The jury in the trial of two men accused of killing a teenager lured to his death in a secluded riverside area, will resume deliberations tomorrow (Wednesday February 1).

Ben Cook, 19, and 20-year-old Louis Hackett each deny killing Kieran Williams, who was stabbed to death and buried in a makeshift grave, amidst trees and bushes on former industrial land, on the southern banks of the River Wear in Sunderland, on Monday April 18, Easter Monday, last year.

The 18-year-old deceased died from blood loss caused by multiple stab wounds.

Newcastle Crown Court has heard that both defendants denied knowledge of Mr Williams’ whereabouts in the weeks before his burial site was discovered by a police dog handler, acting on a tip-off.

Read more: Kieran Williams trial: Closing speeches in Sunderland murder case

But after the grave was found and Mr Williams’ partly decomposed body was recovered, almost six weeks after his disappearance, forensic examination of the soil in the burial site revealed the presence of Mr Hackett’s finger prints on clods of clay.

When that was put to him by police in interview, he changed his story and accepted being present when Mr Williams was killed.

But he accused Mr Cook of being responsible for the killing and said he only went along with his instructions to help to place the body in the pre-dug grave and to fill it with soil out of fear, as his co-accused was still holding the knife.

In response, Mr Cook said it was Mr Hackett who carried out the fatal stabbing and said he watched in shock before being told to leave the scene and to tell no-one what had happened.

The prosecution’s case is that both were involved in the plot to lure Mr Williams to the scene before he was killed by one of them, assisted by his accomplice.

In his summing up of evidence and directions as to the law in the case, trial judge, Mr Justice Robert Jay, told the jury they may think there are, “loose ends” in the case and, “a full and complete explanation seems beyond reach.”

But he told them: “To be clear, the Crown’s case is that both were either the stabber or a secondary party.”

He warned jurors, however, that the Crown does not have to establish what was the motive.

Before sending the jury out to begin deliberations, he told them: “This is a classic situation of you applying your collective judgement, common sense and wisdom in this case and to give the defendants the benefit of the doubt if a reasonable doubt exists.”

Read more: Kieran Williams killing: Sunderland murder accused evidence concludes

Earlier, in her closing speech, Caroline Goodwin KC, representing Mr Cook, invited the jury not to judge either defendant for what may be considered, “morally reprehensible behaviour.”

“Ben Cook’s case, even in the face of all that has been literally thrown at him, is that: ‘I was frightened no-one would believe me, I was frightened of Liam and I was frightened of his family and police’.”

She said her client was only aged 18, two days before turning 19, at the time of the killing and he had planned to go drinking with his friends, including Mr Williams, to celebrate his birthday.

Ms Goodwin asked the jury to consider why her client would kill his friend, someone he had known for several years and who was often invited to stay at his home.

“The question is was he (Mr Cook) the stabber?

“Was he party to this?”

Read next:

               Kieran Williams murder: Evidence of one of accused Sunderland killers

               Pathologist gives evidence in trial of Sunderland murder accused duo

               Trial starts of Sunderland pair accused of murder of Kieran Williams

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She said if they were not sure then they should find him not guilty.

The jury was sent out to begin deliberations this afternoon (Tuesday January 31).

Having failed to reach any verdicts by 4.30pm, jurors was sent home overnight to return to resume deliberations at 10am tomorrow.