed that they had witnessed Julia accompany her husband on his trip to Menlove Gardens. The pair apparently decided to rob the premises at this point (using the key to the door they already had). To the Johnstons surprise, however, Julia was still sat in the lounge. It was then in a moment of panic that Jack battered Julia Wallace to death.

A known fact is that the Johnstons actually moved out of there home the very next day after the murder of Julia Wallace took place, to move in with their daughter. A mere coincidence? or a way of removing themselves from the investigation? The author Tom Slemen believes the latter in his theory. I, on the other hand, have to disagree.

Surely such suspicious behaviour would have actually put them much higher on the suspect list of investigators. The Johnstons and their family members have always stated the move was already planned and that is where the Johnstons were headed when they saw William Wallace on the evening of the murder.

Another problem I find with this theory is the act of the murder itself. Would Jack really have had to murder Julia just because she was in the house and saw them? Surely they could have come up with an excuse for being in the home. At the time there was a known burglar operating in the area, wouldn’t it be likely they would say they thought they saw a burglar.

In any case, the family claim that the deathbed confession simply never happened. They state categorically that there was always a family member with Jack whilst on his deathbed and they would have heard it themselves. Are members of the family covering for a murderer or was the deathbed confession story just that, a story

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A serial burglar, nicknamed the Anfield Housebreaker, was active in the area at the time Julia Wallace was killed. William noted some money was missing from the home after the murder, and some of their belongings appeared to have been rifled through. However, authorities determined the details of the case were not similar to the Housebreaker's other crimes and ruled him out as a suspect. Was this the right course of action or should they have pursued this line of enquiry more closely ?

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Liverpool's oldest unsolved murder has baffled detectives for 91 years - Liverpool Echo

The Murder of Julia Wallace | The Julia Wallace Murder Foundation (williamherbertwallace.com)

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The murder of Julia Wallace, also known as the 'locked room murder' by many, is the oldest unsolved murder still on Merseyside Police's case files.

The events surrounding Julia's death, along with the conviction and subsequent acquittal of her husband William Herbert Wallace, became one of Liverpool's most baffling mysteries.

Julia was bludgeoned to death in her home in Wolverton Street, Anfield, in January 1931, in a case that has confounded detectives for decades.
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The Wallaces were an unusual couple. William was often ill with kidney problems and Julia, 60, was suspicious of strangers and led a sheltered life.

One former friend described their marriage as 'loveless and strained'.

On Monday, January 19, William left his house to visit Liverpool Central Chess Club, in North John Street, where he was a member.

There, he received a phone message. The caller, who had spoken to club captain Samuel Beattie, identified himself as Mr Qualtrough and asked Wallace to call at 25 Menlove Gardens East at 7.30pm the next day.

The man said: "I want to see him particularly."

3) Tick Echo Nostalgia.

William was perplexed - he had no knowledge of any man called Qualtrough but made a note of the name and proposed meeting.

The next night, after finishing work for the Prudential Assurance Company, William set off from home - telling Julia he would be back as soon as possible.

He boarded a tram at 7.10pm in Lodge Lane, regularly reminding the conductor of his destination.

After getting off the tram, he went on a fruitless search of Mr Qualtrough's address, which it turned out did not exist.

Giving up the search, William returned to his home at 29 Wolverton Street at 8.45pm to discover the body of his wife who had been brutally bludgeoned to death inside a locked house.

There was no sign of a murder weapon and no clues left behind as to who killed her.

What unfolded was a murder case so gruesome and unusual it inspired crime novels, TV dramas and a whole host of theories from amateur sleuths.

More than 90 years later, the "impossible murder" that baffled detectives remains unsolved - and the cold case remains one of Liverpool's greatest mysteries.

On the anniversary of Julia's murder, we revisited the facts of the case.

A mysterious caller tells Wallace to meet him at a fake address

On the night of January 19, 1931, William Herbert Wallace attended the Liverpool Central Chess Club at The City Cafe on North John Street.

He was a member at the city centre club, but not a particularly reliable one. This trip to the club in January was his first in months.

The club's schedule had him down for a game that night, but this didn't mean very much. Wallace had missed games in the past and the schedule offered no guarantee he would actually turn up.

Shortly before Wallace arrived at the club, the captain Samuel Beattie took a call from a man calling himself R. M. Qualtrough.

The caller told Beattie he wanted to meet Wallace to discuss insurance business and told him to meet at 25 Menlove Gardens East the following night at 7.30pm.

Beattie noted down the message and passed it on to Wallace. Despite a somewhat patchy attendance record at the club, the caller seemed convinced Wallace would be there that night and would get his message.

After the murder, a switchboard worker at the Liverpool telephone exchange would help police trace the call to a phone box just 400 yards away from Wallace's house - next to the stop where he caught the tram to chess club that night.

Wallace is spotted behaving strangely by witnesses

Curiosity got the better of Wallace, who decided to set out in search of the mysterious Mr Qualtrough, as instructed.

The following night, on January 20, 1931, he caught the five tram at 7.06pm from Anfield to Menlove Gardens.

Wallace's strange behaviour that night would make sure his movements were remembered by no fewer than a dozen witnesses who saw him on his wild goose chase around South Liverpool.

On the tram, he repeatedly struck up conversation with the conductor and the ticket inspector, asking them to tell him where he needed to get off.

He made a point of telling them he was 'a total stranger' in that part of the city, repeating his unusual story about R. M. Qualtrough and stating the time they were meant to meet.

His odd behaviour didn't stop when he got off the tram at Menlove Gardens.

Wallace stopped residents, went into newsagents and even asked a policeman for their help in finding the location of his appointment.

As the night went on and the meeting time of 7.30pm started passing him by, it became clear there was no Menlove Gardens East.

