A person has modified his plea and admitted murdering his girlfriend on the third day of his trial.
Andrew Burfield, 51, admitted the homicide of mother-of-two Katie Kenyon, 33, at Preston Crown Court.
He was re-arraigned on the cost this morning and the jury within the case formally discovered him responsible.
Burfield killed Miss Kenyon from, Padiham in Burnley, on 22 April and buried her physique in a grave he had dug the day earlier than her dying within the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, his trial heard.
He then despatched messages from Miss Kenyon’s cellphone to her youngsters and himself, the jury heard.
Opening the trial on Monday, David McLachlan KC, prosecuting, informed the jury Burfield was arrested following Miss Kenyon’s disappearance and interviewed 4 instances.
He initially denied any data of her whereabouts.
A ‘revelation’ throughout penultimate interview
In his penultimate interview there was a “revelation” and his model of occasions modified, Mr McLachlan stated.
Burfield, of Todmorden Road, Burnley, informed police he had taken Miss Kenyon, who he had been in a relationship with since 2019, to Gisburn Forest for a picnic and she or he had “bet” him he couldn’t hit her can of Coke along with his axe.
The court docket heard he informed police: “I went for the tree at the side of her and it, it hit her in (her) head.”
He claimed she had been hit with the again of the axe and had no different accidents.
However, the jury heard a publish mortem confirmed she was struck an estimated 12 instances.
Read extra:
Man accused of girlfriend’s homicide killed her accidentally, court docket informed
Forensic pathologist Dr Jamie Robinson stated Burfield’s account of inadvertently hitting Miss Kenyon was “completely implausible”, Mr McLachlan stated.
The court docket additionally heard the day earlier than Miss Kenyon’s dying Burfield borrowed a spade and a set of ladders earlier than driving to Gisburn Forest.
Burfield despatched messages from Kenyon’s cellphone
On the morning she died, the court docket heard Miss Kenyon messaged Burfield: “Ready and excited for a new chapter.”
Miss Kenyon’s daughter despatched her a message at 12.18pm that day and obtained a response of two laughing face emojis.
Mr McLachlan stated: “The prosecution say… that message was not sent by her but it was part of a charade and was sent by Andrew Burfield.”
Texts despatched later from Miss Kenyon’s cellphone to Burfield acknowledged she was “truly sorry for everything”. To her daughter, she wrote that her father would now take care of them.
Miss Kenyon’s physique was found by police within the makeshift grave every week after her dying on 29 April.
Burfield is because of be sentenced tomorrow at 10.30am.
Source: information.sky.com”