Page 31 of Murder in the Family

Exactly.

HUGO FRASER

But on the other hand, Luke kept the motorbike in the workshop, which would have been reason enough on its own for him to be in the garden, whether he was expecting someone or not.

JJ NORTON

In theory, yes, but he kept that workshop padlocked and when they found him he didn’t have the key on him – it was still in the house. Which pretty much eliminates any possibility that he was ambushed on his way out to work on the bike.

And just for the record, none of the tools from the workshop were missing, and none bore any trace of blood or biological material.

LAILA FURNESS

Which brings us to the possible weapon.

JJ NORTON

Right.

He starts to hand out the autopsy images; the details are blurred to camera.

These aren’t for the faint-hearted, that’s for sure. As you can see, there’s an injury to the back of the head which was definitely serious enough to have knocked him out, and also some minor abrasions to the hands consistent with a fall down stone steps. But the damage to the face and the front of the skull could not possibly have been accidental.

BILL SERAFINI

(scanning the images)

This was sustained and it was brutal.

JJ NORTON

(going up to the body map and pointing)

There were eight separate and distinct blows to the face, which were unquestionably the cause of death. Brain matter was clearly visible at autopsy.

LAILA FURNESS

Classic overkill. That’s not random. It’s personal.Verypersonal.

MITCHELL CLARKE

All the more so if Luke was already out cold – that rules out any element of self-defence. The killer must have really wanted him dead.

HUGO FRASER

So if the weapon wasn’t one of Luke’s tools, what did the police think it was?

JJ NORTON

They weren’t able to identify it conclusively. Either something similar to a hammer that he brought with him, or something random like a lump of rock or broken paving from the garden.

And as you can see from the photos, the repair work being done on the steps meant there was indeed quite a lot of broken paving to choose from at the time.

MITCHELL CLARKE

It’s quite tough to walk round London with a hammer under your jacket without anyone noticing. Just saying.

JJ NORTON

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