'Precious daughter': Family pays tribute to Oswestry woman after murderer fiancé is convicted
The family of an Oswestry woman murdered by her fiance have spoken of their heartbreak at their loss.
Lauren Griffiths, 21, was killed by her fiance Madog Rowlands at the flat they shared in Glynrhondda Street, Cardiff, in April 2019.
Rowlands, 23, from Wrexham, was this week convicted of her murder after a trial at Newport Crown Court.
The jury had heard chilling details of Rowlands' behaviour after he had strangled Miss Griffiths, as he ordered pizza, set up a Netflix account, went shopping, and bought drugs, before calling the emergency services 24 hours after her death.
In a statement Miss Griffiths' family said they would never be able to understand what had happened, and have been left only with "precious memories of someone we loved dearly".
Coverage of the case:
They said: “Nothing in the world can ever replace Lauren and no amount of justice or sentence imposed will ever reflect the heartache and pain inflicted upon our family.
“As a family we have lost a precious daughter and sister and we will never come to terms with our loss.
“Lauren was a quirky, fun loving character who loved to come home to visit her loved ones and friends.
“She is missed every day and our family will never to be able to understand why this has happened.
Devastating
“Lauren had plans for the future which have sadly been lost forever and what happened to Lauren has had a devastating effect on all of us.
“It is extremely difficult to put into words how we feel, all we have left are our precious memories of someone we loved dearly."
Detective Inspector Stuart Wales, from South Wales Police Major Crime Investigation Team, paid tribute to Miss Griffiths' family.
He said: “Lauren was a much-loved daughter and sister who had a bright and promising future.
“Her family have shown tremendous patience and dignity during this long and heart-breaking ordeal.
“We hope they can now begin to recover and rebuild their lives.
“Having murdered Lauren during the early hours of Monday, April 29, Madog Rowlands then waited more than 24 hours before calling 999.
“In this time, Rowlands took money from Lauren’s account, went shopping, bought and consumed a large quantity of drugs, ordered pizza, and set up a Netflix account, before eventually – perhaps realising the inevitability of the situation – calling 999.
“At no time, did he show any meaningful concern for Lauren’s welfare or dignity."
Rowlands will be sentenced on January 8.
