Man found guilty of murder after stabbing his mother to death in Plymouth
A man has been convicted of killing his mother after she was found stabbed to death in Plymouth last year.
The body of Debra Cantrell, who was 58, was found at her home on Colwill Road, on 31 May 2023.
Officers were called to the property following reports of concern for the welfare of a woman.
A jury at Plymouth Crown Court heard that Callum Thomas, 33, had been violent towards Debra Cantrell and had voiced threats about killing her "over a number of years."
The court previously heard Thomas spent a considerable amount of time playing World War Two games online with a computer gamer in the United States.
The jury were told that on May 8, while he was in a hotel in Richmond, Virginia, the gamer received a message from Thomas that he had "done something bad" and he "didn't think he was going to be around for a long time".
They arranged to meet online later that day and they began online gaming, during which Thomas was "whispering", before saying he "didn't know" why he was whispering because "the problem had been taken care of" and the "situation had been dealt with".
Concerned, the US gamer rang police in the UK. He told them about Thomas' comments about a problem being "taken care of".
Police later attended the property and found Ms Cantrell on her bed under a duvet, with a fatal knife wound to her chest and a pillow over her head.
Thomas admitted to the manslaughter of Debra Cantrell on the basis of diminished responsibility.
However, prosecutors progressed with their case, arguing that when he killed his mother he was of sound mind and knew what he was doing.
While the jury were initially told he was alleged to have fatally stabbed her sometime between May 5 and May 31 last year, evidence suggested that he had more than likely murdered her sometime after May 6 or May 7.
After finding Thomas guilty of murder, Judge Peter Johnson thanked the jury for their service.
He remanded Thomas into custody with sentencing fixed for 6 August at Plymouth Crown Court.