News / International
Man intent on killing own brother mistakenly shoots and kills friend
30 Mar 2013 at 08:23hrs | Views
In March 2011, Lee Gray, 32, was murdered at his home in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, as he slept beside Keeley, then pregnant with Gracie, and his three-year-old son.
Lee's "friend" Martin Fieldhouse had burst into the house looking for his blood-feud brother Mick Fieldhouse.
Fuelled by cannabis, cocaine and booze he mistook Lee for his hated sibling and shot him in the head at close range with a sawn-off single-barrelled shotgun.
Fieldhouse, 29, was jailed for life last December.
And Keeley, 27, is still deeply traumatised by what she witnessed two years ago – and the ordeal of being arrested herself and held in a cell for two days on suspicion of killing Lee.
Not surprisingly, she is now having therapy to try to banish the bloody images from her mind.
Speaking out for the first time, she says: "Gracie's smile's is exactly like Lee's was – but that makes me sad.
Lee had arrived home on that fateful night with a black eye and gashed head after a friend crashed a car while he was a passenger.
She says: "I was worried but I could see Lee was tired and he said, 'Let's talk about it in the morning'.
"So we both went to bed and fell asleep either side of our son.
"I've no idea how much time had passed but something woke me. As I sat up I could smell something smoky.
"I turned around to wake Lee but as I looked at him, I panicked.
"Blood was dripping out of his ears and nose. It had stained the sheets bright red. 'Lee!' I cried, shaking him. 'Wake up.' But he didn't stir."
Astonishingly, Keeley had slept through the killing and had no idea what had happened because the shot was fired in direct contact with Lee's skull, muffling the blast.
She recalls: "As I picked up my mobile and dialled 999, my son woke up. So I grabbed him, ran downstairs and said, 'Be a good boy and wait here'.
"When the operator answered I ran back upstairs and told her, 'My boyfriend's not breathing'.
"She told me to put him in the recovery position and try to clear his airways.
"But as I tried to lift Lee out of bed, I dropped the phone into a pool of blood.
"There was a nasty open white lump in Lee's head but I just assumed he'd hurt himself more seriously in the car crash."
Paramedics arrived and took over while hysterical Keeley called relatives. But a few minutes later, they broke the news that Lee was dead.
"I collapsed, crying and holding my tummy – our baby.
"The police arrived and an officer took me to my mum's house. Shaking, I told them everything I knew.
"But afterwards I told Mum, 'Something's not right... I've got a really odd feeling'. She thought I was just in shock.
"I was six weeks pregnant. Lee and I had lost our baby son Frankie at 20 weeks the year before, and this was meant to be a happy time, a new start.
"The next couple of days passed in a haze as I tried to accept Lee had gone.
"But then two detectives arrived at my mum's house and told me I was being arrested on suspicion of murder.
"I was horrified. I tried to explain I hadn't done anything – I loved Lee.
"But at the station they took DNA samples from under my fingernails and behind my ears before leading me to a cell. I couldn't believe what was happening."
It was only then that Keeley was told Lee had been shot – and had not, as she had believed, died from a haemorrhage caused by the car accident.
She says: "For two days I didn't eat or sleep. I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone and had no idea what was going to happen to me.
"Finally, a female detective came to see me and said, 'We've arrested Martin Fieldhouse and charged him with murder. You're free to go.'"
Keeley later learned about the feud between the Fieldhouse siblings, who Lee had known for years and considered "like brothers".
She had met Lee in 2009 and says the handsome, fun-loving dad of three "made me laugh, spoiled me rotten and won me over".
She became pregnant soon after but ­tragically lost baby Frankie. When she found she was expecting again in early 2011 Keeley was nervous but Lee assured her everything would be fine.
But a week later Mick Fieldhouse called Lee out of the blue asking if he could stay for a while.
Keeley says: "It was supposed to be a special time – I didn't want Mick hanging around. But for some reason, Lee couldn't say no.
"I agreed, reluctantly, and it's a decision I will regret for the rest of my life."
That night Lee had been to a friend's engagement party while Keeley, tired from the pregnancy, stayed at home with the little boy.
Sheffield crown court heard that on the same night the Fieldhouse brothers had another blazing row and Mick knocked Martin out cold.
A few hours later, knowing his brother had been staying at Lee's, Martin broke in and crept upstairs.
Opening the bedroom door he saw a man's body, held the gun against his head and pulled the trigger.
Afterwards he told friends: "I've gone and shot our Mick."
But Judge Mr Justice Simon told Fieldhouse: "You were so hyped up you scarcely noticed who you were shooting and mistook Lee Gray for your brother.
