University student who ‘stabbed housemate 30 times to death’ appeared ‘incredibly shocked’ when police arrived, court hears
Zack Coughlan, 23, accepts killing his housemate Jamie Collins, 21, but denies murder, Bristol Crown Court heard. A fellow housemate told the court that Coughlan appeared “incredibly shocked” when police arrived at their home after Collins was found dead. The case matters because jurors are hearing evidence about the events and relationship between the two men as they consider the murder charge.
Charlie Latimer said he returned from shopping on 8 April, later noticed the garden gate was open and heard banging at about 2am. Police found Collins’s body in the garden; Latimer said officers initially asked about “James”, not recognising the name as Collins, known to friends as “Jam”. The three students shared a robotics course, and Latimer described an earlier disagreement over rent: payments fell from £650 to £500 a month before the housemates contributed only to bills. Coughlan is alleged to have left Collins in an alleyway and cycled away on his bicycle.
- Zack Coughlan admits killing Jamie Collins but denies murder.
- A housemate told court Coughlan looked shocked when police arrived.
- The court heard rent payments had fallen before the alleged killing.
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The case concerns the death of Jamie Collins, a 21-year-old student who shared a house with Zack Coughlan, also a student. Coughlan accepts that he killed Collins but denies murder, so jurors must consider whether the evidence supports the murder charge.
A fellow housemate, Charlie Latimer, has described the students’ shared home and an earlier disagreement about rent. Collins was known to friends as “Jam”, while police initially asked about “James”. The evidence about the housemates’ relationship and what happened at the home forms part of the case jurors are hearing.
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The case for
Coughlan accepts that he killed Collins but denies murder, so the jury must decide whether the evidence establishes the legal and factual basis for that more serious charge. His reported shock when police arrived and the history of a rent disagreement may be relevant context, but neither alone establishes what he intended or what happened; the defence can argue that the prosecution must prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The case against
The prosecution can argue that the circumstances described, including the allegation that Collins was stabbed repeatedly and left in an alleyway, support a finding of murder rather than a lesser form of unlawful killing. Coughlan’s apparent shock on the police’s arrival does not by itself undermine that case, and jurors may weigh it alongside the other evidence about the events and the men’s relationship.