Three men were convicted today of murdering songwriter Matthew Clarke, and jailed for life.

Shannon Tucker, 33, Vernon Simons, 24, and Kyle Sousa, 18, stabbed Mr. Clarke 26 times and bludgeoned him over the head with a metal pole last April 9. They left him dead in his bed.

Puisne Judge Carlisle Greaves said he believes the trio should die in jail for what he described as a “very vicious pre-meditated murder”.

Under Bermuda law, they must spend a minimum of 15 years behind bars before they can apply for parole.

Prosecutors believe the attack stemmed from a busted drug importation plot Simons and Tucker face separate charges over. They are thought to have blamed 31-year-old Mr. Clarke for this, although they denied it during the month-long murder trial.

The jury found all three guilty by a unanimous verdict at 2.30 p.m., after three-and-a-half hours of deliberation.

See tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette for the full story and reaction from Mr. Clarke’s family.