{"id":180626,"date":"2023-10-07T10:55:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-07T10:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotworldreport.com\/?p=180626"},"modified":"2023-10-07T10:55:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T10:55:15","slug":"michael-stones-murder-convictions-to-be-reviewed-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotworldreport.com\/world-news\/michael-stones-murder-convictions-to-be-reviewed-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Stone&apos;s murder convictions to be reviewed again"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Michael Stone&#8217;s convictions for murdering Lin and Megan Russell will be reviewed again after serial killer Levi Bellfield &#8216;confessed to killing the mother and her six-year-old daughter<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE:\u00a0Investigator says &#8216;nothing&#8217; was found at scene of the hammer murders of Lin and Megan Russell that linked Michael Stone to the crime<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The convictions of Michael Stone for the murder of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan are to be reviewed again by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).<\/p>\n<p>The move comes after serial killer Levi Bellfield, who murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler in 2002, is reported to have confessed to the crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Stone, 63, has always maintained his innocence regarding the gruesome murders of Lin Russell and her daughter Megan who were savagely killed in 1996.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lin, 45 and her daughters, Josie, 9, and Megan, 6, as well as their dog Lucy, were tied up and beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack in the village of Chillenden, Kent.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The only person to survive was nine-year-old Josie who sustained horrific injuries, with Stone going on to be convicted of murder and attempted murder in 1998.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Just three months after a previous review ruled out the case being sent to the Court of Appeal, Stone&#8217;s convictions will be re-examined by the CCRC, which investigates miscarriages of justice.<\/p>\n<p>The CCRC said in a statement: &#8216;Michael Stone&#8217;s murder convictions will be reviewed again by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) following a request from his representatives.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;In 2001, Mr Stone was sentenced to life imprisonment at Nottingham Crown Court for the murders of Dr Lin Russell and her six-year-old daughter Megan, and the attempted murder of Dr Russell&#8217;s nine-year-old daughter Josie, in 1996.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;The CCRC&#8217;s previous reviews found no credible evidence or argument that raised a real possibility of the convictions being quashed, these conclusions are not affected by the new review.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/10\/53827317-12604751-Michael_Stone_pictured_is_currently_imprisoned_after_twice_being-a-12_1696671797362.jpg\" height=\"610\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Michael Stone (pictured) is currently imprisoned after twice being convicted of the Russell murders but has consistently insisted his innocence<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/10\/45234405-12604751-Lin_Russell_45_her_two_daughters_six_year_old_Megan_above_with_h-a-30_1696672332675.jpg\" height=\"703\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Lin Russell, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan (above with her mother) and nine-year-old Josie, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack in 1996<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/10\/70131987-12604751-Serial_killer_Levi_Bellfield_has_been_questioned_by_police_over_-a-13_1696671818586.jpg\" height=\"851\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Serial killer Levi Bellfield has reportedly confessed to a double murder from 1996 and signed a\u00a0written statement with &#8216;information only the killer would know&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>In July, the CCRC said that were was &#8216;no real possibility&#8217; the Court of Appeal would quash his convictions following a previous review by an independent investigator of potential miscarriages of justice.<\/p>\n<h3>READ MORE:\u00a0&#8216;I didn&#8217;t do this&#8217;: Man convicted of grisly 1996 hammer double murder pleads his innocence and points the finger at Milly Dowler&#8217;s killer Levi Bellfield in jail tapes &#8211; as his lawyer demands new DNA tests\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>A spokesman said: &#8216;We have agreed to a request from Mr Stone&#8217;s representatives to carry out a further review.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;While we can&#8217;t comment on the specifics of an investigation, it is not unusual for different reviews to focus on different arguments or evidence.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Our commitment to thoroughly investigate all eligible applications extends to undertaking additional work related to cases we have previously reviewed.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Stone is serving three life sentences for the murders of Ms Russell, 45, and her six-year-old daughter, who were found bludgeoned to death in Chillenden, Kent, in July 1996.