True Crime Friday: John Sweeney, the Canal Serial Killer
One of John Sweeney's paintings John Thomas Sweeney was born in Liverpool, England. He is known as the Canal Serial Killer because he buried his dismembered girlfriends at those locations. He also named himself the Scalp Serial Killer because he beheaded his victims. He murdered an American woman Melissa Halstead who had moved to England to start a new life. He also murdered a British woman Paula Fields. Sweeney murdered Melissa Halstead in Amsterdam where they had moved in 1990, he abused her throughout their relationship. Melissa Halstead’s torso was discovered in 2008. He was convicted of their murders in 2011. Sweeney was given a whole life term, which in London, England means life in prison without parole. John Sweeney died in August of 2026. The Early Childhood of John Sweeney John Sweeney was born October 13, 1956, in Liverpool, England. He spent much of his early childhood living with his mother and was born into a working-class family. His early years were marked with sign...
