The Buckham brothers, Robert and Richard, were in trouble. On AUGUST 23rd, 1906, an elderly married couple named Watson had been shot at their bungalow in Basildon, Essex.
Some cash and a watch had been stolen, the victims’ bodies were found dumped in a pond, and at Essex Assizes three months later the two brothers stood in the dock, accused of the Watsons’ murder.
Robert Buckham was acquitted, but his 20-year-old brother Richard was found guilty. Sentenced to death, he was hanged by Henry Pierrepoint at Chelmsford on December 4th, 1906.