First pictures of ex-butcher & childhood best friend who helped him cover up "body in the barrel murder"
Pensioner turned to his best friend to help him with six-year cover-up after “brutally” murdering his lodger
An ex-butcher who brutally murdered his lodger, and recruited his best friend to help him callously dispose of his victim’s remains in a concrete-filled barrel, is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Christopher Wright, aged 73, was today (Tuesday, July 28, 2026) found unanimously guilty of the murder of his lodger, Richard Dyson.
Richard’s “neatly severed” remains were found inside a barrel filled with concrete, located on a trailer on farmland close to Wright’s home in July 2025.
The court heard Wright formerly worked as a butcher.
Today’s verdicts brought to an end an agonizing, six-year wait for answers Richard’s family have endured, after he was first reported missing in November 2019.
Wright’s best friend, Karl Schwalbe, went on trial alongside him, with prosecutors describing it as the “body in the barrel murder.”
The pair were both found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, after Schwalbe, aged 72, helped Wright conceal the crime.
The childhood friends continued in their denials, both as Richard’s family continued in their uninamginable wait for answers, and throughout their Sheffield Crown Court trial.
The judge, Mr Justice Cotter told Wright that there is only one sentence he can pass, and that is “one of life imprisonment.”
The minimum term will be fixed during a sentencing hearing next week.
Turning to Schwalbe, Wright’s co-accused, Mr Justice Cotter said a custodial sentence was also “inevitable”.
As an act of “mercy,” due to his ill health, Mr Justice Cotter released Schwalbe, of Dike Hill, Harley, Rotherham, on bail to give him the time to “take advice and get up to speed.”
Speaking after the guilty verdicts were returned, Jamie Barton, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Yorkshire and Humberside, said: “For six years, Richard Dyson’s loved ones were left without any answers about what had happened to him.
“Despite Christopher Wright’s persistent attempts to thwart police investigations and cover up his crimes, we were able to work with South Yorkshire Police to gather evidence and present it in court to expose his guilt.
“Wright brutally murdered Richard Dyson, and then enlisted his lifelong friend to help cover his tracks. Schwalbe may not have pulled the trigger, but his lies and actions were part of a deliberate attempt to stop justice ever being delivered.
“I am pleased that both men have finally been held accountable for their roles in Richard Dyson’s death and the years-long cover-up that followed. Our thoughts remain with Mr Dyson’s family.”
Detective Chief Inspector Andy Knowles, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Richard’s family and loved ones have endured an unimaginable wait for answers and clarity and my thoughts remain with them. No one deserves to lose their lives at the hands of someone else, and the impact of this tragedy has been felt by those who loved him every single day.
“Throughout this long investigation, Bethany and Richard’s wider family have shown extraordinary strength by attending court every day and listening to heartbreaking evidence, testimonies and defence.
“No verdict can erase what they have been through, but I hope it brings them a measure of clarity and the first steps towards healing. They have carried a burden no family should ever have to bear.
“Today, we remember Richard.”