A mum-of-one was cleared of murder yesterday after the Crown withdrew all allegations against her.
Laura McMurdo, 30, was formally found not guilty of killing Claire Turnbull at the flat she shared with Aaron Donald in Blairhill, Fife, on October 5 last year.
She had denied being responsible for killing the 36-year-old single mother and attempting to defeat the ends of justice by removing the murder weapon and hiding it in a holdall.
Although her clothes and shoes were stained with Claire’s blood, a forensic expert told a jury at the High Court in Livingston on Thursday that she had not been in the same room as the victim when she was killed.
Claire’s mum, Heather, held her head in both hands and sobbed loudly as McMurdo was exonerated.
As she left the courtroom, she furiously said to McMurdo’s mother: “I hope you’re proud of your daughter.”
Donald, 28, has formally admitted that he killed Claire by repeatedly hitting her on the head with a claw hammer, smashing her skull.
However, he denies murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice and has lodged special defences claiming he was suffering from a mental disorder and diminished responsibility at the time of the killing.
The jury earlier heard Donald had described how he grabbed Claire by the throat and punched her twice on the face before grabbing the hammer and hitting on the head a number of times.
The trial continues on Monday.
