The family of a mum who was lured to her pre-dug grave and killed with an axe have issued an emotional warning after her ex-boyfriend was sentenced for the murder.
Andrew Burnfield denied killing former partner Katie Kenyon for months, but changed his plea to guilty three days into the murder trial on Wednesday. He was brought back to Preston Crown Court by Mr Justice Goose on Thursday to be sentenced. Mum-of-two Katie disappeared on April 22 this year after she was last seen getting into a van in Padiham, near Burnley.
A public appeal was launched by police to find the 33-year-old, but her body was later discovered in the Forest of Bowland on April 29. A post-mortem examination concluded she had died from head injuries, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Burfield was first brought before the court on Monday, November 14, as the three-week trial got underway. The 50-year-old claimed that he had taken Katie on a picnic on April 22 when she challenged him to try and knock a can of coke off her hand using an axe.
Burfield, of Todmorden Road, Burnley, told police it would "take her arm off" and threw the axe at a tree instead. However, he claims he missed and the weapon hit Katie in the head, killing her with a single blow.
The grave where Katie was buried was so well hidden that a forensic archaeologist was unable to find it, with police only able to uncover it when Burfield showed officers the exact location. Burfield's version of events was slammed by the prosecution after a Home Office pathologist said Katie's body had at least 12 blows to her head.
Katie's family first grew suspicious of Burfield after receiving messages with poor spelling and grammar mistakes, which were markedly different to her usual style of text. The court also heard that Burfield had dug the grave the day before and inflicted multiple head injuries with the axe.
During the proceeding, Katie's sister Sarah paid heartbreaking tribute to her sister and recalled the seven days before her body was found. She said: "The 22nd April 2022 is a day none of us will forget when Katie was stolen from us. We knew immediately something wasn't right. Katie would never have left her children like that. We sensed Burfield was behind it.
"We went through a full week of torture. Who could she be with, was she alive? We lived in hope she would be found alive and she was safe as a coping mechanism but with each police visit we knew deep down it would not be a good outcome. We knew Burfield was not good for her.
"We were out of our minds with worry. The children did not know what was going on and were asking questions we did not know the answers to.
"I will never forget the day DCI Davies came to the house and told us he believed Katie was dead. At that stage, the police did now know where Katie was. We could not face telling the children and DCI Davies had to do that for us.
"We had to visit the forest where Katie was found. It was awful going up there knowing it was Katie's final journey, wondering what she was thinking. Being there and seeing the area was totally heartbreaking. We were totally numb. We saw Katie at the mortuary. Her face was bruised but she still looked so beautiful. She was behind glass. I wanted to hold her and say goodbye. Burfield took that from us.
"We have not been able to know what happened to Katie till now because we have had to be witnesses in the trial. The frustration from this has been unbearable. No one should have to go through it. We knew we needed to be strong as a family to get justice for Katie. I can't believe we have been put through the process of a trial. It is nothing like you can ever imagine. It was far worse.
"While we were trying to grieve the loss of Katie we had to give statements to the police and help with the investigation. To hear the guilty plea was a relief but we also feel our voices have not been heard. We wanted to stand up and speak for Katie. We do not believe he pleaded guilty for Katie, only himself.
"Every Christmas, birthday and holiday will be scarred by Katie's absence. She did not choose this, she was not unwell and this was not an accident. She was robbed of her life. Not only has Burfield taken Katie from us, he has taken our lives too. Her children have lost their mum in the most horrific way. She was mum, dad and best friend all in one. Katie was a fantastic mum. Our mum Dawn has had to become a mother to two grieving teenagers but to do this while grieving the loss of your daughter is so difficult.
"If Katie had died by natural circumstances it would be bad enough. Katie told us she wanted to stop Burfield from being able to do to other women what he did to her. This cost her her life.
"Katie was beautiful and silly. The kids called her 'Aunty Crazy'. She made some stupid decisions but she had a beautiful soul. She loved the outdoors and she loved people. We will miss her and never forget her loss."
Before sentencing him to prison, Mr Justice Goose told Burfield: "You pleaded guilty to the murder of Katie Kenyon, a 33-year-old single mother of two young children, 14 and 12. On 22 April you carried out a planned and savage attack striking at least 12 heavy blows with an axe.
"In your relationship, you were manipulative and controlling while she was vulnerable. She looked to you for love and support, In return, you planned and carried out her murder. This was not heat of the moment. It involved planning, lies, the destruction of evidence and an implausible defence.
"Your murder of Katie was as cruel as it was savage. The calmness you displayed before, during and after proves your dangerousness. The messages suggested you loved her but at the same time, you manipulated her. You created a debt and used it to scare her while pretending to help her. You advised her to seek help for anxiety.
"You said on April 22 you would take her to the therapy unit for the start of a new life. You planned to kill her that day. You planned this as early as April 4 when you wrote notes on your phone to her children. You encouraged her to look forward to her new start and she believed you. You drove to Gisburn Forest with a spade, turning off your phone to avoid detection, and dug a very precise and tidy grave.
"The following day you drove to the forest with Katie, taking an axe as well as a spade. You parked in a layby carrying a cool box pretending it was refreshment. There you killed her. It was a ferocious and cruel attack. You calmly placed her in the grave taking great care to hide it with soil and branches."
Burfield was sentenced to 32 years in prison, with a minimum term of 25 years.
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