Michael Beck posted a letter to his family confessing he had killed Nicola Beck, then disposed of the weapon, believed to be a heavy tool, before killing himself in a barn. A coroner ruled that Nicola Beck, 52, was unlawfully killed and that Beck, 62, killed himself. The assistant Devon coroner, Lydia Brown, said: “It would seem Michael was unable to contemplate a divorce. Nicola Beck, an acupuncturist, also spoke to a stranger about her relationship on a guided walk last year, the inquest heard. Patricia Gower, a solicitor, said she met Michael Beck in December 2016 to talk about divorce.

Source: The Guardian August 25, 2017 16:53 UTC