Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Abigail Nicholson

Nephew, 4, points to sky and says he misses 'Auntie Elle'

Elle Edwards' nephew points to the sky when he sees pictures of her and tells people he misses her.

The 26-year-old went to the Lighthouse pub to celebrate Christmas Eve with her sister and friends when tragedy struck as she went outside for a cigarette. While outside Connor Chapman, 23, fired 12 bullets towards a group of people outside and Elle was shot twice in the head and once in the shoulder, dying almost instantly.

Five men were also injured, one critically, as Chapman drove away from the scene in a car he had stolen. A jury of seven women and five men came to a unanimous decision on Chapman's guilt on Thursday, July 6, after three hours and 48 minutes of deliberation, following a three and a half week trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

READ MORE: The day Connor Chapman refused to come into court during his murder trial

Today trial judge Mr Justice Goose described Chapman as a "highly dangerous man" before sentencing him to a minimum of 48 years in prison for Elle's murder. The minimum also included two counts of attempted murder, two counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, one count of assault causing actual bodily harm and possessing an prohibited weapon and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

Waring was sentenced to a minimum of nine years in prison for possession of a prohibited weapon and assisting an offender.

During the trial a number of victim impact statements were read to the court, including Elle's Dad, Tim Edwards, older brother, Connor Edwards and Grandmother, Sue Edwards. In Connor's statement he spoke of how Elle's death had affected his four-year-old son, Roman.

The statement said: "I met my partner Kirby through Elle, Kirby and Elle were best friends. Myself and Kirby now have a four year old son Roman who Elle loved so much.

"As an Auntie Elle would spoil Roman and would often take him out with our Mum. How to explain to a four year old why Auntie Elle is no longer here is just impossible.

"He looks at pictures of Elle and points to the sky and tells his nursery teachers that he misses her. No four year old should be having these emotions and feeling the way he is."

Connor says his family will now have to be "mentally strong" moving forward but they will try to carry on with life as best as they can.

The statement continued: "So what now and where do we go from here? I go to bed each night and wake up the next morning with a constant hit of grief. Our lives have been destroyed, to have someone so important as Elle in our lives to just vanish is nothing but horrendous.

"As a family Christmas was our time, a special time when we were always together, we never missed a Christmas together. The fact that this happened at the time that it did it just horrendous.

"As a family we loved Christmas, as long as we were together that was the most important thing. Elle was needlessly taken away from our family, I miss going into her room and just having a laugh with my sister.

"Attending court every day has been mentally and emotionally draining on us all, but we are a strong family and we have only become stronger. Sitting in court and seeing the person responsible for the senseless murder of my sister fills me with anger.

"He has shown no remorse and is nothing but a cold human being. Not only has he taken Elle away from us but we have been made to sit for the last four weeks listening in detail and watching on CCTV how my sister was killed.

"Watching the CCTV over and over again has been nothing but brutal, but we have all stayed strong together, nothing can take this family down we will get through it. Moving forward we have got no choice but to stay mentally strong.

"We have lost everything, but we have to carry on with life as best we can and be there for each other. My beautiful sister Elle Marlene Edwards, I love and miss you. I will cherish the twenty six years we had together."

Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.