A 26-year-old convicted murderer was given a life sentence for the execution of a young father after which he spewed foul-mouthed abuse at the judge.
As Rueben Murphy was led down to the cells at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, he called the High Court judge a "fat pedophile," and screamed "f*** the system," reported Mirror.
Patrick Boyle was 26 years old when he died on July 1, 2021 after Murphy pumped two bullets into his chest. Boyle was father to a three-year-old boy and was expecting a second child with his pregnant partner Ashleigh Deans at the time of the killing.
Liverpool Echo reported that Murphy approached the young father on an electric bike as he stood outside a house in Newway, Huyton, at around 5.55 p.m. then he opened fire. When the bullets were fired, two rounds hit Boyle on the left side of his chest. Less than 30 minutes later, he was pronounced dead at Whiston Hospital.
Murphy said that he was not in the street at the time. He claimed that he was "off me head" on cannabis and ketamine in a garden in another area of Huyton. But there was evidence, including a pair of black gloves. They had traces of gunshot residue. His DNA profile was also found on top of a kitchen cupboard in his home. There was CCTV evidence that put him in the area of the murder at the time.
The murder conviction came after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court. His close friend Ben Doyle, who rode the electric bike and carried Murphy on the back near the murder scene, was also on trial. Doyle was sentenced to life with a minimum of 27 years in jail. Thomas Walker, another friend, was cleared of murder. But he admitted handling one of the bullets used to kill Boyle on a date prior to the day of the murder. He was sentenced to two years in jail.
Justice Stephen Morris called the incident a "shocking, premeditated attack in broad daylight on the streets of Liverpool." Murphy was told that he will serve life in jail with a minimum of 31 years before he will can apply for parole. The killer began shouting and ranting as the sentence was read. He said that he had been expecting a longer sentence then told Morris, "Thanks very much you fat pedophile." He also screamed "f*** the system."
According to St Helens Star, detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath said this was a "cold and calculated act which resulted in the murder of a dad-of-two on a street in broad daylight."
