The horrifying true story behind ITV’s Until I Kill You
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ITV's latest drama, "Until I Kill You," narrates the incredible true story of Delia Balmer, a nurse who faced the shocking revelation that her boyfriend of three years was actually a serial killer.
The show, inspired by Balmer's 2017 memoir "Living with a Serial Killer," features Anna Maxwell Martin from "Motherland" in the role of Balmer, alongside Shaun Evans from "Vigil" as the serial killer John Sweeney. It explores their entire relationship, highlighting Balmer's attempts to break free from Sweeney, leading up to the horrifying moment when he assaulted her with an axe.
In 1991, Balmer and Sweeney crossed paths at a pub in Camden, London, and immediately hit it off after discovering their shared passion for travel. Sweeney shared that he had been working on construction projects in Germany and traveled often.
At the start of their relationship, Sweeney frequently reached out to Balmer, bringing her flowers and expressing his love in various ways. However, Balmer eventually recognized that these gestures were not genuine; they were a cover for his increasingly controlling behavior and physical abuse that developed over time.
In her memoir, Balmer noted that the initial changes unfolded gradually. "I should have realized something was off, but I'm naturally gentle and trusting. I had never experienced anything like this before," she reflected.
Balmer tried to end the relationship, but she was worried about her safety. In 1994, she temporarily separated from Sweeney and changed the locks on her door. She also requested the police to look into a suspicious bag that was concealed behind a bathroom panel, which she refers to in her book as a “body disposal kit intended for me.”
Even though Balmer tried to alert the authorities, Sweeney forced his way into her house and kept her captive for four days, binding her to a bed and brandishing a gun at her. During this time, he admitted to killing his former girlfriend, 33-year-old Melissa Halstead, as well as two men in Amsterdam. Halstead's body had been discovered dismembered in a Rotterdam canal in 1990, but no one had been identified as a suspect until now.
After Sweeney left the apartment, Balmer rushed to inform the police about the incident. They took Sweeney into custody for kidnapping her, but he was later released on bail.
One day after Sweeney was freed, Balmer came back home to discover him lurking, ready to assault her with an axe. In terrifying moments described in both the book and the show, Sweeney severed one of Balmer's fingers. Fortunately, a neighbor rushed to help her by hitting Sweeney with a baseball bat. However, Sweeney managed to flee and went into hiding.
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In the next court session, Balmer recounted, “He had the axe raised over me, prepared to end my life. At that moment, the neighbor stepped outside and put himself in danger. I had just huddled up, bracing myself for the worst.”
Balmer sustained serious injuries; she had a broken arm, torn tendons, and one of her fingers was amputated.
In 2001, Sweeney was taken into custody and received four life sentences. This was due to his attempted murder of Balmer and the possession of four firearms when he was caught after going into hiding.
In 2010, while he was already serving his sentence, he was accused of murdering Halstead and another victim, 31-year-old Paula Fields, whom he had killed while evading capture. Her remains were discovered in Regent’s Canal near Camden in 2001.
In 2011, he was convicted of two offenses and received a life sentence. The BBC reports that investigators think he could be responsible for the disappearances of three additional women from the region, whose cases date back to between 1970 and 1990.
When Sweeney, who hails from Merseyside, received his sentence at the Old Bailey in 2011, Judge Mr. Justice Saunders described the murders as "horrific, evil acts."
"With the victims' heads gone, it's difficult to determine the exact cause of their deaths. The disfigurement of the bodies adds a troubling dimension to the murders," he stated.
“Not only does it expose the ruthless character of the murderer, but it has also significantly worsened the pain for the families to learn that some remains of their loved ones have still not been found.”
Until I Kill You premieres on ITV1 on November 3rd.
