was found guilty of murdering black student Anthony Walker who it described as a "committed Christian" and youth leader.
The jury at Preston Crown Court in the town of Liverpool said 17-year-old Michael Barton was guilty of killing Walker, who was found with an axe in his head. It is believed that racist motives were behind the murder. Barton is the second person to be found guilty of killing Walker in July.
His cousin Paul Taylor, 20, had already admitted his part in the killing. Barton, whose brother is Manchester City footballer Joey Barton, and Taylor face a mandatory life sentence and the minimum tariff for racially motivated murders is 30 years, news reports said.
The EAUK, a platform of over one million British evangelical Christians, said it supported the Walker family during the trial and the reading of the jury verdict.
STANDING WITH FAMILY
"We stand by the Walker family who have so bravely spoken a Christian message of forgiveness at this difficult time and pray that his life would not have been in vain," added EAUK General Director Joel Edwards in a statement to BosNewsLife.
"Anthony’s life was brutally taken from him in a senseless attack. His killers gave no consideration to him or his family, who have suffered so much by his death."
The court heard Barton had shouted racist abuse at Anthony as he waited at a bus stop near the Huyton Park pub in Liverpool with his cousin Marcus Binns and girlfriend, Louise Thompson. The three walked away to go to another bus stop, but Barton and his cousin Taylor ambushed them near McGoldrick park.
Marcus and Louise escaped, but Taylor caught up with Anthony and drove the ice axe into his skull on July 29, the court heard.
"COMMITTED CHRISTIAN"
The EAUK said Anthony Walker "was a committed Christian and youth leader at an Evangelical Alliance member church, [the] Grace Family Church, in Liverpool." His mother Gee Walker recently presented the Anthony Walker Memorial Prize in memory of her son at the Alliance’s Champions of Respect awards on November 10.
The awards honored young people who demonstrate respect by how they live in their communities. After hearing the verdict in a case that gained international attention, Gee Walker told reporters that she "knew from the start there was only one verdict."
However "I’ve got to forgive them, my family and I still stand by what we believe – forgiveness," she added. (With reports from the United Kingdom and BosNewsLife Research).
