A WOMAN and a teenage boy have been convicted of luring pensioner Michael Brady to his death earlier this year.
Antoinette Sheppard and the 17-year-old boy, who was 16 at the time and cannot be named for legal reasons, murdered Mr Brady at an address in Bowness Close, Coventry on June 18.
The pair were found guilty of murder in court on December 19, with their sentencing due to take place at Warwickshire Justice Centre on February 9, 2024.
The court heard that Sheppard, 44, had befriended Mr Brady, who was 74, and lured him to her home.
CCTV showed Mr Brady entering Sheppard's address shortly after 6pm.
At the same time, messages were exchanged between Sheppard and the boy discussing robbing him.
It was around this time they murdered Mr Brady, after which they put his body in a large TV box and hid it in a shed.
Sheppard and the boy then stole Mr Brady's bank card, taking it to a nearby shop and withdrawing more than £300 to buy alcohol.
Antoinette Shepherd and a teenage boy have both been convicted of murderThe police were then called, leading to Sheppard's arrest, while the 16-year-old boy was arrested later on.
In interview, both suspects blamed each other for Mr Brady's death, claiming they each tried to stop the other.
During their trial, phone messages were shown in which Sheppard and the boy discussed inflicting violence on someone.
One message from the boy said "I am on one. I am going to hurt people".
Following concerns from members of the public, police were called to the address.
When they arrived, they searched the shed, finding Mr Brady's body and arresting Sheppard, 44, on suspicion of murder.
The teenage boy phoned Sheppard at this time and, when officers answered, said: "If you want to speak to me, you'll have to find me."
The teenager, now 17, was later found after he told a social worker he had been asked to hide a body.
Detective Inspector Jim Colclough said: "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.
"Not only did they murder Mr Brady, but they were both perfectly content to try and blame each other for it.
"We hope Mr Brady's family will take some closure from this and that justice has been done."
