Killers smile in dock after being cleared of murdering aged couple in home fireplace
Kevin Weetman, Kylie Maynard and Lee Owens have been found guilty of manslaughter following the deaths of Eric Greener, 77, and Sheila Jackson, 83, in an arson attack in St Helens last year
Peter Eric Greener, 77, and Sheila Jackson, 83, died following an arson attack at their home on South John Street, in St Helens, on Tuesday 15 July
Three people have been cleared of murdering an elderly couple in a house fire but will face sentencing for their manslaughter. Sheila Jackson, 83, and her partner, Eric Greener, 77, sustained fatal injuries in the fire last July at their terraced home on South John Street, St Helens, Merseyside.
Drug dealer Kevin Weetman, 34, one of his distributors, Kylie Maynard, 37, and Lee Owens, 46, were cleared of two counts of murder at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday.
Weetman and Maynard were convicted of manslaughter, charges which Owens had previously confessed to. Weetman and Owens were seen smiling and laughing with one another after the verdict was returned after 11 hours and 57 minutes of deliberations, while Maynard showed no reaction.
The court heard during the trial that the intended victim of the attack was Ms Jackson’s son, George Jackson, who was not at home at the time and returned to discover his mother being rescued from the burning house by firefighters.
Mr Greener was also saved from the fire, but both succumbed to their injuries from burns and smoke inhalation in hospital.
The jury was informed that Owens and another man, Paul Smith, 40, who has since passed away, travelled from Liverpool to St Helens to initiate the fire just after 12.30am on 15th July last year.
It was alleged that they were “put up” to execute the attack by Weetman, with assistance from Maynard.
Nigel Power KC, presenting the prosecution’s case to the jury at the trial’s opening, stated: “About a month earlier, Kevin Weetman and Kylie Maynard had tried to trick George Jackson, Sheila’s son, into working for Mr Weetman as a drug dealer.”
He explained that Mr Jackson had assisted Maynard when she was robbed of drugs, and Weetman initially rewarded him with half an ounce of cocaine as a thank-you gesture.
Weetman then approached Mr Jackson about working for him, but after he refused twice, Weetman began demanding his “dough”, according to prosecutors.
Mr Power stated: “The Crown say Mr Weetman resolved to take action to prevent a loss of ‘face’, ‘face’ is all important in the drugs world, and set in motion a plan to kill, or at least cause really serious harm to, George Jackson by setting fire to his house in the middle of the night.
“Whilst Paul Smith and Lee Owens failed to kill Mr Jackson, the fire they set caused the deaths of Eric and Sheila.”
Owens maintained he only meant to damage the property.
Both Weetman, from Aigburth, Liverpool, and Maynard, from Everton, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspiring together to supply cocaine between November 2024 and September 2025 but denied any involvement in the blaze.
Taking the stand, Weetman told jurors: “I weren’t committing murders. I’m a drug dealer.”
Sentencing is scheduled for Thursday.
