Another absolutely brilliant case for the early 20th century. Well done, BC! Clearly a lot of time invested into researching the case in detail. Bravo 👏

People saying a parent could never do this...maybe haven't watched true crime before or had such idyllic childhoods you can't picture it. Not all parents put their kids first, some see them as an enormous inconvenience.

I'm glad the father was not convicted, as the evidence was all circumstantial and the motive nonexistant. It is still heartbreaking that the murderer was never brought to justice. Rest in peace, dear little William.

It seemed as if this whole family was haunted by tragedy. 3 children dead. The mother fallen apart from losing her children, the failed marriage and hard times. The father hampered by both being accused and also by injury from his heroic act. Seemed as if nothing could go right for the family.

What a sad story. People think this kind of tragedy is a modern phenomenon. But monsters have always walked among us. Poor child. Well done video.

little William's murder is now over 100 years later, known to everyone that is a fan of this great channel. Thank you BC for your great skills in finding all this old info and bringing it to light

I can’t fathom how Victorian parents coped with death always at their doorstep ready to take their children. Every little cough, earache or digestive issue must have struck fear in their hearts. Losing a child to murder would have been crushing.

How tragic. Most marriages rarely survive one child death let alone multiple deaths. It takes a special kind of monster to strangle the life out of a child. I don’t think the dad did it either.

Such a tragedy for a poor woman who through the times that she lived lost her last surviving child to a murderer 😢

Agnes was charged in 1905 with trying to commit suicide by drinking poison. Apparently upset John had spent the night away and wouldn’t tell her where he’d been, she reportedly said “I’ll do something to make him sorry.” At the time she had a year old baby, it died the following year. John’s Army record shows he was given 3 months hard labour in 1909 and again in 1910 for deserting his wife and child and leaving their support to the Parish. Despite this they were living together on the 1911 census in one room. Poor little lad never stood a chance. I’m still inclined to think he was snatched by a stranger though.

I don’t think the father did it, honestly. Plenty of witnesses were able to corroborate his alibi and had nothing to gain by lying for him, and similarly there was something to gain by falsely implicating him. Also doesn’t help that “a dark coat, hat and mustache” were identifying features of the killer when everyone and their dog had a dark coat, hat and mustache in this era. I think it was probably a revenge killing for putting the other man away, especially because (thankfully) it doesn’t seem like there was a sexually driven motive to hurt William. I feel for mum, can’t imagine losing all of my children.

This poor family. Seem to have suffered a lot of tragedy in their lives. Thank you for sharing this story. I always look forward to your videos. I hope you have a wonderful week!

What an absolutely devastating story. Murder is bad enough, but to murder a child is beyond reprehensible. Well done as always, BC.

A strange case... I had heard of this before but enjoyed your narration of it. Very sad for the parents to have lost so tragically the last of their three children.

Poor little William, what a tragic story. What different times they were having a small 5 year old running around the streets doing errands!

Such a sad and mysterious case. Hard to imagine today that back then it was quite common to send very young children on errands.. 🤦🏻‍♀️😔 I am glad the father was acquitted on such flimsy circumstantial evidence. Brilliantly presented and researched, BC💼 The old photos are endlessly fascinating.. 🤗👍

Poor little darling, what a sad life he had compounded by a frightening death at the hands of brute. Its so very very sad, in fact my heart is breaking for him. 😞.

Poor little man. Life was so cheap then, and women often lost children in their early years. Life was hard. Thank you for this case.

Such a terribly tragic case, so beautifully researched, and narrated, with so much care and respect. So long ago now, but never forgotten. Thank -you B.C. 💙

They saw a man with a mustache. This described, what, about 60% of adult men in 1914? The case against the father was flimsy, and I agree with the acquittal. Poor child, poor parents, what a sad story.

Truly sad for this baby but the grief his poor mother must have endured, burying all three children . Truly sad .

My deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of this precious little boy, William Starchfield. May his soul rest in eternal peace.🌹

How tragic, the parents lives were already awful enough and were completely devastated by this tragedy, moreover they never got to see justice for their little boy. I don't think the father did it.

16:09 because the mother had a nervous breakdown probably that woman said something to her stupid so she slapped her and she ended up going to jail ?! Just that is insane 😢

BC, you are such an amazing storyteller. This one was so sad, poor little boy, and his devestated Mum.

The poor wee laddie had been through so much in such a short life. He must have been terrified. I feel such sadness for his mum and dad. It takes a very evil person to kill an innocent child.

This is such a sad and tragic case, that poor mother. Its sad it remains unsolved but I definitely believe it was not the father.

It makes me happy to sit back, relax, and go wherever you take us every week. Thank you, Brief Case, for your excellent work on another great video!🙌🏼

I definitely don’t think the father was the killer and I doubt the revenge motive as well. It was probably a child predator that randomly came across the boy and seized the opportunity to abduct him. Unfortunately, monsters are real and have been around a very long time.

Another great video Mr B. Case. My heart goes out to poor William's family. Must have been so tragic for them :(.

