Scammed to Death: Acid Baths and Estate Fraud Pt. 2

Summary

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Scammed to Death: Acid Baths and Estate Fraud Pt. 2

Podcast: Scams, Money, & Murder
Hosts: Vanessa Richardson & Carter Roy
Date: October 23, 2025
Episode Theme:
A chilling deep dive into the final murder and subsequent investigation of serial killer John George Haigh, known as the "Acid Bath Murderer," whose financial schemes and cold-blooded crimes ultimately unraveled due to the determination of his victim's friends.

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Episode Overview

Carter Roy and Vanessa Richardson return to the infamous case of John George Haigh, focusing on his final victim, Olive Duran Deacon. The episode meticulously traces the events surrounding Olive's disappearance, the subsequent police investigation, Haigh's web of deceit, and how the bonds of friendship ultimately brought a calculating killer to justice. This is the second part of a two-part series, shifting from Haigh’s backstory and previous crimes to his downfall.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Olive Duran Deacon’s Disappearance and Initial Deception

[04:41-07:23]

• In 1949, Haigh was posing as a "friendly, successful businessman" at London’s Onslow Court Hotel, though he was, in fact, “a vicious serial killer who’d murdered at least five people and forged his way into their bank accounts.”
• Olive, a wealthy widow, approached Haigh with a business idea (acrylic fingernails). He lured her to his Crawley workshop under this pretense.
• Haigh shot Olive with a .38 revolver and disposed of her body in a barrel of sulfuric acid, planning to forge her signature and steal her assets.
• Notably, Olive’s absence at her regular meals was immediately noticed by hotel staff and friends, foiling Haigh’s assumption “that no one would notice if she disappeared.”

2. Friends Refuse to Let Olive’s Disappearance Go Unnoticed

[07:24-09:58]

• Olive’s friend, Constance Lane, became concerned and involved the hotel staff after finding Olive’s bed unslept in and no sign of her.
• Constance’s vigilance leads her to declare: "This was completely out of character for Olive... So even though she likely didn't think John had something to do with it, Constance was worried something bad had happened to Olive and she was going to take her suspicions to the Police." [09:32]

3. Haigh’s Attempts to Cover His Tracks

[10:56-13:43]

• Haigh hesitated to access Olive’s assets immediately, fearing the attention surrounding her disappearance.
• He pawned Olive’s jewelry under a fake name, dropped her coat at a dry cleaner, and worked to dissolve her remains.
• Despite outward confidence, "he had no idea he was being investigated," and Constance insisted on involving the police.

4. The Police Investigation & Early Suspicions

[13:44-17:23]

• Sergeant Lamborn, the policewoman who first received the case, was suspicious of Haigh’s “well-practiced and evasive” account of events.
• Lamborn’s background check revealed Haigh’s criminal past (“gone to prison multiple times for fraud”), heightening suspicion: “It wasn’t clear proof he’d murdered Olive, but it showed John was a criminal. If he'd committed fraud before, it was entirely possible he'd do it again. And maybe this time he took it a step further.” [11:16]
• Meanwhile, Haigh disposed of Olive’s partially dissolved handbag in his workshop yard—unknowingly leaving key evidence behind.

5. Closing In: Evidence Mounts Against Haigh

[17:24-20:54]

• Police found a receipt for Olive’s coat at the dry cleaner in Haigh’s workshop, documents referencing previous victims, and a diary detailing his crimes.
• Haigh grew bolder in interviews, telling crime reporter Harry Proctor: “The police are idiots who have nothing on me.” [19:25]
• Proctor confirmed that Haigh had lied about his whereabouts during Olive’s disappearance, a detail he forwarded to police.

6. The Interrogation and "Insanity" Defense

[20:55-23:30]

• In police custody, Haigh refused to confess at first, but after a period of silence, he asked chillingly: “Tell me frankly, what are the chances of anyone being released from Broadmoor now?” (23:00) referencing the asylum for the criminally insane.
• He confessed to killing Olive, the McSwanns, and the Hendersons, and—bizarrely—claimed he had “drunk all of his victims’ blood.”
• The detectives suspected this “vampiric” detail was an attempt to bolster an insanity defense.

