But Before He Could Serve His Time, He Passed Away…
In 2012, a brutal murder took place in the Scottish city of Dundee. The killer, Callum Toll, a 30-year-old drug addict, was at the center of this chilling crime.
(Callum Toll) 
Toll and his girlfriend, both addicts, planned to spend some time at her place. However, they forgot their keys and had to wait outside for a locksmith. During this wait, they encountered their neighbor, Ronnie Fraser, a 44-year-old well-respected man in the community. Seeing Fraser, Toll, in his boredom, decided to extort him for cigarettes.
Despite being a kind person, Fraser had no patience for junkies like Toll, and he firmly refused. The argument escalated, and Toll, in a drug-induced haze, passed out. When he came to, he blamed Fraser for his condition, leading to a scuffle.
As this was happening, the locksmith arrived and opened the door to Toll’s girlfriend’s apartment. In a fit of rage, Toll rushed inside, grabbed a large kitchen knife, and returned to stab Fraser in the heart.
Neighbors and Fraser’s family witnessed the entire ordeal and immediately called the police. Despite their efforts to save Fraser with the help of the dispatcher, he was declared dead upon the police’s arrival.
With ample evidence and witnesses, Toll was arrested on the spot, but he still denied any wrongdoing. He claimed he was drugged by someone tampering with his lunch, causing him to lose control. However, this defense was weak against the overwhelming evidence. The jury took just 30 minutes to find him guilty.
The judge noted that this wasn’t Toll’s first offense; he had prior convictions for violence, including carrying a samurai sword in public. “Your subsequent actions are unforgivable and unjustifiable. You chose to arm yourself with a deadly weapon, killing an unarmed man in front of his family. And after the fact, you showed no remorse or concern. The court cannot turn back time, but the only thing I can do is sentence you to life imprisonment.”
Upon hearing his sentence, Toll, instead of showing regret, mockingly taunted Fraser’s family: “Cheer up, it’s a good day today! At least I’m still alive, and I’ll be out in 18 years. I’ll be 45, with plenty of life left!” (Note: The math is off; Toll would actually be 48, not 45, but considering his state, his math skills might be lacking.)
Fraser’s family, hearing this, were understandably devastated. In an interview after the trial, they said, “This was a premeditated murder, which has had a profound impact on our family and our lives. It was a cruel and brutal act, committed by a coward under the influence of drugs, who violently took our loved one’s life.”
Despite the family’s anger, the law is the law, and they had to accept the fact that Toll would eventually be released after serving his sentence, while they would live with the pain of losing their loved one forever.
But in a twist of fate, a spokesperson for the Scottish police announced on November 26, 2024, that Toll was transferred from prison to Airdrie Monklands University Hospital, where he passed away at the age of 42, with no suspicious circumstances.
Toll didn’t live to see his release, not even reaching the miscalculated age of 45…
Netizens finally found some solace in the outcome:
- “Fate allowed him to serve most of his sentence before taking him, that’s really something. It’s good!”
(Comment from Reddit)
- “It’s rare. They say crime pays, but usually, the guilty live long without guilt. This result is very satisfying.”
(Comment from Reddit)
- “I usually don’t speak ill of the dead, but I’ll make an exception this time. Good riddance!”
(Comment from Reddit)
- “Correction: He wouldn’t have been out at 45.”
- “No, he got out at 42, but it was his corpse…”
(Comment from Reddit)
So, while the law might have shown leniency, fate had its own way of delivering justice…
