Stephen Shaun Griffiths was born in December 1969 in Yorkshire.
His parents divorced when he was 13 years old, leaving him and his siblings in the care of his mother, despite her criminal record of fraud.
Neighbours often reported Griffiths' mother having sex with different men in her garden, in full view to everyone, including Griffiths. He reportedly had a disturbing habit of watching his mother commit these sexual acts.
Teenage life
As a teenager, Griffiths began to shoplift. On one occasion, a clerk attempted to stop him, and Griffiths slashed his face with a knife. He was arrested and sentenced to three years in youth custody, he was 17 years old.
During his time in prison, he lost contact with family and told officers and psychiatrists that he fantasized about being a serial killer.
Only a year after his arrest, he was released and he moved into a flat in Manningham where he enrolled in a psychology course at Bradford College.
1989
He was sentenced to 100 hours of community service after an air pistol was found in his possession. It was discovered that he has used this pistol to shoot birds, which he would then dissect.
Diagnosis
After this arrest, Griffiths was diagnosed as having schizoid psychopathy.
1990
In 1990, Griffiths was arrested again and sentenced to 2 years in prison for holding a knife to a young girl's throat.
After his release, Griffiths began to collect books about serial killers in order to study them closely. They focused mainly on Jack the Ripper, The Moors Murders, and his personal favourite, The Yorkshire Ripper.
1998
Griffiths began dating a woman which lasted for 2 years. This relationship ended when he invited her to his flat, and she found every single surface covered in plastic. In an interview she stated how his flat was full of macabre items, with a bookshelf full of books around killers, and even the carpet had plastic sheets covering it.
Later Griffiths dated another woman, but she ended things due to his abusive nature. He would not let her leave the house without him, and began to physically abuse her. After she ended things, he began to stalk and harass her, which lasted for years.
2001
Griffiths began to drink heavily and take drugs.
He appeared to be an intimidating and 'weird' character, who would dress in all leather and have 'goth' style makeup. He also brought 2 lizards and took them on walks on dog leads.
One of his neighbours, Rachel Farrington, was invited to his flat where she witnessed him feeding live rats to his lizards.
2003
Griffiths earned a degree in psychology and enrolled at the University of Bradford for a PHD in Criminology a year later. His PHD focused around homicide and serial killers.
Being unemployed, Griffiths spent most of his time on the internet, downloading violent pornography. He also created a Myspace page where he would quote criminals and fictional killers, such as Francis Dolarhyda, a necrophiliac serial killer, from the Thomas Harris' novel, Red Dragon. He even listed his mood as 'evil' and called himself a 'demon' on several occasions.
The Murders
June 22 2009:
Griffiths took Susan Rushworth, 43, a sex worker to his flat and killed her. He then dismembered her in his bathtub.
2010:
A year later in 2010, he killed his next two victims.
Shelley Armitage, 31, a sex worker.
Suzanne Blamires, 36, also a sex worker, was Griffiths third and final victim.
The CCTV
Suzanne Blamires attempted to escape but was fatally shot with a crossbow, then stabbed in the head. A CCTV camera which had been installed in the hallway for the sole purpose of monitoring Griffiths, captured the whole event and resulted in his arrest.
The CCTV footage shows Griffiths with the crossbow, moments after killing his last victim, sticking his finger up at the camera, then celebrating his kill.
Modus Operandi
Griffiths would roam Bradford's red light district until he found a sex worker. Not counting Suzanne Blamires, who was shot and stabbed, details of how he liked to kill are unknown, though it is very likely he would fatally shoot them with one of his crossbows.
After killing his victims he would dismember them in the bathtub, and cook part of their bodies for him to consume, sometimes eating them raw. He would then place the bodies in plastic bags and throw them into a nearby lake.
When asked in an interview why he dismembered the bodies Griffiths replied "I don't know. It's like, deep issues inside of me".
The Crossbow Cannibal
In court, Griffiths introduced himself as the “Crossbow Cannibal”, giving himself a name which would stick.
He pleaded guilty to all three murders and is currently serving life in prison.
He attempted suicide several time whilst in prison.
How did Stephen Griffiths become the Crossbow Cannibal
Griffiths is also suspected of killing three more women after making suggestions. However it has not be confirmed if these women are also his victims.
Clinical forensic psychologist Dr Eric Cullen believes that Griffiths was “unusual in serial killing because there's not much in his childhood or formative period to suggest the monster that he was to become”. He adds that he was trying to establish a normal life, but his fragile ego was damaged after he was rejected by women. Despite these suggestions, there is obvious indicators that Griffiths could be dangerous.
“He's probably sufficiently engaged in his isolated, inner reality of a morbid increasingly obsessional fascination with and growing respect for serial killing”
A Sadistic Misogynist
Griffiths' violent behaviours may have started after his parents divorce, and witnessing his mothers behaviours with other men. Hatred towards women therefore may have began with his mother, who had been arrested for fraud, and who Griffiths had reportedly watched have sex with men in the garden.
Due to his mothers behaviours, it is not unlikely that he found similarities between her, and the sex workers he murdered.
His misogynistic anger towards women also would have been deepened due to his failed relationships with multiple women, and the rejection he faced, along with the violent pornography he often downloaded.
Schizoid Psychopathy: nature or nurture?
A personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary or sheltered lifestyle, secretiveness, emotional coldness, and apathy.
Most experts agree that schizoid psychopathy, is caused by a combination of genetics and social environment during early development. Again, this links to the hatred of women, possibly a product of his mothers behaviours and his relationships with women.
His obsession with violent pornography may have also helped to desensitize Griffiths to the act of killing.
Criminal charges:
Possession of an air pistol
Animal cruelty
Attempted murder
3 counts of murder
Shoplifting and assault
There were several indicators that Griffiths was growing towards these crimes, yet nothing was done to prevent them.
Cheating death
Griffiths cheated death after a prison cell attack, when a fellow inmate tried to plunge a wooden stake through his chest. The inmate used a sharpened piece of wood and drove it as hard as he could, eyewitnesses say Griffiths was left with a gaping hole in his chest.
He survived.