Samantha Eastwood’s killer Michael Stirling ‘tried to FRAME her ex-fiance by laying wedding dress and engagement ring on her bed’
Michael Stirling, 32, was today jailed for life over the murder of Samantha Eastwood after burying her body in a shallow grave
MIDWIFE killer Michael Stirling left his victim’s wedding dress and engagement ring on her bed in an effort to frame her ex-fiancé and lay a “false trail”.
Stirling, 32, was today jailed for life after murdering Samantha Eastwood, 28, and trying to cover up his crime by sending her family fake text messages from her phone.
Stafford Crown Court heard this morning how he killed the midwife - his wife's brother's ex-fiancé - “in a fog of anger” at her Stoke-on-Trent home following a row over their affair on July 27.
Gardener Stirling comforted Samantha's family, even hugging her sister as he vowed to help find her just hours after he unleashed the brutal attack.
In a desperate attempt to cover his tracks, he sent messages from Samantha's phone to her sister and even laid out her wedding dress and engagement ring on her bed – later found by his brother-in-law and her former fiancé John Peake.
Mr Peake told the court this morning he thought it was an attempt to cast suspicions onto him.
In a statement, he said it had been a "nightmare", saying: "I believe this was aimed at me to point the blame in my direction.
"I also think where she was found was about me because it’s near where I work."
Stirling was today jailed for life, with a minimum of 17 years.
Mrs Justice Carr told Stirling he had shown "breath-taking cruelty" in comforting Samantha's family while he knew the truth.
She told him: “In the agonising hours and days following her death you lied and lied, over and over again, in an attempt to cover up what you had done.”
She added: "It is difficult to imagine the further appalling distress and confusion this caused to Samantha’s family and friends."
She described Stirling's plot as a “sophisticated and mendacious” cover-up with "no remorse".
Stirling remained impassive in the dock as the details of his affair with Sam were revealed in court, having begun with a "mutual flirtation" in 2013.
But by the end of the relationship, the court heard Stirling had been "hounding" the midwife - calling her 128 times in the month before her death while she tried to distance herself from him.
Samantha had been engaged to John Peake, 34, who is the brother of Stirling’s wife Katie and the four of them had been so close they even used to go on holiday together to Whitby.
But sooner after getting engaged, Samantha and John called off the wedding, with the bride putting her dress up for sale online.
The court heard Stirling had been confronted by John about the affair but denied it.
The affair came to a head on July 27, when Stirling visited Samantha's home after she finished a night shift at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.
Neighbours told police they heard a woman screaming - with it sounding like she had yelled "get off me".
Describing Samantha's final moments, Charles Miskin QC, defending, told the court: "The argumentative stakes rose. He should have stepped away from all this.
"Miss Eastwood was feisty and spirited and knew how to push his buttons. He pushed her and she fell onto the floor knocking her head on a table. He got down and straddled her.
"With his left hand he was pointing at her face as he talked to her. He was threatening. She laughed at him. She wasn’t scared of him. He put his left hand on her throat, he was still trying to scare her.
"She continued to shout and scream. He lost all his self-control and in a fog of anger, as a result of which, she died."
After killing her, he bound her face with brown parcel tape before putting her inside a duvet cover, before binding her ankles with tape from his van and her head again.
The court heard Stirling then put Samantha's body into his van - driving home to have dinner with his wife Katie, 32, and his parents while the body sat in his car.
His wife described him as "fine and cheerful" that night.
In the meantime, Samantha's colleagues raised concerns at 7.20pm that she had failed to show up for her next shift.
Keeping up appearances, Stirling told his family he would go search for her - instead driving to Caverswall, Staffs at 10.30pm, where he spent 40 minutes digging the grave to hide her body - wearing pyjama bottoms and a white vest top - at the side of a quiet country road.
TEXTS OF A KILLER: How Michael Stirling tried to cover his tracks - using Samantha's phone to text her sister
9.50am Gemma Eastwood to Samantha’s phone: "Where are you. ring me to let me know your safe".
10.13am Samantha to Gemma: "Please leave me alone x".
