CHILLING footage shows the moment a man refuses to answer cops after strangling his grandmother to death while she slept.
Joshua Powell, 27, killed Emma Finch, 96, at her home in Liss, Hampshire, then set fire to her bungalow in a sick scheme to gain his .
Fire crew were called to the property in the early hours of May 17, 2024, after an automatic alarm was triggered by a carbon monoxide monitor.
forced their way into Emma’s house, where they found her dead on the bedroom floor.
At first glance, the circumstances seemed unsuscpicious until cops noticed the fire was contained and had been deliberately staged.
Investigators also discovered that the key was missing from the safe outside, with the combination code later found on Powell’s phone.
The depraved grandson was interviewed by Hampshire after being arrested on suspicion of murder.
Powell refused to answer any of the questions put forward by police, glimpsing nervously at his lawyer throughout.
Cops asked him whether the “last thing” his grandma saw was looming over her as he attempted to strangle her.
The officer said: “Did your grandma suffer when she died, Josh?”
“Was that at the hands of you, was that at the hands of the grandson that people describe as her favourite, the one that makes the effort to go and see her, the one that spends time with her, the one that visited her on a day off?
“Did you do all of those things and make all of the effort because you loved your grandma, or did you do those things because you saw a financial gain for yourself?”
Police allow Powell to give his own accounts of his movements during the – but he remains mute.
Senior Investigating Officer Howard Broadribb tells the programme: “If someone chooses not to answer the questions, I appreciate that’s their legal right – they don’t have to answer questions, they can stay silent.
“But I think, I always struggle, to think if you’re not involved in murder, why wouldn’t you tell me that and why wouldn’t you give answers to those questions?”
Mr Broadribb adds: “Has he killed her or has somebody else done this?
“Because this doesn’t really make sense to me that a grandson who was so doting on his grandmother would do such an act towards her.”
Clips from the questioning will feature on Channel 5‘s documentary “Murder Scene: The Incident Room”, due to air on October 14 at 8pm.
It was soon revealed that Powell regularly checked in on his grandma, helping her with groceries and playing Scrabble with her once a week.
When cops first spoke to the cashier Powell hours after the fire, he claimed he had not left his home during that time.
However, he was arrested two days later on suspicion of murder after CCTV footage showed his car had left his home at 2am on May 17.
Phone and social media data showing he was active in the early hours further contradicted his account.
Powell, who lived in nearby Lindford, owed his landlord £2,500 and was also in about £8,000 of debt to various other companies.
Weeks before his grandma’s death, he is understood to have told friends he “hoped his nan would died soon because he was skint”.
He added that he only thought he was getting the after she died.
Powell spoke to a work colleague on the day of Emma’s death about inheritance and how much his grandma’s estate was worth.
He also confided in a friend that he had had a nightmare about killing his grandma.
Forensic analysis found matching on Emma’s neck, the wheels on the key safe, and also from a belt recoved close to the scene, which had traces of Emma’s blood on it.
A knife was also unearthed near to the property in Liss – which happened to be missing from Emma’s kitchen set.
Powell was charged with murder on May 22, 2024, and admitted the offence at Crown Court almost exactly a year later.
He was jailed for a life for a minimum term of 26 years last November.
In an apology letter read out in court, he described Emma as the “one constant” in his life.
“The word sorry does not even begin to cover how I feel for the unforgivable, truly horrible crime I committed,” he said.
“Forgiveness is not something I expect from any member of the family. Not even I forgive the actions I took that fateful day.”
Judge Michael Bowes KC said at his sentencing: “Emma Finch, your grandmother, showed you great kindness and gave you a great deal of money during her life.
“You repaid her kindness by savagely killing her in the expectation of gaining money from her death under her will.”
Emma had two children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Powell’s mum, Catherine Powell, said she would “struggle to ever forgive him for what he has done”.
