A Knock at the Wrong Door
By: Samuel Sullivan
Tags: True Crime, Nonfiction, Money, Justice, Relationships

A Knock at the Wrong Door

How a series of lucky breaks helped police catch an international criminal who stole a man’s identity and killed him.

Brixham Harbour, England | by Phil-Indn on Wikimedia Commons

When a man was found dead in the waters of Brixham Harbour, everyone assumed a tragic accident was to blame in the quiet England province of Cornwall.

But, when things didn’t add up for police, a few lucky breaks exposed the murderer to be an international criminal who had risen to number two on Interpol’s most-wanted list.

The Rolex

On July 28, 1996, two fishermen were about six miles out from the shore of Brixham Harbour when they pulled in their nets to survey their catch. When they dumped out the contents of their nets onto their ship’s deck, they were horrified to find a man’s dead body next to the fish.

The coast guard was called in. Eventually, Detective Constable (DC) Ian Clenahan and Detective Seargent (DS) Peter Redman of the Devon & Cornwall Police were tasked with leading the investigation into the dead man. Their first goal was identifying who the man was.

Based on the body’s good condition, the police suspected it to be an unfortunate boating accident. The man wore a collared shirt, pants, and brown shoes. His pockets were turned out, which meant no identification. He had a faded tattoo on his right hand, but most importantly, he had a gold Rolex on his right wrist.

The date on the watch read July 22nd. The man hadn’t been dead for long.

The circumstances were not without curiosities. For example, no one had been reported missing. A deep gash was also found on the dead man’s head, but police hypothesized that this was caused when the fishermen dropped the body onto their boat deck.

But back to the gold Rolex. Every genuine Rolex carries a unique serial number. A police officer called Rolex’s London office and they said that if the watch had been serviced nearby, they might be able to find the owner’s name. Detectives were in luck, the watch had been serviced multiple times at a jeweler in Yorkshire, and it belonged to a Ronald Joseph Platt.

Without the Rolex clue, it is unclear if detectives would have ever identified the body. But even with the identity of the deceased, they still considered the death a likely accident. They were far from solving the case.

Map of Devon, a county in England

The Knock

The police were able to track down Platt’s most recent address. He had been a tenant in an Essex home. They contacted the landlord, and he gave the police the personal reference Platt had provided for his tenancy.

DS Redman contacted the reference, a man named David Davis, to inform him of Platt’s death at sea. Redman characterized Davis as not particularly shocked or taken aback by the news.

Davis agreed to meet Redman and explained what he knew about the whereabouts of Platt. Davis claimed to have not seen him in years. According to Davis, Platt had moved to France a few years prior with a loan from Davis. He claimed to be unaware that Platt had returned to England at all.

Davis provided detectives with Platt’s photograph and explained that Platt’s hand tattoo was a maple leaf. Davis’ answers satisfied detectives and they thought if Platt was murdered, it likely had to do with his dealings in France.

DC Clenahan wanted to speak with Davis one more time before closing the investigation, but Davis did not pick up when he called. Clenahan dispatched Redman to Davis’ address to ask him to phone Clenahan.

Redman approached what he thought was Davis’ house, but when he knocked on the door it was the neighbors. He apologized and asked them to direct him to where Davis lived.

The neighbors did not know anyone named David Davis, but they did know a man named Ronald Platt. The Ronald Platt they knew was the man police knew as David Davis.

The neighbors explained to DS Redman that Ron Platt had moved in a few years prior with his much younger wife and two young children. They also explained that Platt had a boat.

Redman’s mistaken knock on the door blew the case wide open.

The Murder

The murder occurred on July 20, 1996, eight days before Platt’s body was found.

The man we know as Davis had brought Platt aboard his boat named Lady Jane. On the boat, Platt was an unsuspecting victim. He was reconnecting with a friend he hadn’t seen in years.

Davis had different ideas. To him, Platt was a threat to the life he lived. The life he lived as Ronald Platt, Platt had to die. Davis snuck behind Platt and hit him over the head with a 10-pound anchor knocking him out.

In reinterviewing the fisherman, it came to light that a small anchor had also washed up with Platt’s body. The anchor was tracked down at a garage sale, and it was the same one used to deliver the blow to Platt’s head.