<\/p>\n<p>The fatal attack happened as the mother and two daughters were out on a walk.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Ms Russell&#8217;s other daughter, Josie, then nine, suffered severe head injuries in the attack and the family&#8217;s dog, Lucy, was killed.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Bellfield, who is serving two whole-life orders, claimed responsibility for the murders before later retracting his statement.<\/p>\n<p>In April, lawyers acting for Stone claimed that Bellfield had written and signed a fresh confession to the murder.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/10\/53827319-12604751-Shaun_Russell_with_wife_Lin_and_daughters_Megan_second_left_and_-a-14_1696671828761.jpg\" height=\"373\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Lin, 45, her two daughters, six-year-old Megan and nine-year-old Josie, as well as their dog Lucy, were tied up and savagely beaten with a hammer in the brutal attack. Only Josie survived. The deaths in the picturesque village of Chillenden, Kent in 1996 shocked the nation<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/10\/53842463-12604751-Levi_Bellfield_is_currently_serving_life_in_prison_for_the_murde-a-21_1696671860561.jpg\" height=\"465\" width=\"306\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/10\/70131981-12604751-Bellfield_has_also_allegedly_confessed_to_murdering_19_year_old_-m-20_1696671852762.jpg\" height=\"465\" width=\"306\"><\/p>\n<p>Levi Bellfield is currently serving life in prison for the murder of schoolgirl Millie Dowler (left). He has also allegedly confessed to murdering 19-year-old student Elizabeth Chau in 1999<\/p>\n<p>Mr McDonald told The Guardian: &#8216;Michael Stone has been in prison for 26 years for a crime he did not commit.<\/p>\n<h3>READ MORE:\u00a0Hammer attack victim Josie Russell reveals how she has found happiness with her fianc\u00e9 &#8211; after moving into family home where her mother and sister, six, lived before they were murdered 22 years ago<\/h3>\n<p>&#8216;I am really pleased that the CCRC have reconsidered their decision and decided to review this case again.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;It is essential that this review is undertaken as a matter of urgency and Stone&#8217;s conviction is referred back to the Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;The decision as to whether Bellfield is credible needs to be taken by the Court of Appeal, not the CCRC.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p>Bellfield was given a whole-life term for murdering Marsha McDonnell, 19, in 2003, murdering Amelie Delagrange, 22, and trying to murder Kate Sheedy, 18, in 2004.<\/p>\n<p>He was already serving his sentence when he went on trial for killing schoolgirl Milly, who was snatched from the street walking home from school in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, in March 2002.<\/p>\n<p>Bellfield was found guilty of abducting and killing the 13-year-old following a trial at the Old Bailey in 2011.<\/p>\n<h3>HOW JOSIE MANAGED TO COPE AFTER HORRIFIC EVENTS OF 1996\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Josie Russell&#8217;s\u00a0rehabilitation after the murder of her mother and sister was a long, slow process \u2013 it was a year before she could speak again \u2013 but Josie stunned doctors with her progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She is now a successful textile artist, who announced her engagement to her boyfriend of 12 years, Iwan Griffith, in August aged 30.<\/p>\n<p>The couple met in a pub in Caernarfon on December 31, 2005, while Josie was at university.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/11\/29\/18\/00DEAC5D00000190-5127991-image-a-24_1511980940003.jpg\" height=\"384\" width=\"586\"><\/p>\n<p>Josie, pictured with her Welsh mountain pony in 1997, announced her engagement to her boyfriend of 12 years, Iwan Griffith, in August aged 30<\/p>\n<p>Their romance was sparked by their love of the dramatic Welsh landscape. &#8216;We aren&#8217;t a lovey-dovey couple but there is love and mutual respect,&#8217; Josie said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Josie and Iwan now share home, in the foothills of Snowdonia, where she and Megan had lived with their parents.<\/p>\n<p>In 2011, using money from a trust fund and compensation for her injuries, Josie was able to buy back the house which the couple have lovingly renovated.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Her studio is the bedroom that Lin decorated for her when she was a little girl.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/11\/29\/18\/0B7EBCAA000005DC-5127991-image-m-25_1511980944308.jpg\" height=\"403\" width=\"586\"><\/p>\n<p>Josie and Iwan now share home, in the foothills of Snowdonia, where she and Megan had lived with their parents. Josie is pictured in 2006<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-12604751\/Michael-Stones-convictions-murdering-Lin-Megan-Russell-reviewed-serial-killer-Levi-Bellfield-confessed-killing-mother-daughter.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Stone&#8217;s convictions for murdering Lin and Megan Russell will be reviewed again after serial killer Levi Bellfield &#8216;confessed to killing the mother and her six-year-old daughter READ MORE:\u00a0Investigator says [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":180625,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Michael Stone&amp;apos;s murder convictions to be reviewed again - 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