A Hampshire, England, woman who had framed pictures of serial killers on her wall murdered her boyfriend in his sleep after discovering he had been messaging a teenage girl, a court heard today.
Shaye Groves, 27, was very "possessive" about lover Frankie Fitzgerald because of his "performance in the bedroom," with the couple's sex life involving a lot of bondage, dominance, submission and masochism (BDSM), jurors were told.
A Crime of Passion Driven by Jealousy
Groves - whose home features portraits of famous murderers - left a "massive gash" in Frankie Fitzgerald's throat during a frenzied attack that also saw him stabbed repeatedly in the chest after finding messages from the victim to another female, jurors at Winchester Crown Court heard on Friday morning during the opening of the trial.
She then proceeded to make a "false alibi" for herself, inspired by tips from true crime documentaries to avoid getting caught, the court heard. She tried to cover-up the crime by messaging her friend after the attack, saying Fitzgerald had left her address and that it was "over" between them, the court was told.
Prosecutor Steve Perian said: "The prosecution's case is that the defendant is a manipulative, possessive and jealous woman. And in the early hours of Sunday of July 17 she stabbed Frankie Fitzgerald multiple times with a knife in her bedroom and left him to die without seeking any medical assistance to save his life."
"When she stabbed him she either intended to kill or at very least cause him grievous bodily harm. The killing is very likely to be a crime of passion driven by her jealousy."
Groves Video Called Friend After the Murder, Confessed to the Killing
Groves admitted the murder to her friend Vicki Baitup during a video call at 7.45 am in which she was "laughing." She showed her the body covered in a duvet and "deep cut to his neck area." During the conversation the prosecutor said Groves confessed to the killing and said she "lost it" after she found a text conversation between Fitzgerald and a 13-year-old girl.
"She said they were lying in bed together and Frankie Fitzgerald was asleep," Perian said."The defendant was going through his messages and saw he had been talking to a 13-year-old girl. Then, while Mr Fitzgerald was asleep, she put a dagger in his throat waking him up. He moved and they started fighting."
Groves told Baitup she "just lost it' and "stabbed him in his neck." Baitup recalls at some point during the video chat, hearing Lauren White – Groves roommate saying, ''I'm going to crack.'' In response, Groves was heard telling White, ''You can't crack you're an accomplice, you put the bin bags under his body''
Groves Tried to Play the Victim When Cops Showed Up
The court heard that on the phone call with Baitup, Groves explained her logic, saying Fitzgerald had been "suicidal anyway" and that "it was alright, they'll just assume he has gone off and committed suicide."
"When asked what she was going to do with the body, the defendant replied ''it's alright, we are going to bury it in the back garden,'" Perian said.
However, Baitup reported Groves to the police. Footage from officers who arrived at the Leigh Park address was played to the court. Groves could be heard saying: "I was going to call you myself. I don't know what the f--k happened." She also claimed he tried to hurt her and said she had video footage of him raping and attacking her.
Groves Previously Tried to Harm Fitzgerald
Jurors were informed that there was a previous event where Mr Fitzgerald had called Groves the name of his ex-girlfriend, and Groves had wanted to "pick up my dagger straight in his neck." The court heard Groves had also made plans to use an ex-boyfriend and her cousin to "beat him up" and was even willing to "ask one of them to kick me" so she would 'look like a victim' too.
"These provide an insight into the defendant's mind to plan an attack on Mr Fitzgerald and engineer a situation she appears a victim," Perian said. Groves denies the murder and maintains she acted in self-defense. Her trial is expected to last four weeks.
