Russell Mars, 29, denied killing his ex-wife Jade Ward, but was convicted Thursday of murder by a jury following a trial. Judge Rees Rowlands said she lost her life “in a brutal and extremely violent attack after the end of a relationship”. Shortly before Mrs. Ward’s lifeless body was discovered, Marsh’s killer was filmed by police at a police station telling them he had “done something horrible.” He moved back and forth in his chair and repeatedly apologized as police found the body of a mother of four at her home in Shotton, Flintshire, on August 26 last year. Marsh, of Chevrons Road in Sutton, denied the murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter and was tried in Mold Crown Court. Read more:The latest trial for the murder of Logan Mwangi The jury took less than two hours to return a unanimous guilty verdict on the murder charge after they retired to discuss it Thursday afternoon. Judge Rhys Rowlands told Marsh, who is due to stand trial on April 12: “I was watching you throughout this trial and you did not show the slightest remorse. There can only be one sentence for murder and that is life imprisonment.” She praised Mrs. Ward’s friends and family for their “remarkable” restraint after hearing “lies and insults” targeting her and her family. “It could not have been easy for them,” the judge added. Mrs. Ward’s family members appeared to crouch over the public gallery and thank the jury as they left the courthouse. When the case was opened, prosecutor Michael Jones QC told jurors Marsh was working a night shift for Bio Energy’s employer in Ellesmere Port the night 27-year-old Ms Ward was killed. He said the accused had told his boss he had to leave for several hours in his shift and claimed that his brother had taken an overdose and had to go to the hospital. The prosecutor said this was “completely untrue” and instead Marsh was monitored by CCTV, ANPR cameras and telephone boats heading north to Wales and arriving at the family’s former home in Shotton. Mr Jones said the couple had divorced three times, but had divorced in the summer of 2021. He said close friends and family had heard Ms Warda say that this time the divorce was “for good”. Mrs. Ward allegedly shared a kiss with another man at a party and “continues” her life. This information was returned to Marsh, who in court described that he “controls” his partner. Marsh allegedly attacked Co-op worker Ms Ward with a knife before strangling her and then handing her over to police the next day. Mars told officers they would find his wife upstairs and dead in her bed. Police forcibly raided the property and found Ms. Ward at the location she indicated but covered with a pile of clothes. The door was also “locked with a rope cord”, it was heard at the trial. Mrs. Ward, who was wearing blood-stained pajamas, was found dead on the spot. A pathology report describes how she suffered multiple wounds “on her body”, including her face and hands, while marks from the handle left her bruised and there were signs of “defensive” wounds around her arms indicating that she had “attempted to to fight “. her attacker. Prosecutor Jones said the pathologist determined that the “horrific” cause of Ms Ward’s death was a suffocation that could only be caused by another person. Mr Jones said her body had been “mutilated”. On Monday, April 4, Marsh entered the witness box and testified. During questioning by Christopher Terhani QC’s attorney, the defendant admitted to strangling Ms. Ward and had no legitimate reason to do so. However, he denied that he intended to kill or seriously injure Ms. Ward. Marsh, a father of five who dropped out of school at 16 with two GCSEs in science and religion, confirmed that there was a seven-month period in 2017 when he was fired – in a different company – due to poor mental health caused by “Stress and anxiety”. During this time he was taking medication. Defendant also told the court he owed a debt of about .000 30,000 in 2019 after the house was renovated and the marriage between him and Mrs Ward paid off. The couple have been together for just over nine years in total. Marsh said they had “difficult times” throughout – more towards the end of the relationship. He said the couple was “tired” and “drained” and claimed they had “almost nothing” when it came to physical intercourse. In the summer of 2019, shortly after their wedding, the couple had divorced for “various reasons”, the court heard, but later they were reconciled within a few days. At the time of the split, Marsh was accused of bruising Mrs. Ward’s wrists. He said he had “never been violent” with Ms Warda. Read more related articles Read more related articles
