Reported Heir to Multi-Million Fortune Convicted of 'Barbaric’ Christmas Eve Murder of Best Friend

• Dylan Thomas, 24, has been convicted of fatally stabbing his friend William Bush, 23, to death on Dec. 24, 2023, a court in Wales has heard
• Thomas is the heir to multi-million dollar company Peter’s Savoury Products, per reports
• The victim’s family said in a statement that they had been left “completely devastated by the brutal and senseless murder”

The reported heir to a multi-million dollar fortune has been found guilty of killing his best friend in a “frenzied attack” on Christmas Eve last year.

On Thursday, Nov. 21, at Cardiff Crown Court, Dylan Thomas, 24, was convicted of fatally stabbing William Bush, 23, at a house they shared in the city on Dec. 24, 2023, a press release shared by South Wales Police confirmed.

Per the BBC and U.K. newspapers The Times and The Guardian, Thomas is the grandson of Sir Stanley Thomas, who is the founder of the South Wales-based company Peter’s Pies. The company is estimated to be worth around £230 million (almost $288 million), and Stanley Thomas sat in court throughout the trial, according to the BBC. 

The police release said of the murder, “The night before, Thomas had been out for a family meal in Miskin, Llantrisant. When he returned to his grandmother’s home in Rhoose in the Vale of Glamorgan, he began a Snapchat conversation with William into the early hours of the morning.”

“While texting his best friend, he was also searching the internet for veins, arteries, anatomy, and assisted suicide,” police continued.

The release added that the texts between the pair resumed at around 11 a.m. local time on Dec. 24, 2023 “while Thomas was being driven from Rhoose to Llandaff by his grandmother, under the pretence that he needed to check on his dog.”

Once at the house, Thomas stabbed his best friend multiple times, before ringing for an ambulance “while a witness in the nearby car park rang police,” the release added, stating Thomas had been arrested at the scene. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder.

Per The Guardian, the BBC and The Times, Thomas stabbed Bush 37 times before his death, in an attack that was previously described as “frenzied” in court.

The convicted killer was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the murder and has been receiving treatment at a psychiatric hospital, The Times reported.

Thomas had been friends with the victim — who was getting ready to move in with his girlfriend, Ella Jeffries, around the time of the attack — since they met at the private school Christ College Brecon in mid-Wales at age around 13, per The Guardian.

In a statement shared by the South Wales Police, Bush’s family said they were “relieved” to hear the “verdict of murder,” adding that they’ve been left “completely devastated by the brutal and senseless murder.”

“Words cannot describe the impact this has had on our family however it is not just us who have lost a son and a brother, but Will’s girlfriend, friends and extended family have also lost someone who they loved very much,” the statement added.

“Will was innocently getting ready to return back to Brecon to spend Christmas with us all when the attack took place and instead of Will arriving at our door for dinner on Christmas Eve, it was Dyfed-Powys Police to deliver the beyond-devastating news,” the family continued. 

“We cannot even begin to comprehend the fear and suffering that Will endured on Christmas Eve last year and we will have to live with the hurt, grief, anger and upset for the rest of our lives,” they shared, calling Thomas “an evil, manipulative liar.”

“Throughout this process we have seen no evidence of any remorse or taking responsibility for his actions that day. We can only hope that he will never be released back into the community,” the statement, which was also read by the victim’s sister, Catrin Bush, outside the court, said.

“Will was such a loyal, funny, caring and trusting person. He lit up every room he walked in to with his cheeky grin and quick-witted humor,” the family said of the victim.

They said Will had “his whole life ahead of him,” asking “that he is remembered as the great person he was, and his memory is not defined by this barbaric attack.”

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Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector, Rebecca Merchant, added, per the release, “Our thoughts today, as they have been throughout the investigation, are with William, his family and girlfriend and whilst we welcome today’s verdict we recognise that nothing will ever bring William back or take away the heartbreak felt by those who loved him the most.”

Per the BBC and The Times, Thomas will be sentenced on Dec. 16.