A woman, aged 50, has been found guilty of murdering her weak husband and concealing his body in their backyard. The victim, Jeremy Rickards, 65, was discovered deceased behind their residence in Canterbury, Kent, on July 11, 2024. Following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Maureen Rickards, the wife, was sentenced for the crime and is awaiting her sentencing next month.
Recent images have surfaced showing the rented terrace house where the dreadful incident occurred. Rickards lived in the house with four other tenants, and her bedroom was cluttered with clothes, makeup, and trash.
After fatally stabbing her husband in the chest and heart, Rickards removed his clothing, leaving him in only his underwear, and kept his body hidden in her cupboard for multiple days. When authorities searched the premises, they noted a foul odor in the bedroom, resembling that of decay.
To access the bedroom, she had to ascend two narrow flights of stairs with a speckled black carpet. The room overlooked the garden, where she eventually buried the victim. One of her housemates, Danny Matcham, reported hearing noises before observing Rickards in the garden, indicating that she had transported her husband’s lifeless body down at least thirty stairs before interring it in a bag beneath grass clippings.
Rickards was apprehended after messaging her daughter, Chima Rickards, using her deceased husband’s phone to falsely claim that he had traveled to Saudi Arabia for work. Canterbury Crown Court was informed that the daughter became suspicious of the messages and inquired if her mother was using her father’s phone.
Subsequently, the wife messaged her daughter alleging that her father had taken his own life, prompting Chima to report her father as missing. Kent Police disclosed that the last activity on Mr. Rickards’ phone was on June 8, 2024, indicating his last known whereabouts.
During the missing person inquiry, Rickards misused her husband’s bank cards to buy various items, including carpet shampoo and air freshener, between June 20 and June 30. She was arrested for fraud on July 11, leading to the discovery of Mr. Rickards’ body in the garden. The victim had sustained five stab wounds to the chest, along with non-fatal injuries ten days prior to his demise and additional injuries around five weeks earlier.
The woman was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder, initiating a homicide investigation. Police inquiries revealed a history of violence within the couple’s relationship, with the victim displaying facial bruising at a local pub and attributing it to a car accident.
Video footage recovered from the woman’s phone depicted her verbally and physically abusing her husband in late May and early June. Authorities believe Rickards murdered her husband around June 9.
Additionally, eight days after her husband’s disappearance was reported, Rickards uploaded a disturbing video on YouTube, showcasing her garden and making callous remarks about her husband’s absence.
Following her conviction, Detective Inspector Colin McKeen expressed dismay at the tragic murder, highlighting recurrent violence in the relationship. McKeen emphasized the importance of reporting domestic abuse to prevent such fatal outcomes and underscored the police’s commitment to supporting victims and taking decisive action to ensure their safety.