Couple guilty of murder
A woman who beat her uncle to death for his unemployment money broke down in tears when she and her boyfriend were found guilty of murder.
Rachael Bradley, 21, and her partner Geoffrey Churchill, 49, launched a brutal attack on 52-year-old Robert Bradley.
His badly beaten body was discovered at his home in Wolverley Crescent, Rowley Regis, last April. He died of head injuries caused from being repeatedly punched and kicked.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court yesterday, the couple, of Lancaster Road, Rowley Regis, were told they may spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
They both denied the murder of Mr Bradley, who suffered from heart problems, but were found guilty by a unanimous verdict after the jury retired for five hours at the end of the trial. The pair were also found guilty of an earlier assault on a neighbour.
Judge Frank Chapman deferred sentencing until Rachael Bradley had undergone a psychiatric report.
Mr Robert Juckes QC, prosecuting, told the court the pair visited Mr Bradley very probably for the purpose of taking money from him.
Judge Chapman warned the pair their crime was punishable by a life prison sentence. "I am concerned about the mental state of Rachael Bradley," he said. "She seemed too distant and cold when giving evidence." The pair will be sentenced on a date to be fixed.
