Matalan killer claimed he was a product of society
A JILTED lover stabbed his former girlfriend and her new boyfriend to death and then claimed on Facebook that he was a “product of society”, a court was told yesterday.
Andrew Saunders, 21, spent weeks searching for ways to get revenge and “16 steps to kill someone and not get caught” before he ambushed Zoe Morgan, 21, and Lee Simmons, 33, outside a Matalan store in Cardiff.
He stabbed the couple eight times each and then drove home and texted his father, telling him: “Thanks for being a pathetic, useless father. Just killed two people. Cheers.” Just 45 minutes after the killing the hotel worker also posted “F---” on Facebook and “Product of society”.
Miss Morgan had been in a relationship with “controlling” Saunders from June 2014 until July 2016. When she told him their relationship was over he accused her of cheating on him and said he would “kill whoever it is”.
She began dating Mr Simmons, whom she met while working at the clothing store, and their families said that they had “found love”.
But when Simmonds discovered the relationship he contacted his rival on Facebook, telling him that he would kill him and “smash his f------ head in”. In the weeks leading up to the murders Saunders began searching for “the easiest way to kill a person”, “how many then years for killing a person”, “16 steps to kill someone and not get caught” and “how long do murderers serve in prison”, Philip Bennett QC, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court.
He also searched for guns and how to make pipe bombs before purchasing two knives and latex gloves from Morrisons to use in the killings a week later.
Then, in the early hours of September 28, he searched online for “motivation for killing”, “motivation for revenge” and “revenge motivational video” and finally “how to slice a neck” and “how to smoke a cigar”.
He left his home at 4.41am and was seen standing by phone boxes near Matalan before he walked up to Miss Morgan and Mr Simmons and began attacking his rival as he shouted “please”, “help, help, help” and “stop, stop”.
Miss Morgan tried to pull Saunders off Mr Simmons, but he warned her: “I’m coming for you next.” Saunders took a second knife, measuring about 10 inches, from his rucksack and chased her up the street where he stabbed her eight times, before “casually” walking up to Mr Simmons and picking up the knife and leaving the scene.
As officers started the search for Saunders he phoned his mother and returned home at 6.10am, where he sent the message to his father.
His sister called 999, telling officers he had arrived home with blood on him and had a gun and was saying that he had killed the couple. When police arrived Saunders told them: “I’m sorry, you know sometimes you just snap,” before asking “are they both dead?”.
Saunders left a letter at his home, suggesting that he was intending to take his own life. “You know you are messed up when you think like I do,” he wrote. “Thinking of shooting up Cardiff every day for months and years is pretty dark.”
Saunders, of Castleton, near Cardiff, admitted murder at a previous hearing and will be sentenced today when the judge will set a minimum term.