Michael Rainsford lost his life at the hands of two killers on April 7, 2020.
The 20-year-old victim had been packing a bag to go and see his girlfriend when two shots blasted through the kitchen window leading to his death. As a man who had no known enemies it was baffling to the police as to who could have killed him.
But Merseyside Police soon discovered Snapchat held the key to finding his killers. ITV will explore just how brothers Michael and James Foy were ultimately found guilty of murder - despite getting help to maintain their innocence from three other people - in Social Media Murders: The Murder of Mikey Rainsford.
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Here is everything that you need to know about Michael Rainsford's tragic story.
Who was Michael Rainsford?
Michael was a young skater with a big social media following who was tragically murdered in his own home. His dad, Michael snr, described his son as "a quiet young man" with a lot of friends.
He was said to be loved in the area and had no known enemies.
When was Michael shot?
At around 11.10pm on April 7, 2020, officers were called to Harrington Road following reports a man had been shot through his kitchen window. Emergency services attended and the victim, 20-year-old Michael, was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead a short time later.
The young man had been packing a bag to travel to go and see his girlfriend. His dad was beside him in the kitchen when two shots rang out in quick succession. Mikey’s dad Michael snr, later described the shock, terror and horror as Mikey died in his arms.
Urging for help to be sent immediately, Josh Rainsford had dialled 999 to tell the call handler: "My brother’s just been shot." The teenager told the operator he had no idea who was behind the attack - adding he “just heard a bang through the window... we don’t even know if we are safe”.
After hearing the gunshots - fired through two separate panes of glass in a kitchen window - neighbours saw an electric bike leaving the scene.
Who killed him?
In total, five people were sentenced in connection with the murder of Michael Rainsford. The five were sentenced to a total of over 60 years in prison at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, March 2021, after all being found guilty following a trial.
Michael Foy, 22, of Rossini Street, Seaforth, was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to life in prison to serve a minimum of 30 years. His brother, James Foy, 19, of Rossini Street, Seaforth, was found guilty of murder and possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to life in prison to serve a minimum of 28 years.
Andrea Saunderson, 47, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to one year and six months (suspended for two years) and given a rehabilitation order. Joyce Smith, 45, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to two years and six months and Craig Johnson, 39, of Willard Drive, Bootle, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to three years.
The fatal attack on Michael happened as just under an hour earlier bricks had been thrown at the Foys’ home in Seaforth, leading prosecutors to argue the brothers armed themselves with a handgun and set off in search of revenge. What followed was a flurry of phone calls and trips across South Sefton as the 19-year-old rode from Seaforth to pick up Michael, 22, in Waterloo.
Jurors found the pair then returned to their Rossini Street address before riding to Litherland and shooting Mr Rainsford. Their victim had not been anywhere near their property when it was hit with bricks, Liverpool Crown Court was told.
How were the killers and those protecting them caught?
Both brothers’ mobile phones fell out of use the day after the shooting - with each claiming it was no more than a coincidence they “lost” their handsets on April 8.
Despite their claims, detectives were able to use CCTV and mobile phone data to pinpoint the Foys’ movements on the night. And in doing so they were led to the people who tried to help them get away with murder.
They included their mum, who was charged with perverting the course of justice and whose phone was also last used on April 8. The 46-year-old was accused of disposing of her SIM card, which search teams did not find when they raided the family home on April 9.
Craig Johnson - Smith’s brother - did have his phone on him when police arrested him in May of last year. The device was examined and officers discovered two photographs of the electric bike owned by James that were taken in the shed of his home on Willard Drive in Bootle. They were taken four days after Mr Rainsford was shot and sent to a friend called ‘Deano’ via WhatsApp.
A Snapchat video was also unveiled featuring an electric bike similar to the one the brothers owned - and with a key fob from the shop that had originally sold their vehicle - was streamed from an account linked to James.
The image included the words: “Tell ye mar duck don’t use bricks". Two "flash" symbols accompanied the words. Minutes later two bullets smashed through the kitchen window of Mr Rainsford's Harrington Road home, killing him.
The Murder of Mikey Rainsford part of the Social Media Murders exclusively on ITVX, from Thursday, March 9
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