Gemma: "Where are you who are you with"
"We are all worried the police are involved and going to do a press release just tell me where you are ill come and meet you on my own I won't tell anyone".
10.04 Samantha’s phone: "I love you all I’ve had a massive breakdown about stuff. I’m so so sorry xx I’ll be ok I’m in touch with the a help line. I’m not going to do anything silly I just won't to be left alone xx"
Gemma replied: "Where are you let me come and see you i won't tell anyone”.
“Just let me come and see you I won't tell anyone let me help you"
10.50 a message was sent from Samantha’s phone, saying: "No gem I’m sick of pretending i'm ok xx i'm going to go to the dr's i just need tome to blow off some steam"
Gemma then asked her to ring police and forwarded a contact number.
A text from Samantha’s phone replied: “I just want time for me I’m sick of facebook I just want me time" followed by "I'm sorry I’ve caused so much stress and upset I just done feel myself atm, Gemma you aren't listening I need time."
Gemma asked her one last time to make contact.
The reply was: "I will soon xx love you all I mean it I'll be ok” and then "speak to you later i promise xx"
At 12.45, a message was sent from Samantha’s phone, reading: “Gem I’m in a car blue bmw. he’s taking me to the motorway. I’m sorry. I met a guy of the internet. He’s mad. i messaged u”.
Another message soon followed saying simply: “lee davis.”
Stirling even texted Samantha's phone himself, writing: "Please come back, it's killing me" and "hope you know what trouble you're causing".
He later lied to police he had been at the pub at the time, but staff crushed his alibi.
Her body wasn't found for another eight days, on August 4.
The next day Sam’s relatives received texts from her phone – which alongside her purse has never been found – sent by Stirling pretending to be her.
Gemma had texted her at 9.50am to ask where she was, but Stirling replied in character as his victim.
He said “Please leave me alone” before adding later “I love you all, I’ve had a massive breakdown about stuff.
"I’m so so sorry xx I’ll be OK I’m in touch with a help line. I’m not going to do anything silly I just want to be left alone”.
Gemma then asked her to ring police and forwarded a contact number. The reply was “I just want time for me I’m sick of Facebook, I just want me time.”
Forensic linguists later analysed them to prove Samantha had not sent them and he had to try and throw cops off his scent.
Today, Samantha's family revealed their devastation at her death, with sister Gemma speaking of how the midwife's murderer had had the "audacity" to turn up at their home.
She said: "That night he hugged me after he killed my sister. That will haunt me. When he killed my sister, he might as well have killed me and mum."
A statement from Samantha's mother was also read to the court, with Carole Eastwood saying: "I keep thinking it should be the other way around. Samantha should be burying me.
"I was so excited when Samantha asked me to give her away when she was due to get married. I will never get the chance to do this. I will never get the chance to have a grandchild."
She added: "I just don’t understand why someone would want to do this to my daughter. What did she do to deserve it?"
And Samantha's ex-fiance John Peake revealed he had harboured hopes of getting back together with his future wife, despite their break up.
STONE COLD: Killer Michael Stirling refuses to answer police questions about Samantha Eastwood
STIRLING was interviewed by police the day after they found Samantha’s body.
But despite pleas to think of her family, the killer remained stone cold under questioning from DC Nicholas Healy
The tense five minute interview was released by police and show his callous evil.
OFFICER: “Yesterday, at around 11.05am, specialist search-trained officers went to that area, where this disturbed earth had been seen. Specialist search trained officers went there and at 11.05am they found a human body buried in a shallow ditch, a shallow grave. From that moment, that area was cordoned off as a crime scene and that shallow grave was effectively opened up and the hma body that was buried within it has been positively identified as Samantha Eastwood. What are you going to tell me about that?
STIRLING: “No comment”
DC HEALY: “It’s no coincidence is it Michael, it’s no coincidence is it that in the areas these people have seen you and the deposition site of Samantha. It’s no coincidence is it?
STIRLING: “No comment”.
DC HEALY: “It’s no coincidence that her disappearance on the 27th of July and the subsequent finding of her by specialist trained officers yesterday morning and seeing you in that location, it’s no coincidence is it?
STIRLING: No comment.
