Family of man murdered by wife call for law change

The family of a man murdered by his estranged wife are calling for new laws governing who has rights over a victim's body.

Kyle Pugh, from Telford, was murdered by Amy Pugh in March 2022 - but despite being arrested and bailed days after his death, she was not charged with the crime until November 2024 and left to organise his funeral.

"He was an amazing lad, he really was, and it's wrong that he's not here," Kyle's father Keith said.

The Ministry of Justice described Kyle's death as "a horrendous crime" and said coroners were "independent judicial office holders" who "make decisions based on the circumstances of each case."

Amy Pugh, from Wolverhampton, was convicted of his murder and jailed for life.

"Kyle was a wild one," said his father, Keith Pugh, continuing: "He had such an imagination and he never let life get in the way of a dream.

When Kyle died in March 2022, his estranged wife, as his next-of-kin, was in charge of his remains - despite being arrested in connection with his death just days afterwards and later being convicted of his murder.

Mr Pugh and other family and friends want this to change, so that if a spouse is arrested in connection with their partner's death, the release of the deceased's body is paused or passed on to other family members.

They are calling this "Kyle's Law."

Mr Pugh said he felt like a "number two" to his son's murderer while arranging the funeral before she was charged.

"The aftermath of what went on - that's the bit I want to change," Mr Pugh said.

"That's a fitting legacy for him, and I do want something to happen," he added.

In an attempt to cover up her crime, Amy Pugh lied to emergency services that the injuries to an unresponsive Kyle Pugh were self-inflicted, but she was found guilty of murder at Stafford Crown Court in June 2025.

During sentencing, the judge told the court that if Pugh had called emergency services to their former shared home in Newport, Shropshire, sooner, Kyle might have lived. He died in hospital the following day.

When a person dies without leaving a will, their closest living relative becomes responsible for their estate, including their body.

Generally speaking, the hierarchy of next-of-kin means that spouses, even estranged, come before parents and other family members.

Kyle's family want this to change in circumstances like theirs where the spouse had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

But the position of next-of-kin has no legal status in England and Wales - it is up to the coroner who generally has one point of contact within the deceased's family.

The office of HM Coroner for Shropshire told the BBC it could not comment on individual cases.

In the time between Kyle's death and his estranged wife being charged with his murder, the Pugh family said they had to raise £4,000 in just one day in order to instruct a lawyer to write to the coroner, to prevent Kyle's body from being released to his murderer.

Adam Pearce, a long-time friend of Kyle, spoke of how he had to "set up a GoFundMe" to help cover the costs.

"It was troubling, but it was worth it in the end," he said, adding that "it would be best for other families not to go through that."

Mr Pearce said it was "unfair" that the Pugh family had to fight so hard for Kyle's body to be released to them.

"Something needs to change."

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "This was a horrendous crime and our condolences are with Kyle Pugh's family."

They added coroners were independent, and that "bereaved families can raise concerns with the coroner's office and, where necessary, challenge decisions".

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