Timothy Evans

Timothy Evans was a young mentally retarded man who was executed in England in 1950 for the murder of his wife and young daughter. It was later discovered that the murders were in all probability committed by Evan's neighbor John Reginald Christie who was also hanged in 1953 for several other murders. Author Ludovic Kennedy and attorney Michael Eddowes fought to clear Evan's name and he was granted a posthumous pardon in 1966. The outcry over the Evan's case contributed to the abolishment of the death penalty in England.