Three ruthless killers from the West Midlands who murdered their spouses and attempted to disguise the crimes as suicides have been brought to justice following meticulous police investigations.
The violent crimes and deceptive cover-ups
Mohamed Samak, a 43-year-old hockey coach from Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, stabbed his wife Joanne six times at their home on July 1, 2024. He then dialled 999, claiming his 49-year-old wife had knifed herself. Prosecutors revealed Samak, a former Egyptian international hockey player, committed the murder due to financial troubles and interest in another woman. The trial judge stated Samak "waited and watched his wife take her last breath." After a five-week retrial at Worcester Crown Court, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to 21 years in prison in October 2025.
Ryan Timms, 44, told emergency services he found his wife 'hanging' at their home in Hartshill, Warwickshire, just before 4am on July 31, 2023. His wife died four days later in hospital. Officers noted inconsistencies in his story, particularly regarding how he moved her body down a cluttered, narrow staircase. A post-mortem examination found evidence of a "neck hold" rather than hanging. Timms was found guilty of murder at Warwick Crown Court and received a life sentence with a minimum term of 19 years in December 2024.
A strangulation disguised as self-harm
Amy Pugh, 34, of Wolverhampton, strangled her estranged husband, 29-year-old Kyle Pugh, following an argument at her Newport, Shropshire home on March 22, 2022. She called her father for 20 minutes, including a six-minute video call, before contacting emergency services and claiming Kyle had hanged himself. Paramedics found her performing CPR. A post-mortem revealed injuries consistent with neck compression, a fractured eye socket, and a broken nose. Pugh was convicted of murder at Stafford Crown Court in June 2025 and given a life sentence with a minimum of 14 years.
Families' anguish and the path to justice
Joanne Samak's mother, Penny Vale, described her daughter as an "irreplaceable" interior designer with everything to live for, highlighting the additional pain caused by the false suicide narrative. Jonathan Roe of the Crown Prosecution Service noted Samak's "callous attempt" to present his crime as a suicide caused further anguish to the family.
In each case, diligent police work pieced together forensic evidence and witness accounts that contradicted the killers' stories. The Crown Prosecution Service emphasised that the juries saw through the lies, leading to convictions for these heinous crimes. These cases serve as a stark reminder that thorough investigations can uncover the truth, even when perpetrators go to great lengths to conceal their violent acts.
