Ex-soldier killed neighbours with Army dagger in parking row
A PARKING row prompted a former soldier to climb over his fence and murder his neighbours with a dagger he was given when he left the Army, a court has heard.
Collin Reeves, 35, is accused of murdering Stephen Chapple, 36, and his wife Jennifer, 33, in November, allegedly after a dispute over parking outside their homes in Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset, that had begun when the Chapple family bought a second car. On the night of the killing, Mr Reeves climbed the fence and entered through the back door before attacking the couple in the living room, as their two children slept upstairs, Bristol Crown Court was told yesterday.
Mr Reeves, a former commando engineer, stabbed the couple “multiple times”. Neither of his victims had any defensive injuries, indicating the speed of the attack, Adam Feest QC, prosecuting, told the court.
Mr Reeves carried out the stabbing with a ceremonial dagger, the court heard. Opening the case, Mr Feest told the jury that parking was “the cause of tension” between the two households. It had gone on for some time, starting in 2020 after Mrs Chapple learnt to drive and the family bought a second car.
“Although there were designated spaces, these were not always outside the house,” Mr Feest said. “With two cars on a single space this caused problems.”
Although the parking did not block access to Mr Reeves’s drive, the prosecutor said, it did require him to manoeuvre around the car. There had been earlier confrontations, including an incident caught on a doorbell camera, which showed the defendant approaching Mrs Chapple and being abusive towards her. The court heard that the parking row spilled over on the night of Nov 21 last year when Mr Reeves was told by his wife that she “couldn’t put up with him any more”.
He responded by smashing a picture frame and grabbing his Army dagger, before going to the Chapples’ home. Mrs Chapple’s screams were picked up on cameras, while Mr Reeves could be heard shouting: “Die, you f-----s, die!”
Mrs Chapple suffered six stab wounds to her upper chest and shoulder, causing fatal injuries to a major blood vessel and her heart. She did not even have a chance to stand up from the sofa, Mr Feest said. Her husband was found close to the rear door and had also suffered six stab wounds as well as three other minor injuries.
After the killings, Mr Reeves climbed back over the fence and telephoned the police to tell them he had stabbed his neighbours. The jury was told that Mr Reeves had admitted killing the couple and pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder, as he claims he was suffering an “abnormality of mental functioning”. The trial continues.