EXCLUSIVE
AFTER flying under the radar for almost 60 years, the connection between two “mystery men” and the Island’s most notorious unsolved murder is on the verge of being exposed.
True crime author Mark Bridgeman is applying the finish touches to his book about the brutal killing of Finnish au pair Tuula Höök, whose body was found in a field in St Clement in December 1966 having been bludgeoned to death.
Set to be published in May, the book will incorporate extensive research by Mr Bridgeman, who has worked with Miss Höök’s family and States of Jersey Police in his attempts to uncover vital clues and evidence about the killing of the 20-year-old.
The author, who visited the Island multiple times this year and will return for a launch event on 21 May, said his book would reveal the truth behind the murder and the reason it had remained unsolved for nearly six decades.
Miss Höök first visited Jersey from Finland as a 19-year-old student in 1965, returning the following spring and working as a waitress and an au pair.
The shocking murder baffled investigating officers at the time and has remained unsolved in spite of multiple cold case reviews.
“The identity of Tuula’s murderer has remained a mystery – until now,” Mr Bridgeman told the JEP. “The explanation is a simple one, in that there was no known connection or relationship between this man and Tuula, nor any reason to suspect him.”
The author said he had uncovered a “surprising and indirect link” between Miss Höök, his murder suspect and another man that helped answer many of the questions that had surrounded the case for decades, frustrating police attempts to solve the puzzle.
“Tuula and her alleged murderer both had a connection to another mystery man – a man with whom Tuula had a clandestine relationship,” he said. “This previously unknown and secret boyfriend was both married and wealthy, enjoying a position of respect and influence on the Island, and I have uncovered direct evidence which proves they were having an affair.
“It seems that Tuula’s killer was employed as a ‘bag man’ and driver by her lover, as well as working part-time in a nightclub at which Tuula and her older, secret companion visited.
“There is no doubt that Tuula would have known this man, explaining why she accepted a lift from him on the night of her death having refused other offers from passing motorists.”
Mr Bridgman said further questions and evidence relating to the man’s car, and the nature of his work, which would be explored in the book, explaining why he had never been called to provide an alibi, either by his wife or the police.
“Essentially, he has flown under the radar for almost sixty years,” Mr Bridgeman said.
He added that evidence about Miss Höök’s secret lover, and his link to the potential murderer, helped answer some of the conundrums surrounding the Finnish woman’s death, including the “puzzling” absence of an umbrella on a rainy night, the money found among her possessions, the circuitous route to the bus stop where she was picked up, a mysterious telephone call, and the continued links between the two men in the months that followed.
The author said he had helped by members of Miss Höök’s family in translating some letters found among her possessions, and that he hoped one of the relatives would be able to attend the book launch at the Harbour Gallery in St Helier in May.