"You intended the cold-blooded execution of your brother and you carried out the cold-blooded execution of Lee Gray against whom you had no grudge."
He sentenced Fieldhouse to a minimum of 30 years behind bars.
Lee's "friend" Martin Fieldhouse had burst into the house looking for his blood-feud brother Mick Fieldhouse.
Fuelled by cannabis, cocaine and booze he mistook Lee for his hated sibling and shot him in the head at close range with a sawn-off single-barrelled shotgun.
Fieldhouse, 29, was jailed for life last December.
And Keeley, 27, is still deeply traumatised by what she witnessed two years ago – and the ordeal of being arrested herself and held in a cell for two days on suspicion of killing Lee.
Not surprisingly, she is now having therapy to try to banish the bloody images from her mind.
Speaking out for the first time, she says: "Gracie's smile's is exactly like Lee's was – but that makes me sad.
Lee had arrived home on that fateful night with a black eye and gashed head after a friend crashed a car while he was a passenger.
She says: "I was worried but I could see Lee was tired and he said, 'Let's talk about it in the morning'.
"So we both went to bed and fell asleep either side of our son.
"I've no idea how much time had passed but something woke me. As I sat up I could smell something smoky.
"I turned around to wake Lee but as I looked at him, I panicked.
"Blood was dripping out of his ears and nose. It had stained the sheets bright red. 'Lee!' I cried, shaking him. 'Wake up.' But he didn't stir."
Astonishingly, Keeley had slept through the killing and had no idea what had happened because the shot was fired in direct contact with Lee's skull, muffling the blast.
She recalls: "As I picked up my mobile and dialled 999, my son woke up. So I grabbed him, ran downstairs and said, 'Be a good boy and wait here'.
"When the operator answered I ran back upstairs and told her, 'My boyfriend's not breathing'.
"She told me to put him in the recovery position and try to clear his airways.
"But as I tried to lift Lee out of bed, I dropped the phone into a pool of blood.
"There was a nasty open white lump in Lee's head but I just assumed he'd hurt himself more seriously in the car crash."
Paramedics arrived and took over while hysterical Keeley called relatives. But a few minutes later, they broke the news that Lee was dead.
"I collapsed, crying and holding my tummy – our baby.
"The police arrived and an officer took me to my mum's house. Shaking, I told them everything I knew.
"I was six weeks pregnant. Lee and I had lost our baby son Frankie at 20 weeks the year before, and this was meant to be a happy time, a new start.
"The next couple of days passed in a haze as I tried to accept Lee had gone.
"But then two detectives arrived at my mum's house and told me I was being arrested on suspicion of murder.
"I was horrified. I tried to explain I hadn't done anything – I loved Lee.
"But at the station they took DNA samples from under my fingernails and behind my ears before leading me to a cell. I couldn't believe what was happening."
It was only then that Keeley was told Lee had been shot – and had not, as she had believed, died from a haemorrhage caused by the car accident.
She says: "For two days I didn't eat or sleep. I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone and had no idea what was going to happen to me.
"Finally, a female detective came to see me and said, 'We've arrested Martin Fieldhouse and charged him with murder. You're free to go.'"
Keeley later learned about the feud between the Fieldhouse siblings, who Lee had known for years and considered "like brothers".
She had met Lee in 2009 and says the handsome, fun-loving dad of three "made me laugh, spoiled me rotten and won me over".
She became pregnant soon after but ­tragically lost baby Frankie. When she found she was expecting again in early 2011 Keeley was nervous but Lee assured her everything would be fine.
But a week later Mick Fieldhouse called Lee out of the blue asking if he could stay for a while.
Keeley says: "It was supposed to be a special time – I didn't want Mick hanging around. But for some reason, Lee couldn't say no.
"I agreed, reluctantly, and it's a decision I will regret for the rest of my life."
That night Lee had been to a friend's engagement party while Keeley, tired from the pregnancy, stayed at home with the little boy.
Sheffield crown court heard that on the same night the Fieldhouse brothers had another blazing row and Mick knocked Martin out cold.
A few hours later, knowing his brother had been staying at Lee's, Martin broke in and crept upstairs.
Opening the bedroom door he saw a man's body, held the gun against his head and pulled the trigger.
Afterwards he told friends: "I've gone and shot our Mick."
But Judge Mr Justice Simon told Fieldhouse: "You were so hyped up you scarcely noticed who you were shooting and mistook Lee Gray for your brother.
"You intended the cold-blooded execution of your brother and you carried out the cold-blooded execution of Lee Gray against whom you had no grudge."
He sentenced Fieldhouse to a minimum of 30 years behind bars.
Source - Mirror
