A "calculating and calm" student has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his stepdad’s mother in a home fire. 94-year-old Mary Gregory was trapped by Tiernan Darnton, 21, in a house fire in Heysham, Lancashire, in 2018.
Until Darnton, who’d already confessed to the crime in a session of truth or dare, made a very similar confession in 2019 during counseling, her death was classified as an accident by the authorities.
With a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, his sentence was increased to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. On Thursday, a jury at Preston Crown Court found Darnton guilty of murder after he had previously maintained his innocence.
The judge at the sentencing phase rejected the idea that the then 17-year-old had committed "an act of kindness" when she sentenced her. So, is he a serial killer or a psychopath?
Kill List of Tiernan Darnton:
Because he didn’t want Mrs. Gregory to live in misery due to her dementia, Darnton said he turned off the fire alarm and caused the incident. She said that "no one could possibly consider of putting an old lady in the burning building as a kindness."
She went on: "You’d been pondering murder for a while… Serial murderers and their crimes attracted you. You had a gloomy outlook."
According to court documents seen by the media, "disturbing material," including plans for women to be stalked and assaulted, and a "death list" containing people’s names on it, were discovered in the hands of Darnton during his trial.
Tiernan-Darnton-murdered
Mrs. Gregory, a habitual smoker, died in an unintentional fire on May 28, 2018, according to an early inquiry. In May 2019, police revived the case when Darnton confessed to a counselor that he had lit a curtain over the fire at the Levens Drive residence and murdered his stepfather’s mother.
"Darkest secret" game with two pals was also where he confessed to the crime, according to the court’s transcripts of his testimony.
While first admitting to fabricating sections of their talk with the counselor, he then claimed he was merely trying to impress his "edgy" buddies in a truth or dare game and also was "attention-seeking" with a counselor.
Do you crave to read articles about psychopaths? Then you are here to enjoy the ride.
This article was originally published on The London Info.
Until Darnton, who’d already confessed to the crime in a session of truth or dare, made a very similar confession in 2019 during counseling, her death was classified as an accident by the authorities.
With a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, his sentence was increased to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. On Thursday, a jury at Preston Crown Court found Darnton guilty of murder after he had previously maintained his innocence.
The judge at the sentencing phase rejected the idea that the then 17-year-old had committed "an act of kindness" when she sentenced her. So, is he a serial killer or a psychopath?
Kill List of Tiernan Darnton:
Because he didn’t want Mrs. Gregory to live in misery due to her dementia, Darnton said he turned off the fire alarm and caused the incident. She said that "no one could possibly consider of putting an old lady in the burning building as a kindness."
She went on: "You’d been pondering murder for a while… Serial murderers and their crimes attracted you. You had a gloomy outlook."
According to court documents seen by the media, "disturbing material," including plans for women to be stalked and assaulted, and a "death list" containing people’s names on it, were discovered in the hands of Darnton during his trial.
Tiernan-Darnton-murdered
Mrs. Gregory, a habitual smoker, died in an unintentional fire on May 28, 2018, according to an early inquiry. In May 2019, police revived the case when Darnton confessed to a counselor that he had lit a curtain over the fire at the Levens Drive residence and murdered his stepfather’s mother.
"Darkest secret" game with two pals was also where he confessed to the crime, according to the court’s transcripts of his testimony.
While first admitting to fabricating sections of their talk with the counselor, he then claimed he was merely trying to impress his "edgy" buddies in a truth or dare game and also was "attention-seeking" with a counselor.
Do you crave to read articles about psychopaths? Then you are here to enjoy the ride.
This article was originally published on The London Info.