There are couple of Menlove Gardens in the area, with streets baring North, South and West. But there was never any East.

Sensing he had spent a cold, winter night chasing a fool's errand, Wallace turned home.

As well as the numerous witnesses who saw Wallace on his journey around Menlove Gardens, he was spotted on his way back through Anfield by a 20-year-old typist.

Lillian Hall said she saw Wallace at around 8.35pm talking to another man on Richmond Road, close to his home on Wolverton Street.

A battered body is found inside a locked house

At around 8.45pm, John and Florence Johnston spotted their neighbour William Herbert Wallace stuck outside his home at 29 Wolverton Street.

He looked out of sorts and when the couple stopped to see what was going on he told them the front and back doors of the house wouldn't open.

Claiming the locks on the house wouldn't budge, a confused and concerned Wallace asked his neighbours "Have you heard anything unusual tonight?"

The Johnstons walked round to the backyard of Wallace's home, where the locked door opened without a problem.

Wallace walked into the house, which was blanketed in total darkness on the winter night. After lighting a lamp and entering his home, Wallace came back out and said: "Oh come and see, she's been killed".

When the couple entered the Wallace home, they found Julie sprawled out in the sitting room in front of the gas fire.

She had been violently beaten to death.

The room was a scene of utter horror, with Julia's lifeless body lying in a pool of her own blood, and splatters from the attack sprayed across the walls.

Her dress was partially burnt and a coat was laid out underneath her which was also badly burnt from the gas fire.

Staring at his wife's battered and beaten body, Wallace turned to his neighbours and said: "They've finished her, look at her brains".

A burglary gone badly wrong or a targeted attack?

On first appearance, Julia's death looked like the result of a burglary that had gone terribly wrong.

The locked kitchen cupboard where Wallace kept his insurance money had been forced open and the cash inside was gone.

However, nothing else in the house had been taken - including Julia's handbag which was left inside totally undisturbed.

Other than the bedroom, which looked like it was rifled through, the rest of the house was in order.

At the time of Julia's murder, a serial burglar nicknamed the Anfield Housebreaker was at large in the area - but this attack didn't seem to fit with the rest of his crimes.

John Johnston called Merseyside Police who soon arrived at the Wallace home, and fingers were soon pointed at the obvious suspect - Julia's own husband.

A cast iron alibi and a bungled investigation

Merseyside Police arrived at the Wallace home shortly after Julia's body was discovered - but their handling of the case was a far cry from their intelligent forensics work and crime scene analysis we have come to recognise today.

A major strike in 1919 had left the force seriously weakened, and with a significant number of staff dismissed, those left behind were charged with filling roles they weren't properly qualified for.

After police arrived at the scene, a journalist from the Liverpool Daily Post was called out to act as the police photographer.

His haunting images of the crime scene and Julia's body remain a chilling reminder of the gruesome nature of her murder.

A forensics expert from Liverpool University called John Edward Whitly MacFall was also called out to determine the cause and time of death.

Rigor mortis is a stiffness of the limbs which starts to set in as early as four hours after death. Before intelligent forensics techniques were developed, this stiffness could be used to determine an approximate time of death.

Looking at the state of Julia's body, MacFall stated she must have died at around 8pm - crucially, this time of death was nearly an hour before Wallace arrived home.

Spouses and partners are always obvious suspects when someone is murdered - but in the case of Julia Wallace, her husband appeared to have the perfect alibi.

Both the tram conductor and ticket inspector could place him on the tram at precisely 7.06pm. A number of witnesses saw him around Menlove Gardens around the time his wife was being murdered.

In Anfield, more witnesses came forward to claim they remembered seeing Julia alive at around 6.30pm or 6.45pm.

If Wallace had murdered his wife, he would have only had around 15 minutes to carry out the killing, change his clothes, wash off the blood and make it to his tram for 7.06pm.

Police examination of the drains around the house showed they hadn't even been used that night - so the murderer had to have escaped the scene covered in Julia's blood, after carefully locking all the doors.

Wallace is arrested and sentenced to death - but the case remains unsolved

Despite having a watertight alibi, Wallace was charged with his wife's murder and found guilty after a brief trial in April 1931.

The jury deliberated for a short time before unanimously deciding Wallace was guilty of murder.

He was sentenced to death by hanging, with an execution date set for the following month.

However, an appeal to the Court of Criminal Appeal in London determined there was not enough certainty to support the jury's guilty verdict, and he walked away a free man.

After losing his wife and being subjected to a gruelling trial, Wallace sought out a quiet life and moved away to a new home in the Wirral.

However, just a few months later he fell ill with his recurring kidney problems and died in 1933.

Since Wallace's death, the case of Julia's murder has never been solved.

The mystery has attracted countless theorists and armchair detectives to put forward their own suggestions for who was behind the crime.

Julia's murder even inspired a number of murder mysteries - including P.D. James' 1982 crime novel The Skull Beneath the Skin as well as featuring in the 1991 film, The Man From The Pru, starring Jonathan Pryce and Anna Massey.

Despite the morbid fascination and intrigue surrounding the case, Julia's murder remains one of the greatest mysteries in Liverpool's criminal history.

A 1936 article by crime writer Dorothy L. Sayers summed the bizarre case up by saying: "The Wallace murder had no key-move and ended, in fact, in stalemate."

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City's oldest unsolved murder has baffled detectives for 91 years

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The murder of Julia Wallace, also known as the 'locked room murder' by many, is the oldest unsolved murder still on Merseyside Police's case files. The events surrounding Julia's death, along with the conviction and subsequent acquittal of her husband William Herbert Wallace, became one of Liverpool's most baffling mysteries.