The family of a student from Swansea who was murdered by his housemate have revealed they initially felt sorry for their son's killer before the horrifying truth was revealed.
Zack Coughlan, 23, ambushed Jamie Collins, 21, in the garden of their home in Filton, South Gloucestershire, and stabbed him 30 times. Coughlan left Mr Collins, who was from Swansea and studying at the University of West of England, dying in the alleyway as he cycled away on the victim's bike.
Coughlan had denied murder but changed his plea to guilty on Tuesday.
The Attack and Deception
Mr Collins was attacked shortly before 6pm on April 8 this year after cycling home from university where he was studying robotics alongside his killer.
After committing what was described in court as a "carefully planned and cold-blooded execution", Coughlan dumped Mr Collins' bike at a nearby retail park, bought a change of clothes, and threw his bloodstained clothing in a pond in carrier bags weighed down with bricks.
He returned to the house, ate a pizza, and played video games. At around 2am he called 999 to say he had just discovered Mr Collins' body in the back garden.
But the attack was caught on CCTV and the defendant's blood was found on Mr Collins' bike. He also had injuries to his hands and he told people who saw him bleeding that he had been climbing trees and had fallen and hurt himself.
Family's Statement
After the murder Coughlan told a university friend he wanted to hold a memorial for his housemate.
In a statement issued following the guilty plea Mr Collins' family said his death had "affected our family in a deep, profound, and lasting way". They said they initially felt sorry for Coughlan.
"As a family we have had to explain repeatedly to people what has happened," they said. "Every time we do so it reinforces the pain of him having been killed so suddenly and in such a senseless and brutal way."
"Our family has been sickened that Zack Coughlan pretended to help Jamie when in fact he is responsible for killing him. We even felt sympathy for Zack at the start, and asked police if he was okay, because of how he had initially deceived everyone."
The family said Mr Collins had almost completed his degree and had only two further pieces of coursework to finish when he died.
"Jamie was a sensitive and caring young man. His passion for equality stood out to everyone who knew him. His unapologetic inclusivity will be his legacy for all of us," they said.
"Jamie was incredibly bright and he had a promising future ahead of him. He had only two pieces of coursework to complete for his robotics degree before he was going to come home in a matter of weeks."
"Jamie had accumulated enough results that he was awarded a 2:1 degree. We were pleased to see his friends collect their degrees but it was another emotional and painful reminder of what we have lost.
"Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who has supported us over the past six months. To see so many of Jamie's friends in the public gallery at court was truly overwhelming. We will never forget people's kindness."
Investigation and Sentencing
Detective chief inspector Lucy Edgeworth, who led the investigation, said: "Coughlan made out he was scared of Jamie and said he lost control out of fear for his life.
"Not a single shred of evidence to support that claim was found during our investigation and it was not an account he shared with police during three interviews after he was arrested."
In court Coughlan admitted to lying in the hours and days after the murder.
"Yet he still tried to turn the tables and blame Jamie for the vicious murder he committed, when Jamie is tragically no longer able to defend his name."
Coughlan lied continuously to protect himself – whether it to be to police or his friends about what happened.
Coughlan, of Cleve Road, Filton, will be sentenced on Wednesday morning.