7. The Trial: Insanity Claims, Solid Evidence, Swift Verdict

[23:31-25:50]

• Haigh’s lawyer presented 33 witnesses to assert Haigh’s ‘unsound mind,’ including famed Dr. Henry Yellowlees, who called Haigh’s condition a “paranoid constitution.”
• The prosecution countered: “He wasn’t insane and unable to understand the consequences of his actions. He was evil and his crimes were premeditated.” [24:17]
• The jury deliberated just 17 minutes: Haigh was found “guilty and sane” and sentenced to death.
• On August 10, 1949, Haigh was executed. His confidence and belief that “no body, no crime” ultimately failed because “evidence comes in all forms. And John had just left Sergeant Lamborn a smoking gun.” [19:48]

8. Final Reflections: Justice Through Friendship

[25:51-26:07]

• The episode closes with a meditation on loyalty and the role of victims' communities: “While John manipulated his victims into trusting him, it was the true bonds of friendship that finally brought him to justice.” [25:57]

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the nature of survival in a world of deceit:

  “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. It’s not just a saying, it’s a means of survival. Because in the world we're entering, trust is a trap and betrayal is often fatal.”
  — Carter Roy [01:48]

• On Constance Lane’s determination:

  “This was completely out of character for Olive... So even though she likely didn’t think John had something to do with it, Constance was worried something bad had happened to Olive and she was going to take her suspicions to the police.”
  — Narrator [09:32]

• On Haigh’s criminal record:

  “John had gone to prison multiple times for fraud... If he'd committed fraud before, it was entirely possible he'd do it again. And maybe this time he took it a step further.”
  — Narrator [11:16]

• On Haigh’s arrogance:

  “The police are idiots who have nothing on me.”
  — John Haigh (to Harry Proctor, as recounted by narrator) [19:25]

• On Haigh’s chilling confession:

  “Tell me frankly, what are the chances of anyone being released from Broadmoor now?”
  — John Haigh [23:00]

• On the prosecution’s closing principle:

  “He wasn’t insane and unable to understand the consequences of his actions. He was evil and his crimes were premeditated.”
  — Prosecution closing argument [24:17]

• On the verdict:

  “When they returned to the courtroom, the judge read off their decision. John was guilty and sane. The judge sentenced him to death with no possibility of an appeal.”
  — Narrator [25:22]

• On the power of friendship in justice:

  “While John manipulated his victims into trusting him, it was the true bonds of friendship that finally brought him to justice.”
  — Narrator [25:57]

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Timeline & Timestamps for Crucial Segments

• Introduction to Olive’s Disappearance: [04:41–07:23]
• Constance Lane’s Advocacy: [07:24–09:58]
• Haigh’s Cover-up and Pawn Shop Visit: [10:56–13:43]
• Sergeant Lamborn’s Investigation: [13:44–17:23]
• Police Search and Haigh’s Cockiness: [17:24–20:54]
• Haigh’s Interrogation and Confession: [20:55–23:30]
• Trial and Sentencing: [23:31–25:50]
• Closing Reflections: [25:51–26:07]

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Summary

This episode weaves together the pragmatic, observant approach of Olive’s friends, the methodical suspicion of Sgt. Lamborn, and Haigh’s own arrogance and sloppiness, ultimately showing how the smallest details and the loyalty of a community can undo even the most calculating criminal. The hosts maintain a suspenseful, reflective tone, with Carter Roy’s narration especially highlighting the psychological complexity and tragic irony of the case.

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For listeners seeking both a riveting true crime narrative and an illustration of how justice sometimes depends on the everyday observations and loyalties of ordinary people, this episode is rich with detail and unforgettable moments.

Transcript

[Heidi Wong]

Crime House has the perfect new show for spooky season Twisted Tales. Hosted by Heidi Wong, each episode of Twisted Tales is perfect for late night scares and daytime frights, revealing the disturbing real life events that inspired the world's most terrifying blockbusters and the ones too twisted to make it to screen. Twisted Tales is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts New episodes out every Monday.

[Narrator]

This is Crime House. Having a solid support structure is one of the most important things in life. Whether it's friends or family, we all need someone to be there when times get tough or to look out for us when we're in trouble. When Olive Duran Deacon went missing in 1949, John George Hay didn't think she had anyone like that in her life. She was a widow and didn't have much family to speak of. She did have some friends, but John didn't think they'd pay much attention if she suddenly disappeared. He didn't understand one very important thing though. Olive's friends truly cared for her and they were willing to do whatever it took to help her, even if it meant tracking down a serial killer.

[Carter Roy]

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. It's not just a saying, it's a means of survival. Because in the world we're entering, trust is a trap and betrayal is often fatal. I'm Carter Roy and this is Scams, Money and Murder.

[Heidi Wong]

And I'm Vanessa Richardson. Every Thursday we'll explore the story of a money motivated crime gone wrong. Whether it's a notorious con, fraud, burglary or even murder.

[Carter Roy]

From the archives of Crime House, the show Murder, True Crime Stories and Killer Minds. These are some some of our favorite cases that have kept us lying awake at night wondering if money didn't make the world go round, could all this have been avoided?

