Ashley Crowder, 36, has been convicted of killing Graham Cox, 37, who was "beaten and strangled" to death at the defendant's flat in Farnworth, Greater Manchester
19:09, 17 Jun 2026 Updated 19:28, 17 Jun 2026
A killer been found guilty of "beating and strangling" a man to death after keeping him captive in his flat for two weeks and then emptying his bank account.
Ashley Crowder, 36, awaits sentencing next month following his conviction by a jury at trial for the killing of Graham Cox, 37. He was found guilty of murder , assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and four counts of theft on Wednesday.
Bolton Crown Court heard earlier that Mr Cox was discovered on March 4, 2024 laid out on a sofa with a blanket draped over him.
Paramedics reported he was 'cold to the touch' with visible signs of 'rigor mortis'. He had suffered a fatal beating and his bank account had been completely drained. Mr Cox stated he had endured 14 days without food, reports the Manchester Evening News .
When police arrived at his flat on Barton Walk, Farnworth, Crowder claimed Mr Cox had taken a tumble days beforehand and sustained a 'bleed on the brain'. He informed officers he was 'just about to phone the ambulance'.
Crowder refuted allegations of physically and financially 'abusing' Mr Cox during the weeks preceding his death, the precise date of which remains unknown.
The court was told Mr Cox had been in a 'pitiful state' of health for 'some months' leading up to his death. His residence on St James Street, Farnworth, had become uninhabitable for several weeks.
He was characterised as 'vulnerable' due to his drug addiction and existing medical conditions. The Crown alleged that Mr Cox was compelled to surrender his benefits to Crowder, whom prosecutors stated 'beat and strangled [Mr] Cox to death'.
Mr Cox's death was attributed to sustained 'blunt force physical assaults'.
The court was told that Mr Cox had visited a support centre claiming he had been held captive by Crowder at his flat for the preceding 14 days and had suffered attacks at his hands.
He recounted escaping the flat via a window before making his way to the UCAN centre in Farnworth, which he regularly attended for assistance. He alleged that Crowder had coerced him into handing over his benefits payments.
Melanie Livesey, a Bolton councillor who was also present at the UCAN Centre that day, testified that Mr Cox was 'visibly shaking from head to toe'. "His first words were 'I'm really sorry to bother you, I've been kidnapped. I've not had nothing to eat or drink for 14 days'," she stated in a written account read to the jury.
"He looked scared, tired and in pain. We gave him six mince pies. He ate them all immediately. It was evident he was starving. My thoughts were 'what the b***** hell has happened to you?'."
Mr Cox subsequently attended hospital and spoke to police. "He [Mr Cox] said he had met a friend that he knew, an old friend," said Jed Leck, a centre worker. "The friend had advised him that he didn't look well. Ashley took Graham home. Graham told me he ran him a bath and fed him.
"Graham said the following morning he felt safe and Ashley had been nice to him to begin with. Ashley had asked Graham for some money and said he would go and get some more food. The following day Ashley had asked Graham for some more money to go and get some more food.
"However Graham told Ashley he had no more money. This is when Ashley changed and started to batter him. I was quite taken aback when he told me he had been there for 14 days."
Mr Leck described Mr Cox's clothing as 'really dirty', noting he wore a dressing gown and tracksuit trousers. "I believe all his clothes were quite dirty and had been worn for some time," he stated. "He was just in a bad condition, he was in a dirty condition.
"It was more the wounds and bruises was something we hadn't really seen before at the centre. He was black and blue with cuts, which isn't what we saw of Graham. He [Mr Cox] advised me that Mr Crowder was trying to keep him at his place of residence until Graham received his next benefit payment, which was on a Monday. Graham also further advised me that he had been able to escape through a window when Mr Crowder had fallen asleep.
"I believe it was a living room window. In that moment, in that situation, I couldn't actually see how Graham could have got through a window. His walking was very slow. The use of his arm was restricted.
"The story in all felt, it's not unbelievable I'm looking for because in the end I did believe what I had been told. It seemed very dramatic, is the word I'm looking for."
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Crowder, from Barton Walk in Farnworth, is due to be sentenced on July 29.
Read the full article at Daily Mirror →📄Source document: West Midlands Police→4 reports
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