The inquests on two half-brothers found murdered and a third man who apparently committed suicide have been opened and adjourned.

Keen poet Andrew Walker, 26, and student Alex Woodcraft, 17, were discovered at the home of the older brother in Reynolds Drive, Lincoln, with gunshot wounds on 5 August.

Detectives believe the brothers had been on a pub crawl just hours before they were murdered.

Three days later the body of 35-year-old Jeremy Earls was found in his car parked on a farm track at Kelby, near Sleaford, Lincs.

House swap

Police wanted to trace him in connection with the double-murder.

A post-mortem examination concluded he had died from a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head.

He and Mr Walker had taken part in a council flat-swap which involved each moving into the other's home, with Mr Earls relocating to Wilson Close, in Cambridge.

Detectives investigating the double-murder are waiting for the results of tests on a gun found in Mr Earls' car to establish whether it was the one used to kill the two brothers.

The inquests were opened in Lincoln and adjourned to a date to be fixed.