A MAN has been sentenced to life for a second time for murdering his friend after his original conviction was quashed.
William Phelan, 39, was found stabbed to death at his home in Harpurhey, Manchester in March 2018.
Matthew Jones, 45, was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 20 years in 2021 but the conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal and a retrial ordered.
On Thursday, he was unanimously convicted by a jury at Manchester Crown Court of Mr Phelan's murder and once again sentenced to life the following day.
In a statement, Mr Phelan's family described him as a 'gentle soul' whose death broke his mother's heart.
"This has been a traumatic six years for William's family, who have not only had to suffer such an inconceivable loss, but also patiently wait for justice," said Detective Chief Inspector Nicola McCulloch of Greater Manchester Police.
Knife wounds
The court heard how, on the morning of Monday, March 19, 2018, police forced entry into Mr Phelan's home on Kilnside Drive, Harpurhey, after reports of concern for his welfare.
Officers discovered his body and he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Due to the visible injuries on his body, a murder investigation was launched.
While moving his body from the scene, officers found a large kitchen knife under Mr Phelan and a subsequent post mortem later confirmed he had died of multiple stab wounds.
The wounds were believed to have been inflicted up to six weeks before.
Matthew Jones has been convicted of Mr Phelan's murder for a second time (Image: Greater Manchester Police)Enquiries uncovered several sightings of Mr Phelan with Jones, who witnesses said was referred to as his brother 'Will'.
Forensic examiners identified Jones' fingerprints on the knife before meticulously tracking his movements back to a secure unit at Prestwich Hospital.
Jones was eventually interviewed and charged with Mr Phelan's murder in July 2019.
However, he successfully appealed his conviction and a retrial was ordered.
Following his conviction this week, Jones was told he must serve a minimum of 15 years and 82 days.
'Heart of gold'
"This was a tragic case where a man murdered someone who was supposed to be his friend and left their loves ones with such insufferable consequences," said DCI McCulloch.
In a statement, Mr Phelan's sister Melanie said their mother had passed away shortly after learning Jones had successfully appealed his initial conviction.
"William was a kind gentle soul, he had his ups and downs in life but he was always smiling, he loved listening to music and just wanted to live a peaceful life," she said.
"He fought hard to make a recovery from his own illness, and he even talked about wanting to start his own family.
"He had a heart of gold. Matthew has taken that away from him.
"When my mum found out that William had been murdered, it broke her heart.
"She was unable to sleep or eat and cried every day. It prematurely aged her.
"She thought justice had been served after the first trial; however she sadly passed away shortly after finding out that Matthew had won an appeal against his conviction.
"My mum will never know the outcome now and what justice William has received. Hopefully she will now be reunited with William."
