An ex-commando was found guilty of murdering his two neighbors over a parking dispute. He is facing life in prison.
Collin Reeves, 35, has been on trial for the murder of his neighbors, Jennifer and Stephen Chapple since November of 2021 at Bristol Crown Court in England. The murder weapon was a ceremonial dagger.
CCTV footage captured the ex-soldier scaling a garden fence and entering his neighbors’ home screaming, “Die you f**kers, die!”
Once inside, he stabbed Jennifer, 33, and Stephen, 36.
Reeves lived next door to the Chapples and had fallen out with the couple over a parking dispute. He had several angry exchanges with the pair and called Mrs. Chapple a “f**king c***” and a “fat bitch”.
The ex-soldier admits that he stabbed the couple but denies murder. He pleaded to a lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Reeves is an Afghanistan veteran who underwent rigorous commando training and served with the Royal Engineers. He used the ceremonial dagger he had been given when he left the army to kill the Chapples.
The jury heard that Reeves had been having trouble in his marriage and his wife, Kayley, had asked for a trial separation just 40 minutes before the attack.
After the murders occurred, Reeves can be heard in the background of an emergency call telling someone, “I couldn’t let her torment Kayley anymore.”
Forensic psychiatrist for the defense Dr. Lucy Bacon found Reeves to be suffering from moderate depression at the time the murders took place.
She believes the depression played a part in the murders, but she doesn’t think it caused him to do what he did therefore finding that he did not meet the criteria for diminished responsibility.
She also noted that he regressed to Army mode while at the police station and possibly during the killings. He gave his name as “Lance Corporal Collin Reeves” and was quoted as saying, “I was just doing my job- it was an operation.”
Later, at the trial, Reeves said, “I feel ashamed- disgusted with myself for what I’ve done. For the pain and suffering I caused.
“The two boys will never see their mum and dad again because of me. I cannot understand why I did it.”
Reeves claimed he could not remember a time between sitting at the bottom of the steps with the dagger crying and the time he was back in the living room with his wife screaming.
Forensic psychiatrist for the prosecution, Dr. John Sanford refers to this as dissociative amnesia and said it was not a contributing factor to the murders.
“The main factor in committing this offense is about the dispute between the two families,” Sanford said.
The Chappels’ family released a statement that included the following quotes.
“We now ask that we are left to process this in our own way, to be able to grieve properly and move forward as best we can.
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“We will now focus on Jennifer and Stephen’s beautiful boys helping them to live the life that Jennifer and Stephen would have wished for them.”
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