On the morning of March 28, 1994, a masked man walked into a second-floor classroom at Hall Garth School, in Middlesbrough, England, and forced a male maths teacher to leave the room by pointing a gun at a boy's head. He then ordered the rest of the pupils to kneel down and close their eyes, produced a knife, and began stabbing the children, telling them, "They have killed me, now they have killed you."
Twelve-year-old Nikki Conroy died almost instantly from multiple stab wounds, while two of her classmates, Michelle Reeve, 13, and Emma Winter, 12, were seriously injured before their attacker was overpowered by two teachers.
In a note found at the murder scene, the killer had expressed his desire to bring terror to the school, writing, "I imagine the deaths of young maidens slain in a room choked with desks."
Two days later, several UK tabloid newspapers ran profiles of the attacker, 29-year-old Stephen Wilkinson, with The Sun describing him as a "Skinhead loner who lived for heavy metal horror songs and computers."
"The skinhead's favourite group is Brazilian band Sepultura, whose blood-chilling titles include Murder, Slaves of Pain, Morbid Visions and Screams Behind The Shadows," journalist Guy Patrick reported. "Some fans of their 'Death Metal' music - named after its obsession with horror and violence - call themselves the Troops Of Doom."
