A “possessive” true-crime fan who had pictures of serial killers framed on her wall murdered her boyfriend in her sleep after discovering he had texted a teenage girl, a court heard today.
Shaye Groves was “obsessed” with lover Frankie Fitzgerald for his “bedroom performance.”
Groves – whose home features portraits of killers – is said to have launched a “passionate” attack on her lover as he lay in bed, stabbing him 22 times and causing “catastrophic” blood loss.
She then made up a “fake alibi,” inspired by tips from true crime documentaries, to avoid getting caught, the court heard.
Shaye Groves, pictured, was ‘obsessed’ with lover Frankie Fitzgerald for his ‘bedroom appearance’
The 27-year-old mother-of-one tried to “cover her ass” by texting her friend after the attack, saying Mr Fitzgerald had left her address and called the same friend who was “laughing” at the incident communicated to the court.
Groves denies murdering him in a “crime of passion” on July 17 last year at her home in Havant, Hants.
Steven Perian, Prosecutor, opened the case at Winchester Crown Court in Hampshire and said Groves and Mr Fitzgerald had rekindled an old relationship after meeting at a pub in Cosham, Hampshire, in January last year.
Speaking to jurors, Mr. Perian said: “Her sex life involved bondage, dominance submission and masochism – BDSM.
Frankie Fitzgerald, pictured, was allegedly stabbed 22 times by his lover and suffered “catastrophic” blood loss
“She was probably obsessed with Frankie Fitzgerald because of his performance in the bedroom.
“The charge is that the defendant is a manipulative, possessive and jealous woman.
“She stabbed Frankie Fitzgerald multiple times and left him to die without help.”
He added: “When she stabbed him multiple times, she either wanted to kill him or at least cause him grievous bodily harm.
“The murder was very likely a crime of passion driven by her jealousy.”
The court heard Grove video calling her friend Vikki Baitup after the alleged murder and “admitted the murder.”
Police at the scene on Boltley Drive, Havant, following the suspected murder of Mr Fitzgerald
Mr Perian told jurors about the call and continued: “The defendant went into the bedroom three times and showed the body of Frankie Fitzgerald covered with a bed sheet.
“She said they were in bed together and Frankie Fitzgerald was asleep.
“The defendant checked his messages and saw that he had spoken to a 13-year-old girl. Then, while Mr. Fitzgerald slept, she stuck a dagger down his throat and woke him up. He moved and they started fighting.’
Groves told Ms Baitup she “just lost it” and “stabbed him in the neck”.
He continued: “While the defendant was on video chat, she could be seen cleaning the bookshelf with blood on it. She showed a book and showed bloodstains.
Ms Baitup reported the incident to police and said: “I observe crime scenes but this is too real – there was a massive laceration on his neck.”
“Ms. Baitup recalls at some point during the video chat she heard Lauren White – a lady who lives with the defendant – say, ‘I’m going to crack,'” he added.
“The defendant said to Ms. White: ‘You can’t crack, you’re an accomplice, you put the garbage bags under his body.
The court heard Groves sent a message to Ms Baitup to create a “false alibi” to “cover her ass” where she claimed Mr Fitzgerald “walked out on her” and that it was between them ” over”. two of you.
The court heard Groves explaining her logic on the phone call with Ms Baitup, saying Mr Fitzgerald was “suicidal anyway” and “it was fine, they’ll just assume he left and committed suicide”.
“When asked what she was going to do with the body, the defendant replied, ‘It’s fine, we’ll bury her in the back garden,'” Mr Perian said.
Ms Baitup reported the incident to police and said: “I observe crime scenes but this is too real – there was a massive laceration on his neck.”
The jury heard a pathologist’s report, which explained that Mr Fitzgerald was stabbed 17 times in the chest, twice in other areas of the chest and three times in the neck – resulting in his death from “multiple perforations of the heart and lungs” and “catastrophic… blood ‘led loss’.
Footage of officers arriving at the scene was played to the court, which reported an “incredibly strong” smell of bleach in the bedroom.
Groves could be heard saying, “I was going to call you myself. I don’t know what the hell happened.
She also claimed he tried to hurt her and said she had video footage of him raping and assaulting her.
‘He’s dead. He’s in my room, it’s a mess, it’s really a mess.
“I still took someone’s life. The knife I used is in the sink – the cut on his neck is pretty bad, when I put it down his throat he passed out.”
The jury was informed that there was a previous event at which Mr Fitzgerald Groves had given his ex-girlfriend’s name and Groves wanted to “put my dagger right down his throat”.
The court heard Groves had also made plans to use an ex-boyfriend and her cousin to “beat him up,” and was even willing to “ask one of them to kick me” so they “like too.” looked like a victim”.
“These provide insight into the defendants’ thoughts on planning an attack on Mr. Fitzgerald and constructing a situation in which she appears as a victim,” he said.
Explaining how she knew how to “construct” this situation, he continued, “The defendant had a lot of gangster books, like Charles Bronson.
“She has framed pictures of serial killers on her wall and watches murder documentaries.
“The Crown says she was familiar from reading and watching these things: a crime scene, how to create a fake narrative, and how to create a fake alibi.
“From hearing the evidence, it can be concluded that she set up a false narrative that she abused, created a false alibi that she sent to Vikki Baitup and cleaned up a crime scene after seeing the documentaries has.”
Groves denies the murder and claims she acted in self-defense. The process, which is expected to take four weeks, continues.