My daughter was beaten to death then dumped in suitcase by her husband...I'm haunted by thought she screamed out for me

NO ONE will ever know what Kirsty Grabham was thinking in her final moments as her husband beat her to death.

The 24-year-old model was violently attacked by Paul Grabham at their home in Swansea, Wales after a night out.

Kirsty was beaten and strangled to death

Her husband Paul Grabham stuffed her mutilated body into a suitcase

Mama Cathy talked about her ordeal

Grabham was locked up for at least 19 yearsCredit: Wales News Service

Grabham then tried to cut the model in half before stuffing her mutilated body into a coffin and throwing it through a car window on the M4.

When she was finally found 10 days later, police discovered Kirsty was “still warm” when she was crushed in the bag – suggesting she may still have been alive.

This terrifying theory is one that has haunted her mum Cathy Broomfield in the 15 years since the brutal murder.

She is also haunted by her daughter’s final moments and fears that Kirsty may have been calling out to her with her dying breath as her life was cruelly snuffed out by the violent and controlling Grabham.

Speaking on Discovery+ documentary The Suitcase Murders, the tearful mum said: “Knowing she didn’t die straight away is a real kick in the teeth. She really, really is.

“I can only imagine how he grabbed her like a rag doll because of her size to him – he must have been bouncing her off the walls and kicking and punching her, breaking her nose and jaw and then shoving her into that suitcase.”

Cathy continued: “She really didn’t deserve this, no one does. All I can think about is her screaming at me as they kill her: ‘Mom, where are you? Now you’re not looking after me. Why aren’t you here?’ ‘

“What was she thinking when she was beaten to death?”

Kirsty and Grabham had only married just four months before the brutal murder in April 2009.

Although it was a tumultuous romance, the model always wanted a husband and a family and seemed happy at first.

Creepy moment: Husband who killed bride on their wedding night drives suitcase after stuffing her body inside

But soon cracks began to appear in their relationship and Grabham’s “Prince Charming” mask quickly slipped.

In a chilling diary entry before her death, Kirsty wrote: “Paul, I don’t know why you went crazy tonight for no reason, you just went crazy and flew away.

“I was sitting here on the edge of the sofa wondering what you were going to do next.”

On March 27, 2009, the pair went out in Swansea but Grabham sped off and took a taxi home.

Kirsty later returned home and texted a friend saying her husband was sleeping on the floor so she could go to bed alone.

Three days later, Grabham walked into the police station and reported her missing – but didn’t leave out key details from the last night Kirsty was seen alive.

Brutal killing

The police soon discovered that the couple had a heated argument while they were out and that there was domestic abuse in their relationship.

Grabham had been on the internet looking for sex, before strangling Kirsty.

Officers believed they had a prime suspect but struggled to find proof – especially as they still didn’t have a body.

But on April 4, Grabham was arrested on suspicion of murder and the police were able to search the marital home.

They discovered bloodstains on the walls and ceiling which had been painted over – suggesting it had been a violent attack.

Then, two days later, a lorry driver discovered a hand with a wedding ring in a coffin on the M4.

Kirsty’s bones were broken in the act of “savagery” so she could have been crushed into a sack.

It was like from a horror movie, she was in such a state. You couldn’t even recognize what a beautiful girl she was

Cathy’s mom

Grabham also tried to cut his wife in half before placing her still-warm body inside.

Police were able to establish that the garbage bags used to wrap Kirsty’s feet matched those used by the couple in their home.

Mum Cathy said: “The police told me a young woman’s body was found in a coffin. I remember trying to get up and I wanted to fall again

“We went into that morgue and I kept denying it. Seeing your child end up in the morgue so beaten beyond recognition.

“I didn’t want it to be Kirsty, it didn’t look like Kirsty. It wasn’t Kirsty to me. It was like something out of a horror film, she was in that state. You couldn’t even recognize her, she was a beautiful girl – her nose was broken, her jaw was was broken.

“I kissed her on the forehead and on the right cheek – that’s all I was allowed to do. I couldn’t even hold her hand – she was proof.”

Grabham was charged with murder but put Kirsty’s family through the agony of a full trial.

The killer claimed that intruders must have broken in while he was sleeping and killed his wife.

You stuffed her bloody and still warm body into the suitcase like trash, hoping that it wouldn’t be found for many more years.

Mr. Justice Butterfield

But jurors saw through his lies and he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 19 years after pleading guilty to murder.

Judge Butterfield told Grabham his actions were “cold and calculated” and without remorse.

“I have watched throughout this trial for the slightest hint of remorse in your eyes and I have not seen it,” he said.

“You’ve been convicted of murder – just a year after you promised to love and cherish your new bride, you beat and strangled her to death.

“You stuffed her bloody and still warm body into a coffin like trash, hoping it wouldn’t be found for years to come.”

How you can get help

Women’s Aid has the following advice for victims and their families:

Always keep your phone nearby.
Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
If you are in danger, call 999.
Learn about the silent solution, by reporting abuse without speaking into the handset, instead of dialing “55”.
Always have some cash with you, including change for a payphone or bus ticket.
If you suspect that your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a less risky part of the house – for example, where there is an exit and access to a telephone.
Avoid the kitchen and garage, where knives or other weapons are likely to be found. Avoid rooms where you could become trapped, such as a bathroom or where you could be locked in a closet or other small space.

If you are a victim of domestic abuse, the SupportLine is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during a crisis – [email protected].

Women’s Aid offers a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am to 6pm and weekends from 10am to 6pm.

You can also call the free 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

Although Grabham is finally behind bars, Cathy’s heartbreak continued when her eldest daughter Hayley drank herself to death after struggling with the loss.

Determined to share her horrific experiences to help others, she wrote a book about the double loss.

A brave mother helped other victims of domestic abuse.

Speaking about Kirsty’s suffering, she said: “A baby and a beautiful marriage, that’s all she needed, but unfortunately she never got it because of evil.

“In the short time she’s been here on earth, she’s really made an impact — a long-lasting one.”