A coroner in Wales is reviewing the 1976 deaths of siblings Griff and Martha Thomas following a recent police investigation. The case, involving a violent scene at a family farmhouse, has long been linked by some to the notorious "Bullseye" serial killer John Cooper.
The 1976 "bloodbath" at Ffynon Samson
In December 1976, siblings Griff and Martha Thomas were found dead at their isolated Ffynon Samson farmhouse in Wales. A postman discovered the scene after noticing unopened mail on the porch and smelling smoke emanating from the residence. As the report states , the interior of the home was a "bloodbath" characterized by utter disarray.
The discovery revealed a gruesome scene: Martha, also known as Patti, was found slumped on a magazine rack in the living room with severe head injuries. Nearby, an overturned television continued to play static noise. Griff, the 73-year-old brother, was found with his body burnt on the floor. While a double murder investigation was launched at the time, the perpetrator was never identified.
Chilling parallels to the Scoveston Manor sibling murders
The deaths of the Thomas siblings bear striking similarities to the 1985 murders of Richard and Helen Thomas at Scoveston Manor. In that separate case, serial killer John Cooper killed two siblings and set their home on fire. According to the source, Cooper—who was later dubbbed the "Bullseye" killer—was active in the Pembrokeshire area, where the Thomas farmhouse was also located.
Cooper's criminal history in South Wales is extensive and violent. Beyond the 1985 murders,he was responsible for killing two other couples in 1989 and holding five teenagers at gunpoint in Pembrokeshire in 1996... He was eventually arrested in 2009 after police matched an e-fit to his 1989 appearance on the television game show Bullseye, leading to his life sentence at Swansea Crown Court in 2011.
Why Dr. Clive Sims labeled the 1977 inquest "unsafe"
The orginal 1977 inquest reached a conclusion that many in the community found difficult to accept, suggesting that Griff Thomas had killed his sister before dying in the fire. However, forensic psychologist Dr. Clive Sims has challenged this finding. Dr. Sims, who previously helped profile the Suffolk strangler, argued that the original verdicts were "unsafe" and called for the case to be treated as a cold case.
The family of the churchgoing siblings has long maintained that both Griff and Martha were victims of murder rather than a domestic tragedy. This skepticism is fueled by the violent nature of the crime scene and the perceived inconsistencies in the initial police theory, which suggested a man with physical limitations could have carried out such a brutal attack.
The unproven theory of a "botched burglary"
As the coroner begins this new review, several specific questions remain unanswered. While Dr. Sims has proposed that the deaths may have resulted from a "botched burglary," the source does not confirm if this is the primary focus of the current investigation. Furthermore, it remains unverified whether new forensic technology has provided a concrete link between the 1976 scene and John Cooper.
The report does not include a response from the current police task force regarding the specific evidence that prompted this fresh look. Until the coroner releases new findings, the distinction between a targeted serial killing and a random burglary remains a mtater of intnese speculation.
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