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Man Charged With Elle Edwards’ Murder Refuses To Name Shooters
On December 24, 2017, just before midnight, Connor Chapman, 23, is accused of shooting Elle Edwards, 26, to death outside the Lighthouse in Wallasey Village, Wirral, Merseyside.
On Wednesday, Chapman spoke for a second day at Liverpool Crown Court. He denied using a stolen Mercedes A-Class that had been parked outside his home in Houghton Road, Woodchurch, and waiting nearby for almost three hours before the attack, to go to the bar.
He stated that shortly before 9 o’clock a man allegedly went to get the “pool car” key.
I know who came to get the automobile, he declared. I never asked any questions. It is unnecessary to ask what is already understood.
Nigel Power KC, the prosecutor, questioned Chapman about who that individual was, and Chapman responded, “It’s not as simple as naming the person. There are consequences if you name the guy who came and picked up the car.
When asked once more if he would reveal who it was to the court, he responded, “At this time, no.”
When could he inform the court, Mr. Power questioned.
“I don’t believe I am going to, no,” Chapman retorted.
He testified in court that there had been “trouble” among residents of the Woodchurch estate.
He said in court that there had been “trouble” between residents of the Ford – or Beechwood – community on the opposite side of the M53 in Wirral from the Woodchurch estate, where he resided.
The court has been informed that the shooting was the result of a conflict between two groups in the two areas.
In the days following the murder, according to Chapman, he shared a Facebook post from a member of the Ford estate urging people to “put down these guns and knives.”
“It’s not that deep, it’s not unstoppable, some real petty shit going on out here,” Chapman wrote in his post.
He told the court he was trying to act as a mediator.
Asked who he was trying to mediate between, he said: “The people who were having a feud with certain people off Ford.”
Mr Power asked: “Who are they?”
Chapman said: “I’m not prepared to name them.”
He said three days after publishing the post on Facebook he found out the stolen Mercedes was used in the shooting and helped torch it.
Mr. Power said: “All you were worried about was there was no retaliation back from the Ford estate to where you were and that you wouldn’t get caught?”
Chapman said: “I pretty much doubt that that Facebook post is going to fool anybody if I’m the person you’re saying I am. There’s been no shootings since I’ve been in jail so I must be the person doing the shooting, is that the suggestion?”
The defendant, wearing his hair in a bun, said he was at home all night on Christmas Eve after returning from shopping in Manchester at about 7.30 pm and had been wrapping presents.
Asked if he used his phone during that time, he told the court: “I tried to wrap the presents and it just looked scruffy so I put into YouTube, ‘How to wrap presents’, and watched that for like 10 minutes. Maybe for another 40 minutes after that, I had music on on my phone.”
He denies killing Ms. Edwards, two charges of attempted murder, two counts of inflicting serious bodily harm, and one count of assault that resulted in actual bodily damage.
Additionally, he denies owning a Skorpion submachine gun and ammo with the intent to harm life.
Thomas Waring, a co-defendant, is accused of helping Chapman get rid of the car while also denying having a prohibited weapon in his possession and supporting an offender.
On Thursday, Chapman will continue to present his case.