Another interesting case. Unfortunately for the mother, it was not resolved. The revenge theory is probable, especially since the fact the parents were separated, suspicions of the father could be raised. And so for another week . . . Great work B. C.

What a sad story 🙏 prayers for this little soul. Thank you for sharing and the research that it involves.

Perfect accompaniment for sushi and coffee on National Avocado Day 2023 today on July 31, Brief Case! No mother should have to bury one child, let alone multiple! Thanks as always.

Such a very sad story. Thank you for all the stories you tell.

What a riveting story today, thank you!! I felt like I knew his father didn't do it just by looking into his eyes in his photographs. Very happy he was found not guilty, but it's tragic that they had to go through the inquest and trial.

This was incredibly tragic for both parents. What a harrowing story. I don't for a minute believe this father was guilty. His character seemed good and he had no motive. My heart breaks for that family. I haven't written a comment for a while B.C as I watch on my tv, but had to switch to my phone just to say thank you. You are still my favourite channel and I look forward to your cases every week. Stay well and safe.

Thank you for bringing this case to light. I have no doubt the poor William had been forgotten about. Its good to remember them, its even better when their story is recounted for those of us that didnt know and are now able to ensure William is not forgotten again. RIP sweet lad, hard life, even harder death, you will be remembered.

My goodness, was it really normal to send an unattended 5 yr old on errands away from the house into busy public places? Poor child; being used in that way when he deserved to be protected.

Well done Brief Case. Very sad, but well described. The death of children is the hardest on the parents.☘️💚

Thank you for another wonderful (and tragic) video, BC! I don't know how you find so many photographs from the period!

No mother should have to bury 3 of her own children how tragic for her

Poor little lad. So, so sad. Poor Mrs Starchfield, having lost 3 children. My heart goes out to her.

Such an incredibly sad case! Great facts & details, as usual, presented by you!

I love your series and try to see every one! This is so incredibly well done and the cases can be so sad!

I am always interested in crimes from years past. It's always interesting to me how they got solved or tried to.

That poor child riding with a hand sticking out in front of him for the his whole train ride. The poor mother. i wonder the reason for such a terrible murder. I guess if they knew why, they'd know who. If the father had not seen the boy in 5 weeks, he could have hired someone to do to hurt the mother. I guess they would have found that out. The prosecutors did an idiotic job with so much evidence for the father's whereabouts. Well told, TY.

Such a tragedy all round, poor little boy murdered, father falsely blamed, mother fell apart - and accused of assaulting a friend... Such sadness for all of the family... Rip to all of them... 💔💔💔

Loved your narration of this sad part of history.

So sad,little boy losing his young life! The Mother’s only son left and killed what a tragedy. Don’t really know if the got the right person who did this. Thanks for sharing.👍

Thanks for this case. It’s easy to forget that so many lived under desperate circumstances despite their best efforts during those times. Could killing his son have been prompted by something as simple as the need to cut expenses? Great narration and case. 😊

Poor dear little boy 🙏🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺

Good morning all from South Jersey USA

Brief Case, such a lovely time after working the night shift, to come around to your channel and start watching something interesting and horrific. Thank you for having a regular Monday upload, for all of our entertainment.

I'd think I heard of this case before. I think Dark Curiosity covered this case on their channel. Such another heartbreaking case of a young child losing their life without getting the chance to grow up and become something special.

Good morning or good evening because you’re across the pond but I am in California. It’s always heartbreaking when a child dies because they haven’t had a chance to live life but it’s even harder when they’re killed by someone especially an adult. What’s even worse is when a parent is accused and they actually did it and I’m glad Williams father wasn’t found guilty because witnesses were confused and I believe they were just looking to find anyone and to be honest I really don’t think he did it. Unfortunately we live in a society where people just don’t value human life and will take the life of any age including a child or even a baby. Williams parents lost their children so they lost their world and that you cannot get back. Thank you for another amazing story this one really hit me because I lost my daughter many years ago to a drunk driver. I still call it murder because of the choices that he made when he took her life. Thank you so much for another awesome story and we will look forward to next Monday have a wonderful week Bless 🙏🏽🇬🇧🇵🇭

Good morning BC nothing I like better on a Monday morning than listening to the great stories you do. ❤

I think the father could be right about revenge. It would be interesting to see more background to the four witnesses who identified him. They may have ked back to the real killer. After all to murder the child and see the father hang for it may have been the plan all along. Hope you and Brief Cat are staying out of the weather. See you next week guys.

You don't get revenge on someone by murdering an innocent child who has nothing to do with your grievance

This was quite an involved case considering eyewitnesses couldn't agree and were compromised.

