Pictured: Woman found guilty along with teenage boy of murdering 72-year-old man and stuffing his body in a TV box and hiding it in shed as they went on spending spree with his bank cards
- Both suspects blamed each other for the Michael Brady’s death in interviews
- They also stole the pensioner’s bank card and bought over £300 of alcohol
A woman and a teenage boy who battered a pensioner to death before stuffing his body in a TV box are facing life in jail after being found guilty of murder.
Antoinette Sheppard, 44, and the 16-year-old boy killed Michael Brady, 74, before hiding his remains in a garden shed.
A court heard how Sheppard befriended Mr Brady and lured him to her home in Keresley, Coventry after the pair hatched a plot to kill him.
CCTV footage showed Mr Brady entering the address shortly after 6pm on June 18 2023 and at the same time messages were exchanged between the defendants discussing robbing him.
Mr Brady suffered blunt force injuries as a result of being attacked with ‘a sharp instrument’ and was also strangled during the brutal attack.
Antoinette Sheppard (pictured) lured Mr Brady into her home in Keresley before murdering him, a court heard
Michael Brady, 74 was killed by Sheppard, 44 and a teenage boy with a ‘sharp instrument’, before his body was hidden in a large TV box
Police were called to the property in Keresley where they arrested Sheppard on suspicion of murder, and found Mr Brady’s body in the shed
After killing Mr Brady, the pair put his body in a large TV box, dragging it to an external shed to hide.
Sheppard and the boy, who is unnamed for legal reasons, then stole Mr Brady’s bank card, taking it to a nearby shop and withdrawing over £300 to purchase alcohol.
Police, who were called following reports of concern from members of the public, arrested Sheppard on suspicion of murder after they discovered Mr Brady’s body in the shed. The 16-year-old boy was arrested later on.
In interview, both suspects blamed each other for Mr Brady’s death, claiming they each tried to stop the other.
Phone messages were shown during the trial in which Sheppard and the boy discussed inflicting violence on someone.
One message from the boy read: ‘I am on one. I am going to hurt people.’
Pictured: Police search Sheppard’s home in Keresley, Coventry
The teenager, who is now 17, phoned Sheppard at this time and, when officers answered, said: ‘If you want to speak to me, you’ll have to find me.’
He was found after he told a social worker he had been asked to hide a body.
The pair will be sentenced at Warwickshire Justice Centre on February 9 next year.
Detective Inspector Jim Colclough, of West Midlands Police, said: ‘This was a tragic case of a vulnerable man being killed by people he thought he could trust.
‘This was a planned and pre-meditated act of violence, with messages exchanged between both defendants discussing what they were going to do.
‘Not only did they murder Mr Brady, but they were both perfectly content to try and blame each other for it.
‘We hope Mr Brady’s family will take some closure from this and that justice has been done.’
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