Today officially marks the one year anniversary since the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II which plunged the devastated nation into a period of mourning for the country's longest reigning monarch.
23.08.2023 - 17:07 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Staring into the camera following their arrest in the wake of an unthinkable act of violence, this is the killer couple behind the murder of a father in a gun and acid attack. Ex-partners Michael Hillier and Rachel Fulstow were today (Wednesday, July 23) convicted of Liam Smith's murder.
Both face years behind bars. They will face a judge and learn their fate tomorrow (Thursday). Ahead of that court hearing, Greater Manchester Police have released mugshots of the pair.
Hillier, 39, blasted dad-of-two Mr Smith in the face yards from his home in Wigan, before throwing sulphuric acid over his body. He said he was acting in revenge after his girlfriend Fulstow told him she'd been raped by Mr Smith years earlier during a Tinder date.
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She did not go to the police. The pair instead decided to seek 'vigilante justice'. They plotted Mr Smith's death over a 10-month period, before drug dealer Hillier made the trip to Kilburn Drive in Shevington to kill the 38-year-old on November 24 last year.
After the murder, he and Rachel Fulstow, 37, enacted an elaborate plan to avoid justice. Days later, the couple went on a two-week trip to Jamaica. When they returned home, the net began to close. Hillier was arrested. Fulstow was initially treated as a witness, but became a suspect after she repeatedly lied to officers during her interview.
Following a six week trial at Minshull Street Crown Court, Hillier and Fulstow were both found unanimously guilty of murder. Jurors deliberated for six hours and 44 minutes.
There were cries of 'yes' and 'thank you so much' from Mr Smith's family in the public gallery when the jury returned its verdicts. Loved ones were seen
Today officially marks the one year anniversary since the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II which plunged the devastated nation into a period of mourning for the country's longest reigning monarch.
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The heartbroken family of Liam Smith have paid tribute to their 'rock' as they begin to piece their lives back together following a gruelling six-week trial. The 38-year-old dad-of-two was murdered by former couple Michael Hillier and Rachel Fulstow, jurors at Minshull Street Crown Court ruled on Wednesday (August 23).
As Michael Hillier and Rachel Fulstow enjoyed the Jamaican sun - posing for pictures astride horses in the crystal clear Caribbean Sea - they had no idea the net was closing in. They thought they'd got away with murder.
As they took in the majestic surroundings of the Caribbean, Michael Hillier and Rachel Fulstow looked just like any other loved-up couple. They had flown to Jamaica for a two-week trip of a lifetime.
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This is the horrifying moment Liam Smith was shot outside his home in Wigan.
A former couple who plotted the killing of an electrician before he was shot and doused in acid have both been found GUILTY of murder. Michael Hillier blasted dad-of-two Liam Smith in the face yards from his home in Wigan, before throwing sulphuric acid over his body.
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A man accused of murdering a father-of-two who was shot and attacked with acid has been removed from court after interrupting the judge's summing up.The jury in the trial of Michael Hillier and Rachel Fulstow, both accused of the murder of Liam Smith, 38, in Wigan, Greater Manchester, in November last year, have retired to consider their verdicts shortly before 1pm today (Tuesday, August 22).Minshull Street Crown Court has heard Mr Smith, an electrician, went on a date with Ms Fulstow, 37, in 2019.
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A self confessed killer told a jury that he was seeking to implicate his girlfriend in an alleged murder because she had ‘thrown him under the bus’. Michael Hillier admits shooting Liam Smith in the face outside his home in Wigan in November last year, before dousing him in acid.
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A couple accused of murderer were told to ‘rot in hell’ when a disturbance broke out in court as a gunman recounted opening fire. Michael Hillier has admitted shooting 38-year-old electrician Liam Smith outside his home in Wigan. The dad-of-two was then doused in acid.
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