Michael Stone (criminal)

Michael Stone (born Michael John Goodban, 7 June 1960) was convicted of the 1996 murders of Lin and Megan Russell and the attempted murder of Josie Russell. He was sentenced to three life sentences with a tariff of 25 years for the Russell killings.^[1]

Stone maintains his innocence and continues to contest his conviction. His legal team argues that the serial killer Levi Bellfield could possibly be the true perpetrator of the attack.^[2] In February 2022, Stone's solicitor said that Bellfield had confessed to the murder of both Lin and Megan, although the truthfulness of the confession remained in doubt and Bellfield later claimed that he had confessed for a cash payment.^[3] In July 2023 the Criminal Cases Review Commission declined to refer Stone's case to the Court of Appeal, saying that it had "identified no credible new evidence or information".^[4] This decision was under review as of October 2023.^[5]

Police suspect Stone may be responsible for an unsolved murder that occurred in Maidstone in 1976, and prior to the Russell murders he had spent time in prison for violent assaults and armed robbery.