Richard Burgess (murderer)
Richard Burgess | |
---|---|
Born | Richard S. Hill 14 February 1829 Stonemason (briefly)Career criminal |
Criminal penalty | Death |
Details | |
Date | 12–13 June 1866 12 June: Unknown time 13 June: Around 1pm |
Location(s) | Maungatapu track, south-east of Nelson |
Target(s) | Travellers near the summit of the Maungatapu Track |
Killed | Four (the accused originally boasted no fewer than nine murders) |
Richard S. Burgess (14 February 1829 – 5 October 1866) was a notorious murderer known for the "Maungatapu murders" which occurred on the Maungatapu track, south-east of Nelson, New Zealand.
Born Richard Hill in west London in 1829, reputedly the illegitimate son of a guards officer and a lady's companion,[1] he became involved in petty street crime at age 14 and was soon jailed and flogged for pickpocketing. Two years later he was sentenced to 15 years' transportation for burglary. After 20 months of solitary confinement he was shipped to Melbourne, Australia, arriving in September 1847.[2]
In 1852, he was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment for armed highway robbery, and he was released in October 1861.
References
- ^ a b "Richard Burgress". 1966 Encyclopedia of New Zealand.
- ^ "Richard Burgess". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
- ^ "The Burgess Gang". NZHistory.net.
- ^ "The Maungatapu murders". NZHistory.net.