The anchor served an additional purpose. When Davis threw Platt’s lifeless body into the waters outside the Brixham Harbour, he stuck that same anchor into his belt loop to weigh him down.

He probably thought it would be weeks or months before anyone found the body. In a sense, he got unlucky. It was Davis’ first murder, but David Davis was not the murderer’s real name. It was another fake identity.

Lady Jane

David Davis was arrested on suspicion of Platt’s murder a few days after discovering he was using Ronald Platt’s identity; however, key evidence still needed to be found.

First, the boat. Lady Jane was found to be Davis’ boat’s name, and it was found at a dry dock. The boat’s GPS had tracked it during the day of the murder, and the Rolex came into play one more time.

A Rolex is wound through movement. So if it is completely still, it will stop ticking after about 40 hours. The watch stopped on July 22nd, which added up to 40 hours after the July 20th trip registered on the Lady Jane’s GPS. The Rolex also confirmed that Platt’s body had been stationary. Detectives confirmed that the anchor had weighed down Platt because fibers on the anchor matched Platt’s belt.

Lastly, and perhaps most convincing to a jury, Platt’s blood was found on the pillows inside the Lady Jane.

Police also picked up Davis’ young wife for questioning. She packed a bag for the toddler and the baby, and an officer noticed it was heavy. Inside the bag were gold bars.

Police searched the house and found tens of thousands of dollars in cash in a variety of currencies. There were additional gold bars found, and also paintings worth thousands of dollars.

Davis had started businesses in Platt’s name to launder money he had stolen. David Davis was an identity that was stolen from a Canadian investor, an investor who had been ripped off by a man named Albert Johnson Walker.

Albert Johnson Walker was David Davis’ real name.

The Motive

David Davis was, in fact, Canadian fraudster Albert Johnson Walker. He had escaped Canada after stealing $3.2 million from investors. He was the most wanted criminal in Canada and rose to number two on Interpol’s most-wanted list.

After making it to England, he quickly befriended Platt and his girlfriend. It is not clear when he decided to steal Platt’s identity, but it was likely early on in the friendship.

Platt expressed to Walker, who he knew as Davis, that it was his dream to move to Canada and make a life there. Platt’s maple leaf tattoo on his hand directly reflected his dream.

Walker enlisted Platt and his girlfriend to work for him. He made them directors of his company and put their names on all the ownership documents. He told them he had gone through a messy divorce and did not want his wife to know that he owned a business. Of course, the truth was Davis did not want to draw attention to himself as a fugitive using a false identity.

With his plan in motion, Walker offered the couple a gift. He decided to finance their move to Canada. Platt and his girlfriend were ecstatic, but Walker told them the offer was good for only a couple of months. In the end, they decided to accept it, and they were off to Canada. However, before they left, Walker convinced them to create signature stamps to continue to sign their names for the company. He also convinced Platt to leave him his driver’s license.

Walker had everything he needed to steal Platt’s identity seamlessly, and he did. The plan was perfect, as long as Platt and his girlfriend did not return to England.

Platt’s girlfriend did not like Canada, and she returned after only five months to attend her sister’s wedding. Walker was also invited, as he had become embedded in Platt’s life, and Platt’s girlfriend informed Walker that she would not be returning to Canada.

Walker did his best to convince her to give Platt a second chance, but her mind was made up. Walker distanced himself from Platt’s now-former girlfriend, as he had already assumed Platt’s identity. As long as Platt stayed in Canada, Walker could still operate relatively safely.

Walker considered his Platt identity a permanent one. It was something hard to attain, and it was something he would do anything to protect. When Platt moved back to England from Canada in 1995, he threatened Walker’s new identity.

Takeaways

The story gets more strange. Walker’s young wife turned out to be his daughter. The conman was taking advantage of his own daughter. He was raising a family with his young daughter and parading her through society as his wife. Walker’s relationship with his daughter is one of the most unsettling parts of the story.

Walker was a man who seemed to everyone he met as a kind, happy, and confident man. He was well-liked in the circles he attended and was actually an involved churchgoer. In many ways, Walker was a chameleon.

Walker was detail-oriented and accomplished in his theft and fraud crimes and was very close to getting away with murder. In 1998, Walker was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison. In 2005, he was sentenced to an additional four years in Canada for fraud.

How many Albert Johnson Walker’s are out there? Be careful who you trust.