DC HEALY: “You may have made some very, very bad decisions over the last few days, Michael, but I encourage you to make the right decision this afternoon. Please explain to us and tell us, what happened to Samantha?”
STIRLING: “No comment.”
DC HEALY: “This is very, very serious matter, she has family and loved ones who want answers to questions, quite rightly, they deserve those answers about the final movements of their daughter, their sister. I can’t provide those answers to them, I need your help, and that’s what I’m asking you to do today. Make the right decision now and help explain what happened to her.”
STIRLING: (pauses for three seconds) “No comment”.
DC HEALY: A post mortem is currently being conducted on Samantha. Are you going to be forensically linked to any of the items that we find.
STIRLING: “No comment.”
DC HEALY: “We will in due course understand what the outcome of that post mortem is and we have to speak to you about that later perhaps. But for now this is very, very key evidence in terms of what we’re investigating. We’re investigating what initially was a missing person, we’re now investigating this as a murder. A murder of Samantha Eastwood. You were at her house on Friday, witnesses have heard a female screaming. Through a process of investigation, we have identified that property as being number 2 and number 2 is the home address of Samantha Eastwood. A matter of days later we find her buried in a shallow grave in Tickhill Lane. What have you done to Samantha?”
STIRLING: “No comment.”
DC HEALY: “Have you killed Samantha Eastwood?”
STIRLING: “No comment.”
DC HEALY: “If you haven’t, tell me who has.”
STIRLING: “No comment.”
He said: "I always thought we would have got back together. Because of what has happened, I will never know and I will always wonder what could have been."
Stirling was arrested on suspicion of kidnap on Sunday July 29 at Hanley police station, but he was released.
He gave police a prepared statement, saying: "I genuinely have love for that girl and I wouldn’t harm a hair on her head."
But cops had discovered signals from his phone that showed he was in Caverswall and he was seen in the area acting suspiciously a week later on Thursday lunchtime.
Despite searches using a Cadaver Dog, it wasn't until Saturday that Sam was found - buried face down under six inches of soil.
Her body was badly decomposed, with the pathologist concluding the cause of death was unascertained.
Branches and dead leaves had also been placed over the spot to make it look in keeping with the surroundings.
Today, Detective Inspector Dan Ison said he had never explained what had caused the argument or helped police find her body.
He told The Sun: “He is cruel, callous and arrogant. He was cruel because of the web of deceit he spun in terms of allowing the family to believe Samantha was still alive, with those messages he sent the next day.
“The hug before burying her, it’s just cruel. The way he treated her body was disgusting – he treated her like an animal being chucked to the side of the road where he buried her.
“If he ever thought he had a chance of getting away with this when he has been so sloppy in how he has tried to cover up his tracks – it was never going to happen.
“The family would have found him out, if not the police. His arrogance shows through.
“I give him no credit for pleading guilty, he was cornered by an overwhelming amount of evidence. He is cold and unremorseful.
“I think it’s extremely sad that a lady that is responsible for delivering children and life into this world gets her own life taken so tragically and brutally.”
But today, Samantha's family released a video showing her in the prime of her life, in tribute to the beloved midwife. The hospital worker was filmed doing a skydive to raise money for charity - seen grinning happily and declaring "let's do it" before taking the plunge.
After the jump, she could be heard saying: "That was amazing – thank you. "I think the freefall was my favourite bit. Hopefully to raise a lot of money for two very good charities.”
Police believe had Stirling not been caught he would have later moved her body to somewhere more permanent.
Released footage of Stirling’s police interview showed him confronted over the body being found.
But the killer refused to answer questions and would only respond “no comment” despite cops appealing for him to think of her family.
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Charles Miskin QC, defending, today told the court: “Michael Stirling killed Samantha Eastwood. It was completely out of character, but he did it. He has to face the torment until his own death. It is like a stain that will spread though all his relationships. It will make every aspect of his life.
"Every conversation he has. It will simply never go away. He is haunted by what he did.
"He did try to avoid detection and played a callous game with the emotion of others in the days following the killing, but he has always regretted it and his remorse since then is obvious to all who have seen him."
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