Xyaire Howard, a 23-year-old resident of Press Road, NW10, has been found guilty of the murder of 71-year-old Susan Hawkey. The verdict was reached after a trial at the Old Bailey. Howard’s accomplice, Chelsea Grant, aged 28 and also residing on Press Road, was found not guilty of murder but had previously pleaded guilty to multiple robberies against Hawkey.

During the trial, it was revealed that Howard and Grant had subjected Hawkey to weeks of violence. The couple, who lived near Hawkey, targeted her as an ideal victim due to her vulnerability. Detective Chief Inspector Neil Rawlinson, who led the investigation, described the murder as a brutal act following a sustained campaign of abuse and violence. He expressed relief that both Grant and Howard have been brought to justice.

Hawkey led a lonely and routine existence, rarely leaving her home. However, Grant and Howard followed her on her infrequent outings and violently mugged her for her ATM card on multiple occasions in July and August 2022. Despite cancelling her bank card after the initial mugging, Hawkey was attacked again on Verney Road on August 22 during which Grant and Howard obtained her bank card and house keys. The following day, they robbed her again at her home, but Hawkey fought back against them.

Although Hawkey did not report these incidents to the police, she did contact her bank to cancel her card and her Housing Association to change the locks on her doors. She also informed her neighbours about what had happened. The last sighting of Hawkey alive was on September 6, and concerns about her welfare were raised by a neighbour on September 26th. Police found her lifeless body later that day, lying in a fetal position with her hands tied behind her back using a black shoe-lace and brown parcel tape.

On the afternoon of September 6 Grant and Howard were seen walking to and from Hawkey’s home. They had acquired her PIN number, which they used to embark on an extravagant shopping spree, spending thousands of pounds using her bank card. Their spending spree only came to an end when they were apprehended on September 28th outside a McDonald’s restaurant in Wembley.

As part of the investigation, detectives reviewed activity on Grant and Howard’s mobile phones, which contained photos of Hawkey’s ATM cards and search terms related to transaction limits and the smell of dead bodies.

Chief Superintendent Dan Knowles, in charge of local policing command in northwest London, described the case as heart-breaking, with a vulnerable lady being preyed upon in a cruel and premeditated manner. He expressed gratitude to the investigators from the Specialist Crime unit for their tireless work in gathering evidence.