Student Pleads Guilty to Murdering Housemate Over Rent Dispute
Zack Coughlan, 23, pleaded guilty to murdering his housemate Jamie Collins, 21. The plea came after a legal ruling by the trial judge.
- 30 stab wounds were inflicted in the 8 April attack in Filton.
- 8 hours passed before Coughlan called 999 to report the body.
- Both men were final-year robotics students at UWE Bristol.
- Coughlan owned the three-bedroom house the two men shared.
Why it matters: Mr Justice Linden ruled jurors could not consider a partial defense of loss of control. That defense could have led to a manslaughter verdict instead of murder.
- Coughlan had admitted the killing but denied murder.
- He told jurors he feared Collins would kill him after a rent dispute.
- Prosecutor Adam Vaitilingam KC called it a planned execution.
How 4 sources split on this story
Where they split: Coverage differs on motive: the rent dispute was resolved in one account and remains unexplained by police in another.
Center coverage, 1 sources: The center focuses on the rent dispute and Coughlan's claim that he acted out of fear.
Left coverage, 1 sources: The left focuses on the prosecution's case that the killing was carefully planned and executed.
Right coverage, 2 sources: The right focuses on the CCTV footage and Coughlan's conduct after the attack.
What’s next: Coughlan is scheduled to be sentenced on Wednesday morning.
- What drove the killing, which Det Ch Insp Lucy Edgeworth said is not clear?
- What sentence and minimum term will the judge set?
