A WOMAN and her husband have been found guilty of murdering and burying her
parents in their back garden.
Susan Edwards, 56, and hubby Christopher, 57, were caught after the bodies of
“reclusive” Patricia and William Wycherley were found 15 years later.
A court heard how the debt-ridden couple raked in £245,000 by pretending Mrs
Edwards’ parents were still alive.
But they squandered the cash on movie memorabilia and were more than £160,000
in debt when police found the bodies – wrapped in bedding – and arrested
them last October.
Neither showed any emotion when the jury delivered a unanimous verdict at
Nottingham Crown Court.
Mrs Edwards claimed she was provoked into shooting her 63-year-old mother
after discovering she had blasted William, 85, to death while she was
staying with them in May 1998.
She said she confessed to Mr Edwards what had happened and he helped her bury
the bodies in Mansfield, Notts.
The couple sold their home, told neighbours the Wycherleys had gone travelling
for health reasons and continued to collect their pensions to cover up the
shootings.
And ex-librarian Mrs Edwards wrote Christmas cards and letters to relatives
telling them her parents were in Ireland “because of the good air”.
But the pair left their home in Dagenham, East London, for France after
receiving a letter from the Centenarian Society who wanted to contact
William as he would have been approaching 100.
Police found the Wycherleys after Mr Edwards’ stepmother called them to say he
had confessed and asked for cash.
Post-mortems showed they had each been shot twice in the upper body with the
same .38-calibre revolver.
Mrs Edwards admitted manslaughter but claimed she shot Mrs Wycherley after she
revealed she knew her father abused her as a child and told her how she had
a sexual relationship with her husband.
Mr Edwards – who also denied murder – said his wife only told him what she had
done a week later.
But prosecutors said the Wycherleys were gunned down for their money and
buried by both defendants.
After the shooting, Mrs Edwards said she took off her mother’s nightdress and
dragged the bodies under a bed, covering them with duvets.
She also destroyed family photos and other papers and took £40,000 from her
parents’ savings.
Both defendants admitted obstructing a coroner and theft from a bank account.
Judge Justice Kathryn Thirlwall told them: “You both know what the
consequences are of a conviction for murder.
“You’ll both be subject to a life sentence and what I have to consider before
sentencing you is the length of the minimum term that you should each serve
before being considered for parole.”
Mr and Mrs Edwards will be sentenced at the court on Monday.