Rat-catcher killed his friend to cover up the 'Midsomer murder Lt Col Workman, recommending he serve a minimum of 40 years. He was already serving life for shooting Mr Moss. The judge described Docherty-Puncheon as an "exceptionally dangerous man." Lt Col Workman's murder shocked the quiet community of Furneux Pelham in Hertfordshire. After answering the doorbell at Cock House on the evening of Jan 7 2004, the former soldier was shot at point blank range. A mysterious call was made to the emergency services in the early hours, using an old name for the house and an old spelling of the village, but an ambulance was unable to find the location. The victim was discovered on the doorstep the next morning by his part-time carer. Docherty-Puncheon was arrested shortly afterwards, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided there was insufficient evidence to charge him. But he later confessed, separately, to two cell mates. Docherty-Puncheon, who had been employed to remove a wasp's nest from the property, told one that he had been acting as a hitman, while telling the other that he had a sexual relationship with Lt Col Workman. It was also suggested during the trial that Lt Col Workman had been threatening to expose an earlier crime. The retired officer's wife Joanna had died months before, but police discovered that he had led a double life in the 1960s, frequenting gay bars in London. Docherty-Puncheon, who is openly gay, told his cell mate that the officer had been "wealthy and generous." The judge said: "[Lt Col Workman] was living out a peaceful retirement in a cottage in a small village in rural Hertfordshire when his life was brutally cut short." He added: "I cannot say for certain what the reason for the attack was ... Maybe we will never know." But he added: "I am satisfied so that I am sure in the light of the verdicts that these killings were connected." Detectives now believe that Mr Moss's murder was an attempt to cover up the earlier killing. Lt Col Workman's closest family, who live in Australia, said a statement: "Riley was a loving and loyal man who is remembered fondly by all of his family and friends. Since his murder we have struggled to come to terms with how someone could so brutally kill another human being - particularly a defenceless 83-year-old who was so frail and desolate at the loss of his beloved wife.