Richard Hillman – Life, Death and Cause of Death

Richard Hillman is a serial killer and fictional character on Coronation Street, a popular British Soap Opera. He drowned after driving his car into a canal in 2009. 

In the soapie, Richard Hillman had plunged his car into a canal and drowned, while the people he captured survived the accident. It was a sobering end to a fellow who had terrorized many people. Find out all about Richard Hillman, who was portrayed by Brian Capron, below.

Richard Hillman Was Born 54 Years Ago

Richard Hillman was born 54 on December 13, 1974, in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Richard Hillman Sr. and Pamela Hillman. He had a brother named Christopher Hillman and a cousin named Alma Baldwin. He was very close to Alma as they shared lots of secrets despite the fact that she was older than he was. Richard’s bond with Alma was later severed after he and Alma’s mother had a family quarrel.

There is no information on the schools he attended and the educational qualifications obtained. He also never spoke about the kind of childhood he had or if he was close to his biological sibling, Christopher Hillman.

He Did Not Get Along With His Father

Richard Hillman did not have a close relationship with his father, Richard Hillman Sr., because when he was still a child, his father abandoned him and his mother and dashed off with another woman. This stirred up a deep hatred in him and made him estranged from his father.

What Did Richard Hillman Do For A Living?

Richard Hillman was a financial advisor and businessman. He had a business, Kellet Holdings, which bought back mortgages, holding onto the houses till the death of the occupants. He was also involved in building an estate of new homes.

Richard Hillman Was Married Three Times

During his lifetime, Richard Hillman was married three times to three different women. Meet his wives here.

Marion Hillman Became His Wife in 1973

Marion played an unseen character in Coronation Street as Richard Hillman’s first wife. Richard got married to her in 1971, but they were unable to have any children, although Marion earnestly longed for kids.

In the early 1990s, Richard’s mother, Pamela, began to show symptoms of dementia, and Richard took it upon himself to care for her without the aid of his wife, who was more interested in having children. Marion’s refusal to help look after Richard’s mother caused a stiff in their relationship, and they soon separated. A few years after their separation, Marion was diagnosed with cancer and died in 1996.

Patricia Hillman is Richard Hillman’s Second Wife

Patricia played a minor character as Richard’s second wife, although there was no record of the exact date they got married and divorced. In 2002, Patricia showed up and demanded that Richard buy out her share in their joint business, Kellet Holding. Richard could not, as he was going through some financial difficulties, but Patricia wouldn’t let him be.

Gail Platt Married Richard Hillman in 2002

He wedded Gail Platt in 2002, and at the time of their marriage, Gail had three children: Nick Tilsley, David Platt, and Sarah Plat. After their honeymoon in Florida, Richard turned only to discoverer that the potential buyers of a new block of flats he had just constructed had all left owing to security issues. As such, he could not make any profits from the flats and would soon be declared bankrupt.

Richard Started His Killing Spree Following Patricia’s Death

At the time, Richard’s second wife, Patricia, was demanding money from him; he was engaged to his third wife, Gail Platt. One day, Patricia showed up at Gail’s family house, and Richard took her away to a building site. As they were deeply engrossed in an argument, Patricia fell into a trench. While still in the trench, she continued raining abuses on Richard and to shut her up, he hit her with a shovel, killing her. This set him off on a killing spree.

After spending so much money on a holiday and buying new cars but was unable to make a profit from his block of flats, Richard was desperate to make money. He planned to kill his mother-in-law, Audrey, who was very rich. He set Audrey up to appear senile by drugging her, misplacing her things, and causing her to look for them. While she slept one day, he set her house ablaze, but she was rescued by firefighters.

Still, in need of money, he devised another means of planning to kill a woman named Emily, whose house was in his possession, so that when Emily died, he would get the house.

Richard broke into the home of a couple, Ashley and Maxine, on a day Emily was babysitting their child, Joshua, with the intention of making her death seem like a burglary. Maxine came back early and saw him hit Emily with a crowbar, and he proceeded to hit her repeatedly with the object.

What Happened To Richard Hillman?

Gail’s mother, Audrey, soon became suspicious of Richard, and after she discovered that he was a criminal who had drugged her and her daughter, she confronted him, and he confessed to the murders. He tried to justify his actions and urged her to still relocate with him, but she refused. He eventually went into hiding, but when he could not cope with the difficulties anymore, he returned to Coronation Street.

How Did Richard Hillman Die?

Richard Hillman died by drowning. Following his return to Coronation Street, he took Gail’s children and tied them up in the garage. He then convinced Gail to move away with him, and she agreed just to see her children again. He tied her up and took her to the garage where he kept the children and revealed that he was going to kill them all.

He drove off with Gail and the children to a canal and plunged the car into it, intending to drown them. However, Gail and the children were rescued, while Richard drowned after escaping from the car. He died in 2003, and his body was identified by his wife, Gail.

FAQs

What Did Richard Hillman Do To Audrey Roberts?

Richard Hillman drugged Audrey Roberts, his mother-in-law, in a bid to gain control of her wealth, but his plans ultimately failed.

Why Did Richard Hillman Start Killing?

Richard Hillman started killing people because he wanted to hide his dodgy dealings. He allowed his friend and colleague Duggie to die and then murdered his ex-wife Patricia before she could rat him out.

How Long Was Gail Married To Richard Hillman?

Gail was married to Richard Hillman for about two years i.e. from 2002 to 2003 when he died.

What Happened To Richard Hillman Bring It On?

Bring It On’s Richard Hillman died on 27 June 2009. He was 35 years old, and his death occurred nine years after he had featured in the movie Bring It On.

Who Did Gail Marry After Richard Hillman?

Gail married Joe McIntyre after Richard Hillman died. They got married in 2010, and Joe unfortunately died that same year, bringing an end to the union. Gail then married Michael Rodwell from 2015 until his death the following year.

How Long Was Richard Hillman in Coronation Street?

Richard Hillman was on Coronation Street for two years, from 2001 to 2003.