Christopher Harrisson, who had been on the run from justice for over 40 years after killing his ex-wife, reportedly believed he was too smart to get caught, according to a detective who was involved in securing his conviction. Harrisson murdered Brenda Page in Aberdeen in 1978, a year after their divorce. Dr. Page’s body was found on a bed stained with blood in her home in Aberdeen. In 2020, Harrisson was questioned by the police and charged with murder four decades after the death.
Det Insp James Callander, who headed the investigative team, stated that Harrisson had not expected to be arrested more than 40 years after the horrific killing, adding, “I think his intelligence was part of his downfall because he thought he was too clever and got away with it, even 40-odd years on. And he just thought his intelligence was far greater than anybody else, and he could get away with it-and that obviously wasn’t the case because when you look at the entire interview he implicates himself.” In March 2023, Harrisson was sentenced to jail for life with a minimum of 20 years before being eligible for parole.
A revealing new BBC documentary, Murder Trial: The Killing of Dr Brenda Page revisits the case from the point of Harrisson’s arrest to his trial and ultimate death sentence at the High Court in Aberdeen. The programme includes footage of officers breaking into Harrisson’s residence and his remarking, “She wasn’t murdered here.” Harrisson, a formerly retired research scientist, was initially a suspect and questioned by the authorities, but no evidence was sufficient to pursue the case against him.
The investigation into Dr. Page’s killing was recoined in 2015, and semen spots discovered on a duvet in her home were discovered to match Harrisson’s DNA profile, leading to his search and subsequent questioning in 2020. Dr. Page’s nephew Chris Ling attended every day of Harrisson’s trial and observed that it was difficult to accept that the man who murdered his aunt while walking among them. Rita Ling, Brenda’s sister, remarked that she had waited years for evidence to be produced against her sister’s killer, and hoped that justice would prevail, according to the BBC
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