Convicted Murderer Found Dead In Cell
A man jailed for a brutal daylight stabbing that shocked a Cardiff community has died behind bars, prompting a formal prison investigation and fresh heartbreak for the family of the man he murdered. Jake Whelan, 33, was serving a life sentence for the 2016 killing of Lynford Brewster when he was found dead in his cell at HMP Gartree.
Street Attack That Ended A Young Father’s Life
The original crime stunned locals and left a young woman widowed before she could become a mother. On a summer evening in June 2016, 29-year-old Lynford Brewster had gone out to collect money for his partner. But as he walked through the Brynfedw estate in Llanedeyrn, he was set upon by three men in a planned ambush.
He was stabbed repeatedly and left bleeding in the street. Despite the efforts of emergency services, Lynford died at the scene—his future and his child’s life with him stolen in a matter of seconds.
Convictions Followed Turbulent Trials
Three men—Jake Whelan, Dwayne Edgar, and Robert Lainsbury—were arrested and charged with Lynford’s murder. The first trial collapsed after allegations of jury misconduct, including the use of social media. A retrial was ordered, and in 2019 all three were convicted. Whelan was sentenced to life with a minimum of 28 years. The judge described the killing as a “carefully co-ordinated joint enterprise,” branding it “merciless.”
Whelan, originally from Cardiff, was transferred to HMP Gartree in Leicestershire, a high-security men’s prison housing some of the country’s most dangerous offenders.
Death In Custody Sparks Inquiry
Whelan died on 14 July 2025—one day after his 33rd birthday. His death is not currently being treated as suspicious, but the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has launched a routine investigation, as is standard in all custodial deaths. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
While some may view his passing as the end of a dark chapter, for Lynford’s mother and those who loved him, the pain has never truly gone away. Speaking after the sentencing in 2019, June Whittaker said her son’s death had destroyed her from the inside out. She remembered collapsing in the street when she learned what had happened to him.
The same week her son was murdered, June also lost her own mother. Lynford’s partner later discovered she was pregnant with his child. That daughter has now grown up without ever knowing the father who was so violently taken from her.
A Family Left Behind Again
The news of Whelan’s death brings no celebration—only a fresh reminder of what was lost. For Lynford’s family, it’s yet another emotional blow in a tragedy that continues to echo nearly a decade later. Though justice was served in court, the emotional scars remain open.
June and her family have long called for Lynford’s memory to be defined not by the crime, but by the life he lived and the love he left behind. As Whelan’s death makes headlines, they are once again pulled back into a public spotlight they never asked for.
