Birmingham Nurse's Calculated Murder Exposed by Scientific First
A Birmingham nurse who murdered her husband after he removed her from his will was ultimately caught through a groundbreaking scientific test that marked a UK first in forensic investigation. The chilling case of Marie Whiston, who injected her husband Eric Lloyd with a lethal dose of insulin in 1994, is being re-examined in the third series of the television programme Murder UK on the TRUE CRIME channel.
A Marriage Turned Deadly Transaction
Filipino-born Marie Whiston, who worked at Heartlands Hospital, was having a secret affair while married to car factory worker Eric Lloyd. The relationship took a fatal turn when Lloyd, for reasons that remain unknown, removed Whiston from his will. According to investigative psychologist Professor Donna Youngs, this decision effectively "sealed his fate."
"Marie's survival instinct would have been utterly kicked in by this," Professor Youngs explained in the television programme. "To someone like Marie, to exclude her from his will would have activated, would have triggered, this survival instinct. Having excluded her from his will, he sealed his own fate. Marie now had both the method and the motive in her hands."
The Murder and Initial Cover-Up
In June 1994, Whiston injected a lethal dose of insulin into her husband's body at their home on Belchers Lane in Bordesley Green. Initially, his death was attributed to natural causes due to his poor health. Whiston later claimed he had died from a drug overdose, suggesting suicide.
Her behaviour following the death raised immediate suspicions. She pushed for a rapid cremation, which investigators later determined was an attempt to destroy forensic evidence. Her grief appeared performative rather than genuine, with observers noting she tried to cry without producing actual tears.
Forensic Breakthrough Through Urine Testing
When blood samples were compromised due to delayed testing after the post-mortem examination, investigators turned to an innovative solution. In what became a scientific first for the United Kingdom, they tested the victim's urine for insulin instead.
Since Eric Lloyd was not diabetic, the presence of insulin in his system could only indicate deliberate injection. This forensic breakthrough provided the crucial evidence needed to connect Whiston to the crime.
The Investigation Unfolds
Coroner's officer Stephanie Stevens played a pivotal role in the investigation, becoming convinced early on that Whiston was lying about her husband's death. "She was trying to cry but there were no tears," Stevens recalled. "She was looking out the corner of her eyes to see if I was looking. And I was looking and I could tell she was lying."
Stevens pressed for the urine test that ultimately proved crucial to the case. The test could establish a relationship between insulin and c-peptide levels in urine, demonstrating that insulin had been introduced from outside the body.
A Pattern of Transactional Relationships
Renowned criminologist Professor David Wilson, who re-examined the case for the television series, described Whiston's approach to relationships as fundamentally transactional. "She didn't love. She was in a transactional relationship," he explained. "When she no longer felt she was getting what she needed out of that transaction she killed and moved again."
Whiston was already planning to move to Canada with her secret lover when she murdered her husband. Professor Wilson believes she would likely have killed again had she not been caught. "I have no doubt that would have happened," he stated.
Additional Evidence and Conviction
Further evidence emerged from an unexpected source during the three-year police investigation. A sworn affidavit from Whiston's ex-husband, submitted as part of their divorce proceedings, revealed that she had previously threatened to kill him with insulin, noting that as a nurse she knew exactly how to do it.
Whiston was eventually arrested, charged, and convicted of Eric Lloyd's murder in the late 1990s. She was initially sentenced to sixteen years in prison, though this was later reduced by two years on appeal. During her incarceration, she was described as a "model prisoner."
Lasting Impact and Investigation
Stephanie Stevens, whose determination proved instrumental in solving the case, developed a strong personal connection to the victim during the investigation. "Eric almost became part of my family as I was so convinced a wrong had been done and I needed to undo that wrong," she said. "She was such a wicked woman."
Professor Wilson praised Stevens's work, calling her a "hero" whose refusal to let the matter go ensured "a calculated killer was brought to justice." He added that her intervention may have prevented Whiston from killing again.
The case continues to offer insights into domestic homicide patterns, with Professor Wilson noting that he deliberately examined this case to highlight that "more women are murdered in a domestic setting than men in a domestic setting." The Whiston case demonstrates how forensic innovation, combined with determined investigative work, can unravel even the most carefully planned crimes.