Really it's a wonder any crimes were solved at all, without confessions. SO MUCH relied on eyewitness memory, which is proven to be the weakest form of evidence and of course people can also lie. To make matters worse, people dressed and styled themselves SO similarly (look at 14:40), and lots of men had up to half their face covered with facial hair and wore hats everywhere, so if one's head were tilted down in the few seconds somebody saw them, they might as well have been wearing ski masks. Just to think of how many victims never received justice, and worse, how many innocent people were wrongfully convicted and punished, even executed, much sooner after conviction than nowadays, and it's not terribly rare that something comes up to exonerate death row inmates. Just imagine knowing you were innocent while having the rope put around your neck with a crowd bellowing disgust at you, knowing you'll be remembered as a killer and your loved ones treated with shame as well. One more reason I roll my eyes when someone talks about the "good old days."

Very sad case, that dear child having his life taken, and nobody found responsible. Great illustrations as always and superbly narrated, thanks for this, one I certainly never heard before. RIP William.

Poor little guy, may he rest in God's arms and be comforted.

Good morning B.C...i noticed in your narration of the story the focus was on a man being the culprit...I personally think the reason why the case was never solved is because police didn't look at women as possible suspects 👍

Poor boy. What a shame his killer was not found. Great narrative as usual. My favourite crime Chanel.

I still cannot abide it when a judge instructs the jury to find a not guilty verdict. Why impanel a jury if the judge can declare the defendant not guilty ? If the jury would conclude the defendant is guilty the judge can always set aside the guilty verdict and declare the defendant innocent. An excellent video as usual. Thank you so much for your detailed work in preparing this presentation.

I know times were different back then, but good Lord, you send a five-year-old out on his own, out in a big city? The boy should’ve never been alone. This is how things happen poor boy poor mother.

I have 3 sons I saw the video and and the pic of little boy. I almost didnt watch. Poor child. Why did landlady send him on errand. Not her baby. Thats all I could think. People were made with more grit than I. Bless them all. Thanks for giving him a voice as others have said. Morning BC I'll be pondering for a while.

Thanks Brief Case I love 💕 your voice,you are one of my favorite story tellers!! This case was very sad, and I can’t understand why this young boy was walking to the store!! Another Awesome Case Thanks!!!!❤❤❤❤❤

It seems like witnesses were plentiful back then, either motivated by notoriety or reward. Investigators invented evidence or interpreted it in ways that were beyond their ability to understand even if it may indeed have have been tied to the crime.

What a tragic family. Que en paz descansen.

❤❤❤❤❤ yay, England! I've gone to so many countries from this channel.

Good morning BC from Black Diamond Alberta 😊 love Monday mornings!

Yay, a Brief Case! 😀 Wait, that means it's Monday...😳

Good morning Brief Case.

Sad story all around. Murder affects the life of so many people. An unsolved one, of a child to boot, even more so I think because one must add doubt, frustration and everlasting suspicion to all the emotions brought out by the violent death. No wonder some lose their health or will to live. Here, today, we've all had a thought for little William Starchfield. Thank you for that Brief Case.

Your work is always so interesting: you start with the crime, which gets our interest, and then the details and clues are disclosed, we meet the suspects, and consider them ourselves as you give details, and then there's a resolution. Well done!

Absolutely amazing research BC, Love these tales, another Monday started well. 👍🇨🇦💓

Good morning, Brief Case from Atlanta Georgia. Love your content.

It's so sad that little children, especially not their own were freely ordered around on errands unaccompanied. 💔

Children in that time period had a high mortality rate but the poor little guy was murdered. It's a abomination at the very least that he got off.

A truly mysterious case you've brought this week BC. But I was so engrossed in the old photos that I lost track of the story and had to rewatch! 🙏🖤✌️

Your stories are always good.

Another truly fascinating Brief Case. I love all these old historical crimes that are pretty much unheard of. I feel sorry for the mother who had alot of tragedies losing 3 children yet she still managed to carry on. She deserves alot of respect. What I cannot fathom is why on earth would anyone kill an innocent young child??? U must be a truly u hinged monster to commit such an awful crime. Imo I seriously doubt the father killed the child & the fact the killer has never been brought to justice is very upsetting aswell. May William RIP

It never ceases to amaze me how they could diagnose someone 'insane'. Just 'insane'.

Another tearful unsolved murder mystery - that poor family!! Thanks for the Mon morn video from Mukilteo, soon to be on my way home to Whidbey Island!!

Another amazing Brief Case. That poor family just couldn't get a break.

Good morning! As always, I look forward to your videos. Have a great week.

Quality channel!!!!!!!! Top notch stuff again as always.

Good morning BC hope you are having a good Monday! Thank you for this video! You always do such a amazing job! ❤❤

I can’t believe his poor mother was fined what was probably an insurmountable amount at that time. Just weeks after her little child had been murdered, she must’ve been so despondent and bereft.

thank you BC, another great case well presented.

Happy Monday BC I always enjoy your content

Thank-you Brief Case😊

This was a good one always look forward to your narrations you always gives a victim of voice and a relatable life you know❤

So beautifully told. You have a lovely heart Brief Case. 🌻🌷

I'm always grateful for your Time!

Great work BC, thanks.

What an great tragedy 😢 Thanks, BC

Happy Monday Brief Case❤

Love these cases. Thank you.