Rot in hell

The parents of Kevin Mulgrew and Daniel Wall shouted "yes" after a jury took less than two hours to decide Marshall cold-bloodedly ended the lives of their sons.

Rosie Wall, whose son was killed with a single blow to the head as he slept, shouted "rot in hell" towards the defendant as she ran from the court room.

Kenneth Brolly, whose son, Kevin, had been killed seconds before Daniel, nodded in agreement as the two guilty verdicts, one for each count of murder, were read out.

Judge James Stewart said the 43-year-old murderer faced an "inevitable" life jail term when he returned to Leeds Crown Court today to be sentenced.

He described the five-day trial, during which the jury heard how heroin addict Marshall attacked the two dealers at his council flat in Gillygate, York, after they refused to give him more of the drug, as "worrying and perplexing".

Marshall was facing a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Speaking after the verdict, Mrs Wall, of Chapelfields, York, said: "I shouted out 'rot in hell' because we are in hell. We are pleased that justice has been done.

"The result that we wanted was murder not manslaughter. It's the last thing as a parent we could do for him - to get justice."

Mrs Wall said Marshall's face was like stone as he learned of his fate. "He showed no remorse. I have no feelings for him," she said.

Mr Brolly, of Bell Farm, whose other son Mick was kicked to death in Low Ousegate in 2001, said life had changed since he was young and that more young lives were being corrupted by drugs.

The court heard how junkie Marshall smashed the heads of both men with a heavy wooden table lamp base when he woke up to find them in a drug-induced stupor in his living room.

He claimed the men provoked him with threats and uncivil behaviour and he had acted in a flash of uncontrollable violence, but the jury decided that he coolly planned to kill them.

Jurors were told he robbed the bodies of cash and jewellery before fleeing to Amsterdam, Holland, where he was arrested almost three weeks later after his mother told police of his whereabouts.

The badly-decomposed bodies were found three days later by police officers called in by neighbours complaining of strange leaking fluids and a terrible stench.

Marshall's legal team said he fought extradition from the country because English prisons do not offer the methadone heroin-substitute treatment he was receiving on the continent.

Detective Superintendent Javad Ali, who led the police investigation, said the murders had "devastating consequences" for those left behind.

He said: "My thoughts are very much with the families at this time as they attempt to come to terms with their renewed sense of loss. I only hope the conclusion of this trial will help them in their grieving process."

Updated: 09:54 Thursday, December 23, 2004