A man has been found guilty of murder after a 44-year-old was killed in Essex last year.

Marek Hecko, 26 of Rookes Crescent, Chelmsford appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court today (March 13) where he was found guilty of murder.

The victim, 44-year-old Adrian Ellingford was seriously assaulted in the early hours of Monday, July 25. He sadly died as a result of multiple stab wounds.

A murder investigation was quickly launched and lead by Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe.

DCI Metcalfe said: “Adrian’s death was tragic and caused a huge shock to this small community.

“The team acted quickly to begin gathering evidence and taking statements from those in the area.

“Whilst one of our officers was guarding the crime scene, she was approached by Hecko who was heavily intoxicated and indicated that he knew what had happened. Enquiries identified him as a main suspect and he was arrested on suspicion of murder.”

Following his arrest, Hecko was charged three days later and remanded into custody.

A trial began at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, February 13 and today, a jury found Hecko guilty of murder.

He will appear in court tomorrow (March 14) for sentencing.

Following today’s conviction Adrian’s wife Laura has paid tribute to him, saying the following: “Adrian was my amazing husband of 17 years. As well as being my husband he was a loving son, a caring brother, a friend to many and most importantly a truly brilliant father to our boys.

“Words cannot describe how I feel about the events of 25th July 2022. He was brutally ripped from our lives in events that I still can’t really comprehend myself or begin to explain to our boys. The impact of his death has affected many people in very different ways. It is totally heartbreaking.

“He was a good man, always willing to help friends and neighbours out if they were in a pickle. He was hard working and caring, and nothing was too much trouble. He even volunteered at the boys’ scout group on a regular basis.

“In all of this it’s the impact on those two innocent boys that is the most heartbreaking thing.

"Yes we have all lost Adrian and are dealing our own grief and the consequences of his death but they did not deserve to have their beloved dad taken away from them like this.

"Having to tell them both that their beloved dad was never coming home was the most painful and heartbreaking thing that I have ever had to do. They are 12 and 10 years old and not really old enough to truly appreciate what they’ve lost.

“They will not have Adrian with them through the milestones in their lives. He will never be able to teach them to drive, buy them their first drink or to celebrate their academic achievements.

"He will never see them grow up into young men who will have partners and families of their own. No one will ever be able to replace their dad.

“Adrian you will always be missed by us as your family and you will always hold a special place in our hearts. We miss you every day and love you forever.”

Detective Chief Inspector Metcalfe added: “This trial has been long and extremely distressing for Adrian’s loved ones, who have had to sit and listen to details of his death.

“I hope that this court result today and this justice provides a form of closure to Adrian’s loved ones, who have had an incredibly difficult time since his death.

“We have remained committed to finding out what happened, with our team reviewing hours of CCTV and body worn footage dedicating hundreds of hours to compiling the case we needed ahead of the trial.

“I would like to thank my team for the commitment they have shown to this investigation.”

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