A woman obsessed by serial killers has been found guilty of the murder of her on-off boyfriend whom she stabbed to death after using tips from true crime documentaries to plan her alibi.
Shaye Groves, 27, was convicted at Winchester Crown Court of slitting the throat of Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, before stabbing him 17 times in the chest in July last year after trying to portray herself as his victim.
The five-week trial heard that the pair shared a mutual interest in bondage, dominance, submission and masochism, and a camera was set up in the defendant’s bedroom at her home in Havant, Hampshire, to record them having sex.
Groves had framed pictures of serial killers on her walls, collected books about gangsters, including the notorious prisoner Charles Bronson, and watched true crime documentaries.
Steven Perian KC, prosecuting, told the jury that Groves acted out of jealousy after she found that her victim had been messaging a 13-year-old girl on Facebook.
He said: “Their sex life involved bondage, dominance, submission and masochism – in short form, BDSM.
“It is very likely she was obsessed with Frankie Fitzgerald because of his performance in the bedroom.
“The killing of Frankie Fitzgerald is very likely to be a crime of passion driven by her jealousy.”
Mr Perian said that Groves used her knowledge from true crime shows to portray herself to friend, Vicky Baitup, as a victim of Mr Fitzgerald’s sexual violence.
She sent the friend videos of the pair having sex edited to appear as rape but the prosecution say the original footage showed that it was consensual sex.
Mr Perian added: “Where would the defendant have got the insight from to plan the details of the attack and to make it look like she was the victim of an assault?
“The defendant has many gangster books like Charles Bronson in her bookcase.
“She has serial killer pictures all in frames on her wall and she watches murder documentaries.
“The Crown say that the defendant – by reading about and watching murder documentaries – she was familiar with crime scenes, how to create a false narrative and how to set up a false alibi.
“She deliberately set up a false narrative of being abused by Frankie Fitzgerald, a false alibi she sent to Vicky Baitup and was cleaning the crime scene having watched these documentaries.”
Following conviction, the jury was told that Groves had been dealing cannabis.
The judge, Mr Justice Kerr, adjourned the case for sentencing on Wednesday, February 22.
He told the jurors: “It remains for me to thank you from the court for the dedication and work you have done on this case.”
