David Orchard is a character appearing in the episode Echoes of the Dead of the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders.
After reading a letter from his beloved fiancé Louise, telling him that she had ended up marrying another man, David set off killing all the young women who in his eyes had sinned by having affairs or marrying the wrong way. Firstly, he went for Dianne Price. As she was a student of his, she trusted him and let him into her house. He waited behind the bathroom door for her to come in, and strangled her with a ribbon because she had been sinning with a man in the village before marriage. He then stripped her, dressed her in a bridal gown made of a net curtain, and dumped her in the bath.
Next he went for Fran Carter who was getting married, but to a woman, which in his eyes was a sin. He went to her house and strangled her with a ribbon, stripped her, hacked her apart and dumped her in a picnic basket which he left in the train station, with a note saying 'NOT WANTED ON VOYAGE'.
While he was delivering Len and Olive Merryman's groceries, they told him that Malcolm had been born out of wedlock, while they themselves hadn't married at all. He went back for them that night with a sledgehammer and bashed in their skulls. He wrote 'Bridal Suite. Do Not Disturb' on the door and decorated the car with petals and wrote on its trunk door 'JUST MARRIED'.
Later that night he went for Jo Starling who had been having an affair with a married man which she had told to him before. He broke down the door with a sledgehammer while whistling 'Here comes the Bride', and attempted to strangle her with a ribbon but his attempt was thwarted by the peeping tom and landlord Bernard Flack who flagged down a police car in time.
David confessed in his studies while teaching history and the French language, he adored the sensation of the early 19th century murders he first emulated, hoping to create his own painted pictures. John Barnaby, who was always furious from the extreme violence of the murders, merely hissed at David for feeling like he wanted to play God over innocent people by "punishing" them as he saw fit. David said nothing as he was taken away.
Victims[]
- Dianne Price - Strangled with a ribbon, stripped, "dressed" up with a white curtain that was arranged like a bridal dress with a veil, then placed in a bathtub, the water was let to run, a flower bouquet was put in the room and on the bathroom mirror was written with her red lipstick "Blessed be the Bride".
- Fran Carter - Strangled with a ribbon, striped, dismembered with a saw, put in a wicker basket and driven with her car to the train station. The basket was then transported with a sack trolley from the car to the station's hallway, inside the basked were put white rose petals and a note written with Dianne's lipstick which said "NOT WANTED ON VOYAGE" and on top of it a flower bouquet.
- Olive Merryman - Bludgeoned with a sledge hammer along with her husband. The room was then decorated with flowers, outside on the room's door was left a note written with Dianne's lipstick which said "Bridal Suite Do Not Disturb", their car was decorated with white rose petals, tin cans and on it was written with the same lipstick "JUSt MaRRIEd".
- Len Merryman - Bludgeoned with a sledge hammer along with his wife. The room was then decorated with flowers, outside on the room's door was left a note written with Dianne's lipstick which said "Bridal Suite Do Not Disturb", their car was decorated with white rose petals, tin cans and on it was written with the same lipstick "JUSt MaRRIEd".
- Jo Starling - Smashed his way into her rental house with a sledgehammer, then attempted to strangle to death with a ribbon; was narrowly rescued when he was arrested.