Defendant takes stand in landlady murder trial (From Wiltshire Times)

Defendant takes stand in landlady murder trial

Defendant David Carr-Burstow took the stand at Bristol Crown Court yesterday to tell the jury how he only helped his boyfriend dispose of Antonietta Guarino’s body because he was scared of him.

Carr-Burstow, 20, who denies murder, said on the day of 61-year-old Mrs Guarino’s murder, he and Riley had had an argument about whether to go out or not.

Carr-Burstow told the court: “I was upstairs with Marc.

“I said, joking around, go and give the landlady a slap.”

When asked why he had said that Carr-Burstow said that a couple of nights before they had been at Riley’s brother’s house and Riley had said, ‘I’m going to hit my landlady.’ Carr-Burstow denied ever having told Riley to hit Mrs Guarino over the head with a hammer to prove his love.

He said when he told Mark Riley to slap Mrs Guarino, Riley smirked and smiled and then went downstairs a few minutes later.

Carr-Burstow became confused when describing the scene that met him when he first came downstairs.

Initially, he said he saw Mrs Guarino wrapped in a shower curtain lying on the kitchen floor, but later admitted that he himself wrapped her in the shower curtain.

He denied telling Stephen Gurner that he and Riley had killed Mrs Guarino and he denied telling his brother that he had got into a fight with a man and hit him over the head with a hammer.

Riley has admitted murder and both defendants have admitted a charge of obstructing a coroner.

The trial continues.