Murderer went on Sheffield drink-and drugs-bender after chopping landlord up into 10 pieces

A murderer who went on a Sheffield drink-and-drugs bender after chopping his landlord up into 10 pieces and ‘feeding him to badgers’ has been convicted.
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Chesterfield man Daniel Walsh, 30, butchered Graham Snell then dumped his body parts after the pensioner caught him stealing from his bank account.

The murderer then used the 71-year-old’s savings to go on a drinks-and-drugs bender in Sheffield where he gambled at casinos and visited massage parlours, a court heard.

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Police were due to the visit the property in Marsden Street, Derbyshire, on June 20, 2019 after Mr Snell alerted them his lodger had accessed his bank account.

Graham Snell was murdered by his lodger who cut his body up into 10 pieces and “fed him to the badgers”.Graham Snell was murdered by his lodger who cut his body up into 10 pieces and “fed him to the badgers”.
Graham Snell was murdered by his lodger who cut his body up into 10 pieces and “fed him to the badgers”.

But Walsh killed him during the night of June 19 before taking a taxi to a DIY shop to buy two handsaws, building sacks and a burning bin.

Derbyshire Crown Court heard Walsh used the tools to dismember his victim into ten bits which he then stuffed the majority of into a badger set in a remote woodland.

Walsh dumped the rest of Mr Snell’s body in communal bins outside a flat he had previously lived.

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It took the murderer six months to tell police where he had left the head, after he initially claimed the victim collapsed dead in the bathroom after binge drinking.

The 30-year-old said he panicked he would be suspected of killing Mr Snell because he had been taking cocaine himself.

Walsh was arrested on June 30, of last year after neighbours reported the 71-year-old missing.

He had attempted to obtain an emergency passport to flee the country and initially told police Mr Snell was in hospital.

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Peter Joyce QC, prosecuting, said: “The cause of death is unascertainable because there were so many body parts, but we know what he did.

"He killed him, he chopped him up and fed him to the badgers. It was murder to get his hands on this man’s money.”

Mr Joyce described Walsh’s account as “complete and utter nonsense”.

He added: “If he was telling the truth he'd be able to tell you what happened, but he can't.

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“If he's got an account that is truthful, that is honest, why can't he get it right? Because his complete story is a lie."

Detective Chief Inspector Sally Blaiklock, who led the murder investigation, said: “The depraved acts that Daniel Walsh carried out on Graham Snell, a retired pensioner; a quiet man and a good neighbour, are truly shocking.

“To compound that this is that they were carried out for his own self-preservation and so he could spend Graham’s small amount of savings at massage parlours, in casinos and on drink and drugs.

“After several years in policing, and seeing some of the worst crimes imaginable, I have often thought there is little that could surprise me - but then we came across Daniel Walsh.

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“The evidence the team uncovered during the investigation has been extremely distressing for those working on the case and those that have had to listen to evidence in court.

“I welcome today’s verdict and hope that this allow Graham’s family, friends and neighbours to come to terms with what happened to a much-loved man who will never be forgotten.”

Following a three-week trial at Derby Crown Court, the jury took just over an hour to return a unanimous guilty verdict on all charges.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.