Willis Boshears
Sergeant Willis Boshears was an American serviceman based in Britain. While his wife and children were in Scotland, he was stationed in Essex, where on New Year’s Day, 1961, he strangled to death a local woman, Jean Constable, after a night of celebrating and drinking. He confessed what he had done, claiming that he was asleep, and when he awoke and found out what he had done, he panicked and disposed of the body. He was arrested and charged with murder.
At the trial, it emerged that Boshears had gone to a pub on New Year’s Eve, where he encountered the victim and a male companion. The trio left the establishment and went back to Boshear’s apartment, where they drank vodka and partied. The victim’s companion eventually left, Jean collapsed on a mattress in front of the fireplace, and Boshears testified that he passed out beside her.
He further testified that he came to the next morning to the sensation of something scratching and pulling at his mouth, and discovered himself atop Jean’s corpse, with his hands around her throat and her fingers in his mouth. In a dazed state, he carried her to the bathroom, dressed her and tried to cut her hair, then placed her in his bedroom. When he finally awoke, he thought he had dreamt the whole thing, but upon entering his bedroom and encountering the victim’s body, he realized it had been all too real.
In a panic, he hid the body for two days, before finally getting rid of the corpse by throwing it into a ditch, where it was discovered, and police investigators tracked her last whereabouts to Boshear’s apartment. He confessed but claimed that he strangled her in his sleep and had no recollection of that night. In the subsequent trial, the issue boiled down to whether he had acted while asleep, in which case he would not be guilty. After the testimony of lay witnesses and experts, the prosecution and defense made their closing arguments and rested their cases. After deliberating for about two hours, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, and Boshears was acquitted of murder.