Four members of an armed gang have been found guilty of the killing of a drug dealer who was stabbed to death during a violent robbery in his home.
Ryan Singleton, who led the way into victim Steven Crook's flat in Exeter was found guilty of murder and three of the other members of the group were convicted of manslaughter after an eight week trial.
Mr Crook was a drug dealer who was attacked by the men in November last year because they believed he had £20,000 worth of heroin or cash at his flat in Alphington Road, Exeter.
They were taken to the scene by Steven Webster, from Okehampton, a heroin addict who had bought drugs from Mr Crook in the past.
Webster acted as getaway driver while the other three went into the flat armed with knives they had bought just minutes earlier at the nearby Sainsbury superstore.
Mr Crook, aged 43, died from loss of blood after suffering multiple stab wounds in the attack in which he was forced through his flat from the back door to the bedroom, where he kept his money.
He was found dying by his girlfriend Karlina Beaumont when she returned from buying a Chinese takeaway to find the flat a bloodbath.
The men were driven by Webster to a road under the A 30 at Ide which is a notorious hang-out for drug takers. They sorted the stolen property and then went to the Spice Lounge in Exmouth and the Exeter Arms Hotel in Exeter to celebrate with a drink and drugs binge.
Singleton was caught by CCTV in the Spice Lounge boasting about the attack which he re-enacted by showing Webster how he had stabbed Mr Crook and 'turned his head into a chessboard' by slashing it with a knife.
The four men will all be sentenced next week after defence counsel make pleas of mitigation. The jury are still considering their verdict on a fifth defendant Bradley Richardson, who was only 17 at the time of the robbery and claimed he had not gone into the flat.
Steven Webster, aged 40, of East Street, Okehampton; Ryan Singleton, aged 26, of Howcotte Green, Canley, Coventry; Darren Twigger, aged 40, of John Rous Avenue, Canley; Bradley Richardson, aged 18, of Prior Deram Walk, Canley; and Anthony Martin, aged 22, of Gerard Avenue, Canley, all deny murder and robbery.
Singleton was found guilty of murder and robbery. Webster, Martin and Twigger were found guilty of manslaughter and robbery. The jury are still considering verdicts on Richardson.
The manslaughter verdicts mean the jury found that the three men knew they were taking part in a robbery where violence may be used but did not realise Mr Crook would suffer really serious harm.
The verdict of murder on Singleton, who was the first into the flat and was said by the others to have been responsible for most of the stab wounds, means the jury found he intended to kill or cause serious injury.
Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, adjourned sentence on all four men to next week, and asked the jury to continue to consider their verdicts on Richardson.
All the defendants denied knowing that violence was going to be used and said it was a drug deal that went wrong.
They blamed each other for the fatal injuries with Singleton saying the stabbing was carried out by Twigger and Martin and the others saying Singleton inflicted the fatal injuries.
Richardson denied even going into the flat and Webster said he stayed in the car and believed the others had gone to buy drugs rather than carry out a robbery
