Parbury Road, Forest Hill: Murderer said he 'felt nothing'https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/2465 ... t-nothing/A rapist Uber driver killed his wife by stabbing her in the neck then hid her body in the attic.
Shane Simmonds, 39, murdered his wife Tia, 32, in the bedroom of their home on Parbury Road, Forest Hill, on New Year’s Day.
Tia’s mum said just days before the killing they had all enjoyed a “normal family Christmas with food and games”, but Simmonds’ internet history later revealed that he had been planning his wife’s murder for at least a month.
On December 2 he had searched “how long for a dead body to smell” and in November he researched sleeping pill deaths.
Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC said while their kids were out of the home on January 1 Simmonds mixed 30 sleeping pills into two drinks, telling Tia it was a “health shot”.
Tia took only a few sips due to the taste, so Simmonds got a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her twice in the neck as she got out of the shower.
He then covered her body in bedding and clothing then hid it in the attic, Ms Heer said.
Simmonds then cleaned the scene before he picked their children and Tia’s mum up from Bromley, telling them Tia had gone out with a friend and later that she was staying in a hotel.
On January 3 he turned up at Lewisham Police Station and told the reception officer “I f***ed up big this time, I killed my wife”.
He also confessed to raping another female.
Ms Heer told the Old Bailey that Tia and Simmonds had been married for a decade.
Tia’s mum said they appeared to be a happy couple with a strong relationship, but Ms Heer said: “Below the surface it seemed that things weren’t quite as she thought.”
Simmonds had worked as a prison officer but lost his job prior to the Covid lockdowns, claiming he had been “stiffed”.
At the time of the murder he was working as an Uber driver but had a gambling problem and was in debt.
He was also using prostitutes and Tia suspected he was cheating on her, the court heard.
Three months before her murder Tia had told a friend she was unhappy and was thinking about ending their marriage.
In his police interview Simmonds said he was depressed and felt he was losing his family.
He said when he stabbed Tia in the neck, he felt nothing.
Simmonds had no criminal history or cautions on his record.
Ms Heer said Simmonds had been using anabolic steroids prior to his death, even though he had stopped going to the gym.
Simmonds faces a life sentence, Judge Philip Katz KC will decide the minimum length of that sentence.
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