"Lady in the Lake" killer Gordon Park has been found dead in his prison cell. He is believed to have killed himself.
Park escaped justice for nearly 30 years after he killed his wife Carol and and dumped her body in Coniston Water in the Lake District.
He was found unconscious in his cell at HMP Garth, Leyland, Lancashire on his 66th birthday.
Park bludgeoned his wife to death in July 1976 and dumped her in the lake near the family home in Leece, near Barrow-in-Furness.
But unknown to him it came to rest on an underwater ledge and was found by amateur divers 21 years later.
Park was arrested and charged but escaped conviction until fresh evidence emerged more than seven years later.
While in prison on remand in October 1997, he admitted the killing, telling fellow inmates "she deserved it" after he discovered her in bed with another man.
Police linked him to the killing with the knots used to tie up the body and a piece of Westmorland green slate used to weigh it down that matched the stone used to build the family home.
Park was jailed for a minimum of 15 years and could not be considered for release for another decade. Thursday is five years to the day since his conviction.
His son Jeremy Park of Bradford, West Yorkshire, has campaigned to prove his father's innocence since the end of the trial. Mr Park said he was "devastated" by his father's death. "We are all completely devastated and still believe his innocence 100%," he said.
