Who was Melissa Halsted? Model and photographer killed by Scalp Hunter John Sweeney

MELISSA Halstead was a exemplary and lensman who was brutally murdered by John Sweeney.

Known arsenic the Scalp Hunter, John is suspected to person killed 5 women but Melissa was his archetypal confirmed victim. So who was Melissa?

John Sweeney’s archetypal victim

Melissa was moving arsenic a freelance lensman successful London erstwhile she met John, but she was primitively from Ohio, USA.

John claimed to person met Melissa successful December 1986, portion helium had been surviving successful Hackney. 

He besides claimed that she was unpredictable erstwhile she drank and highly quiescent erstwhile she was sober, but that helium stayed with her due to the fact that helium “loved her”. 

He was arrested successful 1988 for hitting her successful the caput with a hammer, but received a suspended condemnation and continued their narration afterwards. 

When Melissa’s enactment visa ran out, the mates went connected a travel astir Europe.

Melissa’s assemblage was recovered successful a canal successful Rotterdam, Holland, successful 1990 aft it had been mutilated by an chartless killer. 

Her caput and hands were ne'er found. 

It wasn’t until 2008 that Melissa was identified, aft Dutch detectives matched household DNA to her body. 

The execution of Paula Fields

It was aboriginal revealed that the Scalp Hunter had besides murdered a 2nd woman.

He killed his woman Paula Fields, a 31-year-old mother-of-three from Liverpool, successful a akin mode to Melissa. 

Paula was murdered astir 10 years aft Melissa, but she was dumped successful a canal and near without her caput and hands conscionable similar John’s archetypal victim.

She reportedly met the slayer portion being arsenic a enactment idiosyncratic successful London successful 2000. 

John Sweeney is arrested

He went connected the tally successful 1994, aft attacking a caregiver named Delia Balmer.

Like his different victims, Delia was his woman astatine the clip but she survived her brushwood with the Scalp Hunter. 

John was connected the tally for six years, but was caught aft Paula’s remains were discovered.

He was handed a beingness condemnation for attacking Delia and refused to adjacent permission his compartment astatine Belmarsh situation erstwhile helium was sentenced for his murders of Melissa and Paula successful 2011. 

In court, respective poems written by the slayer were utilized arsenic evidence. 

One read: "Poor aged Melissa, chopped her up successful bits, nutrient to provender the fish, Am*dam was the pits."

Another read:  A atrocious travel successful Vienna, humor spilled, Amsterdam was not overmuch better, humor killed.

The prosecutor, Brian Altman KC, said that Melissa had confided successful her sister that she was frightened of John. 

He said: "She told her sister 'If thing happens to me, if ever I spell missing, past you'll cognize that helium did it. 

“He volition spot to it that thing is near of me'."