Zach Coughlan admits murdering housemate Jamie Collins in planned knife attack
Zach Coughlan, 23, has admitted at Bristol Crown Court to murdering his housemate Jamie Collins, 21, in a planned knife attack after lying in wait and trying to cover his tracks.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A 23-year-old man has admitted murdering his housemate in a planned knife attack after lying in wait for him outside their home in South Gloucestershire.
Zach Coughlan changed his plea at Bristol Crown Court and admitted murdering 21-year-old Jamie Collins. The court heard that Collins, a final-year engineering and robotics student, was stabbed 30 times in the neck and chest with a 15cm-long knife. He was weeks away from finishing university and had been excited about moving back home with his parents, his family said.
The prosecution described the killing as a careful and cold-blooded execution. The court heard that Coughlan had bought clothes hours before the attack, which the prosecution called a killer kit. Dressed in black, he waited for Collins to cycle home. The attack took place in the garden of the home they shared. Minutes later, Coughlan took Collins' bike, cycled to the shops, disposed of his blood-soaked clothes and bought a pizza. He then returned home and played video games while Collins was lying on the ground.
Coughlan waited eight hours before calling police. He initially denied murder and told police that injuries he suffered while attacking Collins came from climbing a tree. He also pretended to help Jamie, Collins' parents said in a statement read by police. They said the family had been sickened by his deception.
The court heard that Coughlan was also Collins' landlord and that there had been a disagreement about rent. The defence said Coughlan felt threatened by Collins. Coughlan had originally pleaded not guilty. Collins was described in court as someone who would never hold a grudge, who would never judge anyone, and as a supportive and understanding friend.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Coughlan waited around eight hours before contacting police. | |
| Jamie Collins was reported to have been stabbed 30 times in the neck and chest with a 15cm-long knife. | |
| Zach Coughlan changed his plea to guilty at Bristol Crown Court and admitted murdering Jamie Collins. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 led on the plea change and framed the case around the contrast between Coughlan's attempt to help and his deception. Its report gave a detailed timeline of the attack, including the purchase of clothes, the stolen bike, the pizza and the eight-hour delay before police were called. It also carried the victim's family statement and the prosecution description of a cold-blooded execution.
- “a careful and cold-blooded execution”
- “Our family has been sickened that Zach Coughlan pretended to help Jamie when, in fact, he was responsible for killing him.”
- “The 23-year-old originally pleaded not guilty, but today he admitted murdering his friend.”
Broadcast Timeline
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