The families of two men killed in a triple stabbing have paid tribute to their loved ones.
The men were found dead, and a third was injured with stab wounds last week in Bedfordshire.
Officers were initially called to reports of one man being struck by a vehicle on Tithe Farm Road in Houghton Regis at 1.20am on Sunday.
But they found three men with stab wounds – Adam Fanelli, 39, and 27-year-old Patrick Howard, both of Houghton Regis, were pronounced dead at the scene, while the third was taken to hospital in a critical condition.
Two men have been charged with murder, while a third has been arrested over the “brutal attack”.
In a tribute, Mr Fanelli’s family said: “Words could never explain the impact this tragedy has had, and will forever hold, over our family and this community.
“Our thoughts and prayers of strength are with the other families involved.
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“Adam was undoubtedly a loving and devoted dad to his three wonderful children. For someone small in stature, he had an extremely larger than life character and a heart bigger than a house.
“He was a person that emulated ‘once met, never forgotten’ in every way possible. He’s going to be missed eternally, leaving a void that could never be filled.
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“The family would like to thank everyone for their messages of support and beautiful tributes to both Adam and Pat.”
‘Community’s heart and soul’
Mr Howard’s family said: “Patrick was the most lovable, cheeky chap you could meet.
“He would have done anything for anybody and had the biggest heart of gold. He was the heart and soul of the community, with not a person who didn’t love him.
“Patrick will be missed immensely and has left such a hole in too many hearts. If love could have saved Patrick, he would have lived forever.
“Adam’s family will forever be in our hearts and prayers.”
Nicholas Papworth, 31, and 32-year-old Curtis Long were charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, three counts of conspiracy to murder and three counts of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.
Papworth was also charged with one count of perverting the course of justice.
Detectives also arrested a third man in his 40s on suspicion of two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Attackers ‘will be brought to justice’
Detective Superintendent Carl Foster, from the Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, said the force was still keen to hear from anyone who has information about the crime.
He added: “Our thoughts remain with the loved ones of both Adam and Patrick. We also wish the third victim a full and speedy recovery.
“This is an extremely violent incident that has taken place in a community that has been greatly affected.
“We are committed to ensuring anyone involved in this brutal attack is brought to justice.”
A judo Olympian has said her family is “devastated” after the discovery of body in the search for her missing brother.
Lubjana Piovesana, 28, appealed for help to find her younger sibling, Luis, 26, on Saturday. He had not been seen since the early hours of Friday morning.
A body was found in the River Frome near Napier Road in Eastville, Bristol, at around 6pm today, Avon and Somerset Police said.
Formal identification is yet to take place, the force added.
In a post on Instagram, Ms Piovesana wrote: “Hello everyone, Luis has been found.
“We are completely devastated but he has passed away.
“I am grateful for everyone’s support. And I am so sorry this happened.
“Luis was my little brother and loved by everyone. I wish he could have seen the love from everyone. He will be remembered by us all.”
The post was signed off with a dove emoji.
Image: Luis Piovesana did not have any money or his mobile phone with him when he went missing, police said. Pics: Avon & Somerset Police
Mr Piovesana was last seen at around 3am on Friday at the Eastgate retail park, which is less than a 10-minute walk away from where the body was found.
He had travelled there by taxi from a venue in Little Ann Street, St Jude’s, a 10-minute drive away.
The 26-year-old’s family spent the weekend searching for him, and asked people to check their sheds and gardens.
His partner, Laurin Bohler, said loved ones had travelled from Birmingham to help.
Mounted officers and police drones were also involved in the investigation.
Ms Piovesana competed for Team GB before switching to the Austrian team, and defeated British competitor Lucy Renshall in the women’s -63kg judo event at the Paris Olympics last year.
A man has been jailed for life for murdering his son’s girlfriend after she returned home from the school run.
Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police were called to an address on Bigyn Road in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, on 5 July last year.
Sophie Evans, 30, had sustained 72 separate injuries on the outside of the body, “all but three of them new injuries”.
Richard Jones, who is now 50, believed he was “being taken advantage of financially” by Ms Evans and his son, with whom she was in a relationship.
