Son, 42, bludgeoned his mother, 75, to death before turning her bedroom into a shrine and painting her toe nails, court hears

By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER Published: 18:18, 13 July 2026 | Updated: 18:18, 13 July 2026 A son bludgeoned his elderly mother, 75, to death before turning her bedroom into a shrine and painting her toe nails, a court has heard.  Dominic Whitton, 42, repeatedly beat artist Pepita Garcia, leaving her with 76 fractures in the weeks leading up to her death, while on police bail for controlling and coercive behaviour. He left her decomposing body to rot at home before Ms Garcia's remains were eventually found in the bedroom, which Whitton had turned into a shrine with incense burners, herbs and candles used to cover up the smell.  Whitton, a football fan, carried on as normal, using his mother's credit cards to book a tour of Tottenham Hotspur's stadium, a ticket to Tina Turner the Musical at the Aldwych Theatre and visiting pubs. He finally reported his mother's death to a GP on the morning of January 13, 2025 'in a panic' and said she had died before Christmas. Whitton was convicted of murdering Ms Garcia and preventing the lawful and decent burial of her body after a trial at Wood Green Crown Court in May. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years for murder.  Prosecutor Steven Perian KC said when police attended the victim's home in Reynardson Road they found her body lying on her bed in an advanced state of decomposition, indicating that she had been dead for some time. Dominic Whitton, 42, repeatedly beat artist Pepita Garcia, leaving her with 76 fractures in the weeks leading up to her death Pepita Garcia, 75, was a 'vibrant, welcoming woman', an artist, an avid Spanish dancer, a member of a Buddhist group He said: 'Her nails had been painted, there were fresh flowers around and on top of her body, a meal had been prepared and placed on a tray in the room. 'There was a strong smell associated with decomposition, shelves, drawers and cupboards had been sealed with plastic and tape, and candles, herbs, flowers and incense had been placed in the room.' She had probably died at the beginning of December 2024 - while Whitton was on police bail.  Medical evidence showed she had endured around 67 fractures in the ten weeks prior to her death including multiple broken ribs, and bones in her nose, shoulder and neck. A healed fracture of a bone in her neck indicates a previous unsuccessful attempt at strangulation weeks before he finally killed her. Judge Andrew Menary KC told Whitton: 'Your mother had numerous fractures at the time of her death...  'The last ten weeks of Pepita's life must have been miserable. She was starved, weak, struggling to breathe and would have been in constant pain. 'She sustained increasingly ferocious assaults from you, the son she loved and protected.  'She died on the floor in a corner of her room, alone, without any words of comfort. It was a cruel death. 'You took care to lay the body out on the bed, cover the body with a T-shirt and shorts, paint Pepita's finger and toe nails, and lay flowers and herbs on and around the body. 'Those were not acts of concealment. The incense and candles were intended, as least in part, to conceal the stench of the decomposing body. But you also prepared food for her, which you placed on a tray in her room. 'The disturbing scene indicates that you had a sense of loss, and some remorse, alongside an inability to accept what you had done.' Pepita was a 'vibrant, welcoming woman', an artist, an avid Spanish dancer, a member of a Buddhist group, and a dedicated volunteer for the 'Crop Drop' vegetable box scheme and a local food bank. Her friends and neighbours had raised the alarm to police over concerns that Whitton was physically abusing his mother - including a Buddhist group friend who called police in 2020. A police welfare check on September 18, 2024, found Pepita frail, bruised and with two black eyes. Whitton was arrested for coercive control and handed strict bail conditions to stay away from the home but he broke his bail almost immediately and Ms Garcia did not want her son to be prosecuted. After Whitton returned to the property in October 2024, the violence escalated and he fractured 17 of his mother's ribs. Pathologist Professor Anthony Freemont likened her injuries to those suffered to the victim of a high-speed car crash or a fall from height. Whitton denied harming his mother and said her broken bones resulted from her falling over. The judge accepted Whitton suffered from paranoid, borderline, and narcissistic personality disorders, but said: 'The most aggravating factor is that this offending occurred in the context of coercive and controlling behaviour towards Pepita, which escalated to the use of ever more violent and excessive force.' Whitton was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 24 years for murder. Taking into account the 534 days he has already spent on remand, he must serve 22 years and 196 days before he can be considered for parole. A concurrent three-year sentence was handed down for preventing a lawful and decent burial. He had denied all charges but was found guilty by a jury. The judge emphasised that Whitton will remain on licence for the rest of his natural life, concluding: 'You will have to live with the guilt that you killed the one person who always defended you and who loved you unconditionally: your mother.' Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.