A man found dead after allegedly murdering a father-of-three with a crossbow and injuring his pregnant partner is a ‘nutter’ and ‘psychopath’, according to neighbours.
Anthony Lawrence, 56, vanished after an apparent dispute over noise ended with the death of Shane Gilmer, 30, and his girlfriend Laura Sugden, 27, being injured.
The tiny village of Southburn, near Driffield, East Yorkshire, was put on lockdown as police hunted for the suspected killer after the incident on Friday night.
Shane Gilmer, 30, and his girlfriend Laura Sugden (pictured together), 27, moved next door to wanted suspect Anthony Lawrence a few months ago
Mr Gilmer (left) was rushed to the Hull Royal Infirmary where he died following a crossbow attack. Police were searching for Anthony Lawrence (right) and have now found his body
But the manhunt ended yesterday when police found the body of Lawrence in a campervan in the rural North Yorkshire location of Hackness at 6pm.
One neighbour in Southburn aged in his early 30s, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘Anthony Lawrence was a loner, he was a psychopath.
‘He was a nutter who lived alone and kept himself to himself, but he took out revenge on Shane and Laura for them being noisy.’
Asked about whether drugs were involved, he said: ‘I’ve heard he was on drugs at the time when doing what he did – I don’t know anything else about that.’
A neighbour living outside the cordoned area, which circled over 20 properties, said Lawrence acted out revenge on his ‘noisy neighbours’.
The man went on to say he believed the couple were threatened with an axe a month before the attack.
The body of Lawrence was found in a campervan in a rural part of North Yorkshire last night
Police wanted to speak to 55-year-old Lawrence over the alleged murder of Shane Gilmer (pictured) and attempted murder of Laura Sugden, who is still in hospital
Lawrence was on the run for almost 48 hours, but officers soon closed in on a campervan parked up with its blinds drawn closed at around 6pm last night.
Mr Gilmer (pictured) and his girlfriend Laura Sugden, 27, moved next door to Lawrence just a few months before the incident
It came just an hour after a press conference was called to urge Lawrence to hand himself in by Detective Chief Superintendent Judi Heaton.
Police believe Lawrence attacked the couple at their home, and a crossbow recovered from the scene is being examined by forensic scientists.
Miss Sugden, who works for the local council, fled the house bleeding from a wound to raise the alarm.
Villager Chris King, 25, a factory worker, said Miss Sugden ran to a large farmhouse nearby at 9.20pm on Friday.
‘The lady had blood pouring down her face,’ he said. ‘It was terrifying. The woman was panicking and was scared.’
Miss Sugden and Mr Gilmer were taken to Hull Royal Infirmary, but he was later confirmed to have died from his injuries.
Detective Chief Superintendent Judi Heaton, of Humberside Police, said: ‘Laura’s injuries were not life threatening and she and the baby are stable.’
A local man said he had heard that Lawrence, who lived alone, had threatened Mr Gilmer and Miss Sugden with an axe in a dispute over late-night noise.
Speaking at a press conference in Hull, East Yorkshire, Detective Chief Superintendent Judi Heaton confirmed that a crossbow had been recovered from the victims’ home
Friends said father-of-three Shane Gilmer had taken his pregnant partner to a house in the village of Southburn near Driffield, East Yorkshire
Lawrence was said to be concerned about ‘loud music’ from his neighbours’ home.
The man, who asked not to be named, said: ‘We were told this guy had gone around and threatened them with an axe a month or so ago, but we don’t know any more details. Apparently, there was some problem over noise.’
Humberside Police refused to discuss details of the problem between Lawrence – also known by the name Tony Howarth – and the neighbours, but indicated that they were aware of the background.
Police named him as being wanted on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. The suspect’s blue Vauxhall Meriva car was found in Driffield.
Southburn is a small community of around 20 houses, some of them rented by farm workers. Police had stopped all vehicles from entering the village.
Lawrence was not well known in the area and had lived in the village for a couple of years.
A mile-long area of the small village in Driffield (pictured) was cordoned off by police
Neighbours claim a woman ‘pouring with blood’ ran for help after being attacked by an alleged ‘crossbow killer’ who broke into a property and killed her boyfriend
Mr Gilmer, who is understood to have three children from a previous relationship, and Miss Sugden had also arrived relatively recently.
Police dismissed a report that Lawrence had broken in through a cellar, saying that the house does not have a cellar.
A former neighbour said: ‘He lived on his own and kept himself to himself. In fact, he hardly ever spoke.’ Police refused to confirm or deny if he had a criminal record.
Friends paid tribute to the murder victim, who is believed to have worked for the local council in the housing department.
One, Lisa George, said: ‘Shane never had a bad word to say about anyone and would bend over backwards to help anyone. He is going to leave a large hole in a lot of people’s lives.’
Another commented: ‘Such a lovely person who helped a lot of people.’ A former neighbour of Miss Sugden said: ‘She is a lovely girl and what’s happened is terrible.’