A former commando who stabbed his neighbors to death after a lengthy parking dispute claims his military training began when a bright white security light flashed, reminding him of missiles in a war zone.
Colin Reeves told the jurors that he rushed forward, instinctively hiding, and agreed that he must have entered the home of Jennifer and Stephen Chapel and killed them with his ceremonial dagger commando, although he insisted that he can’t remember a real attack.
Reeves, 35, told jurors in Bristol Court that he had been “trained to kill” and had been taught to fight up close, use a bayonet and how to clear houses during city operations.
He said he had served in Afghanistan and lost friends and colleagues in the conflict, and told the jury that after his tour he did not have time to “decompress” because he was facing military trial for drunken fighting.
Reeves admits to killing Chapel, who was killed while their children were sleeping upstairs at their home in the village of Norton Fitzwarren in Somerset, but denies the murder due to reduced responsibility.
Stephen and Jennifer Chapel. Photo: Sam Malone / Avon and Somerset Police / PA Media
He said that on the day of the murder – shortly after Remembrance Sunday last year – he visited a war memorial to pay tribute to his fallen colleagues and argued with his wife, Kaylee Reeves, who proposed a separation in court.
Reeves said he did not remember taking the dagger presented to him when he left the army from the living room wall. The jury saw security footage of him climbing over the fence that separates their properties.
The ex-soldier said he remembered a bright light. “I felt as if I had been seen or compromised. The white light was always a trigger for something like someone firing a flare. He had a feeling something was going to happen. “
Asked what he was trained to do, he replied: “To hide. I was trying to get on the buckle of my belt and lie down in front so they wouldn’t see me. ” He continued: “I had the feeling that it was me or them. I know it was wrong, I should never have been there.
“I feel ashamed, disgusted with myself for what I did to take the lives of Stephen and Jennifer while their children were in bed, causing pain and suffering to their families and friends.”
Dr. Karen Goff, a forensic psychologist, assessed Reeves in prison and concluded that she suffers from “complex PTSD.” [post-traumatic stress disorder]Depression and anxiety.
She said: “I think Mr Reeves struggled to recognize the post-traumatic stress disorder associated with his time in Afghanistan because he felt that other soldiers were experiencing it much worse and were at much more trauma and risk.
“He did not appreciate the impact of what he witnessed with the wounded soldiers returning to the Bastion camp. [in Helmand Province] and the risk of detainees. “
The process continues.
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