Jonathan Alcide, 36, has been found guilty of murdering his cellmate Neil Ashby, 49, by strangulation at HMP Stoke Heath in Shropshire. Ashby's body was discovered with the words "They killed us" scrawled on his back, lying on his bed in the cell he shared with Alcide in July last year.
Alcide, who told prison officers "I've killed my padmate" after pressing the buzzer in their cell at 6.12am on July 1, denied murder. He claimed he was not guilty due to insanity and instead pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Cold-blooded murder
Stafford Crown Court heard that Ashby was strangled either on the evening of June 30 or in the early hours of July 1. In the weeks leading up to his death, Ashby had expressed concerns to other inmates about Alcide's mental health.
Prosecuting barrister Sally Howes KC told the jury it was a "cold-blooded, deliberate murder which had been contemplated some days in advance of its ultimate execution". A week prior to the killing, Alcide had requested the prison doctor to declare him unfit for work due to "severe post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia". Following his arrest, he told a forensic psychologist that he was an "angel turned into demon", Howes revealed.
Concerns raised before death
Fellow inmates at Stoke Heath described Ashby as "quiet and decent" and a "nice lad". Despite expressing concerns about Alcide's mental health, Ashby had declined multiple offers to change cells. Ashby, who would fetch meals for Alcide after he stopped leaving his room, informed other prisoners that Alcide had begun reading the Koran, was developing a fear of God, and was contemplating suicide.
On June 30, Ashby confided in another prisoner that Alcide had said: "I'm worried I'm going to strangle you, Neil." Ashby's body was found on his lower bunk bed on July 1, after Alcide, who had superficial cuts on his wrist and blood on his white shirt, called a prison officer to their cell. Words were scrawled on the cell wall in pen and blood, including "I did not slay them" and "they killed us... help".
Verdict and sentencing
Dressed in a grey prison tracksuit and surrounded by five officers in the dock at Stafford Crown Court, Alcide showed no emotion as a jury of eight women and four men found him guilty of murder. One juror wept in the dock as the foreman delivered the unanimous verdict following more than nine hours of deliberation.
Judge Avik Mukherjee informed Alcide that he would be sentenced on November 17. He granted the jury members exemption from future jury service for life, but invited them to attend the sentencing hearing if they wished.
A post-mortem examination revealed that Ashby had died due to applied neck pressure, most likely caused by a neck hold or a "broad, soft ligature". Howes informed the court that Alcide had been assessed by a consultant forensic psychiatrist appointed by the Crown, as well as two other consultant forensic psychiatrists acting for the defence.
One of the defence experts suggested Alcide might have been experiencing a severe depressive episode with psychosis, while the other proposed he could be suffering from a delusional disorder, ongoing mental and behavioural disorders due to previous dependence on cannabis, and paranoid delusions. The Crown's expert stated it was for the jury to decide whether they accepted Alcide's account of his mental state.
Addressing the defendant, the judge announced: "I am going to sentence you on November 17. Before then, there will be psychiatrists who will want to speak to you. You are not obliged to speak to them, but they will be writing reports on you." He informed Alcide that it was "not a choice, it is an obligation" for him to attend his sentencing hearing, to which the defendant responded: "Yes, I understand."
