More time to quiz man over murders - News in brief - Evening Standard
       

More time to quiz man over murders

Detectives have been granted a further extension to question a 32-year-old man over the triple murder of a mother and her two children.

Pierre Williams, 32, was arrested following the murders of Beverley Samuels, 36, her daughter Kesha Wizzart, 18, and son Fred, 13, in Fallowfield, Manchester, last Thursday. The family were found beaten to death at their red-brick terrace home in Thelwall Avenue.

Greater Manchester Police had until Monday night to question Williams but have now obtained a warrant to detain him until the early hours of Wednesday.

A police spokesman said: "Detectives investigating the murder of a mother and her two children in Fallowfield last week, have been granted another warrant of further detention to question a 32-year-old man. The warrant is due to expire in the early hours of Wednesday July 18."

A nationwide manhunt was launched last Friday after detectives revealed they were "urgently" seeking unemployed Williams. Williams was arrested in Birmingham in the early hours of Saturday after he contacted police. He was then taken to Manchester for questioning.

Mrs Samuels, who worked as a nurse at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, was a friend of Williams but the pair had not seen one another for some time.

Williams grew up in Moss Side but had recently been living in Birmingham.

Mrs Samuels split from the children's father, also called Fred, some years ago. The computer engineer was understood to be devastated at the murders and was being comforted by friends and family.

Kesha found fame on the ITV junior talent show Stars In Their Eyes in 2004, aged 15, when she performed the Toni Braxton hit Unbreak My Heart. Although she did not win, she impressed the judges with her beautiful voice and singing remained her passion until her death. The former Parrs Wood High School pupil had just competed her A Levels and had won a scholarship to study law at the University of Manchester.

She had been awarded an A grade for her law A Level and was awaiting results in English and Philosophy. The teenager hoped to become a barrister. Fred junior suffered from dyslexia and was a pupil at a special school, the St John Vianney School in Stretford, Manchester, where he had studied for more than four years.

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