UK heir to $200 million fortune sentenced to life for brultally murdering best friend. Here's what happened?

The heir to a pie company fortune has been sentenced to life in prison at Cardiff Crown Court and ordered to serve a minimum of 19 years for the "barbaric and cruel" murder of his best friend on Christmas Eve in their shared home. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday.

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According to a report by BBC, Dylan Thomas, 24, stabbed 23-year-old William Bush 37 times with a large kitchen knife and a flick knife on December 24, 2023. Thomas, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder, had researched the anatomy of the neck in the hours leading up to the attack in Llandaff, Cardiff.

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Thomas is the grandson of Sir Stanley Thomas, co-founder of the family-owned Peter's Pies in South Wales, who was present in court during the sentencing.

How the crime was committed?

According to a report by PA Media, the night before the attack, Thomas, now 24, had been staying at his grandmother’s house in Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan. He pleaded with her to take him back to his own home, claiming he wanted to walk his dog, Bruce.

On his way to the scene, Thomas messaged Bush on Snapchat to check if he was home. After Bush confirmed, Thomas replied, “OK, nearly home. Stay there x.” Investigations later revealed that Thomas had been searching online for details about veins, arteries, anatomy, and assisted suicide, a history revealed by South Wales Police.

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Upon arriving at the property, Thomas went inside, retrieved the knives, and went to William Bush’s bedroom, where he repeatedly stabbed him. Passers-by reportedly heard screams of horror from the house. Thomas stabbed his friend 37 times – including to the neck, chest, head and back – and people on the street described screams of “horror” from inside the house, according to the report by PA Media. The court heard that Thomas had searched online for the neck anatomy before returning to the house. 

The culprit called himself ‘Jesus’ after stabbing

After the attack, Thomas banged on his grandmother’s car window, and she discovered Bush lying on the patio. Thomas then called 999, claiming his friend had "gone mental" and stabbed him.

However, the prosecution argued that it was "a planned attack" by Thomas, who had deliberately armed himself with knives and attacked Bush from behind. Expert testimony revealed that Thomas had been psychotic for several months prior to the killing.

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During his arrest, Thomas reportedly told police officers that he was Jesus and even offered one of them a “job with God.”