Boyfriend who said he accidentally killed mum-of-two with axe admits her murder
EVIL killer Andrew Burfield yesterday dramatically changed his plea and finally admitted the horrific axe murder of his girlfriend.
The 51-year-old had claimed he killed Katie Kenyon, 33, by accident after she challenged him to hit a coke can out of her hand with the deadly weapon.
But a court heard earlier this week the mum of two, who was found buried in a makeshift grave in a forest, had been struck with the axe an estimated 12 times.
After Burfield pleaded guilty to her murder on the third day of his trial, the detective in the case branded him a “vindictive monster”.
Prosecutor David McLachlan KC told Preston Crown Court: “We now understand Mr Burfield will admit to causing all 12 injuries Katie Kenyon sustained.’”
Implausible
He added Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Jamie Robinson, who examined tragic Katie’s injuries, had found Burfield’s claims – that he had only hit her once with the back of the axe – “completely implausible”.
The killer was formally found guilty by the jury yesterday morning and is due to be sentenced by Mr Justice Goose today.
The court had heard things turned sour between the Burnley couple in March this year, after Burfield filed a claim against Katie, which resulted in her owing him £6,000.
But in April, they were still texting and he told Katie he loved her
In a chilling message on April 7, Burfield wrote: “Just over two weeks away now and your life will change for the better”. Just over two weeks away was Friday,April 22 – the day he murdered her. After burying her in the Forest of Bowland, a remote beauty spot near their home town, he used Katie’s phone to send a string of messages to himself and her children.
They said she was going into rehab and the youngsters would be looked after by their dads. But her family were suspicious because of the bad grammar and spelling in the texts and Burfield was quizzed by police four times.
He initially denied any knowledge of Katie’s whereabouts but later said he had killed her while throwing the axe at the coke can. He told detectives: “I went for the tree at the side of her and it hit her in (her) head.” Police found Katie’s’s body on April 29 after the killer was taken to the scene.
Det Chf Insp Al Davies said his thoughts were with her family: “They have suffered unimaginable pain and suffering at the hands of Andrew Burfield, a man who is nothing short of a vindictive monster” He added: “In my entire police service, I have never dealt with a case involving such an extent of cold and callous pre-meditation.
“There is no doubt he is facing a very lengthy custodial sentence.”