John Martin Scripps
Serial Murder
Singapore
British
1995
Capital Execution
EXECUTED (1996)
John Martin Scripps, often referred to as the “Tourist from Hell,” was a British serial killer who murdered tourists across Singapore and Thailand in 1995. Using butchery skills he acquired during previous prison sentences, he dismembered his victims to facilitate disposal.
He was convicted for the murder of Gerard George Lowe in Singapore. His execution in 1996 made him the first Westerner to be hanged for murder in Singapore since the nation’s independence.
On the day preceding his execution on April 19, 1996, Scripps requested a simple final meal:
- Pizza
- A cup of hot chocolate
Scripps’s demeanor during his final days was described as relatively detached. After withdrawing his appeal and declining to seek presidential clemency, he famously remarked, “Karma is karma. It’s in God’s hands now,” indicating a resignation to his sentence.
