1 of 3 Brenda said she was afraid of Christopher Harrisson, who she met in 1971 Photo: Newsline Media/Via BBC Brenda said she was afraid of Christopher Harrisson, who she met in 1971 Photo: Newsline Media/Via BBC
A man who evaded justice for more than 40 years after murdering his exwife thought he was “too smart” to get caught, according to the investigator who helped arrest him.
Christopher Harrisson killed 32yearold Brenda Page in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1978, a year after the couple's divorce.
Detective James Callander commented on the case and mentioned that Harrison believed he had escaped any punishment, but during an interview he ended up implicating himself in the crime. This led to his conviction 45 years after Page's death.
The full details were revealed in a BBC documentary called The Murder of Brenda Page, which examined events from Harrisson's arrest in 2020 to her trial. The documentary includes the moment police force their way into Harrisson's home as he claims “she wasn't murdered here.”
Genetics specialist Page's body was found in a bloodstained bed at her home in Aberdeen on July 14, 1978.
Harrisson, a retired scientist, was suspected of the murder. He was arrested in the hours after the crime, questioned and prosecutors prepared a report.
It was a murder that received a lot of media attention and the police were looking for key pieces to find the perpetrator.
However, for a long time no conclusive evidence of the exhusband's guilt could be found.
Page's case was closed, but 37 years later, police were ordered to reopen the case in 2015.
Sperm found on a blanket in Page's apartment matched her exhusband's DNA profile, and a forensic expert said it was 590 million times more likely to have come from him than from another man.
Harrisson was interviewed again on March 27, 2020 and again stated that he had nothing to do with his exwife's death.
However, he was officially charged with murder. In March 2023, Harrisson was found guilty of murder after a tenday trial.
He was sentenced to life in prison and must wait 20 years before he can apply for parole. Callander, the lead police investigator, told the BBC that Harrisson did not expect to be arrested 40 years after Page's death.
2 of 3 Brenda Page was murdered in 1978 Photo: Page Family/Via BBC Brenda Page was murdered in 1978 Photo: Page Family/Via BBC
“I think his intelligence was part of his downfall because he thought he was too intelligent to be found guilty 40 years later,” Callander stressed.
“During his interrogation by police, he was the one who sort of tied some pieces of the puzzle together, but he wasn't aware of it,” he added.
According to Callander, the killer believed that his intelligence surpassed everyone else's and he could get away with impunity.
“However, that was not the case, because in reviewing the answers to this interrogation he incriminates himself alone. There is not the slightest doubt about that,” explained the detective. The two scientists married in 1972 but separated four years later.
Page got an apartment and the couple eventually divorced in 1977. Page often complained about dissatisfaction with her marriage and said she was afraid of her husband.
3 of 3 Brenda Page, left, is photographed with her mother and sister Photo: Page Family/Via BBC Brenda Page, left, is photographed with her mother and sister Photo: Page Family/Via BBC
Understanding domestic violence
Asked what changed when the case came back to court, Callander said: “There was a better understanding of the coercive control he exercised over her and the domestic violence.” Callander emphasized that domestic violence was common in the 1970s and 1970s was much more tolerated in the 80s.
“This was not only limited to the family sphere but also extended to the police and society in general,” he noted.
“Fortunately, this scenario has progressed significantly. And that was probably the most important thing in solving the case: a deeper understanding of the issue.”
He also mentioned that the police who investigated the murder in 1978 “did just as good a job as we do today.”
“It really depends on society. Did society fail Page in 1978?” “Possibly yes, but we look at it from a different perspective in 2024.”
Page's nephew, Chris Ling, 59, attended Harrisson's trial daily.
“It is a very strange feeling to come to court and see the man accused of murdering my aunt. “He's just there, you know?” Ling told the BBC. “It's so different than what I remember. It looks so old…you wonder what my aunt would look like now,” he added.
Page's sister, Rita Ling, 88, said she had waited years for police to get the evidence they needed to convict the killer.
She also regretted her sister's absence. “There's a photo of the three of us at a wedding, with my mother in the middle, Brenda on one side and me on the other. I thought we were a good trio, we did things together. Now it's just an empty room.” “