A 14-year-old boy traumatised by his dad's brutal death asked his murderer why he had to kill him.

Michael McConville subjected father-of-three David Capseed to a vicious and fatal "punishment beating".

Liverpool Crown Court heard he gave the 57-year-old a mobile phone to pawn to buy more drugs after an all-night bender.

But when Mr Capseed returned empty handed and said he had been mugged, the addict punched, kicked and strangled him.

He broke the victim's neck, face, nose and ribs at the Salvation Army hostel where they both lived in Prescot Road, Old Swan.

Michael McConville, 38, of Prescot Road, Old Swan, was found guilty of murder

The 38-year-old killer and his girlfriend Lynsey Wilson, 33, then left the victim for dead and went to pawn another phone .

Before catching a taxi, McConville told staff Mr Capseed had collapsed, but neither paramedics nor doctors could save his life.

McConville was found guilty of murder after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court and jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years.


Zillah Williams, prosecuting, said Mr Capseed had an adult son called Nathan and two younger children, Cain and Cody.

She read out a heartbreaking victim statement written by Cain, 14, as McConville sat expressionless in the dock.

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The boy said: "I am writing to tell you how my dad's death has impacted the lives of me and my family.

"Currently it has been just over six months since my dad was taken from this world. There's not one day that I don't think about my dad and what happened to him.

"The thing I have to go through every day is that I'm going to grow up without my best friend and dad in one.


"I have to grow up knowing he isn't going to see me achieve all my dreams in life, watch me get married and have kids.

"This has affected me mentally giving me stress and has made it hard for me to cope.

The Salvation Army's Darbyshire House hostel in Prescot Road, Old Swan

"The thing I mostly remember is my dad always saying to me 'I'll love you always champ - no matter what happens, I'm always here with you'.

"Now unfortunately he's gone and I can never hold him or laugh with him. He has been cruelly taken away from us.

"My question is why? Why did you have to kill him? My best friend, my dad. He meant the world to me.

"He's always on my mind and wish he was here where he belongs with his family.

"Thank you for listening to my views and feelings. I wish to have justice for what happened to my dad."

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The six-day trial heard emergency services were called to the hostel at around 4.30pm on January 3 this year.

McConville, of Prescot Road, Old Swan, and Wilson, formerly of Sheil Road, Kensington, now of Coronation Road, Hull, were found hiding at a hotel.

Both were charged with murder, but prosecutors dropped the charge against Wilson, who admitted perverting the course of justice and received a two-year community order.

Judge Andrew Menary, QC, told McConville that whether or not Mr Capseed had been mugged before he could buy them crack cocaine and heroin to share, "you didn't believe him and decided that he needed to be taught a lesson".

He said McConville - previously jailed for four years in 2009 for stabbing a man in the neck with a broken bottle - stamped on his defenceless victim's head and body.

Dad-of-three David Capseed, 57, was beat to death at The Salvation Army Hostel in Prescot Road, Old Swan

Judge Menary said: "In short, you simply beat and kicked this man to death simply because you believed that he had cheated you.

"It was a wholly unjustified and unnecessary punishment beating."

The court also heard from Nathan, who said his dad "battled his demons", but loved his sons "more than anything".

He said: "My brothers and I feel we've been robbed of our dad. He will not be involved in our futures, he'll never see me get married, and he'll never meet his grandchild and watch him grow.

"He'll never see Cain and Cody grow into young men and make lives for themselves as adults.

"He'll not see the boys graduate from school or help them celebrate their birthdays or Christmas.

"We'll not be able to do any of these things now because he was taken away from us in such a horrible way."