Antonietta's murder was 'to prove love', court hears (From Wiltshire Times)

Antonietta's murder was 'to prove love', court hears

7:10pm Wednesday 23rd September 2009

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A close friend of the gay couple accused of murdering Antonietta Guarino told a jury today how one of them, David Carr-Burstow, said his partner had killed his landlady to prove his love.

Stephen Gurner, who lived in a flat in Orchard Court in Trowbridge at the time of Mrs Guarino's murder in January, said Carr-Burstow, 20, who denies murder and is on trial at Bristol Crown Court, took him out for a drive in Mrs Guarino's silver Toyota Yaris on the evening of January 8, the day police believe she died.

He told the court Carr-Burstow pulled into a pub car park and said he needed to get something off his chest.

"He told me he wanted to tell me something and basically blurted out that him and Marc had killed their landlady," Mr Gurner said.

"I remember him saying that him and Marc had had an argument and he was joking around and said to Marc 'go downstairs and hit the landlady over the head with a hammer' and Marc did it."

Prosecutor Martin Meeke asked him if he knew why he had asked Riley to do that.

Mr Gurner said: "He said to do it if he loved him, if Marc loved Dave.

"I can remember he said that Marc had shouted up stairs and told Dave to come and have a look at what he had done and Dave said there was blood on the floor and he helped Marc put the body in the Yaris and took it to the canal."

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