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Victim: Roger Hendra
Killer: Mark Papazian |
Murderer recorded crime in his diary
Man jailed for life after boasting of 'perfect' killing
MURDER-mystery fan Mark Papazian thought he had committed
the perfect crime when he bludgeoned retired English teacher
Roger Hendra with a claw hammer and slit his throat with a fishing
knife.
But on Friday he was sentenced to life for the killing.
Mr Hendra, 65, a gay single man, was found dead at his flat
in Pond Street, Hampstead, last June, by neighbours – a
month after he met Papazian on Hampstead Heath. Like a villain
in one of his favourite PD James or Patricia Highsmith books,
Papazian carefully plotted how he would kill Mr Hendra –
even writing down details of the murder in his secret diary.
In one entry, he said: “I always wanted to do a murder,”
while afterwards he callously crowed: “I am a genius.”
But the log turned out to be Papazian’s downfall.
It revealed that Hendra and Papazian had shared a bottle of
wine on the night of the murder and how Papazian, a psychiatric
nurse, had been jealous of his victim’s CD collection.
A bag full of compact discs was later found at the home of one
of Papazian’s friends.
It also said he “had thought of everything” to do
with the forensic examination of Mr Hendra’s flat.
On Friday Old Bailey judge Christopher Moss told the fantasist
that a ‘life’ sentence will mean a minimum of 24 years
behind bars. He said: “If you are ever released, you will
be in the final years of your life.”
It wasn’t until four weeks after the murder that the killer
was traced through mobile phone records and arrested at a hotel
in Finchley Road, Swiss Cottage.
Papazian by then had shaved off his moustache and cut his long
hair. In the six-day period between the murder and the discovery
of Mr Hendra’s body, he had also returned to the flat to
tidy up.
DNA evidence, however, linked Mr Hendra’s blood to Papazian’s
knife. Detectives said Papazian would almost certainly have
gone on to kill again.
His diary included the name of another intended victim and entries
that suggested he planned to murder more men.
Detective Chief Inspector Michael Broster said: “While
he lived alone and had no immediate family, Roger Hendra had
a number of close friends. He will be missed by those friends
and in the community where he did voluntary work counselling
for the gay community and founded a group called London friends.” |
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