A Bournemouth man has been convicted of murdering his father in Southbourne last year.
Nathan Robinson (26) was found guilty of the murder of William Spiller by a jury at Winchester Crown Court on 27 November following a full trial.
He had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter which was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service.
The court heard that Robinson murdered his 48-year-old father on Thursday 16 May 2013. Police were called to Mr Spiller’s home in Stedman Road a month later on 17 June after receiving a ‘concern for welfare’ call from his partner.
Mr Spiller’s dismembered remains were discovered packed in plastic storage boxes in his home. Robinson had stolen his father’s mobile phone and £8,000 in cash before travelling to Glasgow, Birmingham and Bristol to visit friends and relatives.
Robinson was arrested at his mother’s home in the Birmingham area on 18 June 2013. He admitted killing his father before using a Stanley knife and saw to cut up the body.
The court heard of the lengths Robinson went to in an attempt to evade justice. A Vax carpet cleaner and steamer were found in Mr Spiller’s home and showed evidence of being used to clean up the scene.
In the month before the body was discovered, Robinson also posed as his father by sending texts from the stolen mobile phone to Mr Spiller’s partner and friend.
The jury took one hour and 50 minutes to reach a unanimous verdict of guilty. Robinson will be sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on a date yet to be fixed.
Senior investigating officer Chief Inspector John Gately said: “This was a particularly gruesome murder. What is clear from the evidence is that Nathan Robinson went to great lengths to try and mislead the police and the victim’s partner.
“This obviously delayed Mr Spiller being found which showed the deceitful nature of Robinson.
“I hope that this verdict brings some closure to those closest to Mr Spiller and I would like to pay tribute to the investigation team, in particular the case officer Dave Richards and the forensic team who had to deal with a horrific crime scene.”
