Joshua Powell, 27, has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 26 years after admitting the murder of his 96‑year‑old grandmother, Emma Finch, who was found in her burning home in Liss on 17 May 2024. CCTV and phone data placed Powell near the property around 2 a.m., and notes on his phone contained the key safe code. A post‑mortem found neck compression as the cause of death and no carboxyhemoglobin, indicating she died before the fire. Forensic links included injuries to Finch, a blood‑stained belt and a knife recovered near the scene.
Grandson Sentenced to Life After Killing 96‑Year‑Old Grandmother Found in Burning Home
Joshua Powell, 27, has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 26 years after admitting the murder of his 96‑year‑old grandmother, Emma Finch, who was found in her burning home in Liss on 17 May 2024. CCTV and phone data placed Powell near the property around 2 a.m., and notes on his phone contained the key safe code. A post‑mortem found neck compression as the cause of death and no carboxyhemoglobin, indicating she died before the fire. Forensic links included injuries to Finch, a blood‑stained belt and a knife recovered near the scene.
01:43 PM, 11/16/2025Society
Grandson jailed for life after 96‑year‑old grandmother found dead
A 27‑year‑old man has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years after admitting the murder of his 96‑year‑old grandmother, Emma Finch. Finch was discovered in her bedroom in the village of Liss on 17 May 2024 after a carbon monoxide alarm alerted Hampshire Fire and Rescue.
Portsmouth Crown Court heard that Finch was found deceased on the bedroom floor and that a fire had started on the bed. Forensic investigators reported that spent matches found on the bed did not match a matchbox located elsewhere in the property.
Joshua Powell, who had visited his grandmother regularly and helped with shopping and games, initially told police he had not left his home and was asleep at the time of her death. CCTV footage, however, showed Powell’s vehicle leaving his address at about 2 a.m. on 17 May and staying in the Liss area. His mobile phone, which was connected to the vehicle, was also active at that time.
Investigators also found notes on Powell’s phone containing the code to a key safe at Finch’s address, contradicting his claim that he did not know the code. Police said Powell was in debt and that he had told friends he “hoped his grandmother would pass soon as he stood to inherit” and had described having “a nightmare that he had killed his grandmother.”
A post‑mortem examination concluded that Finch’s cause of death was neck compression and that there was no carboxyhemoglobin in her blood, indicating she died before the fire started. Forensic evidence linked Powell to injuries on Finch’s neck, to marks on the wheels of the key safe, and to a belt recovered near the scene that bore traces of Finch’s blood. A knife matching one reported missing from the house was recovered nearby.
“Joshua’s callous actions took advantage of Emma’s trust in him. His subsequent denials when faced with mounting evidence showed a total disregard for Emma and her family,” said Senior Investigating Officer Howard Broadribb. “I hope that this sentence gives all of Emma’s relatives the opportunity to grieve their loss in the knowledge that justice has been served.”
Powell was arrested on 19 May 2024, charged on 22 May 2024 and later admitted the offence on 16 May 2025. He was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on 14 November 2025 to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 26 years.