The heir to a pie company fortune has been sentenced to life in prison for the “barbaric and cruel” murder of his best friend on Christmas Eve in the house they shared, the BBC reported. 

Dylan Thomas, 24, has been sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of his best friend, William Bush, 23, on December 24, 2023. The media outlet reported that Thomas stabbed Bush 37 times using a large kitchen knife and a flick knife in the home they shared in Llandaff, Cardiff.

Hours before the attack, Thomas had searched online for the anatomy of the neck. Despite admitting manslaughter, he denied murder.

Thomas, the grandson of Sir Stanley Thomas, whose family founded Peter’s Pies, carried out what the prosecution described as a “planned attack.” The jury heard that Thomas was in a “downward spiral” but fully aware of his actions. Weeks prior, he had been arrested for attempting to scale Buckingham Palace’s fence and had been released on police bail.

On the day of the murder, Thomas was driven to the house by his grandmother, Sharon Burton. After arriving, he retrieved the knives, entered Bush’s bedroom, and launched the fatal attack. Passers-by reported hearing “screams of horror” from the house.

Thomas called 999 after the attack, claiming Bush had “gone mental” and stabbed him. However, the prosecution argued it was a premeditated assault. Judge Steyn described the murder as “particularly terrifying,” noting Bush was attacked in the safety of his bedroom by someone he trusted.

The court heard from Bush’s grieving family and girlfriend. His sister, Catrin, described the killing as “barbaric and cruel,” while his father, John, said the family’s lives had been changed “profoundly.” Bush’s girlfriend, Ella Jefferies, spoke of losing the future they had planned together, calling him “the love of my life.”

Thomas’s defense claimed he regretted not seeking psychiatric help, with evidence suggesting he had been psychotic for months before the killing. Following his arrest, Thomas reportedly told officers he was Jesus and offered them “jobs with God.”

Chris Evans of the Crown Prosecution Service condemned the attack as a “shocking level of violence,” while South Wales Police described it as an unprovoked betrayal by someone Bush had trusted.

Thomas’s family, who built their fortune in the pie industry in the 1950s, sold their company, Peter’s Food, in 1988.