Heir to Rs 2,500 cr fortune charged with brutal murder of childhood friend by stabbing him 37 times

Grim details have surfaced in the trial of Dylan Thomas, a 24-year-old from the UK, accused of murdering his childhood friend and roommate, William Bush, on Christmas Eve 2023. Thomas, who is the heir to the Rs 2,500 crore Peter's Food Services empire, allegedly stabbed Bush 37 times. Prosecutors revealed, according to the NY Post, that Thomas had researched the "anatomy of the neck" online just before the attack.

On the night of the murder, Dylan Thomas lured William Bush to his room, supposedly for a quick meeting before the holidays. But what followed was a brutal attack. Thomas stabbed Bush 37 times, with 13 of those strikes targeting his neck. In a desperate attempt to escape, Bush left a trail of blood throughout the house, only to be caught on the patio, where Thomas delivered a fatal wound by severing an artery. Neighbors reported hearing "terrifying screams" during the assault.

When police arrived, body cam footage captured Thomas drenched in blood, trying to claim he had stopped an intruder. Adding to the chilling case was testimony from Bush’s girlfriend, Ella Jeffries, who detailed the worsening relationship between the two childhood friends.

Thomas allegedly threatened Bush, “I thought and wondered about killing you. I just wanted to see what would happen if I do certain things,” the court was told, as per the BBC.

Jeffries also shared that her boyfriend, William Bush, had begun locking his bedroom door at night because he feared for his safety.

Dylan Thomas was diagnosed with schizophrenia after his arrest and had been previously detained for attempting to scale the fence at Buckingham Palace just weeks before the murder. However, psychiatrists have disagreed on whether his mental state affected his actions at the time of the crime. Thomas pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied committing murder. As he described the attack, Thomas said, "Everywhere on him, I kept going and stabbed him. I didn't stop," adding, "he stabbed me on my hands, my hands to get the knife."

The prosecution has outlined the disturbing premeditated nature of the crime. Gregory Bull KC, leading the case, stated, "This was a deliberate attack. He intentionally armed himself with knives and struck from behind." Dylan Thomas, who is currently receiving treatment for his schizophrenia, appeared via video link from Ashworth High Secure Hospital in Merseyside as the court examines the chilling details of the case.