Teen bodybuilder tried to dissolve murdered man in acid
An amateur teen bodybuilder has been found guilty of murder, with a British court hearing how he tried to dispose of the body of his victim in sulphuric acid after seeing it on popular show Breaking Bad.
George Knights, 19, has been found guilty of murder after fatally stabbing a father of five before going to a party and bragging about the killing, Kent Police said.
The teen killed 38-year-old Stephen Chapman in the town of Rochester, east of London, last October.
He is set to be sentenced after September, once a psychiatric assessment has been completed by the courts.
Kent police say the pair met over the sale of cocaine which ended with Knights stabbing the father in the head.
Witnesses told police they saw Knights fleeing the scene and when authorities later searched a residence where he was staying, police found bloodied clothes, drugs and the victim's iPhone and bank card.
They later found Mr Chapman's body in a wheelie bin at the property.
According to The Sun, Knights told the court he took inspiration from a scene in Breaking Bad in which bodies were disposed of in barrels of acid.
In an attempt to replicate the award winning show, the teen dumped his victim's lifeless body in the bin filled with six bottles of high sulphuric concentrate drain cleaner, the publication reported.
The jury heard the 19-year-old had a strong supply of the chemical due to his attempts at manufacturing amphetamine at his home.
The science teacher turned meth kingpin protagonist at the centre of Breaking Bad is named Walter White, which Knights used as a password for an online account, The Sun reported.
"Despite his efforts to dispose of the victim’s body, investigating officers’ enquiries were not hindered as they were able to use recent breakthroughs in forensic technology to carry out a thorough post-mortem," police said in a statement.
Killer bragged at party following murder
CCTV footage showed Knights at the scene of the murder while mobile phone footage showed him partying later that night.
Police said he bragged to others at the party about killing someone.
Detective Chief Inspector Gavin Moss, the senior investigating officer for the case, said in a statement the teen was a "callous" individual.
"Knights is a callous killer who has robbed Stephen Chapman of his life and deprived his family of a future with him.
"He has shown an appalling disregard for life and, on top of this, his efforts to dispose of the body deprived Mr Chapman’s family of an opportunity to see him for a final time," he said.
"His lack of remorse is clearly demonstrated by his decision to attend a party shortly after committing the offence and is further aggravated by the fact he chose to make Mr Chapman’s loved ones go through the ordeal of a trial."
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