Man guilty of tying up and murdering 86-year-old woman

Freda Walker, 86, died at the scene while Ken Walker, 88, was critically injured

A man who tied up, gagged and severely beat a couple in their 80s has been found guilty of murder.

Freda Walker, 86, died after being attacked by Vasile Culea, who also put plastic bags and a pillowcase over her head.

Her husband Ken Walker, 88, survived but has since died from natural causes.

Culea attacked the couple because he hoped to steal a large amount of cash they had at their home in Derbyshire.

He was found guilty of murdering Mrs Walker, but not guilty of attempting to murder her husband.

The jury instead convicted Culea of causing Mr Walker grievous bodily harm with intent.

The 34-year-old will be sentenced at Derby Crown Court on Friday.

Speaking to reporters outside court, the Walkers' niece Sandra Bunting said she was "numb" but pleased with the murder verdict.

"How anybody could inflict that pain and torture I don't know," she said.

"He [Culea] was calculating, he was cruel, he had no conscience. All he wanted was money that they'd worked for all their lives.

"Freda was the most caring lady. She had time for everybody. She was a happy person. Ken was always there for his council."

Det Insp Carolyne Van Schaick, who helped lead the investigation, said the methods Culea used to attack the couple were "truly shocking".

"When he encountered Freda and Kenneth, he assaulted them, killing Freda and leaving Kenneth for dead," she said.

"There is no doubt that having worked so hard over the years that Freda and Kenneth deserved a long, happy retirement and peace in their later years.

"This was taken away from them back in January when Vasile Culea, believing the couple had money in the address, went in with the intention to steal from them.

"Whilst Kenneth may have survived the attack, he had lost his wife and lived out his remaining days requiring constant care before he sadly passed away shortly before this case was due to be heard."

CCTV footage captured Culea in Betfred on the day he attacked the couple

Culea attacked the couple at their home in Station Road, Langwith Junction, on 14 January.

His trial at Derby Crown Court heard he was more than £11,000 in debt, and had gambled away £280 at various betting shops on the day he attacked the couple.

He was originally from Romania and had been living in a house in Church Warsop with six other people, while he worked for a logistics company.

Culea was captured walking away from the scene in a high-vis jacket

Police trawled CCTV footage and were able to show Culea had visited various betting shops on the day of the murder, then driven and walked around the Langwith Junction area, before he entered the couple's home.

"Between 5.30pm and 8.48pm there were no sightings of Culea on CCTV - we now know that the reason for that was because he was inside the Walkers' home," Det Insp Van Schaick said.

"The next time he is caught on camera Culea is dressed in a high-visibility jacket, seemingly in an effort to change his appearance, and he calmly walks away from the scene of horror he left behind."

The couple were found at their home by a neighbour

In his evidence, Culea said he planned to search the couple's home for cash after overhearing two strangers talking about a "wealthy house" in the village.

Mr Walker had taken out £30,000 for home improvements, but Culea was only able to find and steal a small amount. He told jurors he had taken £300 he found in a handbag.

The couple were found the following morning by a concerned neighbour.

Freda Walker was found dead, in a pool of blood, with plastic bags and a pillowcase over her head

Mrs Walker was already dead and was lying in a pool of blood. Her hands were tied behind her body at the wrists, she was gagged, and her airways had been obstructed by her head being covered. She had multiple injuries to her head, face, limbs and torso.

A pathologist said she died due to a combination of head injuries and airway obstruction, and either of these could have been sufficient to kill her. She was likely to have survived for at least an hour after being attacked.

Mr Walker was lying in a foetal position, bleeding from facial injuries, with a gag in his mouth. His hands were tied in front of him at the wrists, his knees were tied together, and his hands were tied to his knees.

He had extensive injuries, including facial bruising, a broken bone in his neck, a broken bone in his back, bleeding around his brain due to trauma, bleeding inside his brain on both sides, facial fractures and facial lacerations.

His injuries could have been fatal if he had not received medical help. He had been diagnosed with cancer before being attacked, and died from this on 29 August.

Culea was traced because of this cap, which police found at the scene

Police traced Culea from a cap they found at the scene, which contained traces of his DNA.

"When the DNA hit came back it was a huge moment," said Det Insp Van Schaick.

"We finally had a name and a face that would allow us to really focus in our investigations."

Officers then arrested Culea at his home in Grove Road in the early hours of 20 January. He was interviewed four times but replied "no comment" to every question.

When he appeared in court, Culea admitted Mrs Walker's manslaughter but denied murdering her, because he said he did not intend to kill her.

However, for him to be found guilty of murder, the prosecution only had to prove that he intended to cause her grievous bodily harm.

Body-worn video footage showed Culea being arrested at his home in Church Warsop

Mr and Mrs Walker had been married for more than 60 years, and had lived at their home in Station Road for all of that time.

Mrs Walker had worked as a seamstress in the knitwear industry and Mr Walker had been a "pit man" involved in health and safety.

He had previously been chairman of Bolsover District Council and was still a councillor for Shirebrook Town Council when he was attacked.

The month before, he received the title of Honorary Alderman for his work with Bolsover District Council.

Mr Walker "enjoyed trying to protect people", one of his council colleagues said

Councillor Steve Fritchley, leader of Bolsover District Council, said Mr Walker "enjoyed helping people" and "enjoyed trying to protect people".

"He needed protection and it weren't there for him," said Mr Fritchley, who said the attacks had frightened people in the area.

"When it first happened they probably thought they had got a homicidal maniac wandering the streets," he said.

"Then when this bloke were caught it probably eased off a little bit but it still frightened a lot of people."

Mr Fritchley said it had been difficult to hear some of the details that came out during the trial.

"When you sit back you think what were going through Freda's head during these final moments of her life?" he said.

"You don't want to think about it, otherwise you would be wanting to bring back hanging and all sorts of things."

'Showed no mercy'

Andrew Baxter, a deputy chief crown prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, described the attacks as "savage, sustained and beyond any justification".

"He showed no mercy, subjecting them to a terrifying ordeal," said Mr Baxter.

"They were attacked in their own home, a place where they should have been safe, for no other reason than financial gain."