Ex-butcher who shot Barnsley lodger Richard Dyson dead and hid body in concrete-filled barrel to learn fate
The convicted killer is likely to spend the rest of his life behind bars
A weapons fanatic who shot his lodger dead, before dismembering his body and concealing his remains in a concrete-filled barrel, is due to be sentenced today.
Christopher Wright, aged 73, was found unanimously guilty of the murder of his lodger, Richard Dyson last week.
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.
55-year-old Richard was reported missing in November 2019, after failing to meet his daughter Bethany as planned.
Wright’s best friend, Karl Schwalbe, went on trial alongside him, with prosecutors describing the case as the “body in the barrel murder”.
The pair were both found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, after Schwalbe, 72, helped Wright conceal the crime.
Today (Thursday, August 6, 2026), both men are set to learn their fate during their Sheffield Crown Court sentencing hearing.
At the conclusion of the trial at the same court, the judge, Mr Justice Cotter KC, told Wright he will receive the mandatory life sentence those convicted of murder must receive.
He will set the minimum term Wright will serve behind bars during today’s hearing.
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.”