Gunman found guilty of murdering Elle Edwards outside Merseyside pub on Christmas Eve
Connor Chapman has been found guilty of murdering beautician Elle Edwards on 24 December, 2022.
The 26-year-old was devastatingly killed on Christmas Eve last year at the Lighthouse pub in Wallasey Village, Wirral, shortly before midnight.
Edwards was out enjoying some drinks prior to the big Christmas Day celebration when she was innocently shot down by Chapman, 23.
The gunman opened fire with a sub-machine gun as he targeted two men over a gang feud.
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The jury also convicted Chapman of two counts of attempted murder, two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, as well as possession of a Skorpion sub-machine gun with intent to endanger life and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
Meanwhile, Co-defendant Thomas Waring, 20, was found guilty of possession of a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender by helping to burn out the stolen Mercedes used in the murder.
As the verdicts were read out, Elle’s father Tim stared over at the dock at Liverpool Crown Court and quietly said 'yes' with tears in his eyes.
As Chapman was taken from the dock, Tim was heard saying: 'You coward'.
Mr Justice Goose said that the two guilty parties will be sentenced at 2pm on Friday, adding that a video of the shooting, which was shown during the trial, should be released to the public.
The judge told Mark Rhind KC, defending Chapman, he would be considering whether the case was one for which a whole life order would be suitable.
Tim opened up about his 'beautiful and caring' daughter and the impact of her loss ahead of her funeral which took place in January.
"She's the type of person that would walk into the room and everyone would gravitate towards her because she was always smiling," he told Sky News.
"She was beautiful looking and she was a great hugger. She was just a fantastic human being with a heart of gold."
He said the month between her unexpected death and funeral had been a 'struggle' as the family has tried to adjust to life without her.
"Time moves so quick," Tim said. "In our situation with the developments, Christmas Day didn't mean anything, that had gone. It didn't feel real and Christmas will never be the same. Christmas will never be a point of celebration for me, ever."
Callum Jones