THE sister of a mum murdered in the “most horrific way” by her evil ex told today how she will never forget seeing her bruised body.
Andrew Burfield, 51, struck Katie Kenyon 12 times with an axe and left her body in a pre-dug grave in Gisburn Forest, Lancashire.
He then hatched a grisly plot to cover up the killing on April 22 by making it look as though the 33-year-old had walked out on her life.
Burfield sent “the most cruel” texts to Katie’s two children from her phone as her worried family and police frantically searched for her.
One text read: “I want you to know I’m truly sorry for everything.”
He also sent voice notes to Katie to continue the “charade” – begging her to ring him when she could.
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In reality, Katie was lying in a shallow grave dug in the woods for her by Burfield with a spade he borrowed from his parents.
Katie’s sister Sarah Kenyon Holden slammed Burfield as he was jailed for life with a minimum of 32 years today for the “cruel and savage” killing.
She said she believes the killer only pleaded guilty to murder on the third day of his trial for “himself” and not Katie.
Sarah also told how the mum-of-two has been “stolen” from the family – with her two children now being raised by their gran.
She said: “We had to visit the forest where Katie was found. It was awful going up there knowing it was Katie’s final journey, wondering what she was thinking.
“Being there and seeing the area was totally heartbreaking. We were totally numb.
“We saw Katie at the mortuary. Her face was bruised but she still looked so beautiful . She was behind glass. I wanted to hold her and say goodbye. Burfield took that from us.”
Sarah said the family had been through a “full week of torture” before Katie’s body was discovered as her kids desperately asked where she was.
The sister also revealed they have suffered “unbearable” pain by being forced through a trial as she paid tribute to her “beautiful and silly” sibling.
Sarah added: “Every Christmas, birthday and holiday will be scarred by Katie’s absence. She did not choose this, she was not unwell and this was not an accident. She was robbed of her life.
“Not only has Burfield taken Katie from us, he has taken our lives too. Her children have lost their mum in the most horrific way. She was mum, dad and best friend all in one. Katie was a fantastic mum.
“Our mum Dawn has had to become a mother to two grieving teenagers but to do this while grieving the loss of your daughter is so difficult.
“If Katie had died in natural circumstances would be bad enough. Katie told us she wanted to stop Burfield from being able to do to other women what he did to her. This cost her her life.”
Preston Crown Court heard how the couple first got together in July 2019 but the relationship had soured before Katie’s death.
She had applied for a non molestation order against Burfield, who claimed she owed him £6,000.
Katie had text her mum saying: “I’m paranoid to death hes ganna do summert… couldn’t sleepall night xxxx [sic]”.
In the weeks leading to Katie’s murder, he began drafting fake texts purporting to be from the mum to her daughter’s dad and to her son.
One fake text to Katie’s mum read: “This is the bravest thing I’ve ever had to do, I need to find some peace and sort my mind out.
“So with the 6k Andy gave me to pay the dept off Im being free for a wile until I figure all this s*** out.”
Katie’s body was discovered on April 29 with a post-mortem revealing she died from severe head injuries with multiple fractures.
Prosecutor David McLachlan said she “stood no chance”.
CCTV showed her travelling in Burfield’s Ford Transit van on the morning of her death and stopping at McDonald’s.
Burfield spent around 42 minutes in the forest where he killed Katie then buried her body in the shallow grave.
The following day, he was doing building work on a house when he asked the homeowner what time the bins were put out.
Officers searching the area later discovered a Tesco bag with blood on it, a pair of flip flops and items with Burfield’s name on.
He was taken in to the police station for interview where he claimed Katie had booked a “treatment thing” – referring to rehab.
But two days before Katie’s body was found, there was a “revelation and his version of events.
He told officers Katie had opened a drink while they were camping in the forest and said: “I bet you can’t hit the can of Coke with the axe”.
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Burfield said he then threw the axe towards a tree but it went “down rather than up” and hit the mum in the head.
He said in the police interview: “I just sat there with her in my arms, covered in blood. Honest to God, it was like something from a film”.
