Susan Whiting murder: Killer Julie Beards to be retried for rape of her friend
A woman found guilty of the manslaughter of her friend will be retried for rape before the end of the year, it has been revealed.
Julie Beards was found guilty of the manslaughter of 20-year-old Susan Whiting by a jury at Leicester Crown Court in May.
The 36-year-old is in custody and is awaiting sentence.
But the Crown Prosecution Service has now confirmed that she will be hauled before a jury once more on December 5.
Her husband, Steven Beards, has already been jailed for 33 years after being found guilty of the murder and rape of Ms Whiting, who was found dead at Julie Beards' bungalow in Heather Close, Bloxwich last August.
The same jury did not find Julie Beards had committed murder under joint enterprise, but instead convicted her of manslaughter.
They were acquitted of deciding if she was guilty of rape after indicating they were unlikely to reach a majority verdict on the charge.
For more than a fortnight Ms Whiting's family had to travel to Leicester Crown Court to hear the gruesome details of her killing.
But the CPS has confirmed that the retrial will be held closer to home at Birmingham Crown Court.
Ms Whiting, who had a learning impairment, had met Mrs Beards at Walsall Adult and Community College where they were both students.
She was last seen alive by her family on Sunday, August 16, when she was dropped off at Julie Beards' bungalow for a sleepover.
When her mother returned the following morning to pick her up she was told Ms Whiting had left just before.
It soon led to a wide-scale police search due to Ms Whiting's vulnerability.
However, after a review of CCTV footage of the area it emerged Ms Whiting had never left the bungalow.
When police returned on Tuesday, August 18, they discovered her dead body underneath a divan bed.
She had been drugged with a sedative and bound having suffered fatal blows to the head with a hammer.
In May, the jury took less than four hours to determine that Steven Beards, aged 34, formerly of Rowland Avenue, had raped and murdered her.
High Court Judge Mr Justice Green described him as a 'sexually motivated and violent killer'.
The extent of Julie Beards' culpability in the killing of Ms Whiting is still to be decided.
Ms Whiting's mother Maureen adopted her at the age of three, along with her three older siblings, and described her as a 'precious gift'.
In tribute to her after the first trial, Maureen said Ms Whiting was her closest companion and would volunteer with her at an after school club.
Among her heartfelt words at the time, she added: "I feel a terrible guilty that I failed to protect Susan and a strong sense of betrayal that Susan was killed by people she knew and trusted."
