Lee Owens claims his dead friend Paul Smith was responsible for the death of an elderly couple after their St Helens home was set alight on July 15, 2025
A man on trial for the murder of an elderly couple who died in a house fire has claimed in court that his friend “killed himself and blamed two innocent people” after starting the fire.
Eric Greener and Sheila Jackson, aged 77 and 83 respectively, tragically lost their lives in an arson attack at their South John Street home in St Helens, which took place on July 15 last year. The couple were reportedly “not the intended victims” of the fire.
Three individuals, Kevin Weetman, Lee Owens and Kylie Maynard, are currently standing trial at Liverpool Crown Court, accused of the couple’s murder. However, Paul Smith, one of the men allegedly “responsible for setting fire to the house”, passed away exactly a week later on July 22, 2025.
Owens, a 46 year old of no fixed address, has confessed to his role in starting the fire but insists he “says that he only intended to damage the building”. Meanwhile, Weetman, a 34 year old from Croxteth Drive in Aigburth, and Maynard, a 37 year old from Rydal Street in Everton, both “deny that they had anything to do with the setting of the fire”.
It is alleged that they had previously tried to manipulate Sheila’s son, George Jackson, into working for them as a drug dealer a month prior to the incident, reports the Liverpool Echo.
During his testimony to the jury yesterday, Owens was asked by his counsel Michael Brady KC how he felt about being partially responsible for the unlawful deaths of Sheila and Eric. He responded: “Absolutely devastated, heartbroken. Two innocent old people have died. I just wish I could turn back time. Just devastated over what happened. I wish I could just turn it back.”
However, Owens denied intending to kill Eric and Sheila or cause them serious harm, stating “I didn’t even know none of them”. He recalled meeting Smith “about four weeks” before the fire and claimed that, on the night in question, the pair had taken drugs and consumed vodka at Owens’ sister’s house on Cassia Close in Walton.
Owens told the court he used Google Maps on his phone to locate Eric and Sheila’s home and helped guide Smith to the address.
When questioned about a witness who heard someone say “just do it” at the scene, Owens responded: “I could have done, to hurry him up. It didn’t feel comfortable there. I just wanted to go. I was drugged up to the eyeballs and drunk. I could have said it probably, I did. I wasn’t comfortable being there, I might have said hurry up and do what you’re doing.”
Accused of lying in his police interviews to potentially avoid a murder charge, Owens responded: “No, I just said it ‘cos I was scared. It just come out. I was scared, that’s all. I didn’t commit no murder. I haven’t committed any murder. Paul Smith lit the fire. He’s killed two innocent people. I was there. It broke my heart. I’m devastated over it and I’m going to get punished for what I’ve done.”
When asked if he had also been “set up”, Owens admitted: “He did set me up, yeah. I didn’t know what he was going to do. He did. I’m guilty of being stupid, that’s what I’m guilty of.”
The prosecution’s opening statement last month said: “At about just after half past midnight on Tuesday the 15th of July last year, Paul Smith and Lee Owens, set fire to a house, 44 South John Street in St Helens. Inside the address at that time were Mary Sheila Jackson, known to all as Sheila, and her partner Peter Eric Greener, known to everybody as Eric.
“Of course, the alarm went up. Firefighters and paramedics went to the scene. They were able to rescue Eric and Sheila from the blaze, but they were unable to recover from the injuries they sustained in the fire and died within days. While it does not matter in law, Eric and Sheila were not the intended victims of the blaze.
“About a month earlier, Kevin Weetman and Kylie Maynard had attempted to trick George Jackson, Sheila’s son, into working for Mr Weetman as a drug dealer. Mr Jackson had helped out Ms Maynard when she had been robbed of drugs, sometimes called a taxing, by some other people.
“He had taken her home, his home being the same as Sheila and Eric. He had allowed her to wash, eat and sleep and stay there. She knew exactly where he lived, and who he lived with.
“A few days later, Mr Weetman gave Mr Jackson half an ounce of cocaine, wholesale worth between £400 and £700, but, on an individual wrap basis, quite a lot more. Initially, Mr Weetman said that it was a gift for helping out Ms Maynard.
“But he offered Mr Jackson the chance to deal drugs for him. Mr Jackson declined the offer and thought nothing of it until some time later, when Mr Weetman again contacted him and asked him to work for him.
“And, when Mr Jackson declined once more, the mood changed. What had been a gift or reward ceased to be so, and Mr Weetman started asking where his ‘dough’ was for the drugs.
“While there was, on the face of it, no threat made, the crown say that Mr Weetman decided to take action to prevent a loss of face. Face is all important in the drugs world, and he set in motion a plan to kill, or at least cause really serious harm to, George Jackson by setting fire to his house in the middle of night. Whilst Paul Smith and Lee Owens failed to kill Mr Jackson, the fire that they set caused the deaths of Eric and Shelia.”
Weetman and Maynard both deny murder but have admitted to conspiracy to supply cocaine, while Owens has also pleaded not guilty to murder but has previously confessed to two counts of manslaughter.
The trial, before Mr Justice Jay, continues.
