A 36-year-old man is facing a mandatory life sentence after a jury convicted him of murdering a man he had held captive, beaten, and financially exploited over two weeks.
Ashley Crowder was found guilty at Bolton Crown Court on Wednesday of murdering 37-year-old Graham Cox. He was also convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and four separate counts of theft. A sentencing date has been set for July 29.
A Body Found in Disturbing Condition
Cox was discovered on March 4, 2024, lying on a sofa inside a flat on Barton Walk in Farnworth, covered by a blanket.
Paramedics who responded noted his body was already cold and showing early signs of rigor mortis, indicating he had been dead for some time before anyone called for help.
An investigation determined Cox had suffered fatal blunt force injuries consistent with a sustained beating, and prosecutors told the court he had also been strangled.
By the time he died, his bank account had been emptied, and he told others before his death that he had gone roughly two weeks without eating.
When police arrived at the property, Crowder offered a different account, claiming Cox had suffered a brain bleed after a fall and that he was on the verge of calling for an ambulance.
He denied subjecting Cox to any physical or financial abuse during the weeks leading up to the death, though the exact date Cox died was never firmly established.
Jurors heard that Cox had been in declining health for months beforehand. He was a vulnerable man, struggling with drug addiction and underlying medical conditions, and his own home on St James Street had become unfit to live in.
Prosecutors argued Crowder pressured him into surrendering his benefit payments before turning violent.
Desperate Escape and a Plea for Help
Before his death, Cox managed to flee the flat through a window while Crowder was asleep and made his way to the UCAN support centre in Farnworth, a place he visited regularly. There, he told staff he had been held against his will for two weeks and assaulted.
A local councillor, Melanie Livesey, who happened to be at the centre that day, described Cox as shaking uncontrollably and clearly traumatized, telling staff he believed he had been kidnapped and had not eaten or had anything to drink for two weeks.
Staff gave him food, which he consumed immediately, visibly famished.
Centre worker Jed Leck later told the court that Cox had described being taken in by Crowder, an old acquaintance, after Crowder noticed he looked unwell.
Cox said Crowder was initially kind to him, even running him a bath, but the relationship soured once Cox ran out of money to hand over, at which point the violence began.
Leck said Cox arrived at the centre in soiled clothing that appeared to have been worn for an extended period, with visible bruising and cuts unlike anything staff had previously seen on him.
He explained that Crowder appeared determined to keep Cox at the flat until his next benefits payment arrived.
Crowder, who lived on the same street where Cox’s body was found, will learn his sentence next month.