While the purpose of Jones’s visit was “purely normal”, he confronted her on that morning about his suspicions and Ms Evans’s reaction was such that Jones “lost [his] temper”.
He subjected Ms Evans to “gross violence” before ultimately strangling her and leaving the property to run errands, including ordering a new bank card and buying pastries from a bakery.
Image: Richard Jones. Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police
‘Last time on their school run’
During sentencing on Monday, the defendant kept his head bowed for most of the hearing.
He will have to serve at least 20 years behind bars before he can be considered for release by the parole board.
Swansea Crown Court heard Ms Evans was the mother of two young children.
Passing his sentence, Judge Geraint Walters said Ms Evans “had just taken her two children for the last time on their school run” prior to the attack.
“She wasn’t to know that when she parted company with them that morning,” he added.
The court heard the Jones believed he was being defrauded by Ms Evans and his son.
“There is clear evidence, that in the days leading up to this, that you had begun harbouring thoughts that Sophie Evans and your own son were in fact financially scamming you,” he said.
“What precisely brought about that view is difficult to determine.”
Judge Walters said Jones “lost [his] temper when [he] didn’t get the answer that [he] thought [he] deserved”.
He added that, having lost his temper, the defendant “subjected [Ms Evans] to gross violence over a period of time, before you ultimately extinguished her life by strangulation”.
The court was told in evidence that at the time of the attack, Ms Evans was wearing only a bath towel.
‘The rock of our family’
In a victim personal statement, Ms Evans’s sister Kerry Quinlan told the court she was “the rock of our family”.
She said Ms Evans was taken from them in a “senseless and cruel act”.
“Words cannot express fully how much of a loss this has been to her children,” she added.
“When they cry themselves to sleep wanting their mum, she isn’t there and never will be.”
Ms Quinlan added that Jones had “taken everything from us, all in the most despicable way possible”.
Ms Evans’s partner at the time, and the defendant’s son, Jamie Davies, said in a victim personal statement, read on his behalf, that they had both “trusted” Jones, and that Ms Evans had even been planning the defendant’s 50th birthday.
“The thought of having to live my life without Sophie causes me extreme pain and heartache,” he added.
Prosecuting, Michael Jones KC said the offence was aggravated by the defendant’s previous convictions and the fact Ms Evans was murdered in her home.
In mitigation, David Elias KC said there was a “lack of premeditation”.
A third man has been charged with murder over a house fire that killed a mother and her three children in Bradford last year.
Bryonie Gawith, 29, Denisty Birtle, nine, Oscar Birtle, five, and 22-month-old Aubree Birtle were killed in the fire on 21 August 2024.
Sharaz Ali, 39, from Bradford, has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
He will appear at Bradford Magistrates Court today.
Two other men, Mohammed Shabir, 44, and Calum Sunderland, 25, both of Keighley, are due to go on trial next week after pleading not guilty to murdering Ms Gawith and the three children, and attempting to murder Ms Gawith’s sister, Antonia.
The children’s father Jonathan said at the time he was “absolutely distraught” by the “sudden loss” of his fiancee and “three beautiful children”.
“Bryonie and I were together for a long time, and we had a good life together. She was a beautiful woman and a loving mother to Oscar, Aubree and Denisty,” he said.
“I loved them with all my heart and if I had the chance, I would take their place in a heartbeat. I cannot imagine life without them.”
A family statement added: “Our B (Ms Gawith) was the life and soul of the party, music was a big part of her life, she loved music, singing and dancing, she would always be singing and dancing with Chuch (Denisty), Oggy (Oscar) and Strawberry (Aubree).
“B was always a really happy, joyful, bubbly beautiful woman, who cared for everyone and was loved by everyone, her kids were everything to her, her whole life.
“Oggy had the cheekiest smile, he was cheeky but he was a shy boy, Strawbs was shy and bashful with big blue eyes and blonde hair and Chuch was a beautiful, confident, outgoing and creative young girl.
“We are still trying to comprehend what has happened to our beautiful family. No words can describe how we are feeling and no words could ever make up for the profound loss we are now faced with.”