Shaye Groves is a woman who had her bedroom decorated with photos of serial killers has been convicted of the murder of her boyfriend. According to court documents Shaye Groves would fatally stab Frankie Fitzgerald’ after she slit his throat. What exactly set out her murderous rage is not really clear however Shaye would tell police that she caught her boyfriend messaging a thirteen year old girl on Facebook. Shaye Groves who will be sentenced this week attempted to convince the jury that she was in fear of her life however the jury did not buy it and convicted her of murder.
Shaye Groves More News
A serial killer-obsessed woman who stabbed her boyfriend to death with a dagger has been found guilty of murder.
Shaye Groves slit 25-year-old Frankie Fitzgerald’s throat before plunging the blade into his chest 17 times at her home in Havant, Hampshire.
The 27-year-old, who used information from true crime documentaries to plan her alibi, tried to portray herself as the victim during a trial at Winchester Crown Court.
She will be sentenced on Wednesday.
The court heard Groves had knives, Viking axes and portraits of serial killers on her bedroom wall.
Steven Perian KC, prosecuting, told the jury Groves acted out of jealousy on 17 July last year, after she discovered her victim had been messaging a 13-year-old girl on Facebook.
“The killing of Frankie Fitzgerald is very likely to be a crime of passion driven by her jealousy,” the barrister said.
When police arrived, body-worn cameras showed Ms Groves telling officers Mr Fitzgerald had tried to attack her, the court was told.
Mr Perian said Groves used knowledge gained from documentaries to portray herself to a friend as a victim of sexual violence.
She sent the friend videos of the pair having sex, edited to appear as rape – but the prosecution said the original footage showed it was actually all consensual.
Mr Perian added: “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 Groves had been dealing cannabis.
Det Ch Insp Nicola Burton, of Hampshire Constabulary, said: “Our thoughts, first and foremost, are with the family of Frankie Fitzgerald.
“I would like to praise their courage and hope that today’s verdict brings them some small relief, despite knowing that nothing can fill the void left in their family by the loss of Frankie.
“I hope that the sentence Groves receives in due course provides them with reassurance that justice has been secured for Frankie.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-64597123
Shaye Groves Sentencing
Ruthless killer Shaye Groves, 27, was locked away for murdering Frankie Fitzgerald, 25, after a frenzied knife attack at her Botley Drive, Leigh Park, home on July 17 in which she stabbed him in the neck and chest 22 times.
Groves, who denied the offence after pleading self-defence, smiled after she was found guilty by jurors at Winchester Crown Court last week following four days of deliberations – the same court her serial killer icon Rose West was jailed at in 1995.
Today she was back at the court to be sentenced by judge Timothy Kerr, who imposed a life term with a minimum sentence of 23 years. As the sentence was handed down, Groves, who had been seen joking in the dock during the trial and after she was found guilty, was motionless as the sentence was delivered.
Judge Kerr said described the killing as a ‘senseless murder’ that was a ‘crime of passion’. ‘You lost your temper and acted on impulse. If you could not have Frankie no one could,’ he said.
Frankie’s dad Barry, in a victim statement, said both he and Frankie’s mum were ‘broken‘ and ‘couldn’t believe it’ when police told him about their son’s killing. ‘He had his whole life in front of him. It was snatched from him,’ he said before continuing: ‘I want to wake up and believe it didn’t happen.’
He added: ‘I love you son. You are a shining light who will always be in our hearts.’
Frankie’s mum Roseanne described Frankie as her ‘shining light’ who was a ‘kind and beautiful person’, who was the youngest of her five children.
Frankie’s former partner and the mum of his two ‘beautiful’ young children, Charlene Scutt said his murder had been completely heartbreaking’ with her ‘struggling to imagine the future positively’.
Speaking of the impact on the children, she said: ‘I feel it will never be over as the children will always have questions.’
Referring to ‘thoughtful’ Frankie she added: ‘I don’t think he realised how much he was loved.’
Prosecutor Steven Perian KC described Groves as a ‘cold blooded murderer’ after Frankie was stabbed while asleep following an ‘overwhelming attack’. He clarified that Frankie had blocked a girl who had messaged him prior to the attack which the trial heard had led to Groves lashing out. The jury’s guilty verdict meant they ‘rejected’ her defence claims.
Groves’ barrister Michael Goodwin KC said there was a ‘lack of premeditation’ and said the relationship was ‘capable of being termed abusive’.