[Heidi Wong]

And as always at Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing and following Scams, Money and Murder. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Carter Roy]

This episode is from our show True Crime Stories and is the second of two episodes on all of Duran Deacon, the final victim of serial killer John Hay. Last time in part one, I explained how 69 year old Olive and 40 year old John first crossed paths. Then I went back into John's youth to explain how he became a merciless serial killer and why he chose Olive as one of his victims. Today I'll detail the investigation into Olive's disappearance and murder and see how detectives finally brought John Hayes terrifying killing spree to an end. All that and more coming up.

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[Narrator]

In 1949, 40 year old John Hay was living at the glamorous Onslow Court Hotel in London. To other residents, he seemed like a friendly, successful businessman. In reality though, John was a vicious serial killer who'd murdered at least five people and forged his way into their bank accounts. But John wasn't interested in saving the money he'd stolen. He had a serious gambling problem and by February 1949, his funds were dwindling. If he wanted to keep living the high life at the Onslow Court, he needed to find a new victim fast. That victim was 69 year old Olive Duran Deakin. Olive was a wealthy widow who lived at the same hotel as John. Believing he was a successful businessman, Olive approached him to help her capitalize on a new acrylic fingernails. John pretended to be open to it and invited Olive to come to his workshop in Crawley to talk details. On February 18, 1949, John and Olive were on their way to his workshop, which was about an hour's drive from the hotel. Before they left the London area, Olive asked John to stop so she could use the restroom. That's when he pulled over at the George Hotel. Staff members would later recall them coming in around 4:15pm before getting back on the road. Once John and Olive arrived at the workshop, he pointed her towards a table in the center of the room. He said he had some materials he thought could be used for the artificial fingernails. But as soon as Olive turned her back to John, he pulled out a.38 caliber revolver and shot her in the head. Olive died instantly, like he'd done so many Times before. John removed all the valuables from Olive's body, then dumped her into a barrel of sulfuric acid. He planned to forge Olive's signature and transfer all her assets to himself. The same way he did with his previous victims. Around 9pm that night, John returned to the hotel where he and Olive had stopped on their way out of town to use the restroom. This time, he sat in the dining room and enjoyed a three course meal to celebrate what he thought was his latest victory. After dinner, he went back to his room at the Onslow Court Hotel. When John woke up in the morning, there was no reason for him to believe he wouldn't get away with killing Olive. He'd already committed five murders without falling under suspicion. And this time didn't seem any different. But when John went downstairs for breakfast, things took a turn. Olive was very strict when it came to her dining schedule. She always ate at the same time and at the same restaurant. Other residents had noticed she missed dinner the night before, which was very unlike her. And now she wasn't at breakfast either. A waitress even came up to John and asked him if he knew whether Olive might be sick. He said he had no idea. John had been wrong. People had noticed that Olive was gone. If he was going to get out of this, he had to feign ignorance. So John went up to olive's best friend, Mrs. Constance Lane, who also lived at the hotel. He asked if she had any updates about Olive. Constance said she didn't. Last she heard, Olive was going to meet up with him to talk about her acrylic nails idea. She flipped the question onto him. Did he have any updates on Olive? But John was quick on his feet and a very good liar. He told Constance that Olive had gone shopping the day before and asked him to pick her up when she was finished. But when he arrived, she was nowhere to be found. John seemed sincere enough that Constance believed him. But she was still worried about her friend. So she asked hotel staff to check Olive's room. Maybe she was inside and feeling sick. When a maid entered Olive's room, all she found was a bed that looked like it hadn't been slept in. The maid reported her findings to Constance, who knew something had to be wrong. This was completely out of character for Olive. She always told Constance if she was going out of town or planned to be away from the hotel for a night. So even though she likely didn't think John had something to do with it, Constance was worried something bad had happened to Olive and she was going to take her suspicions to the Police. This world is dying. I've done a ton of research on this and discovered you.

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[Narrator]

