Trial begins of a man accused of a double murder in Norton Fitzwarren
Collin Reeves who's 34 is accused of intentionally killing married couple Stephen and Jennifer Chapple at their home in Dragon Rise in November.
Last updated 8th Jun 2022
A former soldier stabbed a young married couple in their home while their children slept upstairs using the ceremonial dagger given to him when he left the Army, a court has heard.
Collin Reeves is on trial at Bristol Crown Court accused of the murder of his neighbours Stephen and Jennifer Chapple in Dragon Rise, Norton Fitzwarren, near Taunton in Somerset, on the evening of November 21.
Reeves of Dragon Rise denies murder but admits manslaughter.
Reeves, also of Dragon Rise, had been involved in a long-running dispute with the couple over designated parking on the new-build housing development, the court heard.
On the night of the killing, the 34-year-old defendant climbed the fence separating his garden from the victims', and entered via the back door.
He then launched a frenzied minute-long attack on the couple in their living room, stabbing both "multiple times" in the living room, the court heard.
Mrs Chapple, 33, suffered six stab wounds to her upper chest and shoulder, causing fatal injuries to a major blood vessel and her heart, prosecutor Adam Feest QC said.
She did not even have a chance to stand up from the sofa to defend herself, Mr Feest said.
Mr Chapple, 36, was found close to the rear door and had also suffered six stab wounds as well as three other minor injuries.
Neither had any defensive injuries, Mr Feest said, indicating the speed of the attack.
The jury was told that Reeves, who was a commando engineer with the British Army, has admitted killing the couple and has pleaded guilty to their manslaughter.
He claims he was suffering an "abnormality of mental functioning", and jurors were told it will be their job to decide whether this was true.
After the killings, Reeves climbed back over the fence and telephoned the police to tell them he had stabbed his neighbours.
Just a few days before the attack, Mrs Chapple was the victim of a "particularly unpleasant verbal assault" by Reeves, Mr Feest said, captured on the victims' Ring Doorbell camera.
Reeves had also been suffering problems in his own marriage, the jury was told.
Mr Feest said: "Whether it was this parking dispute, tensions within the defendant's marriage, or a combination of these things which led the defendant to kill his neighbours is unclear.
"When he was questioned by the police in interview about his actions, the defendant chose to exercise his right to silence."
The jury was told it will hear evidence from two psychiatrists about Reeves' mental state.
The trial, which is expected to last for eight days, continues.