Man who 'never stopped' lying after 'sickening' murder of housemate in Rugby jailed
A man from Rugby who murdered his housemate in a 'senseless and sickening' attack has been jailed.
Matthew Naysmith, now 20, was 18 when he attacked Mark Richmond, who was 47, in the house of multiple occupancy (HMO) they were living in.
Warwickshire Police and emergency services were called to the house in Newland Street around 6am, on 2 September 2021.
When they arrived, officers found Mr Richmond unconscious, struggling to breathe, and with significant head injuries.
Naysmith, who was the only other person living in the HMO at the time, was arrested by officers on suspicion of assault GBH.
Mr Richmond was taken to hospital with a punctured lung, fractured ribs, and a fractured skull, and died from his injuries two days later.
Naysmith was then arrested again on suspicion of murder, and denied any involvement in Mr Richmond's death during police interviews.
He claimed the housemates had spent the night drinking together and that he had woken up the following morning to find Mark injured in the HMO.
Police investigations of the property found that there had been multiple attempts to clean up the murder scene before emergency services arrived.
Naysmith was found guilty of murder after a week-long trial at Warwick Crown Court.
He has been sentenced to life imprisonment, to serve a minimum of 17 years in jail.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Collette O’Keefe said: “From the moment officers arrived, Naysmith started lying and he never really stopped.
“The attack of Mark was senseless, sickening and he did absolutely nothing to deserve it. Naysmith has shown no remorse since the beginning, and I’m grateful we were able to disprove his ridiculous version of events."
Mark’s family added: “We’re glad this has finally come to an end and justice has been done after an incredibly emotional two years.
“Mark didn’t deserve such a violent and brutal end to his life and neither did his children deserve to have their father taken away from them in such tragic circumstances.”
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