David Gilroy

David Gilroy File:Wire-2459142-1520523271-983 634x909.jpg Full Name: David Gilroy Origin: U.K. Occupation: Infrastructure manager Goals: Get away with the murder of Suzanne Pilley (failed) Crimes: Murder Kidnapping Type of Villain: Murderer

David Gilroy is a British man who murdered his ex-girlfriend Suzanne Pilley in May 2010. The case is notable because Suzanne's body has never been found, with Gilroy's prosecution relying heavily on circumstantial evidence.

Biography

Gilroy and Suzanne Pilley were both co-workers at Infrastructure Managers Ltd on Thistle Street, Edinburgh. Gilroy began dating Suzanne in spite of being married to another woman, but they broke up in 2009.

On 4 May 2010, Suzanne disappeared on the way to work. She was last seen at 8:54 AM on North St. David Street about to turn onto Thistle Street. During the investigation, Gilroy and Suzanne's prior relationship came to the attention of the police and he was named as a suspect. Gilroy's laptop and mobile phone were examined and he was found to have sent Suzanne over 400 messages in the past month, texting her 40 times a day, only to stop for no apparent reason on the day of her disappearence. A couple of weeks later Gilroy called the police and reported that his laptop and mobile were stolen.

On 20 May, police announced that they were seeking a silver Vauxhall Vectra seen driving in the area. Gilroy owned a silver Vauxhall Vectra, bringing him under further suspicion. It was also reported by co-workers that he had repeatedly visited the basement of Infrastructure Managers Ltd for no clear reason, causing police to suspect that he had kept Suzanne in the basement until he could dispose of her. Cadaver dogs trained to identify the smell of human remains were deployed and showed interest in the basement and the back of Gilroy's car. Suzanne's DNA was not found in Gilroy's car, but it was noted that cleaning agents were present inside. Vegetative matter was found inside his car and there were three fractured coil springs, indicating he had driven off-road into a forest, presumably to dispose of Suzanne's body.

It was found that Gilroy had travelled to a school in Argyll and Bute on 5 May, the day after Suzanne's disappearance. While the school had been a client of his employer there was no clear reason for Gilroy to have visited. While there Gilroy had picked up bin bags and cable ties before driving back. According to Gilroy's mobile data and CCTV footage along his route his journey had taken several hours longer than it should have. It was presumed that he had killed Suzanne on 4 May and kept her body in the basement, then on 5 May he had driven to the school and stopped on the way back to dump her body. Suspicious scratch marks were found on his face and neck which he had concealed using makeup in his original police interview.

Gilroy was arrested on 23 June and charged with Suzanne's murder. His trial began on 20 February 2012. His defence case was not strong, resting primarily on the defence's contention that none of Gilroy's co-workers noticed anything out of the ordinary at the time of Suzanne's disappearance and that the prosecution had not adequately proven their case. The trial concluded on 13 March 2012. On 15 March the jury returned a majority verdict of guilty. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years. He continues to maintain his innocence.