Student pleads guilty to murdering housemate in Filton

Zack Coughlan, 23, has pleaded guilty to the murder of his housemate, Jamie Collins, 21, at Bristol Crown Court. The two were final-year robotics students at the University of the West of England who shared a home in Filton, South Gloucestershire.

The court heard that the attack occurred on April 8, when Coughlan, wearing a mask and gloves, ambushed Collins in the garden of their residence. Prosecutors described the incident as a ‘carefully planned and cold-blooded execution’ in which Collins was stabbed 30 times. Following the attack, Coughlan left Collins to die in an alleyway, discarded the victim's bicycle, and attempted to hide his bloodstained clothing by weighing it down with bricks in a pond.

After the incident, Coughlan returned to the shared house, where he ate pizza and played video games before calling emergency services at approximately 2 a.m. to report finding the body. Coughlan had previously attempted to argue a partial defense of manslaughter due to loss of control, but a judge ruled this could not be considered by the jury. Sentencing is scheduled to take place this Wednesday.