Bristol student calls 999 after finding his housemate dead in the garden. Then he shows police his own CCTV and they realize what he really did
This is truly heartbreaking.
Zack Coughlan has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 28 years after he murdered his housemate, Jamie Collins. The 23-year-old student, who shared a home with his victim in Filton, South Gloucestershire, initially denied the killing before changing his plea to guilty at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday, October 20.
In a report by The Guardian, the attack took place on April 8, 2026, shortly before 6:00 PM. Collins was returning home from the University of the West of England, where both men studied robotics, when he was ambushed in the garden. Coughlan had prepared for the encounter by dressing in black and wearing a mask and gloves. He proceeded to stab Collins 30 times, leaving him in an alleyway before fleeing the scene on the victim’s bike.
The planning involved in this crime is chilling. After dumping the bike at a retail park, Coughlan bought new clothes and hid his bloodstained garments in a pond, using bricks to weigh down the bags. He then returned to their shared home around 9:00 PM. Remarkably, he proceeded to cook a pizza and play online games with friends as if nothing had happened.
Coughlan pretended to have just discovered his housemate’s body at first
His attempts to cover his tracks continued into the early hours of the next day. At approximately 2:00 AM, Coughlan called 999 and claimed he had just discovered the body of his housemate in their garden. When police arrived, he even showed them footage from the home security cameras installed at the property. He clearly expected this footage to act as an alibi, but it ultimately served as evidence of his own actions. Police initially treated him as a witness, but the investigation quickly turned toward him.
Evidence against Coughlan piled up quickly. Investigators found his blood on the stolen bike, and his phone activity tracked with the movements caught on the cameras. He also had visible injuries to his hands, which he tried to explain away by telling people he had fallen while climbing trees. In a final act of manipulation, he even told a university friend that he wanted to hold a memorial service for Collins.
Mr Justice Linden delivered the sentencing on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. He dismissed Coughlan’s claims that Collins had threatened him, instead labeling the victim a gentle soul. The judge noted that the victim was caught entirely unaware and was unable to defend himself. He added that the true motive for the attack remains unknown.
Collins’ family is heavily grieving about the incident
The family of Jamie Collins, who was originally from Swansea, shared their grief in a statement read in court. They expressed that their family has been sickened that Zack Coughlan pretended to help Jamie when, in fact, he was responsible for killing him. They described the pain of having to explain the situation repeatedly, noting that his death has affected their family in a deep, profound, and lasting way.
This case stands out for the calculated nature of the deception. The fact that the evidence he chose to present to the police ended up being the very thing that proved his guilt is a grim irony. The court proceedings have now concluded, leaving the family of the victim to deal with the aftermath of a senseless and brutal loss.
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