Woman, teenage accomplice convicted of brutal murder of 72-year-old man
Both suspects attempted to shift blame onto each other during the trial, each claiming to have attempted to prevent Mr. Brady's death. However, incriminating phone messages were presented, revealing discussions between Sheppard and the boy about inflicting violence
Woman, teenage accomplice convicted of brutal murder of 72-year-old man
Story from Fatima Adamu, Abuja.
Antoinette Sheppard, 44, and a 16-year-old boy have been found guilty of the gruesome murder of 72-year-old man identified as Michael Brady.
The court heard that Sheppard befriended Mr. Brady before luring him to her home in Keresley, Coventry. CCTV footage captured Mr. Brady entering Sheppard’s residence on June 18, 2023, at around 6 pm. Concurrently, messages exchanged between the defendants discussed robbing him.
During the violent assault, Mr. Brady sustained blunt force injuries from a sharp instrument and was also strangled. After the murder, Sheppard and the teenage accomplice concealed Mr. Brady’s body in a large TV box and dragged it to an external shed for concealment. They then stole Mr. Brady’s bank card and withdrew over £300 from a nearby shop, using the funds to purchase alcohol.
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One message from the teenager ominously stated, “I am on one. I am going to hurt people.”
The 16-year-old accomplice was eventually located after disclosing to a social worker that he had been asked to hide a body. The sentencing for Sheppard and the teenager is scheduled for February 9 at Warwickshire Justice Centre.
Detective Inspector Jim Colclough from West Midlands Police commented, “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. We hope Mr. Brady’s family will take some closure from this, and that justice has been done.”