A rat-catcher was jailed for life yesterday after being convicted of murdering a retired Army colonel.
Christopher Docherty-Puncheon, 33, executed Lt Col Robert "Riley" Workman, 83, in cold blood.
He blasted the Second World War veteran with a sawn-off shotgun as he answered the door of his rural cottage.
The killing was dubbed the Midsomer Murder and became one of Britain's most notorious unsolved cases.
Docherty-Puncheon was only brought to justice after confessing to a cellmate while behind bars on another murder charge.
He boasted he was a "modern day hitman" and had killed Lt Col Workman for cash.
Docherty-Puncheon was told he must serve a minimum of 32 years before he is considered for parole.
He has already served eight years of another life sentence for the murder of traveller Fred Moss.
Mr Justice Saunders told him: "Lt Col Workman was 83 when he was shot down.
"He was unarmed and in poor health. He had neither the capacity not the opportunity to defend himself."
The judge said the motive for the brutal attack may never be known.
He added: "It goes without saying, from what has been proved against the defendant in two trials that he is an exceptionally dangerous man.
"Lt Col Workman was killed at the door of his cottage in Furneux Pelham, Herts, on January 7, 2004.
Docherty-Puncheon, then using the name Chris Nudds, was held but released without charge due to lack of evidence.
Police later charged him with murdering his friend Fred Moss, 21, in November 2004.
While Docherty-Puncheon was awaiting trial he bragged about killing wealthy widower Lt Col Workman after working for him as a pest controller.
He told how he hatched a murder plot when the war hero threatened to tell police his pal Moss was involved in drugs.
He claimed he then killed Moss because the traveller knew too much about the colonel's death.
Richard Latham QC, prosecuting, told the jury at St Albans crown court: "He described how the colonel had turned and was shot. He is someone who is capable of a cold-blooded execution."
In 2006, Docherty-Puncheon was convicted of killing Moss. He was charged with Lt Col Workman's murder in July 2010 following a cold case review.
Docherty-Puncheon, who lived in Stocking Pelham, Herts, claimed he was innocent of both killings.
He showed no emotion yesterday as the jury delivered its verdict after a five-week trial.
Lt Col Workman served in the Army for 25 years and received the Burma Star medal.
His family, who live in Australia, yesterday issued a statement saying: "Riley was a loving and loyal man who is remembered fondly by all his family and friends.
"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."
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