Murder of Gordon Semple

Gordon Archibald Semple (13 June 1956 – 1 April 2016) was a British Metropolitan Police officer who was murdered by Stefano Brizzi on 1 April 2016.

Stefano Brizzi arranged on Grindr to meet Gordon Semple for a chemsex party at his apartment in the Peabody Estate in Southwark, London, where Brizzi strangled Semple to death. He then attempted to dispose of the body but was arrested by police on 7 April.

Brizzi went on trial in October 2016. During the trial, he denied committing the murder but admitted to obstructing a coroner in the execution of their duties. On 13 November, he was convicted for both crimes. In December, Brizzi was given a life sentence with a minimum of 24 years.

On 5 February 2017, Brizzi committed suicide by hanging at HMP Belmarsh.

Gordon Semple
Gordon Semple was born in Inverness on 13 June 1956. He grew up in the Raigmore area and attended Inverness High School. At the age of 18, Semple moved to London and got a job at the Bank of Scotland. In 1974, Semple joined the Metropolitan Police in 1983, later becoming constable in the antisocial behaviour unit. Semple lived in Greenhithe, Kent and was in an open relationship with Gary Meeks.

Stefano Brizzi
Stefano Brizzi was born 26 June 1966 in the comune of San Marcello Pistoiese, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy. and was raised Catholic. At the age of 15, he realised he was gay, but hid his sexuality fearing the reactions of those around him. Brizzi studied at the University of Florence before moving to London in 2012 and getting a computer programming job at Morgan Stanley. In 2008, Brizzi was diagnosed with HIV and Hepatitis C which he described as "a death sentence". In 2013, Brizzi became addicted to crystal meth which forced him to quit his job in February 2015. He joined a support group for his drug addiction called Crystal Meth Anonymous

Brizzi also became a Satanist as a "rejection of Christian values".

Incident and investigation
On 1 April 2016, at 12:30pm, Gordon Semple left a meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in The Shard to meet Stefano Brizzi whom he had contacted on Grindr. At 3pm, he was last seen on CCTV at Great Guildford Street. Semple arrived at Brizzi's house where the two organised a sex party, inviting other men to the flat. During a bondage session, Brizzi strangled Semple to death. While Semple was being strangled, a man showed up for the party, identified in court as "CD", Brizzi turned the man away claiming that someone had been sick and the party was cancelled.

After failing to return home, Semple's partner, Gary Meeks reported him missing that evening, and thousands of people joined a Facebook group that Semple's niece, Kerry Nicholas set up to help search for him.

On 5 April, Brizzi was filmed on CCTV at Leyland Specialist Decorators' Merchants, a DIY store near his house, where he brought buckets, metal sheets, acid bottles, and cleaning products to dispose of Semple's body.

On 7 April, neighbours were alerted to a "stench of death" coming from Brizzi's flat. Martin Harris, Brizzi's neighbour confronted him and he claimed that he was "cooking for a friend". Brizzi was arrested after police investigated the flat due to complaints about the smell. Brizzi greeted them wearing pink briefs and aviator sunglasses. While he was being arrested, he confessed to officers that he had killed a police officer and tried to dissolve the body and that he met on Grindr and said that "Satan told me to".

Inside Brizzi's flat, police found "globules" of flesh in the bath, which was filled with sodium hydroxide and spirits of salt containing hydrofluoric acid, bags containing bones, parts of Semple's head, and pools of human fat in the oven. Semple's DNA was found on kitchen utensils leading to speculation that he had eaten part of Semple's body. They also found bite marks on a piece of bone and evidence that one of Semple's legs were burned.

Brizzi had taken some of the parts that he couldn't destroy and dumped them in the River Thames. A foot was later found by a member of Thames Mudlark Club near Bermondsey Wall.

While being interrogated, he told police that Satan had told him to "kill, kill, kill".

Trial and sentencing
In October 2016, Stefano Brizzi went on trial at the Old Bailey. He denied murder but admitted to the crime of obstructing a coroner in the execution of their duties. During the trial, he claimed that Semple's death was accidental and a result of a "sex game that went wrong".

On 13 November, he was convicted for both crimes by a jury with a 10:2 majority after 30 hours of deliberation. In December, he was sentenced by Judge Nicholas Hilliard to life imprisonment with a minimum of 24 years. The judge added "Regret you express now for Mr Semple’s death has to be seen against what you did over a number of days to his body."

Suicide of Stefano Brizzi
On 5 February 2017, Stefano Brizzi committed suicide by hanging at HMP Belmarsh.