A nephew murdered his uncle then chopped him up into ten pieces and fed him – to BADGERS.
Daniel Walsh, 30, butchered Graham Snell and dispersed his body parts after the pensioner caught him stealing from his bank account.
The sicko then used the 71-year-old’s savings to go on a drinks-and-drugs bender in Sheffield where he gambled at casinos and visited massage parlours, a court heard.
Police were due to the visit the property in Marsden Street, Chesterfield, Derbys., the next morning after Mr Snell alerted them his lodger had accessed his bank account.
But Walsh killed him during the night of June 19/20, 2019 before taking a taxi to a DIY shop to buy two handsaws, building sacks and a burning bin.
Derbyshire Crown Court heard Walsh used the tools to dismember his victim into ten bits.
He stuffed most of them into a badger set in remote woodland and dumped the rest in communal bins outside a flat he had previously lived.
It took him six months to tell police where he had left the head.
He claimed he found Mr Snell collapsed dead in the bathroom after binge drinking.
And that he panicked he would be suspected of killing him because he had been taking cocaine himself.
He was arrested on June 30, 2019 after neighbours reported Mr Snell missing.
He had attempted to obtain an emergency passport to flee the country and initially told police Mr Snell was in hospital.
Peter Joyce QC, prosecuting, said: “The cause of death is unascertainable because there were so many body parts, but we know what he did.
“He killed him, he chopped him up and fed him to the badgers. It was murder to get his hands on this man’s money.”
Mr Joyce described Walsh’s account as “complete and utter nonsense”.
He added: “If he was telling the truth he’d be able to tell you what happened, but he can’t.
“If he’s got an account that is truthful, that is honest, why can’t he get it right? Because his complete story is a lie.
“It’s complete baloney and he’s trying to persuade you that it’s true. He’s taking you to be gullible fools.”
Detective Chief Inspector Sally Blaiklock, who led the murder investigation, said: “The depraved acts that Daniel Walsh carried out on Graham Snell, a retired pensioner; a quiet man and a good neighbour, are truly shocking.
“To compound that this is that they were carried out for his own self-preservation and so he could spend Graham’s small amount of savings at massage parlours, in casinos and on drink and drugs.
“After several years in policing, and seeing some of the worst crimes imaginable, I have often thought there is little that could surprise me – but then we came across Daniel Walsh.
“The evidence the team uncovered during the investigation has been extremely distressing for those working on the case and those that have had to listen to evidence in court.
“I welcome today’s verdict and hope that this allow Graham’s family, friends and neighbours to come to terms with what happened to a much-loved man who will never be forgotten.
“I would like to put on record my thanks to the investigation team and the search teams whose tenacity and resilience, in the most unpleasant of circumstances, have allowed Graham to be laid to rest with the dignity he deserves.
“I would also like to thank the prosecution team for their professional delivery of the evidence.
“Today I want to focus on remembering Graham and commend those who knew him and those that were affected by this investigation that stepped up and supported the police.
“While I remain utterly appalled by the circumstances of Graham’s death I have been consoled by the power of the local community, of the friendship and love of those who knew him and the good neighbours who looked out for Graham even after his death.”
Following a three-week trial at Derby Crown Court, the jury took just over an hour to return a unanimous guilty verdict on all charges.
Walsh will be sentenced at the same court tomorrow (14/12).