In February 1949, 69 year old Olive Duran Deakin went missing. Her friends at the Onslow Court Hotel were desperately searching for her, and one of them had realized John Hay was the last person who'd seen her before she disappeared. Typically, John didn't wait long to forge his way into his victim's assets. But with all the talk about where Olive may have gone, he didn't want to take the risk just yet. However, the hotel's management was threatening to kick John out if he didn't pay his bills. And so he decided to find somewhere to sell off the jewelry Olive had been wearing the night he killed her. The morning after Olive's murder, John made his way to a pawn shop and used a fake name to sell her diamond watch. Money in hand, he drove back to his workshop in Crawley to check on Olive's body. He peeked into the barrel of acid and saw that she still hadn't dissolved. So he headed back to London, where he dropped Olive's Persian lamb coat off at the dry cleaners. He probably planned on selling it later on down the road. Afterward, John returned to the hotel for the evening. As far as he knew, he'd fooled everyone, including Olive's best friend, Constance. All he had to do now was wait for Olive's body to dissolve. Then there wouldn't be any evidence tying him to the murder. The next morning, February 20, the residents of the Onslow Court Hotel were in the dining room for breakfast. Once again, they noticed that Olive didn't show up. If her absence the day before was a curiosity, it had now become a full on concern all of a sudden, it wasn't just her friend Constance who was worried. When John walked in, he could hear everyone exchanging theories about where Olive had gone. Trying to maintain the same composure from the day before, John went to Constance and asked if she had any news about Olive. She told him she didn't, which is why she would be going to the police about it today. John hadn't anticipated the police getting involved so quickly, if at all. But he wasn't ready to run. Instead, he continued to play the part of a worried friend and told Constance that he would go to the police station with her. Once they got there, John and Constance spoke with a policewoman named Sergeant Lamborn. Constance told her about Olive's disappearance and gave a detailed description of her friend. Meanwhile, John was quick to repeat his cover story. He had planned on meeting Olive after her shopping outing, but she never showed. Sergeant Lamborn wasn't as trusting as Constance, though she correctly realized that his story seemed suspicious. Once John and Constance left the station, Sergeant Lamborn decided to look more into Olive's disappearance. She went down to the Onslow Court Hotel and talked to the manager about Olive and John. When the manager told her John was late on rent, Lamborn knew she'd been right to suspect him. His financial troubles weren't proof of guilt, but they were notable. Anyone with money issues would want to clear their debt. Was it possible that John was more involved with Olive's disappearance than he was letting on? Lamborn couldn't shake the feeling that John was hiding something. So she made a call to Scotland Yard and asked if they had any files on a man named John Hay. The detective told her that, yes, they did. John had gone to prison multiple times for fraud. Once again, this wasn't clear proof that he'd murdered Olive, but it showed that John was a criminal. If he'd committed fraud before, it was entirely possible he'd do it again. And maybe this time he took it a step further. Maybe he had killed Olive Duran Deacon for her money. While Lamborn was honing in on John, he had no idea he was being investigated. But that didn't mean he wasn't worried about getting caught. After talking with Lamborn at the station, he headed back to his workshop to check on Olive's body. He was frustrated to find the dissolving process was taking longer than usual, so he added more acid to the barrel, hoping to speed things along. Then John returned to the Onslow Court Hotel and found two detectives waiting for him. When they asked him about Olive, he gave them the same practice Response he'd been rattling off for the past two days. He'd gone to pick her up from her shopping, but she never showed. Once again, he figured that would be enough to satisfy them. And for the next few days, it seemed to work because John didn't hear anything from them. So he decided to sell the rest of Olive's jewelry. He got £100 for all of it, which would be plenty to keep him afloat for a while. From there, he returned to his workshop to check on the body, which had finally dissolved. At his old space. John could simply pour his victim's remains down a drain in the floor. But this one didn't have that option. So John went to the yard and poured the barrel out over a pile of rubble. And although Olive's body had dissolved, her handbag hadn't. Apparently, the plastic was stronger than the acid. Instead of finding a more permanent solution, John just hid it under some loose bricks in the yard. Ultimately, John was going by a timeless saying. No body, no crime. But evidence comes in all forms. And John had just left Sergeant Lamborn a smoking gun. After killing Olive Duran Deacon In February 1949, John Hay believed he'd gotten away with yet another murder. But this time, a police officer named Sergeant Lamborn was hot on his tail. She'd already sent two detectives to the Onslow Court Hotel to speak with him. After a few days went by without any follow up, John believed he was in the clear. But on February 28, 1949, 10 days after Olive's murder, the detectives came back. They wanted John to come down to the station for another round of questioning. Meanwhile, the police had also learned about his workshop, and a few other detectives decided to go take a look. The first thing they found there was John's briefcase. When they opened it, they found the receipt from the dry cleaners where he dropped off Olive's coat. That was already suspicious. But the evidence didn't stop there. As the detectives examined the rest of the briefcase's contents, they found papers that referenced his earlier victims, the hendersons and the McSwanns. If that wasn't incriminating enough, John also had a diary in his briefcase