A 31-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering his mother at the home they shared in Peterborough. Gregory Coulson stabbed his mother, Carmen Coulson, 67, to death at their detached property in Lingwood Park, Longthorpe.
Police were called by Coulson at 2.44am on Sunday, 9 February last year, although investigators believe the killing took place hours earlier on the Saturday evening.
Officers who arrived at the property found Mrs Coulson dead inside the house.
Fatal stab wound to the heart
A post-mortem examination revealed Mrs Coulson had suffered numerous injuries across her body, including a fatal stab wound to the heart.
Coulson denied murder during the trial, claiming intruders had broken into the home and killed his mother.
However, a jury at Huntingdon Law Courts rejected his account and unanimously found him guilty on Tuesday (10 March).
‘Brutal attack on his own mother’
Detective Inspector Mark Dollard said investigators may never fully understand why the attack happened.
He said: “We may never know exactly why Coulson carried out this brutal attack on his own mother but there was evidence of repeated and heavy cocaine and alcohol consumption by him over the three months leading up to the murder.
“Carmen’s death is a tragedy for the rest of her family, who showed dignity throughout the trial, and my thoughts are with them at this incredibly difficult time.”
Chilling question after arrest
The court heard that after his arrest, while waiting to be booked into custody, Coulson asked officers:
“how many years do you get for murder these days?”
During police interviews he admitted responsibility for the killing.
He told detectives he had been drinking vodka in his room while listening to music and painting before deciding to take a knife from the kitchen.
Coulson said he stabbed his mother at about 10pm before going to bed because he “didn’t know what to do” and later called police.
Sentencing date set
Gregory Coulson is due to be sentenced on 17 April at a court yet to be confirmed.
