A MAN who murdered his father-in-law in a horror hit-and-run has been jailed for life.
William Connors, 28, mowed down Thomas ‘Tommy’ Connors outside his home in Wolverhampton in September 2023.
Connors, of Cannock Road, Wolverhampton, was convicted of murder by a majority verdict following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court last month.
The court heard that on September 11, 2023 Connors drove to Thomas Connors’ address on Compton Road in his white Mercedes.
When he arrived, Mr Connors, also known as Tommy, walked down his driveway with a large axe.
CCTV footage showed Connors deliberately driving at his 63-year-old father-in-law.
He then drove away from the house, dumped his car and travelled to Coventry.
Mr Connors died from his injuries in hospital the following day.
On the same day Connors handed himself into police, claiming he did not know he had killed his father-in-law but had panicked as he believed Mr Connors was chasing his car.
CCTV footage showed to the court revealed that Mr Connors was not chasing the Mercedes, but was walking on the pavement when Connors steered directly at him.
Connors was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years following a hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court on April 19.
“William Connors used his vehicle as a weapon to kill his father-in-law,” Detective Chief Inspector Laura Harrison, from West Midlands Police’s homicide unit, said following the sentencing.
“He was angry and lost his temper and instead of driving away to calm down, he deliberately drove at Mr Connors without thinking of the consequences,” she added.
“My thoughts are with the family after this appalling incident and I hope they can feel some sense of justice following today’s sentence.”