with notes about the many murders he'd committed. But before they could arrest John, they had to make sure everything lined up. The detectives went to the dry cleaners to collect Olive's coat. They showed it to her friends, who confirmed it had belonged to Olive. While all of this was happening, John's name somehow got leaked to journalists. It didn't take long for them to track him Down. One crime reporter named Harry Proctor managed to find John's room at the Onzo Court Hotel and knocked on his door. Eventually, they started talking. John didn't admit to killing Olive, but he couldn't help but brag to Proctor that the police were idiots who had nothing on him. Of course, he was wrong, and Proctor knew it. If you remember, Olive's friend Constance Lane told authorities that Olive had planned on meeting John the day she disappeared. John's cover story was that he'd planned to meet Olive after she was done shopping, but she never showed up. He'd also given one other detail to the police. He told them he had parked his car in a garage on Victoria street while he'd waited for Olive to meet him. But Proctor had actually gone down to the parking garage and looked through the ticket records. John's name wasn't on the list. When Proctor told John what he'd uncovered, John apparently went white. And for good reason. Proctor had already passed this information to the police for verification. Combined with the information they'd gotten from his workshop, it was enough to place John under arrest. The police weren't quite ready to officially charge John with Olive's murder, though now that he was in their custody, they wanted to see if he would confess. They brought him into an interrogation room where three detectives were waiting. They presented him with the mountain of evidence they had on him. But John refused to say much at all. So the detectives decided to switch tactics. Rather than press John, they let him sit in silence. Eventually, he said, tell me frankly, what are the chances of anyone being released from Broadmoor now? John wasn't asking about a prison. Broadmoor was an asylum for the criminally insane. And the only reason he would end up there was if he was found guilty by reason of insanity. For the next several hours, John told the detectives everything. He explained how he'd killed Olive and dissolved her body with acid. John admitted that he'd done the same thing to the McSwans and the Hendersons, too. But there was one other little detail John added. He said he drunk all of his victims blood too. That last detail definitely took the authorities by surprise. But they had no idea if it was true or not. If John wanted to avoid the death penalty by claiming he was criminally insane, drinking his victim's blood would certainly help his case. But before anything proceeded further, the detectives needed evidence that was more concrete. So they went back to John's workshop and searched the yard. John said there would be nothing left to find. But that wasn't exactly true. Near the rubble pile in the yard. There was a woman's handbag. It looked like it was partially dissolved. They also found part of a denture. At some point, the detective showed the denture to Olive's dentist, who confirmed it was hers. Finally, the police had everything they needed. On March 2, 1949, John Hay was formally charged with the murder of Olive Duran. Deacon John was sent to Lewis Prison in East Sussex, England, to await trial. During that time, he continued to claim he'd drunk his victim's blood. And when the trial started, John pleaded insanity. As expected, along with a story about drinking blood, John testified that he'd been plagued by terrifying religious dreams as a child, which heavily featured blood and crucifixes. John's lawyer brought 33 witnesses to the stand to attest to John's unsound mental state. One of them was Dr. Henry Yellowlees, who would go on to become the chief medical officer of the United Kingdom. As to John's mental condition, Yellowlees said he had a paranoid constitution. On the other side, the prosecution argued that John's defense simply didn't hold up. He wasn't insane and unable to understand the consequences of his actions. He was evil and his crimes were premeditated. Ultimately, John's fate was up to the jury, and they took all of 17 minutes to come to a decision. When they returned to the courtroom, the judge read off their decision. John was guilty and sane. The judge sentenced him to death with no possibility of an appeal. Less than a month later, on the morning of August 10, 1949, a crowd of about 500 people watched as John Hay was hanged by an executioner. Before killing Olive Duran, Deacon John had committed multiple murders without getting caught. And when he targeted Olive, he assumed this one would go the same way. He saw an easy opportunity, but he hadn't thought about all the people who loved Olive, family or not. Ultimately, it was the friend she had made at the hotel who ensured Olive's disappearance didn't go unnoticed. While John manipulated his victims into trusting him, it was the true bonds of friendship that finally brought him to justice. Foreign thanks so much for listening.

[Carter Roy]

I'm Carter Roy, and this is Scams, Money and Murder. If you enjoyed this episode, you can check out more just like it by Searching for Murder. True crime Stories. Wherever you get your podcasts, Scams, Money and Murder is a Crime House original. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. And if you like what you heard today, reach out on social media. Rimehouse on TikTok and Instagram. Don't forget to rate, review and follow Scams, Money and Murder and Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts and to enhance your listening experience, subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get every episode of Murder True Crime Stories ad free, along with early access to each thrilling two part series and exciting bonus content. We'll be back next Thursday.

[Heidi Wong]

Twisted Tales with Heidi Wong is perfect for spooky season. Dive into the real events behind the world's most terrifying blockbusters and beyond. Twisted Tales is a quote Prime House original Listen wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes out every Monday.