Found Deceased UK - Samantha Eastwood, 28, Stoke-on-Trent, 27 July 2018 *Arrest*

[Alyce]

Stirling spent FORTY minutes burying Samantha's body by the side of a road near Caverswall
That night, Stirling said he was going to look for her. He later texted his wife saying ‘Nothing at The Orange Tree’, which was a reference to The Orange Tree, at Trent Vale. He told his wife on the phone that he had been there and shown a photo of Samantha. He then said he was going to Ego, at Stockton Brook.
But between 10.39pm and 11.09pm Stirling was not out looking for Samantha. In fact, he was burying her. CCTV shows his van travelling to the burial site. He appears to have spent 40 minutes there before leaving at 11.10pm. He had dug a shallow grave, removed Samantha’s body from the van, and put her in the ground. He covered her body with soil and headed back to his wife, texting her, ‘It’s closed, I’m coming home.”


Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Alyce]

Ben Chapman‏ @BenChapmanITV 35s35 seconds ago




Michael Stirling sent text messages from Samantha’s phone after he’d killed her - telling her sister: “I love you all, I’ve had a massive breakdown,” and that she needed time to herself.

 

[Alyce]

Stirling checked what CCTV footage Samantha's neighbours had
Stirling went to bed at 2.30am on Saturday, July 28. On the morning of July 28, he and his wife woke up and he went straight out. He went to the house opposite Samantha’s to see if they had reviewed their CCTV footage. He was anxious to know what evidence they had.
He then went to Samantha’s house. He spoke to her friends and told them he had been out since 5am looking for Sam. He claimed she told him she was upset about work. He said he was going to carry on looking for her.


Stirling posed as Samantha to send this text from her phone to her frantic sister: ‘Please leave me alone x’
At 9.50am on Saturday, July 28, Samantha’s sister Gemma sent a message to Samantha’s phone, asking her to call her. She received a reply saying ‘Please leave me alone x’. Messages between Gemma and Samantha’s phone continued. The messages from ‘Samantha’ said she had had a breakdown and needed time alone. A report from a forensic linguist concluded that Samantha did not write the messages and the author was likely to be Sterling.


CCTV revealed Stirling had Samantha's phone
Sister Gemma then received another message from Samantha’s phone saying a man was taking her to the motorway, and said ‘He’s mad’. This was another attempt by Stirling to deceive Samantha’s family.

Cell site evidence and CCTV showed Stirling was in possession of Samantha’s phone at the time the messages were sent.


Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Alyce]

I genuinely have love for that girl and I wouldn’t harm a hair on her head...’ This is what Stirling told cops after being arrested
Stirling was arrested on Sunday, July 29. He gave police a prepared statement.
He said he had been to Samantha’s house and she was upset. He claimed she was depressed. Stirling said they were extremely good friends but they had not had an affair. He said: ‘I genuinely have love for that girl and I wouldn’t harm a hair on her head’. He maintained he didn’t know what had happened to her.

Stirling cycled to the site of Samantha's shallow grave - but he was being watched by police
Police later released Stirling.

But they kept him under surveillance and on Thursday, August 2 the defendant went to an area near where Samantha’s body was buried in the Caverswall area.

He was under police observation for part of the period. When they could not see him, the prosecution said he went to the burial site. He then spoke to police, claiming he was trying to walk to a friend’s house and asked directions. He then rode away on his bike.

Part of Samantha's body was buried just six inches below the ground
On Saturday, August 4, police commenced a search of the area.
The judge is being shown photographs of the location of Samantha’s grave. Her body was discovered at 11.05am in a shallow grave.The upper part of the body was around six inches below the ground.




Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Alyce]

Dan Sales‏ @ByDanSales 1m1 minute ago




Murderer Michael Stirling - who refused to answer police questions - unwittingly led them to Samantha Eastwood’s body after returning to the shallow grave six days after killing her

 

[Alyce]

Samantha's body was wrapped in a sheet and bound with tape
Mr Hankin QC is now dealing with the post-mortem examination.
The judge is viewing photographs showing Samantha’s body.
Stirling is sitting in the dock and remains expressionless as the details of how Samantha’s body was wrapped in a sheet and bound with tape are described.


Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Alyce]

Samantha was wearing pyjama bottoms and a white vest top when her body was found
Mr Hankin says Samantha was wearing pyjama bottoms and a white vest top. There were no signs of sexual assault.
Decomposition had made it hard to identify bruising and signs of asphyxia. The pathologist concluded that the cause of death was unascertained.


Stirling was not surprised when he was arrested for a second time
Mr Hankin said: “When Stirling was arrested for a second time, he showed no surprise and asked nothing about Samantha.”
Tape found in the back of Stirling’s van was matched to tape found on Samantha’s body. Brown parcel tape found wrapped around Samantha’s head was compared to tape found in a drawer at her house. It was a match.


Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Alyce]

Stirling researched how to suffocate someone
Mr Hankin said examination of Stirling’s iPad showed that two days before Samantha’s disappearance he searched for the effects of anti-freeze, carbon monoxide poisoning, and how long it takes someone to suffocate to death. Stirling has claimed these searches related to him researching methods of suicide.

Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing


again, as we theorised - it was not for himself, it was for Samantha and shows he definately planned this murder

 

[Alyce]

Dan Sales‏ @ByDanSales 2m2 minutes ago




After killing Samantha Eastwood, Michael Stirling texted her phone pretending to be worried. He wrote “Please come back, it’s killing me” and “Hope you know what trouble you’re causing”

 

[Alyce]

Stirling called Samantha 128 times in one month
In the month before Samantha’s death, he called Samantha 128 times. She called him 25 times. Mr Hankin is describing how Stirling called and texted her numerous times in the days leading up to her death, often without her responding. Mr Hankin said: “The pattern might suggest that Samantha was seeking to put some distance between herself and Mr Stirling. There is some suggestion he was hounding her.”

Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Alyce]

Stirling 'strangled and smothered' Samantha to death
A basis of plea was submitted and signed by Stirling, which was read out to the court when Stirling pleaded guilty in October. In it, he admits he killed her ‘in an intense rage’ following an argument. He said he suffocated her to death by putting his hands over her mouth, nose and throat. He said it was not pre-meditated.

Mr Hankin said: “It’s difficult to understand why Mr Stirling sought to cover her airways with brown parcel tape were it not to prevent her breathing. The basis of plea remains silent on this. There’s no evidence that Mr Stirling applied the tape to Samantha’s face before he had strangled and smothered her.”

The prosecution says he did so to ensure that, were Samantha not already dead by then, that she would not survive.

Murderer Stirling was 'composed and callous'
Mr Hankin said Stirling’s behaviour following the murder showed he was acting deliberately.

He said: “In the hours after her death he was composed, he was callous. While he was burying Samantha’s body, he spoke calmly to his wife on the telephone.”

Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Alyce]

Samantha's mum: ' What did my daughter do to deserve this?'
Mr Hankin is now reading statements from Samantha’s family. Her mum Carole Eastwood says: “I keep thinking it should be the other way around. Samantha should be burying me. I was so excited when Samantha asked me to give her away when she was due to get married. I will never get the chance to do this. I will never get the chance to have a grandchild.”
The statement said Mrs Eastwood was rushed to hospital after she was told Samantha had died, and described how her health has declined. She said: “I feel lost without Samantha. I visit her grave daily.” She adds: “I just don’t understand why someone would want to do this to my daughter. What did she do to deserve it?”

Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Elainera]

Thank you Alyce for the updates!

Ugh it is all so gruesome and terrible *shudder*
Poor Samantha! And her mom! Prayers to them.

While he was burying Samantha’s body, he spoke calmly to his wife on the telephone.”

I feel so bad for his wife too. How nauseating it must be for her to find out all these details.

 

[Alyce]

Becky Johnson‏Verified account @BeckyJohnsonSky 44s44 seconds ago




Samantha Eastwood’s sister Gemma reads a statement at the sentencing of her murderer Michael Stirling. “Samantha was my sister, mentor and best friend... when he killed my sister her might as well have killed me and my mum as we’re not sure how we’re going to go on without her”

 

[Alyce]

Thank Alyce for the updates!

Ugh it is all so gruesome and terrible *shudder*
Poor Samantha!



I feel so bad for his wife too. How nauseating it must be for her to find out all these details.

It is just horrendous - as always, far worse than I thought it would be - and yes, his poor wife ( hopefully ex wife by now ). Bad enough he had been cheating on her for several years - but then to find out he was responsible for SEs murder - how can she even begin to deal with that.

 

[Alyce]

Hannah Bechelet‏ @hannahbechITV 1m1 minute ago




Samantha’s sister Gemma also told the court she is haunted by the fact that Michael Stirling hugged her on the evening that he had killed her sister.

 

[Alyce]

Samantha's sister on 'murderer' Stirling: 'He hugged me after he killed my sister. That will haunt me'
Samantha’s sister Gemma is reading her statement to the court.
She is struggling to speak due to the emotion. She has described Samantha as her best friend and mentor. Referring to Stirling as ‘the murderer’ she described how he had ‘the audacity’ to show up at Samantha’s house on the day she disappeared and try to throw people ‘off the scent’.

She said: “That night he hugged me after he killed my sister. That will haunt me. When he killed my sister, he might as well have killed me and mum.”
Stirling remains emotionless, looking straight ahead or to the ground, as Gemma speaks.



Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[Alyce]

BBC Radio Stoke‏Verified account @BBCRadioStoke 37s37 seconds ago




Samantha Eastwood's sister, Gemma, says Michael Stirling hugged her, the day after her sister went missing, and that it'll haunt her forever. She said he treated her sister like a piece of meat by taping her up and burying her. He's in court being sentenced for her murder.

 

[Alyce]

Samantha's ex-fiance: 'Our family has been torn apart'
Mr Hankin is now reading from a statement by John Peake. He said: “I always thought we would have got back together. Because of what has happened, I will never know and I will always wonder what could have been.”

He added that Samantha’s favourite time of year was Christmas, and he will find it hard to ever enjoy this time of year again. Mr Peake describes struggling to eat and sleep, and feeling guilty. He adds that his relationship with his sister - Stirling’s wife - has been damaged. “It has torn our family apart,” he said.


Updates: Murderer Michael Stirling to be sentenced over midwife killing

 

[ZaZara]

I'm reading .... words fail. Horrible.

Samantha’s sister Gemma also told the court she is haunted by the fact that Michael Stirling hugged her on the evening that he had killed her sister.

Thank you so much for the updates, Alyce.