A university student in Bristol has pleaded guilty to the murder of his housemate after stabbing him 30 times in a premeditated attack. Zack Coughlan, 23, admitted to killing Jamie Collins, 21, in the garden of their shared home in Filton on April 8.

The attack took place shortly before 6 p.m. as Collins returned from UWE Bristol, where both men were final-year robotics students. According to court proceedings at Bristol Crown Court, Coughlan had waited for Collins to arrive before ambushing him while wearing black clothing, a mask, and gloves. The assault was captured on CCTV installed at the property on Cleve Road, footage which Coughlan showed to responding officers who initially treated him as a witness.

Prosecutors described the stabbing as a "carefully planned and cold-blooded execution." After attacking Collins, Coughlan left him dying in an alleyway and took Collins’s bicycle to flee the scene. He was later shown to have discarded the bike at a nearby retail park, purchased a change of clothes, and disposed of his bloodstained clothing in a pond, concealed inside weighted carrier bags.

Coughlan returned to the house around 9 p.m., put a pizza in the oven, and played online games. At approximately 2 a.m., he contacted emergency services claiming to have just discovered Collins’s body.

The defendant initially denied murder, asserting a defense of manslaughter due to loss of control, but changed his plea to guilty after the trial judge ruled that defense could not be considered by the jury. Forensic evidence linked Coughlan to the crime, including his blood found on Collins’s bicycle and mobile phone data corroborating his movements captured on CCTV.

Both men were originally from Swansea. Coughlan is of half Danish descent and grew up in Cork, Ireland, before moving to Bristol at 19 to study robotics.

In a statement following the plea, Collins’s family described the impact of his death as “deep, profound, and lasting.” They said he was close to completing his degree, with two pieces of coursework remaining. They remembered him as a sensitive and caring individual with a strong passion for equality.

Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Edgeworth, who led the investigation, dismissed claims made by Coughlan that he acted out of fear for his life. “Not a single shred of evidence to support that claim was found,” she said. “Coughlan admitted to lying in the hours and days after the murder, yet still tried to blame the victim for the attack he committed.”

Coughlan is scheduled to be sentenced in Bristol Crown Court.