ELIZABETH Eve Stratford was a German playboy bunny who was brutally murdered at her home in East London.
The murder, which took place in the 1970s, was never solved but Marcel Theroux hopes to shine a new light on the case in the ITV series The Playboy Bunny Murder.
Eve Stratford (left) and Lynne Weedon (right) were both murdered by the same killer
Eve (back) was a playboy bunnyNews Group Newspapers ltd
Life as a playboy bunny
Eve Stratford was born in Dortmund, West Germany, on December 28, 1953.
Her father Albert was an English medic who was serving in the Royal Army Medical Corps, in Germany, when he met Eve’s mother Liza.
As a child, Eve won several beauty contests in Germany but was moved around often by her parents.
Eventually, they settled in Aldershot, Hampshire, back in the UK.
In 1972, Eve moved in with her boyfriend Tony Priest, the singer of a psychedelic rock band named Onyx (later Vineyard).
Just a year later, Eve started working as a Playboy Club Bunney in Park Lane and began to live a glamorous life.
She became acquainted with many famous people including Sid James and Eric Morecambe and became known as Eva Von Bock and Bunny Ava.
In March 1975, she appeared on the cover of Mayfair magazine as their “girl of the month”.
Angry that she had worked with a rival publication, Eva was fired from her job.
However, the magazine went on to become a big success and the authorities later concluded that it might have inspired her killer to target her.
xNews Group Newspapers Ltd
The killer strikes
On March 18, 1975, Eve was found dead by her partner in their flat.
Evidence found on her body suggested that she had been sexually assaulted and some of the detectives at the scene remarked that it was amongst the most violent and brutal crime scenes that they had ever seen.
There were no signs of forced entry to the apartment however.
On the day of her death, Eve had travelled to Camden to see her agent and, then, to a promotions consultancy in Bayswater.
Eve was last seen by a neighbour walking towards her apartment.
Another neighbour later heard her talking to a man, shortly before her death.
Eve’s killer was never caught, though police believe that he struck again that same year.
gNews Groups Newspapers Ltd
Another horrifying murder
The sixteen-year-old schoolgirl Lynne Weedon was murdered on September 3, 1975, in West London.
As Eve had been murdered in Leyton, East London, the police did not initially see a connection between the cases.
Lynne took a shortcut down an alley on her way home, which is when her attacker is believed to have attacked her.
She was discovered by the caretaker of a local school whilst still alive but sadly passed away in hospital.
Witnesses at the time of the attack saw a white man in the area, who is believed to be the killer.
In 2004, Lynne’s case was reopened.
Just three years later, DNA technology revealed that Eve and Lynne had been murdered by the same man.
Marcel Theroux presents a series looking into Eve’s deathAlarmy
The Playboy Bunny Murder
In ITV’s The Playboy Bunny Murder, Marcel Theroux dives into the murky details of the terrifying case.
Marcel is part of the famous Theroux family, which includes his travel writer father Paul and his BBC documentary maker brother Louis.
Fans can catch the first episode of the series when it airs on December 9, 2024, at 10:50pm on ITV.
The episode will also be available to stream anytime on ITVX.