THE mother of murdered woman Kerry Reeves bravely faced her "beautiful" daughter's killers as she shared her family's heartache before they were jailed for life.

Nicky Reeves courageously spoke for the first time about the moments after she discovered her "baby" and "best friend" had been "barbarically" gunned down in Abingdon.

Just metres away from murderers Billy Johnson and Charles Nobles, Ms Reeves took the stand at Oxford Crown Court to reveal the pain and anguish her family had suffered.

The drug-dealers, who were today handed life sentences, looked on with blank faces as Ms Reeves' emotional tribute to her eldest child moved many in the court room to tears.

She said: "I knew the second I saw Kerry [she] was gone and there was no coming back. Part of me died when Kerry died that day.

"If there is a God, I really don't think he is doing a very good job at the moment. Either that, or he does not really like me.

"Kerry's death is something I will never come to terms with. I'm now forever incomplete. I love her and I miss her."

Kerry Reeves' family speaking outside Oxford Crown Court 

Heroin dealers Johnson and Noble ambushed Miss Reeves on November 3 last year, shooting her just below her left eye with a sawn-off shotgun, from a distance of about six to 10 feet.

The 26-year-old was rushed to the John Radcliffe Hospital after the shooting by the masked men in Thornhill Walk, off Northcourt Road, but died two days later.

Her mother told the court she was forced to make the "worst decision" a parent could make after realising her daughter would never regain consciousness because of her "catastrophic" injuries.

She confessed she felt overwhelmed with guilt after switching off her daughter's life support machine 12 hours too early for her to be eligible for organ donation, which she said would have "helped others to live".

Ms Reeves added: "There is only one person that should be feeling the guilt that I am at the moment and that is the one who killed Kerry. The last image I have is Kerry lying in that hospital bed.

"I needed to be able to hug Kerry, just Kerry, not Kerry with the tubes coming out of her. I needed to hold Kerry for the last time."

Ms Reeves described the heart-wrenching pain of holding her hands over her ears to block out the "deafening" noise when the life support machine was switched off.

She continued to share the horrific ordeal of watching her daughter's life then be "sucked away" from her, which she said continues to haunt her to this day.

The mother went on to tell the court Miss Reeves' twin Luke no longer wants to celebrate his birthday as he feels like "half a person" after the death of his sister.

Ms Reeves said her daughter was in a "good place" before her death, working in a job she loved with Oxford City Council, where she was "respected" by her colleagues.

She deemed it "cruel" her daughter was snatched away from her just a week after Miss Reeves revealed she was in a relationship with a woman she was "very in love" with.

Ms Reeves added: "Kerry was intensely loyal and fun and it breaks my heart to know that cheeky girl will not be teasing me anymore."

Oxford Mail:

Billy Johnson captured on CCTV shortly after the killing 

Both dressed in suits, Johnson, 20, and Noble, 21, seemed unemotional when they heard they would be in their 40s by the time they are eligible for release from prison.

Paul Keleher QC, defending Johnson, said no evidence had been presented during the trial to suggest Johnson pulled the trigger.

He said prosecutors could not be sure the gunman intended to kill Miss Reeves, but may have just wanted to cause "serious harm".

Mr Keleher added: "The aim of such a weapon is extremely imprecise. It's one of the tragic factors of this case."

Ali Naseem Bajwa QC, defending Noble, said Noble did not shoot Miss Reeves, but did lend some assistance or encouragement to Johnson.

Judge Zoe Smith told Johnson he must serve a minimum of 25 years behind bars, while Noble will have to serve a minimum of 22 years.

She went on to tell Noble he had been swayed by a "misguided loyalty" to his childhood friend Johnson.

Sentencing, Judge Smith added: "When the confrontation occurred, albeit unexpectedly, the gun, was fired directly at Kerry. There is no suggestion that any attempt was made to shoot in the air or area of the body that would be less likely to be fatal."

The pair were unanimously convicted by a jury of seven women and four men last Friday after less than four hours of deliberation.

During the trial, jurors heard Miss Reeves and friend Craig Pitts had ignored warnings Johnson was armed with a gun when they scoured the town in search of him.

The court heard how Mr Pitts attacked Johnson in 2014 and how Mr Pitts was stabbed in his home by a trio of masked men a week before Miss Reeves was shot.

He and Miss Reeves, both carrying baseball bats, were with friend Craig Parslow, and followed Noble to confront him about the stabbing, believing Johnson was involved.

They spotted Noble near Brampton Close and followed him to Thornhill Walk, where Miss Reeves was gunned down moments later.

Oxford Mail:

LIFE IMPRISONMENT: (L-R Charles Noble and Billy Johnson)

Both were convicted of murder on Friday and after the hearing senior investigating officer Det Ch Insp Mike Lynch said: "It is with regret that neither of the men showed any remorse for taking the life of an innocent woman by shooting her at point blank range on that evening.

"Kerry’s murder has had a huge impact on her family and the community of Abingdon. Although there can be no sense of happiness at today's convictions, I hope there is a sense of justice for Kerry’s mother Nicky and her family.

"The conviction of these men would not have been possible if it was not for all of the witnesses who agreed to come forward from the community to give evidence. I commend them for this, as they have had to re-live the moment that Kerry’s life was tragically taken."

CCTV footage showing Billy Johnson walking through Abingdon on the night of the murder 

Johnson denied he had anything to do with the murder, taking the stand last Monday to tell jurors he would never have gunned down Miss Reeves.

He insisted witnesses who claimed they spotted him with a weapon were lying and said he was selling heroin in Abingdon at the time of the fatal shooting.

Father-of-two Noble refused to take the stand to give evidence during the trial to tell jurors his version of events.