Murder of Luke Melvin

Luke Melvin was an English musician, famous for the 20x platinum album *Nature Will Take Everything*and his subsequent solo career. On the evening of Tuesday, 27 June 2006, Melvin had acid thrown in his face by crazed fan David Charlton as he was playing for people in Madison Square Garden. He died two hours following the attack.

Immediately following the attack, Ringo Starr summoned an ambulance while Melvin was screaming and his face was becoming unrecognisable. After Melvin was rushed into theatre for an operation, he was pronounced dead. Before this however, an hour earlier, it was announced on a breaking news bulletin on the BBC that Melvin was "seriously injured". Melvin was cremated in Liverpool, England the next day. His ashes were then given to his wife of 37 years and partner of 47 years: Sophie Melvin.

David Charlton was arrested and charged and pleaded guilty. He was a Christian and killed Melvin for his Hindu beliefs. He was sentenced to thirty-five-years-to-life in prison and will be eligible for parole in 2041.

## Events preceding the murder

Luke Melvin and Ringo Starr were still filled with grief following Billy Preston's death on 3 June but had decided to go on with the tour and then finally retire. The day for Melvin began at 10:00am when he went for a run in downtown Manhattan, pumping himself up for the night's concert in Madison Square Garden. He received a present from Starr (it was his birthday) and they had a low-key party. As they went for a walk at 3:30pm, they bumped into David Charlton who asked for an autograph and a picture (intending it to be the last photo of Melvin). He accepted and Charlton told him he was coming for the concert and he said: "Cool, man, see you there!". At 6:02pm, Luke's Band pulled up at Madison Square Garden and the concert began at 6:30.

## Murder

At 7:01pm, in the day's performance of "I Appreciate the Lord", David Charlton got so angry with Melvin's Hindu beliefs that he decided to do it there and then rather than after the concert, as he was planning. It was at 7:02 (seconds before the attack) that the last photo of Melvin was taken with his eyes closed, singing the hook of "I Appreciate the Lord". At 7:02:49, Melvin was struck in the face by Charlton who immediately threw his guitar into Ringo Starr's drum kit and fell to the ground, his screams amplified by his microphone. One witness, Ben Wells, tripped Charlton up and kept him on the ground, shouting: "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO LUKE'S FACE?!". Charlton replied: "I have just caused the death of Luke Melvin."

At 7:05 (Melvin's face was already completely destroyed and he was blind), Starr summoned an ambulance and he arrived at hospital at 7:15 and was put on tubes on a bed, with him shouting the hospital down about the pain and getting worked up, saying: "I'll never be the same again!". Sophie Melvin arrived at the hospital at 7:35 and managed to calm Melvin down. At 7:52, Melvin asked his spokesperson to release a statement to the BBC about his condition, and told him to tell them that he "was fine". At 8:01, Melvin fainted and was rushed into surgery, his wife Sophie waiting outside. He returned to his hospital room at 8:35, and woke up at 8:50. He told his wife he loved her and told her of the pain. At 9:00, he said to his wife: "kill me" and was pronounced dead at 9:02:32pm, exactly two hours after his attack. His wife reportedly smashed up the hospital corridor but this has been disputed by some witnesses. Some say she was calm. The doctors gave Sophie her wedding ring and let her say goodbye before they took Melvin's dead body to the morgue.

His wife Sophie got into action, telling their spokesman to tell the press that Melvin was recovering until she could tell their son Ben, whom was at the hotel, that he had died. She told Ben Melvin that his dad Luke had died at 9:32. She told their spokesperson to inform the press that Luke was dead at 9:40.

## Announcements

**BBC Bulletin**

At 7:55, the BBC interrupted that night's episode of Rogue Traders to report on a BREAKING NEWS BULLETIN about Luke Melvin's condition.

**Reporter:** It is with our regret that the BBC have found out from no other than Luke Melvin himself that he has suffered a horrific acid attack from no other than one of his own fans. We will be reporting on this as the night goes. We are interrupting today's schedule of programmes. According to his spokesperson, he is seriously injured but recovering. Melvin himself has said he is fine.

**Reporter:** And we are currently at the hospital where Luke Melvin has been taken and we really don't know anything ... oh! This is 9:10 pm and we have been informed by Melvin's spokesperson that he is recovering at the moment. One of our reporters went into the hospital but was not allowed near Luke Melvin's room.

**Reporter:** We just really don't know anything ... ah. (cough) It is with our regret that we have been informed that Luke Melvin has unfortunately died in hospital. We are sure that there will be some kind of tribute in his hometown of Liverpool. This is 9:43pm on 27 June 2006, Melvin's sixty-sixth birthday.

**ITV News Report**

After the message to all press that Melvin was recovering at 9:10 pm, online newspapers were pressed (under the title of: "LUKE SERIOUSLY INJURED IN ACID ATTACK") and ITV and Channel 4 began to report at the hospital alongside the BBC about his attack. At 9:43pm, ITV and Channel 4 announced to their viewers that Melvin was dead.

## Aftermath & memorials

At 11:59pm the same day, Sophie and Ben Melvin with Ringo Starr and their spokesperson boarded a plane back to Liverpool where they privately cremated Luke Melvin at around 5:10am on 28 June. His ashes were scattered over the Mersey at 5:55, which were his wishes. Pushing past press, Sophie and Ben returned to their Liverpool home at 6:12am where they decided they would spend the day. At 7am, Sophie sent a statement to all press:

"No funeral will be held for Luke. He is in the Mersey, his favourite river. Luke loved all of his fans, more than anything else in his life. Now please do the same for him, and come to a memorial tomorrow, June 29th, by the Mersey which will include ten minutes' silence. Thank you. Love Sophie & Ben."

The massive grief and outcry for Melvin's death has since been compared to that of Princess Diana. The Queen said she was "very upset about the death of Luke Melvin". The final photo of Luke Melvin, in concert, was released as the cover to the *Rolling Stone* and *Melody Maker* magazines in July 2006.

Every 27 June, people in Liverpool and New York light candles and participate in one minutes' silence for Melvin. On 27 June every year, Sophie Melvin puts a candle in Luke's bedroom window, which means the minutes silence commences and people start to light their own candles.