A killer who stabbed a stranger 22 times before setting fire to his flat in a bid to destroy evidence has been convicted of murder and now faces spending the rest of his life behind bars. Gabriel Brown, 35, carried out the brutal attack on Joseph Ernest “Ernie” Johnston, 58, at the victim’s home on Lady Street, Annan, in November 2024. The High Court in Glasgow heard Brown, who had never met Mr Johnston before, entered the property during the early hours and launched what prosecutors described as a “merciless” and frenzied knife attack. Mr Johnston suffered 22 stab wounds to his chest, neck and torso before Brown attempted to cover up the killing by setting multiple fires throughout the flat. The court heard Brown ripped smoke alarms from the ceiling, turned on cooker hobs and even placed metal cutlery inside a microwave in an apparent effort to intensify the blaze and destroy evidence. Firefighters were called to the property at around 6.55am, where they extinguished the fire before discovering Mr Johnston’s body inside. During the trial, jurors also heard Brown mutilated the victim’s body, cutting off one of Mr Johnston’s ring fingers before cooking it. Brown denied responsibility, claiming he was suffering from a mental disorder and had been possessed by the spirit of notorious occultist Aleister Crowley, whom he claimed had instructed him to “take Ernie’s soul”. However, after hearing almost two weeks of evidence, the jury rejected his defence and unanimously found him guilty of murder and attempting to defeat the ends of justice. He is due to be sentenced next month, when a judge is expected to impose the mandatory life sentence for murder. Following the verdict, Detective Inspector Graeme Robertson described the killing as one of the most senseless cases officers had encountered. He said Brown’s actions were “reckless beyond comprehension” and added that while nothing could undo the devastation caused, the guilty verdict brought “a measure of justice” for Mr Johnston’s grieving family. The shocking murder has left the Dumfriesshire town of Annan deeply shaken, with the violent and seemingly motiveless attack sending shockwaves through the local community.
