Keith Burgess, 38, originally from Norfolk, had resided in the Clifton area of Bristol, UK for four years when he was savagely attacked in his own home. Despite a detailed description of a man police are “almost certain” is the killer, the case remains unsolved.
Keith was a steward for British Rail and an active member of his local church, often acting as a server during mass. He was well-liked and described as very social and outgoing, a familiar face in local pubs and gay clubs. Due to his outgoing nature and his work which took him all over the country, Keith had a large social circle with acquaintances across England. It is thought that if he had any confrontations, or if anyone had any ill feelings towards him, he would have confided in one of his friends, yet no one has come forward to suggest anything of this sort. It seems he was generally considered charming and easy to get along with, with a co-worker stating it was hard to imagine anyone would have a bad word to say about him.
On Sunday, December 17th, 1989, Keith had attended mass at All Saint’s Church, near his home. At around 12.15pm, he entered the Alma Tavern pub around the corner from the church for a quick drink, as he often did after mass. Keith didn’t stay there long; it is thought he left within half an hour of arriving. While no one at the pub actually remembers seeing him leave, Keith was spotted on the short (~4 minute) walk home towards his basement flat on Duchess Road at around 12.40.
It was around this time a BBC producer saw a man leaving the basement area of Keith’s building. Other witnesses later reported this man had been hanging around the building between 12.30 and 12.40. He was described as young (20s), thin and scruffy looking, between 5ft10 and 6ft tall, wearing distinctive dark rimmed glasses, a dark anorak, off-white colour trainers and a white and blue woollen knitted bobble hat. He had sunken cheeks and a pointed jaw, with a beard or stubble. The witness noted that the man’s behaviour was odd, as he appeared nervous and trying to hide his face. He was carrying two plastic bags. As he reached the end of Duchess Road, on the corner of All Saint’s Road, he stopped, appearing to be waiting for something. It has since been suggested the man may have been a “vagrant” from Swindon, a town 40-miles east of Bristol, although he has never been formally identified.
Soon after witnesses saw the ‘bobble hat man’ hanging around the building, Keith’s neighbour, Betty Taylor, who lived on the ground floor flat above his, was at home with a friend when she heard Keith arrive back at his flat. Betty had known Keith for ten years through the church and went downstairs that afternoon to give Keith some Christmas presents. She used an internal stairway which connected their flats, as she often did to look after Keith’s flat while he was away. While she was in Keith’s flat, there was a knock on his door. She asked if he was expecting anyone, to which he replied he wasn’t as he was just about to go to work. Keith had been on sick leave with a bout of flu the previous week, but was due to return to work that afternoon, stewarding on the 2pm train from Bristol to London. As Betty’s friend was still upstairs, and Keith was due to leave for work, she left the presents with him and returned to her flat. As she got to the staircase, she heard Keith invite someone in, but didn’t see who was at the door, although she got the impression it was someone Keith knew.
Around half an hour later, Betty heard Keith’s front door slam. She and her friend looked out the window, expecting to see Keith leaving for work, but instead saw the man in the blue and white bobble hat come up the stairs and walk off down the street.
At 4.30pm, Betty returned to Keith’s flat to feed his cat, as she often did while he was at work, once again using the internal connecting staircase. Upon entering Keith’s flat, she discovered a truly horrific scene; Keith was lying dead in a pool of blood on his living room floor, having been brutally bludgeoned with a ball-head hammer and stabbed in the back. Despite extensive searches, the murder weapons have never been recovered.
Robbery did not appear to be the motive, as the only missing items seemed to be a Filofax and a photo album which were known to have been in the flat two weeks prior, although it’s not certain the photo album belonged to Keith. These items have also never been found.
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