THE family of bus driver David Hunter say they have been "deprived of a loving father, grandfather, brother, uncle and nephew" as his killer was convicted of murder.
A Derby Crown Court jury yesterday returned a majority verdict that Heteny Tarsoly murdered 54-year-old Mr Hunter outside his home when he struck him repeatedly with a crowbar.
Tarsoly, 38, of Park Hill Drive, Derby, had denied murder but admitted manslaughter of Mr Hunter, who was having an affair with his wife. Tarsoly claimed it was not planned but that he had momentarily lost control.
Sobs could be heard from the public gallery, as the jury foreman announced the verdict.
Afterwards, Mr Hunter's family said: "His untimely death means that the family have been deprived of a loving father, grandfather, brother, uncle and nephew."
They added: "Two families have been devastated because of the actions of this man."
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Cox, of Derbyshire Police, said: "The police and prosecution believed this was murder, in the fact that Heteny Tarsoly planned to kill David Hunter that night. I'm just pleased now the family feel they have got justice for David but this is just the beginning of the mourning process for them.
"Tarsoly's actions have destroyed not just David's family but his own and they will have to live with the consequences for a long time."
Tarsoly will be sentenced tomorrow.
During a week-long trial, the jury heard that Tarsoly went to Mr Hunter's home in Breadsall Hilltop – eight days after finding out the bus driver was having an affair with his wife.
Dressed in dark clothing, armed with a crowbar and black bin bags, Tarsoly waited in the dark for Mr Hunter to return from a night shift. On the 54-year-old's drive, he beat him at least 10 times about the head and face with the two-and-a-half-foot metal crowbar.
About six hours later, at 6.30am on January 9, Tarsoly's wife, Timea, having told her husband she was going to work, went to Mr Hunter's home in Fieldway Drive to spend her birthday with him. She let herself into the house, only to be surprised to find he was not there, realising he had not even been to bed.
She headed out of the house and this time walked on the other side of Mr Hunter's car. It was then she saw her lover's body lying on the grass beneath his Kawasaki 600cc motorbike – his head wrapped in black bin liners.
She called an ambulance and took hold of his bloodied body, in an attempt to give him first aid. She did not realise he was already dead.
DCI Cox said: "It was a savage attack – such were the extent of the injuries to Mr Hunter's head, we initially questioned whether he had been shot."
But after a pathologist examined the body it was concluded Mr Hunter had actually been struck repeatedly with a weapon. He had suffered a total of 24 injuries, believed to have been caused by at least 10 separate blows.
After Mrs Tarsoly revealed to police the nature of her relationship with Mr Hunter, officers discovered her husband's car had been captured on camera driving along Burton Road towards the city centre at 10.33 the night before. It was caught by the same camera, travelling in the opposite direction at 12.54am. CCTV footage showed Mr Hunter's car pulling into a street near his home at 12.22am.
When officers arrived at the couple's home, Tarsoly, a former chef, was baking his wife a birthday cake. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and, in interviews, denied being the killer and said he had not known about the affair.
For two days he stood his ground but then police uncovered the vital bit of evidence that was to nail him.
"Spots of blood were found inside Tarsoly's car, which he claimed were his own," said DCI Cox. "But when it was analysed it was found to be Mr Hunter's blood."
And in his fifth interview, Tarsoly finally admitted he was the killer. He said he knew about the affair and had gone to Mr Hunter's home to talk to him about his fear of losing his children. He admitted taking a crowbar with him, for protection, because he believed Mr Hunter to be "volatile and sometimes violent". He claimed he had lost control after Mr Hunter told him: "She's now my baby and they are now my children."
But as more and more evidence came in, police became increasingly convinced that Tarsoly was not only the killer but had also carefully planned the vengeful attack on his love-rival.
"The evidence, that Tarsoly had planned to attack Mr Hunter outside his home after the victim returned from a night shift, was compelling," said DCI Cox.
On the night of the killing, Tarsoly was captured on CCTV buying black bin liners from the Tesco Express in Stenson. He had used these to wrap around the victim's head following the attack and to store his soiled clothes.
From Tarsoly's own admissions, police discovered he had worn an extra layer of clothing, which he had burnt on the family barbecue the following day, before dumping the ash in a litter bin. Traces of Mr Hunter's blood were also found on shoes discovered at Tarsoly's address. He had cleaned the crowbar and put it back in its usual place in his garage.
