A man who stabbed his friend to death and posted videos of his body on Snapchat has been sentenced to a minimum of 16 years in jail. Mark Jones, 20, was found guilty of murdering Kyle Walley, 19, in Rhosymedre, Wrexham, on 11 July 2021.
The court heard that Jones cycled to Walley's flat to watch the Euro 2020 football final, but killed him during a drunken row before the match began. Snapchat footage showed Jones making stabbing motions and saying he was 'thinking of stabbing someone up right now'.
Prosecutor John Philpotts said a friend on the phone with Walley heard him shout 'put the knife down', followed by screams and Jones apologising. Other videos showed Jones stamping on Walley's dead body and holding up bloodstained hands, saying he had 'stabbed up' Walley and was 'going to do time'.
Sentencing Jones to life with a minimum term of 16 years and 126 days, Mr Justice Eyre described his actions as 'despicable'. He said: 'Kyle Walley was killed at 19 because of your selfish desire for notoriety. You filmed and broadcast images of Kyle clutching his chest and begging you to put the knife down.'
In a victim impact statement, Walley's father Robert said the family had been inundated with calls about the online footage, which he had not watched but feared had affected his daughter Caitlin mentally. He added: 'Our family has a huge hole that will never be filled.'
