Richard Hillman was one of the most notorious villains in the history of Coronation Street, the British ITV soap opera. He was a serial killer who tried to murder his own family and several other residents of Weatherfield. But how did he die and what led him to his downfall? Here is everything you need to know about Richard Hillman’s cause of death and his twisted crimes.
Contents
Richard Hillman’s Early Life and Arrival in Weatherfield
Richard Hillman was born on December 20, 1951. He had two previous marriages before arriving in Weatherfield. His first wife was Marion, who wanted to have children, but Richard had to attend to his sick mother. His second wife was Patricia, who also wanted to have kids, but Richard discovered that he was sterile. He divorced Patricia and left her with a huge debt.
Richard arrived in Weatherfield in 2001, for the funeral of his cousin Alma Halliwell. He met Alma’s friend Gail Platt, a widow with three children and a granddaughter. Richard fell in love with Gail and her family, and they started a relationship. Richard was a financial adviser and a businessman, who owned a property company called Kellet Holdings. He seemed to be a charming and successful man, who wanted to take care of Gail and her family.
Richard Hillman’s Debts and Murder Spree
However, Richard’s financial situation was not as good as it appeared. He had invested in a building project that was going wrong, and he owed money to several creditors. He also had a dark side, that revealed his homicidal tendencies.
His first victim was his business partner Duggie Ferguson, who died after falling through a bannister during an argument with Richard. Richard left him to die, instead of calling for help. His second victim was his ex-wife Patricia, who came back to blackmail him into buying her out of Kellet Holdings. Richard killed her with a shovel and buried her body under the foundations of his building project.
Richard also tried to swindle some of his neighbours, such as Jack and Vera Duckworth, Rita Fairclough, and Emily Bishop, by offering them dubious investment schemes or equity release plans. He kidnapped Norris Cole, who was suspicious of his activities, and locked him in the boot of his car. He also attempted to kill Gail’s mother Audrey Roberts, by setting fire to her house, hoping to inherit her property. However, Audrey survived the fire.
Richard’s most brutal crime was the murder of Maxine Peacock, who was a friend of Gail’s daughter Sarah. Richard broke into the Peacocks’ house, intending to kill Emily Bishop, who was babysitting Maxine’s son Joshua. He hit Emily with a crowbar, but she survived. Maxine came home and found Richard in the house. He attacked her with the same crowbar and killed her in front of Joshua.
Richard tried to cover up his crimes by framing Sarah’s ex-boyfriend Aidan Critchley, who had caused a car crash that injured Sarah and her baby Bethany. He planted evidence in Aidan’s flat and tipped off the police.
Richard Hillman’s Downfall
Richard’s evil deeds eventually caught up with him. Gail became suspicious of his behaviour and found out that he had lied about his past marriages and his fertility. She confronted him and he confessed everything to her. He begged her to forgive him and stay with him, but she rejected him and called him “Norman Bates with a briefcase”.
Richard went into hiding for a few weeks, but he could not let go of Gail and her family. He came back and abducted them at gunpoint. He drove them to a canal, where he planned to kill them all by crashing the car into the water. He told them that they were going to join Maxine in heaven.
However, his plan failed as Gail’s children managed to escape from the car before it sank into the canal. Gail also got out of the car with the help of Tommy Harris, who had followed them. Only Richard remained trapped in the car and drowned.
Richard Hillman’s cause of death was drowning. He died as he tried to finish off his wife Gail and her children.
Conclusion
Richard Hillman was one of the most memorable villains in Coronation Street history. His cause of death was drowning after he tried to kill his family in a suicide attempt. His murder spree shocked the fans and left a lasting impact on the show.
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